Setting

Robert Gargan Headteacher St Mary Immaculate Catholic Primary School Wathen Road Warwick CV34 5BG

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Catholic Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 12 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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Catholic Primary School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in February. 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, three representatives from the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. The school improvement plan was evaluated along with a range of other documentation, including a summary of the current progress and attainment data and records from monitoring activities. Short visits were made to most classrooms. A meeting was held with pupils from Years 2-6 during which they shared the work in their English, mathematics and topic books.

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Context

Since the last inspection one part time teacher has left the school. One full time teacher will be leaving in July. 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 9168 Direct email :beverley.joyner@serco.com

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Main findings

You and the governors have responded quickly and robustly to the findings from the last inspection and there is a clear drive and determination to improve the school so that it is ‘good’ as soon as possible.

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Main findings

A clear and tightly focussed action plan is in place. It is directed specifically at the areas for improvement identified in the inspection report. The timescales are precisely identified and it is clear who is responsible for monitoring the impact of the actions taken. It does not include measurable targets. This makes it difficult for governors to check the success of the senior leaders’ actions.

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Main findings

Senior leaders have taken action to improve the quality of teaching through training and support for teachers whose teaching is not yet good and for those who have the potential for outstanding teaching. There has been a concentrated effort by senior leaders to ensure that the pace of learning in all lessons is brisk.

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Main findings

The marking policy has been revised and pupils in all classes are given regular time to respond to their teachers’ comments. Pupils say that this is helping them to make improvements in their work. There was evidence from my learning walk and from pupils’ books, that marking is now more consistent across all subjects than at the time of the last inspection. However, in some topic books the comments are not yet precise enough to help pupils to make specific improvements to the work that has been marked.

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Main findings

The frequency with which senior leaders monitor the quality of teaching has increased. Subject leaders have undertaken learning walks and have looked at pupils’ books with a clear and precise focus. This is helping them to have a secure understanding of the areas for development in their subject area. Feedback from all monitoring activities is not sufficiently precise to enable teachers to improve their practice effectively.

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Main findings

Governors demonstrate a high level of support and challenge for the school. They have focussed their monitoring activities on the areas for improvement identified in the school’s action plan. They are visiting the school more regularly to find out for themselves how well the school is progressing. The links between governors and key subject leaders have strengthened and as a result, the governing body are better informed. The minutes from meetings do not sufficiently reflect the level of challenge provided by 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:

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Main findings

 include specific short term targets in the action plan to enable governors to measure the success of the actions taken  ensure that all teachers are sufficiently precise in their marking of topic books to enable pupils to make improvements to their work  provide more sharply focussed feedback to teachers after monitoring activities to enable them to improve their practice more quickly.

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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

The school is making good use of the support that has been brokered by the local authority. Staff are benefitting from the support provided by a local leader of education and also from the opportunities to visit a local good school. The headteacher has organised a range of support from the local teaching school and this is helping teachers to improve their teaching and their leadership roles.

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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 Warwickshire.

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