Setting

Mr David Purcell Headteacher St Elizabeth Catholic Primary School Bonner Road London E2 9JY

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Requires improvement monitoring inspection visit under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 to St Elizabeth Catholic Primary School

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Following my visit to your school on 17 May 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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The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in March 2013. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you and other senior leaders including the literacy and mathematics coordinators, the Director of Children’s Services for Tower Hamlets, the Chair of the Governing Body, several support staff, two further representatives of the local authority, and a group of pupils. The school’s raising achievement plan, and minutes of governing body meetings were evaluated. Various documents, including the monitoring files and draft policies on teaching and staff appraisal were scrutinised. Short visits were made to a few lessons to scrutinise the quality of marking.

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Context

You have decided to stand down at the end of the current half-term. The local authority and diocese are making arrangements to cover the post. Previous plans to restructure the senior leadership team have been ratified by the governing body and an extended senior team is now in place. The mathematics coordinator will be also leaving at the end of the summer term and, from September; leadership of 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 email :suzy.smith@triblagroup.com mathematics will be by the Years 5 and 6 phase leader. Plans are in place to appoint the two other phase leaders.

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Main findings

You and other senior leaders, together with the governing body and local authority, have decisively begun address the previously ‘hidden’ weaknesses outlined in the recent section 5 report. Since the inspection, your drive for improvement and your challenging approach to underperformance have been unremitting. Together, you have produced a well-structured raising attainment plan which is fit for purpose. You have introduced a new and better system to record and track pupils’ progress. This is helping teachers to identify and support pupils at risk of underachieving. Similarly, teachers are more rigorous in their use of the revised marking system; pupils like and understand the new approach. However, teachers need to correct grammatical errors more often and give pupils time to respond to comments. The training and coaching programmes to improve teaching are beginning to have an impact on pupils’ progress. Even so, not all middle leaders have been given opportunities to

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Main findings

develop their leadership skills. Governors are working strategically with the senior leaders and recognise the need for further training to use performance data better to challenge outcomes.

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Main findings

Senior leaders and governors are beginning to take 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:  ensure that interim arrangement to appoint a new headteacher is finalised immediately to sustain recent improvements  organise and finalise the planned training for the governing body to manage and use assessment information to challenge outcomes  provide leadership and management training for all middle leaders.

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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

You and your senior leaders have responded well to the local authority’s support to improve performance. Staff are benefiting from working with the local authority’s consultants; they are creating flexible learning opportunities for all pupils. Senior leaders have benefited from working with knowledgeable practitioners from local and, nationally renowned 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 Tower Hamlets, and the diocese.

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