Setting

Folake Agbaniyaka Headteacher Weald Infant and Nursery School Robin Hood Drive Harrow HA3 7DH

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Nursery School

Following my visit to your school on 24 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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Nursery 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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Nursery 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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Nursery School

 strengthen the leadership and management skills of subject and aspect leaders by developing the work outlined in the action plan.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you, other senior leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body and three governors and, the Head of Service and School Improvement Partner from the local authority (LA) to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. The school improvement plan was evaluated and a range of documentation was reviewed, including records of governors meetings and visits to the school, pupils’ books and monitoring records. A short tour of the school included visiting all classes with you and your deputy. 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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Context

Since the previous inspection, three teachers left the school and their teaching responsibilities have been passed on to four new appointees. These include a deputy headteacher with responsibility for literacy, a coordinator for early years and two newly qualified teachers. Six teaching assistants have been appointed to provide additional support for pupils. The leadership and management structure has been revised. Pupil mobility remains high but the school has a full roll. An extra class was not added to Year 1 in September 2013, as in the last two years.

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Main findings

As reported in the section 5 inspection report, you and other senior leaders remain persistent in driving improvement, in particular, changing the culture of the school. Discussions with all groups spoken to indicated that the pace of improvement is rapid because of the re-focus on improving teaching, and using better systems to monitor, review and improve pupils’ learning. Information from you and your staff suggest that your targeted approach to re-structuring the senior team has contributed to increasing improvement. First, the strengths of each senior leader are now carefully linked to the school’s priorities. Second, the much strengthened leadership team has led to increased accountability for pupils’ achievement. Your comments suggested that all staff recognise that accountability for sustaining improvement is at three levels: individual teachers, year groups and the school’s corporate plan. However, line management system and links with other schools are

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Main findings

Our discussions referred to the new systems for monitoring teaching and learning; these are reportedly more frequent and rigorous and include a clear focus on identified groups of pupils. Your monitoring records suggest that the re-organisation and extra support classes for pupils are contributing to them making better progress. The new action plan is fit for purpose and includes clear milestones and priorities for development. For instance, attendance is now better because new procedures, including rewards and firm legal action have been introduced. Your governors confirmed that that have not relented on holding the staff to account for pupils’ achievement. They are knowledgeable about pupils’ performance and progress and are clear in their pronouncements that they will not allow past or present barriers, such as social circumstances, to affect the school’s effectiveness. Governors report positively about their improved understanding of school improvement plan, as a

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Main findings

result of attending the Ofsted Getting to Good seminar and the local authority’s training on analysing and interpreting data on pupils’ performance.

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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 spoke confidently about the increased capacity under your leadership. The LA continues to hold you, governors and your staff to account through the termly meetings with officers on pupils’ progress. You and all senior leaders, including governors spoke positively about the local authority’s support. You all indicated that the links brokered by the LA with a number of good and outstanding schools are helping teachers to identify different ways of working. Although it is too early to comment on the impact of these links, you and your staff report that moderation of pupils’ work is now accurate for the first time in five years. This is undoubtedly linked to the good quality LA’s training on quality assuring work correctly. You also reported that the advice and support provided have led to improvements in all areas of early years’ provision. For instance, outdoor activities and teaching phonics (the sounds letters make). This is reportedly leading to pupils

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External support

reading regularly and using a range of strategies to read unfamiliar words and work out meaning of a text.

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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 Harrow.

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