Setting

Daphne Shields Headteacher Audley Primary School Whyteleafe Road Caterham CR3 5ED

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Education act 2005 to Audley Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 25 th March 2013, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report on the findings of my visit. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Education act 2005 to Audley Primary School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in December 2012. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with the headteacher, other senior leaders, the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. The school improvement plan and individual action plans for English and mathematics were evaluated. A range of documentation including governing body minutes, current data about pupils’ progress and records of the monitoring of the quality of teaching was also reviewed. The headteacher took the HMI on a tour of the school to look at specific improvements to teaching and learning since the last inspection.

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Context

There have been no significant changes to staffing or the school organisation since the recent inspection which judged the school to require improvement. Tribal 1-4 Portland Square Bristol BS2 8RR T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0117 311 5359 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Direct email : christina.bannerman@tribalgroup.com

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Main findings

The headteacher, senior leaders and governors have responded quickly and with a determined approach to the recommendations from the section 5 inspection. They are wholly committed to raising teachers’ expectations and understanding of what constitutes ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ teaching, as well as increasing pupils’ aspirations of what they can achieve. An appropriate sense of ambition and urgency exist.

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Main findings

The school improvement action plan written after the inspection of December 2012 is precisely targeted on the areas for improvement. The plan is succinct and focuses on increasing pupils’ achievement through further raising the quality of teaching and strengthening leadership and its impact on teaching and pupils’ progress. Roles and responsibilities, resources and intended outcomes are identified. Time-frames are explicit and ambitious and the roles of the governing body and senior leaders in monitoring and evaluating progress are clear.

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Main findings

Monitoring of the quality of teaching, planning, pupils’ workbooks and progress data by senior leaders is extensive and systematic. Feedback is provided, with strengths and improvements required identified. A range of initiatives including use of staff meeting time, attendance at courses and coaching is being used to ensure that the quality of teaching continues to improve. Most recent monitoring indicates an increasing proportion of good teaching and purposeful marking as well as lesson planning that more effectively meets the needs of most able pupils. Examples of good practice are being identified and discussed during staff meetings. As a result teachers are gaining a clearer view of the constituent parts of good and better practice and teaching is improving more rapidly. Senior leaders hold a precise view of pupils’ achievements as well as progress towards whole school priorities.

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Main findings

Teachers have an improved understanding of their own responsibilities for raising pupils’ achievement. Clear expectations and regular pupil progress meetings ensure all teachers know exactly the targets they are working towards and that individual pupils’ learning needs are correctly identified and planned for. Processes for the performance management of staff are improving because accountability and expectations are increasingly explicit. Targets for staff are rightly linked to improving achievement of pupils in their class. Capacity for improvement has been further enhanced through the headteacher’s links with a Local Leader of Education (LLE), as well as through the extending skills and responsibilities of subject and senior leaders.

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Main findings

The governing body provides clear and effective support and plays an identifiable role in driving improvement. A recent review of governors’ roles and responsibilities has ensured that further training needs are identified, that committee systems are effective and targeted at addressing most urgent priorities. Governors receive comprehensive, accurate information from the headteacher and minutes of more recent meetings reveal significant challenge being levelled at senior staff. Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection. Following the visit to the school, HMI recommend that further action is taken to:

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Main findings

 ensure that action and improvement plan evaluations are precise and clearly related to the areas for improvement (rather than to actions taken)  ensure that all governors access the training they need to carry out their duties and roles effectively  ensure that learning objectives and lesson activities meet the needs of all pupils accurately, including the least able  ensure that pupils develop the skills to become independent learners, so that they possess a range of appropriate strategies to employ when they are ‘stuck’ with a piece of work  use the wider curriculum more effectively to reinforce and extend English and mathematical skills

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Main findings

Ofsted will continue to monitor the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

The local authority is providing extensive high quality support to the school and this has been pivotal in securing the breadth of improvements to date. Support is helping to improve the quality of teaching and strengthen leadership through a range of training, coaching and mentoring activities for subject and senior leaders. The local authority holds regular meetings to challenge the school leaders to improve the quality of education and to check that actions being taken are having the desired effect. These meetings and current levels of support will continue until evidence indicates they are no longer necessary. The school and governing body are drawing effectively on this support and can now more clearly identify their own development and needs.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services for Surrey and as below.

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