Setting

Louisa Kenzie, Headteacher Teversham Church of England VA Primary School Church Road Teversham Cambridge CB1 9AZ

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Education Act 2005 to Teversham Church of England VA Primary School,

Following my visit to your school on 26 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.

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Education Act 2005 to Teversham Church of England VA Primary School,

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in February 2013.

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Evidence

During the visit, I held meetings with you, the assistant headteacher, the Early Years Foundation Stage coordinator, two representatives of the governing body, and a representative of the local authority. I evaluated the school action plan and looked at records showing pupils’ progress. In addition, you provided a tour of the school to familiarise me with your school.

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Context

There have been no contextual changes since the recent section 5 inspection.

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Main findings

Your plans to tackle the weaknesses identified in the February inspection provide a secure basis for improvement. Inspectors asked you to improve the quality of teaching in order to raise pupils’ attainment, particularly in mathematics, and to Serco Inspections 20 Colmore Circus Queensway Birmingham B4 6AT T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0121 6799163 Direct email :@serco.com increase the effectiveness of leadership and management, particularly with regard to improving teaching and provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Main findings

The half-termly milestones are checked by monitoring visits by the local authority adviser. You are using a range of evidence well to review the success of improvements. Improving the quality of teaching is rightly the key focus. You are providing teachers with extensive and constructive feedback about how to make their lessons good or better. Their planning and marking are now stronger and more consistent. Staff are making better use of pupils’ progress data to evaluate the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning and achievement. Teachers are now assessing pupils’ progress more regularly and accurately, supported by training and moderation from literacy and mathematics advisers. However, the school’s monitoring of pupils’ progress shows that teaching is not yet effective in securing higher levels of attainment by the end of Key Stage 1 or 2.

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Main findings

A very positive feature is staff agreement on the ‘non-negotiable’ features of good or better teaching and learning. Coaching, mentoring and guided visits to good or better schools are helping staff to reflect on, and refine their teaching. Nevertheless our tour of classrooms indicated inconsistencies, for example in the success with which staff organise classrooms and resources to inspire pupils or promote their independence. Imaginative plans to improve the learning environment in the Early Years Foundation Stage, inside and outside, are the most advanced.

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Main findings

Communication with staff, governors, parents and carers is improving. For example, you are providing parents and carers with a helpful summary of the school’s actions and progress following the inspection. Staff appreciate the weekly bulletin. Governors are frequently and actively involved and you are making good use of their expertise. For example, the Chair of Governors provides a high level of data analysis.

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Main findings

Senior leaders and governors have begun to take effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection. Following the visit to the school, I recommend that further action is taken to:

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Main findings

 use the agreed ‘non-negotiable’ features of good or better teaching as a specific focus of lesson observations, learning walks, work scrutiny, data analysis and evaluations by pupils, staff, governors, parents and carers  consider how the school’s strengths can be developed further and used to accelerate improvement by using the curriculum for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development to support their academic progress.

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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 high quality support commensurate with the school’s needs. The school improvement adviser’s thorough auditing and regular monitoring of teaching and pupils’ progress is followed up by specialist support and training in school and out. For example, visits to other schools and governor training are informing school-based work. The headteacher is making additional links with other schools.

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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 Cambridgeshire.

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