Setting

Ms Jo Conduit Principal Harris Primary Academy Peckham Park Marmont Road London SE15 5TD

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Peckham Park, Southwark

Following my visit to your school on 20 May 2013, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report on my findings. 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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Peckham Park, Southwark

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in January 2013. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Evidence

During the visit, I met with you and a representative of the sponsor. A telephone conversation was held with the Chair of the Governing Body. The academy improvement plan was evaluated. A series of brief visits were made to classrooms to look at the impact of the actions which the academy has taken since the previous inspection. A range of documentation was reviewed, including records of senior leaders’ observations of lessons, plans for transforming the outdoor areas of the Nursery and Reception classes and case studies on coaching and support provided to improve the quality of teaching.

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Context

Since the previous inspection you have been appointed to the substantive post of Principal. The leadership and management structure has been revised. Previous 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 5323 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Email : suzy.smith@tribalgroup.com governors have stood down and six new governors have been appointed. One teacher is absent and has been replaced by a supply teacher. Three other teachers have left the academy and their teaching responsibilities have been passed on to existing staff.

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Main findings

The academy improvement plan addresses all the areas for improvement identified in the recent inspection. The plan includes appropriate actions and has sensible timescales and success criteria for judging progress. However, the plan would benefit from more detail about exactly how and when governing body will check that the school’s actions are making a difference to improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning.

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Main findings

The academy has reviewed and revised the academy’s marking policy and pupils’ books show that the new policy is being implemented. Pupils are responding to the helpful advice that is given and this is helping them to improve their work. The system encourages pupils to edit their work in green pen and to comment on their work. The academy’s monitoring of marking shows pockets of emerging good practice.

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Main findings

Teachers have had training and support to help them check pupils’ understanding and to use questioning to help pupils develop their thinking. Harris Federation advisors have also provided in-class support to develop this aspect of teachers’ practice. A revised planning format is being used which encourages teachers to identify key questions they need to ask to judge if pupils are being successful in their learning. Pupils’ progress is now reviewed every six weeks and a mix of internal and external moderation is used to test if teachers are pitching their judgements at the right level.

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Main findings

A review group has been established to monitor the impact of the actions being taken to improve the academy. Governors have regular training to help them be more effective in challenging the academy to improve. Individual governors are linked to different year groups, so that they can have direct experience of what is happening in the academy.

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Main findings

Subject and phase leadership has been restructured so that middle leaders can be directly accountable for their areas of responsibility and have sufficient time to play a greater role in leading initiatives intended to accelerate progress.

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Main findings

Where teaching requires improvement, teachers have been subject to an improvement plan and have been provided with mentoring and support. Teachers have had opportunities to observe good or better practice in the academy or in other schools. Progress against improvement plans is reviewed weekly and the academy can demonstrate examples where there has been a significant improvement in teaching as a result of the high level of support provided to improve it.

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Main findings

Plans have been drawn up to improve the outside areas used by Nursery and Reception classes. It is expected that work on developing the outside areas will begin soon. Other refurbishment work, to improve the appearance of classrooms and other areas the academy, is also planned.

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Main findings

The Principal 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 the academy improvement plan specifies more precisely how and when the planned improvements will be evaluated, particularly in relation to improving teaching and its impact on improving pupils’ achievement.

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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 Harris Federation has provided training for the governing body and has worked with the academy to help judge the quality of teaching and to set an accurate baseline for judging improvements. Federation advisers are working with teachers and leaders to improve the profile of teaching. The impact of their work can be seen in improvements in the quality of teaching and the developing capacity of middle leaders.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, The Chief Executive Officer of the Harris Federation, the local authority for Southwark and the Academies Advisers Unit at the Department for Education. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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