Setting

Mr Hugh Greenwood Headteacher Boughton-under-Blean and Dunkirk Primary School School Lane Faversham ME13 9AW

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Blean and Dunkirk Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 14 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.

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Blean and Dunkirk Primary School

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

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Blean and Dunkirk 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:

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Blean and Dunkirk Primary School

 sharpen the school action plan so that: - it includes more challenging and specific targets for year groups and groups of pupils - it shows explicitly what part governors play in holding the school’s leaders to account and checking how well the school is making progress - it shows exactly what is expected of teachers in order for teaching to be judged to be ‘good’  develop a more consistent approach to marking and feedback so pupils are clearer about how well they are doing and how to improve their work Tribal 1-4 Portland Square Bristol BS2 8RR T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0117 311 5359 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Email : christina.bannerman@tribalgroup.com

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Evidence

During the visit I held meetings with you, subject leaders for reading, writing and mathematics, the school’s special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCo), two members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. I visited each classroom with you to see the school in action. I evaluated the school action plan.

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Context

A member of staff is due to go on maternity leave at the end of the month. She has been replaced by a temporary member of staff who joined the school in September. A temporary teacher has also been appointed to release a class teacher to cover intervention groups.

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Main findings

Although disappointed by the Ofsted report in July 2013, you have acted quickly to address the main findings. You are ambitious for the school to be judged ‘good’ as soon as possible and your team of staff is firmly behind you. Morale among the teachers I spoke to is buoyant.

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Main findings

Since the inspection you have rightly included the SENCo as part of the senior leadership team so she can play a more strategic role in the drive to improve standards. She now attends pupil progress meetings to be more fully involved in planning targeted intervention for pupils with special educational needs. A visit to another school helped her improve documentation to track pupil progress. It will take time before the success of these actions can be measured.

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Main findings

Subject leaders for reading, writing and mathematics have a good understanding of what to do to improve their subjects and have taken positive steps forward, albeit at an early stage. For example, in writing, new target cards have been developed to help pupils know how to improve their work. In mathematics, recent staff training in mental calculations has already been used in some lessons. I am pleased that you are also providing additional challenge for more able readers through small group teaching.

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Main findings

There is some good teaching practice within the school on which to build. For example some teachers match work well to pupils’ needs and tell them exactly what they need to do to succeed. In some classes effective ‘working walls’ provide useful prompts to support pupils and helpful examples of good work so pupils can see what is expected of them. You need to make sure this good practice becomes the norm across the school. Teachers mark books regularly but too much marking is merely congratulatory and does not tell pupils clearly enough why their work is good or show them exactly what they need to do to improve their work. We discussed how this could be improved.

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Main findings

There is good support from teaching assistants in many classes, especially working with small groups. You are rightly developing their role so they take more responsibility, for example managing small group interventions under the direction of the teacher. You are providing helpful training, for example in mathematics, to boost the confidence of these staff.

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Main findings

Governors have their own schedule for monitoring but it does not link well enough with the school’s action plan. The action plan does not show exactly which aspects of the school’s work they need to check and how they will do this. This is holding them back. In addition the school’s action plan does not include specific targets for year groups and groups of pupils. This means senior leaders and governors cannot hold teachers robustly to account for improving standards.

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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 local authority has rightly provided additional support to the school over the past year and is checking the impact on pupil progress. Individual coaching for some teachers helped them to improve specific elements of their teaching. The local authority is committed to providing further support, such as via a forthcoming review of leadership. The school will benefit from continuing to seek out good practice in other schools to help teachers to develop their work.

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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 Kent.

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