Setting

Andrew Bloom Executive Headteacher Worlingworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Worlingworth Shop Street Woodbridge IP13 7HX

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England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 18–19 June, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions which have been taken since the school’s previous monitoring inspection.

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England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

The inspection was the second monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in June 2012. The full list of the areas for improvement which were identified during that inspection is set out in the annex to this letter. The monitoring inspection report is attached.

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England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time:

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England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

The school is making reasonable progress towards the removal of special measures.

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England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Up to two newly qualified teachers may be appointed.

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England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

This letter and monitoring inspection report will be published on the Ofsted website. I am copying this letter and the monitoring inspection report to the Secretary of State, the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services for Suffolk.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

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 : lewis.mackie1@serco.com

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place in June 2012

 Accelerate pupils’ progress by: - ensuring teachers use assessment information to match tasks to pupils’ abilities - improving opportunities for pupils to apply their skills, particularly in reading and writing - ensuring pupils with disabilities and those with special educational needs are provided with work that is carefully adapted for their needs, builds their confidence and improves their achievement.

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place in June 2012

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is good or better by: - planning well-paced lessons with clear and succinct introductions and appropriate time allowed for pupils to develop their skills - marking work consistently and setting sharp targets for pupils that identify what they need to learn next.

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place in June 2012

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by: - developing the leadership skills of staff so that they share fully in the responsibility of improving teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement - extending the part played by the governing body in monitoring all areas of the school’s work so they can play a more active part in promoting school improvement.

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Evidence

HMI observed the school’s work, scrutinised documents and met with the Executive Headteacher, Head of school, the Chair and two other members of the Governing Body, a representative from the local authority, and a sample of parents. All classes were visited to evaluate pupils’ learning and the school’s assessment. Samples of pupils’ workbooks were scrutinised.

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Context

Partnership arrangements with a nearby secondary school continue. Temporary staff have now been placed on permanent contracts.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

No further results of national tests have become available since the last monitoring visit. However, the school’s own assessment and monitoring data, which are reliable, indicate marked improvements. In Key Stage 1, progress is improving steadily. These improvements accelerate in Key Stage 2. The progress made in all year groups is at least as good as that expected nationally and is well above for writing. In both key stages, standards are now around the national average and accelerating. Differences in the progress made by boys and girls, and by those known to be eligible for free school meals and their peers, are minimal. The gap between the attainment of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and their peers is narrowing.

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The quality of teaching

The quality of teaching continues to improve. Teachers’ assessment of pupils’ attainment is now wholly accurate. It is systematic and provides a good basis for the effective planning of lessons. All teachers have an up-to-date understanding of precisely how well their pupils are doing in all subjects. Sometimes, teachers have to teach topics or skills to cover gaps that are the result of the legacy of underachievement at the school. However, these occasions are becoming fewer as the gaps close.

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The quality of teaching

Teachers plan their lessons well, taking account of pupils’ differing needs. In the best examples, teachers use these plans flexibly, allowing pupils to solve problems or work independently, and teaching outside of the plan should it benefit pupils to do so. As a result, pupils are able to demonstrate improved skills of independent learning and problem solving. This good practice is not yet consistent across the school, however. The planning and implementation of support for pupils, and especially for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, is exemplary. This leads to the provision of support that is closely matched to need. Together with improved opportunities to develop reading and writing skills, this is leading to much-improved progress for this group.

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The quality of teaching

The setting of homework and the marking of written work has improved significantly. Following the writing and implementation of a marking policy, all teachers now mark with consistency and thoroughness. That helps pupils to learn and to understand the next steps for improvement. In addition, class time is routinely devoted to points identified by marking, with pupils given opportunities to reflect on and correct their own work.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

There were no issues from the last inspection relating to behaviour and so this was not a focus of this monitoring inspection visit, but HMI observed pupils behaving well throughout the school.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Following a period of turbulence prior to the last inspection, a settled and positive atmosphere has developed and is benefitting pupils and staff. Parents comment positively on these and other improvements; for example, more frequent communications and regular homework. Partnership arrangements with the high school continue to work well. For example, opportunities to improve practice by teachers observing their peers are widely exploited. The school is also benefitting from shared expertise in, for example, provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Between them, the executive headteacher and the head of school continue to have a good understanding of the weaknesses that they need to address and areas of strength that they need to develop further. Self-assessment is accurate and improvement plans are detailed and suitably challenging. Lesson observations now give an appropriate emphasis to the observation of learning. Together with accurate assessment, they are giving leaders an accurate view of how the school is performing. The management of teachers’ performance is increasingly linked to targets that are monitored closely.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Governance has improved. Governors now have an improved realisation of the challenge that they should give to the school, and recent records indicate that they are now doing this. Governors have undertaken much training; for example, in the analysis of school performance data. This is enabling them to be less dependent on analyses and data provided by leaders, and to challenge better. Written records ascribe responsibilities for governors’ actions, but rarely timescales. Governors now play a much closer role in the life of the school. Regular visits have a clear purpose and are reported back in detail to the governing body. Resulting recommendations are discussed in detail.

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External support

Increasingly, improvement is driven from within the school and partnership. Local authority support has been reduced and the school is rapidly developing the capacity to improve itself.

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