Setting

Mr Matthew Tehan Headteacher St Chad's Catholic Primary School Hospital Street Newtown B19 3XD

p.1

Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 16 October 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.

p.1

Primary School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in June 2013. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

Primary School

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:

p.1

Primary School

 make the success criteria in the action plan sharper and more measurable, linking them to the expected achievement of different groups of pupils so that you can hold teachers more stringently to account  include expected outcomes at key points (milestones) in the action plan so governors can hold the school to account for the pace of improvements. 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 9166 Direct email : helen.johnson@serco.com

p.1

Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you, other senior leaders and three members of the governing body to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. A telephone conversation was held with a representative of the local authority. The action plan was evaluated. Other documents were examined: the school’s checks on the quality of teaching and pupils’ work, information about pupils’ current achievement, records of training given to staff, information about the use of the pupil premium and information about how teachers are set targets to improve pupils’ achievement. Short visits were made to lessons with the headteacher and deputy headteacher to talk to pupils and to look at their learning.

p.2

Context

You and the deputy headteacher took up your appointments at the beginning of September. Two new teachers also joined the school. The Chair of the Governing Body resigned and an experienced governor was appointed in replacement. A number of new governors with experience in education have been appointed to strengthen the capacity of the governing body to support and challenge the school.

p.2

Main findings

You and governors have taken decisive and appropriate action to address the issues identified at the inspection in June. There is a sense of urgency at all levels. One subject leader reported feeling more valued and now able to contribute to the school’s development. You have improved the link between teachers’ performance targets and expected improvements in pupils’ achievement. These targets do not focus closely enough on the progress of different groups of pupils to eliminate underachievement. You have organised visits to other Birmingham Catholic Primary Partnership schools for teachers and subject leaders to see good practice. You and the deputy headteacher have observed lessons and have given teachers advice on how to improve.

p.2

Main findings

A new approach for teaching instant recall of number facts, introduced by the deputy headteacher, was seen in action during the visit. A group of pupils actively involved in learning times tables were clearly enjoying themselves. Your frequent checks on teachers’ plans show lessons of this type are happening in all classes. A newly introduced system to record pupils’ progress is supporting teachers to set targets for pupils. The system is too new to have had impact as yet. Some pupils are being well challenged, such as the group who were expected to use their knowledge of percentages to help them investigate a problem. Other pupils still have to do work that is too easy or too hard. Teachers’ marking does not make clear to pupils what they need to do to improve or to reach higher levels of attainment.

p.2

Main findings

The new governing body understands the challenges faced by the need to improve. Governors know what needs to be done. They have provided support for you, as a new headteacher, from the Birmingham Catholic Primary Partnership. Governors understand how to use information about pupils’ achievement to hold you to account. They know that periodic external evaluation is needed to help them judge improvement.

p.2

Main findings

Action plans developed by senior leaders and subject leaders set out appropriate actions to improve the quality of teaching, raise standards and increase the effectiveness of leaders and managers. Plans do not show clearly enough when and how the impact of actions will be checked. Success criteria do not always focus on expected improvements in the achievement of different groups of pupils, such as more able pupils. The plan does not set out what improvements are expected at key points in the long, medium and short term (milestones). This lack of milestones means governors do not have measures to know whether the school is improving rapidly enough.

p.3

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.

p.3

External support

You have used the support offered by the Birmingham Catholic Primary Partnership well to help teachers identify how their teaching can improve. The local authority has not given support to this newly formed and inexperienced leadership team in developing plans for improvement and has not brokered support for improving the quality of teaching. An officer is assigned to maintain contact with the school. There are, however, no formal plans to monitor improvement.

p.3

External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services for insert local authority name and as below.

p.3