Setting

Barbara Sudlow Headteacher Mundesley Infant School Trunch Road Mundesley Norwich Norfolk NR11 8LE

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School

Following my visit to your school on 1 July 2013, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report 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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School

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, I met with you and the leaders for literacy and mathematics, five governors including the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body, and the school’s adviser from the local authority. The school improvement plans were evaluated. We spent some time looking at pupils’ books and their work on display.

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Context

The governing body has a new member since the previous inspection. A new teacher has been appointed for September 2013.

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Main findings

Leaders and governors have high ambition and a sense of urgency to provide pupils with a good quality education as soon as possible and their plans are fit for this Serco Inspections Colmore Plaza 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 679 9158 Direct email :rachel.dayan@serco.com purpose. The school improvement plan has been amended to take account of the points raised at inspection but these are minor changes to what was already identified for improvement. As a result, the momentum for improvement already started at that time has continued uninterrupted. This is having a positive effect, as seen in the recent assessments for pupils at the end of Key Stage 1. Attainment this academic year is an improvement from last year for writing and mathematics. The gap between boys and girls has narrowed in reading and writing, and in

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Main findings

mathematics more boys have reached Level 3 than before. You have completed a careful analysis of results for children in the Reception Year. It shows that children have not done as well in reading and writing as in other areas of learning. Analysis of reading and spelling in Year 1 has prompted changes for the teaching of phonics across the school from September. Changes to the way that pupils have extra support to make up for gaps in their learning are also planned. Support will start early in September rather than later in the year as was the case previously.

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Main findings

Specific actions that have taken place since the inspection include programmes to improve handwriting and writing. Handwriting for pupils of all ages has improved and this makes a big difference to how work is presented. It is too soon to see how well the new writing programme helps pupils improve the content of their writing. Some of the proposed changes to teaching and the curriculum have quite sensibly been tested out before being rolled out more widely across the school, such as monster maths for more-able pupils by the teacher in Year 2.

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Main findings

Experience and expertise within the governing body has been strengthened by recent appointments and by having more-focused discussions about how well pupils are taught and how much they learn. The work of sub-committees is being revised for next term so that governors’ monitoring and challenge can be even more rigorous. Financial planning for the next academic year carefully takes into account the things that need to happen to make sure that leaders and teachers have what they need to continue the momentum of improvement. This includes time for the headteacher to focus on strategic leadership of teaching and for improvements to provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Main findings

The improvement plan that focuses directly on the issues identified during the inspection sits appropriately within a wider plan for school development. This ensures that all aspects of the provision are checked and evaluated. Although plans are suitable for the things that need to be done and for the time-scale in which they need to take place; they lack specific details about when and how checks will take place. It would be helpful if these arrangements included the views of external professionals on how well pupils benefit from the actions taken by staff and governors.

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Main findings

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection. The school should take further action to:  strengthen improvement plans by including external professionals to check the difference that the work of staff and governors has on pupils’ performance  provide specific details in the improvement plans about how and when checks will take place  keep a careful watch on the quality of teaching and children’s achievements in reading and writing in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

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Main findings

Ofsted may carry out further visits and, where necessary, provide further support and challenge to the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

Staff make good use of the support available from the local authority, such as training for the Early Years Foundation Stage and writing. You ask for help when it is needed and has developed links with several schools locally and further afield in the county, including the school in Sheringham that is a training school. These things focus well on the most important priorities for school improvement.

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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 Norfolk.

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