Setting

Mrs Kam Grewal-Joy Parkside Community School Boythorpe Avenue Boythorpe S40 2NS

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School

Following my visit to your school on 15 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 to my colleague, Ian McNeilly HMI, 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 June 2013. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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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:  produce a summary of the action plan so that the key actions are identified for the next three terms  publish milestone targets in the summary action plan so that expectations are clear to all staff and governors of the quality of teaching and the rates of progress that are required for the school to become good  keep a tight focus on evaluating learning in lessons and students’ progress over time  accelerate progress in lessons by helping teachers break down learning objectives into a series of small steps  set up coaching programmes for all teachers whose practice requires improvement  strengthen the accountability of teachers in the management of their performance by requiring each of them to ensure good quality teaching and good

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School

rates of progress in their classes 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 : 01216 799156 Direct email : becky.dawson@serco.com  strengthen the skills of subject leaders so that all can monitor and evaluate the work of their department with a focus on evaluating the quality of learning and progress for groups of students.

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Evidence

During the visit I met with you, members of the senior leadership team, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Governing Body, and a representative of the local authority. I evaluated the school improvement plan and a range of documentation. This included the school self-evaluation form, data relating to students’ attainment and progress as well as minutes of recent governing body meetings. You took me on a tour of the school and we made brief visits to a range of classes.

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Context

Since the previous inspection in June 2013, an additional assistant headteacher has been appointed.

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Main findings

The improvements envisaged in the inspection report of June 2013 did not come to fruition, and overall achievement remains below expectations, while in English rates of progress have fallen. This means that the school has an even bigger mountain to climb than at the time of the last inspection in order to improve attainment and ensure good rates of progress for all students.

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Main findings

Your ambition and determination to become a good school is widely shared across the staff and the governing body. Following the inspection, you have acted swiftly and many things have happened. Following my visit, the senior staff and governors have a clear view of what is required to improve further. They know that ensuring consistently good teaching across the school and good rates of progress for all students is now vitally important.

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Main findings

We looked at the tracking of students’ progress across the school and how it is measured. In the past, the school’s expectations of progress have been too low but you have now raised them to ensure the promotion of good progress levels across the school. Therefore, in future, targets will be based on most students gaining at least two National Curriculum sub-levels per year in each subject.

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Main findings

A post-inspection action plan has been written. It is aimed at addressing the two recommendations from the last report and actions are underway. The plan identifies the right actions, but is over-ambitious. It attempts to do too much, too soon. We therefore drafted a summary action plan to put this right, where the key actions are identified and spread out over the coming year in order to regulate the pressure. Some of the targets described in the plan are vague and difficult to measure. These targets were re-drafted during the monitoring visit, including numerical targets for teaching and learning, and for students’ achievement. This will enable senior leaders and governors to monitor the impact of their actions more effectively.

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Main findings

While much work has been done since the inspection, there is still more to be done before everything is in place for lasting improvement. Most importantly, you need to set out to the staff clearly why it is essential that lessons are planned to cater more effectively for students of all abilities, especially the more able. The new ‘non- negotiables’ for good teaching, together with the planned coaching to improve teaching across the school is a good first step. It is crucial that you get on with this work immediately. We discussed your plans for investing in a stronger method of holding teachers to account, centred on effective scrutiny of teachers’ work and students’ progress. As a result, we agreed the recommendation set out above regarding the management of their performance.

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Main findings

Governors are clearly focused on the quality of education received by the school’s students. They have a realistic view of the current position facing the school and recognise that the quality of teaching and the achievement of students are not yet good enough. They are committed to helping the school to make rapid progress by overseeing improvements that are needed.

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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. I therefore intend to return in the spring term to evaluate the teaching across the school, and the progress that the pupils are making. I will then report to governors on the progress that the school is making in carrying out the improvements necessary to become a good school.

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External support

The local authority adviser knows the school well and is working effectively with senior leaders and classroom teachers to guide and support the improvements that are necessary. He has also arranged consultancy support to the head of English and mathematics and in specific subjects where leadership needs strengthening.

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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 Derbyshire.

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