Setting

Emma Haywood Acting Headteacher King Edwin Primary and Nursery School Fourth Avenue Edwinstowe Mansfield NG21 9NS

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Foundation Unit

Following my visit with Sara Storer, Additional Inspector, to your school on 9–10 July 2013, 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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Foundation Unit

The inspection was the second monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in October 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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Foundation Unit

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

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Foundation Unit

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

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Foundation Unit

Newly qualified teachers may not be appointed.

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Foundation Unit

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 Service Director for Children, Families and Cultural Services in Nottinghamshire.

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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 679 9161 Direct email : ann.morris@serco.com

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place in October 2012

 Improve the quality of teaching in order to accelerate pupils’ progress and raise their attainment, particularly in reading and writing, by:  using information about pupils’ attainment carefully to match activities to pupils’ different capabilities and provide challenge, particularly in Key Stage 1 and for pupils capable of reaching higher levels  making sure that teachers’ questions encourage pupils to think hard  ensuring that pupils have opportunities throughout the day in a range of lessons to practise the skills they are developing in literacy  checking that teaching assistants have the necessary resources and training to give pupils the help that they need  ensuring teaching assistants record how well the pupils they support are doing so that further support can be given if needed.

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place in October 2012

 Strengthen the impact of leaders and managers at all levels and the school’s capacity to sustain improvement by making sure that:  the school has rigorous ways to monitor and evaluate the quality of teaching and learning and the impact it has on pupils’ attainment and progress  a training programme to improve the quality of teaching and learning is developed and implemented  there is a timetable for monitoring the quality of pupils’ learning throughout the year, the findings of which are taken into account when drawing up plans for improvement  the leader of provision for pupils who have special educational needs is proactive in identifying pupils who need support and takes responsibility for matching resources to pupils’ needs  the governing body receives the training needed to understand how well pupils are achieving without being overly reliant on what the school tells it and to be able to help the school improve

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place in October 2012

 ensuring that the school’s staff, including senior leaders, are organised and deployed in a way that enables them to gain an accurate view of the quality of teaching and learning.

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Evidence

Inspectors observed the school’s work, scrutinised documents and met with the acting headteacher, a Local Leader in Education (associate headteacher) who is supporting the school, the senior leadership team, special educational needs coordinator (SENCO)/inclusion manager, Chair of the Governing Body, Vice Chair of the Governing Body and a parent governor, groups of pupils and an education improvement adviser from the local authority.

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Context

Since the section 8 monitoring inspection in January 2013, the substantive headteacher retired from the school.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

Children start in the Foundation Unit generally below, or increasingly well below age- related expectations, particularly in their personal development and speech and language development. Outcomes for children at the end of their Reception Year are in line with national expectations overall. This represents mainly good or better progress. For those children who remain slightly below expectations in literacy at the end of their Reception Year, the school has sound plans to accelerate their progress as they move into Year 1.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

Due to the better than expected progress made this academic year in reading and writing, there has been an overall improvement in the attainment of pupils at the end of Key Stage 1. Good-quality support for pupils who are at an early stage of acquiring English or who are known to be eligible for free school meals ensures that these pupils do as well as other pupils in their reading and writing. Measures the school is putting in place to narrow the gaps in performance between boys and girls and between other groups of pupils are effective. The school is now checking the impact of any additional support very carefully. It has systems in place for checking on all pupils’ progress regularly, leading to prompt action where progress is not as expected. The contribution of all staff to the robust gathering of data and the use of information to meet pupils’ needs is leading to accelerated progress and rising

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Achievement of pupils at the school

standards in reading, writing and mathematics across the school. An even greater percentage of pupils achieved the higher levels in national tests at the end of both key stages this academic year, with particular success in Year 6, where over half the pupils attained the higher levels in mathematics.

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The quality of teaching

The quality of teaching is increasingly and predominantly good. The committed staff team have responded well to training and initiatives which have helped to ensure greater teaching consistency across the school. There is outstanding practice worthy of sharing and inadequate teaching has been eradicated. Staff have good subject knowledge and are questioning pupils well. Their thorough understanding of pupils’ needs leads to good lesson planning with adaptation of purposeful learning tasks to suit all abilities. This results in high levels of pupil engagement. Staff are making improved use of reading, writing and mathematics across a range of subjects, so pupils have opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills in different contexts. Learning tasks are sufficiently challenging for all learners, including the most able, and sessions are planned specifically to promote their thinking and speaking.

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The quality of teaching

The most successful lessons use the pupils as teachers themselves, and they are developing confidence to explain their reasoning to other pupils. There has been a whole-school drive in high-quality marking of pupils’ work, which is mostly consistent, giving pupils clear guidance and opportunities to respond to teachers’ comments. Pupils are becoming competent in self-evaluating their own work and recognising what could improve. The use of success criteria is embedded and pupils regularly refer to their targets. They understand the high expectations that adults in school have of them.

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The quality of teaching

The teaching of the sounds that letters make (phonics) is well focused and checked carefully by school leaders. Additional training for all staff involved in delivering phonics sessions and careful grouping of children according to their ability have ensured that there is sufficient progress across all phases. Staff are working on the quality of the guided reading across school to ensure that all pupils are learning, applying their phonic knowledge and making sufficient progress in these sessions. This remains an area for consolidation. Whilst handwriting has generally improved across the school, there is some slippage in some year groups because the school’s handwriting policy is not being implemented consistently.

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The quality of teaching

Support and resources for pupils with additional needs are provided more promptly than before due to the regular analysis of pupils’ progress and follow-up dialogue which involves teachers, support staff and the inclusion manager together. Necessary action is therefore taken swiftly, ensuring that these pupils catch up with others and gaps in attainment between them and their peers are narrowed. Early Years Foundation Stage staff are working hard to manage and improve systems of observing and tracking children’s progress accurately. They currently plan activities according to children’s emerging needs in a stimulating way and with high-quality resources, but checking children’s involvement in these and recording all of the small steps in development is not yet sufficiently precise.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The behaviour of pupils in lessons and around school continues to be good. Their enthusiastic attitudes to learning impact positively on their achievement and progress. Pupils are polite and considerate. They are respectful to adults and to other pupils. Any incidents are managed effectively and in line with school policy.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school works hard to maintain pupils’ attendance at a level that is at least in line with the national average. Currently, it is just below this. Some children in their Reception Year and in Year 3 do not attend as well as they should and, although not authorised to do so, a small number of families continue to take holidays in term time.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The succession planning for the change of headteachers was highly effective. Leaders and managers are focused on addressing the issues raised at the previous full school inspection. Their capacity to improve the school is strengthening as they are demonstrating that they are no longer reliant on external support to bring about change and drive forward initiatives. They are having a significant and rapid impact on all areas of weakness. Leaders and governors have judged the school’s progress correctly, and there is accurate self-evaluation and rigorous improvement planning.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The school’s provision is now better meeting the needs of all groups of pupils, including those who are in the early stages of learning English and those who are at risk of falling behind. The progress of these pupils has improved rapidly and is checked upon more closely than previously to ensure that there are equal opportunities of success for all. All staff are now assessing pupils’ achievement and progress, setting relevant targets and deciding upon appropriate levels and type of support. Consequently, the range of support offered across the school is much more closely aligned to pupils’ needs. Support staff are now properly trained and managed effectively. The role of leaders with responsibility for inclusion is much clearer.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Subject leadership is strengthening. There are robust systems implemented for checking the quality of teaching and learning. Teachers and leaders are held to account through individual improvement plans and through the management of their performance throughout the year. Staff targets are set to ensure a rapid rate of improvement and the good progress of all pupils. School leaders and members of the governing body understand the necessity to check this carefully. The governing body is also committed to turning the school around and is taking its responsibilities seriously. Additional training has ensured that, collectively, the governors have the appropriate knowledge and skills to monitor the school effectively, including the school’s improvement plan and outcomes for pupils. They acknowledge the necessity to undertake further training to be fully effective in their strategic role and monitoring.

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External support

The quality and impact of external support have been good. Those new to the profession, or their leadership role, have been well supported. Staff have acted on the advice of external consultants and training, so teaching and learning have improved and there is greater consistency across the school. The governing body has responded well to the advice and support it has been given and is now holding the school to account more effectively. Governors are now providing good levels of challenge to leaders and managers, and more so for the achievement and progress of pupils, including those children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The acting headteacher has worked very well in collaboration with the associate headteacher, who has provided high-quality support sensitively and where needed. Specialist support for ensuring that the provision is as good as it can be for those who have special educational needs has been effective in skilling up school staff to manage

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