Setting

Mrs Ann Broughton Headteacher Bedfont Primary School Hatton Road London TW14 9QZ

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2005

Following my visit to your school on 18 April 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 when your school was judged to require improvement. Key areas requiring improvement included: teachers’ planning and marking, and the use of assessment in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The school was also asked to raise achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. School leaders were asked to have a greater impact on pupils’ progress, and the governing body was requested to undertake an external review of governance.

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Evidence

I met with you and other leaders, representatives from the local authority and members of the governing body. I reviewed your school action plan, outcomes from monitoring by local authority advisers, evidence from your lesson observations and guidance to help teachers improve their planning and teaching. We toured the school together to discuss developments in teaching and observe pupils in lessons.

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Context

Since the most recent section 5 inspection your leader for the Early Years Foundation Stage has resigned and will be leaving at the end of the summer term. 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 Email :christina.bannerman@tribalgroup.com

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Main findings

You and your senior leaders are being highly effective in challenging each other about how well and efficiently you are tackling the key priorities for improvement. Focusing on better teaching is rightly at the heart of your action plan. You are communicating higher expectations of all teachers and teaching assistants, especially in Key Stage 2. Your regular checking of pupils’ books is testing how well they respond to teachers’ comments. The feedback you give to teachers to develop better marking shows a good balance of fair criticism and constructive guidance. Teachers’ comments to pupils are more specific. Several pupils said they understand more clearly what they can improve and how they can ‘try harder work’.

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Main findings

Targets for teachers are aligned to the Teachers’ Standards so that teachers know how they are being judged as part of your appraisal process. You are not afraid to tackle weak practice, helping staff realise that the pace of improvement must be rapid and sustainable. You have taken decisive action to work with those teachers whose work requires improvement and as result some teachers have improved their practice and are teaching good lessons. Further work is needed to help consistently good teachers to develop outstanding practice. There are early signs that pupils’ progress is accelerating, although this is yet not consistent enough, for example in Year 4.

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Main findings

Staff are using assessment more accurately in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Your deputy headteacher has a good understanding of how to develop speaking and listening skills of the children and is leading her team with gusto. Your assistant headteacher is successfully using his expertise to reshape the mathematics curriculum. There is a more coherent use of your school calculation policy. He is working with teachers to build their confidence and subject knowledge. Teachers are making better use of new mathematical resources and they are starting to plan more interesting lessons to stretch pupils’ problem-solving skills. You provide good support for your subject leaders for literacy and their confidence as leaders is growing. Their work to develop a new breakfast book club and lead more fruitful work with parents to support pupils’ reading is testimony to them rising to the challenges you have set

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Main findings

Your school action plan is tightly linked to the areas for improvement from the recent inspection. Some criteria need to be more specific about your expectations for different pupil groups, such as your brightest pupils and pupils with special educational needs.

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Main findings

Governors are very keen to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills. They are committed to supporting you in challenging weak teaching and making sure that staff only receive additional pay and progression if their pupils’ achievement improves. Recent training has begun to improve their understanding of information about pupils’ performance. This has some way to go to make sure all governors can check and challenge you about how well pupils are doing compared with their peers nationally and how well pupil premium funding is being used. Governors could make use, for example, of Ofsted’s published guidance on using the pupil premium, which can be found at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/pupil-premium-analysis-and- challenge-tools-for-schools

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Main findings

The governors’ action plan is not challenging enough and the governing body has been slow to respond to the requirement to undertake an external review. Undertaking such a review needs to be given priority. The local authority is supporting governors in getting this underway. A start has been made, with the Chair and Vice Chair attending training led by the National College for Teaching and Leadership.

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Main findings

The school is beginning to take effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection. Following my visit, I recommend that further action is taken to:

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Main findings

 complete an external review of governance by the end of May 2013

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Main findings

 ensure that all governors receive training to give them the confidence and knowledge to hold school leaders to account for the quality of pupils’ achievement, the impact of pupil premium funding and improvements to teaching.

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External support

The school is highly receptive to the valuable support provided by the local authority. Regular monitoring meetings are helping you, your governors and the local authority check how quickly the school is improving and broker additional support and training as necessary. The planned partner work with Hampton Hill Junior School and the headteacher, who is a Local Leader of Education, is just beginning to roll out. You have carefully thought about how to capitalise on this partnership work and make sure that your subject leaders get the best from their visits to the school and the leadership training being brokered with it.

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External support

Ofsted will continue to monitor the school until its next section 5 inspection. I am copying this letter to your Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services for Hounslow.

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