Setting

Sarah Bradford Headteacher Roydon Primary School Manor Road Roydon IP22 5QU

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School

Following my visit to your school on 4 December 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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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:

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School

 develop leaders’, managers’ teachers’ and governors’ confidence in the use and understanding of information on pupils’ progress  ensure that governors act on the outcomes of the recent external review so that they present an appropriate balance of challenge and support to school leaders, and become fully knowledgeable about the performance of different groups of pupils.

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Evidence

During the visit, I held meetings with you and the deputy headteacher, ten pupils from Key Stage 2, and a representative of the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. I also met with four members of the governing body. The Chair and the Vice Chair of the Governing Body were unable to attend this 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 6799163 Direct email : lewis.mackie1@serco.com discussion. I evaluated the school action plan. We also visited a number of lessons to look at the quality of teaching and work in pupils’ books.

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Context

Since the previous inspection, you have restructured the senior leadership team by adding four middle leaders with specific leadership responsibilities. The special educational needs co-ordinator is currently on maternity leave, and her role is being covered by one of your middle leaders. Pupils are now grouped by ability for the teaching of phonics in Reception Year, and in Years 1 to 4.

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Main findings

During our visits to classrooms, we saw most pupils engaged in their learning. Pupils were aware of their targets, and teachers’ marking informs pupils about what they have done well and how they can improve. There remains some variation in the extent to which pupils respond to their teachers’ marking. Your focus on improving teachers’ planning, marking and the use of targets is evident through my scrutiny of pupils’ books and my discussions with pupils in Key Stage 2. Evidence of improvement will be further enhanced by reviewing the way in which you record the progress of different groups of pupils through your routine monitoring procedures, particularly those who are higher attaining and those entitled to pupil premium funding.

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Main findings

You have provided teachers with appropriate training to improve their practice in the classroom, and with opportunities to share good practice. Your monitoring activities help you maintain an up-to-date profile of the quality of teaching in the school, although the proportion of good and better teaching is not yet high enough to secure a judgement of ‘good’.

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Main findings

Members of the governing body acknowledge that their impact on driving school improvement has been minimal in the past. The self-evaluation and the external review of governance facilitated by the local authority have identified strengths and areas for development which aim to inform a governors’ action plan. The governors with whom I met were still unable to comment on the impact of pupil premium funding. My scrutiny of governors’ minutes of meetings shows that they are starting to ask more challenging questions.

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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

You have drawn on the support of the local authority, and also from external consultants. This support has included looking at new systems to measure pupils’ progress. You have acted on the guidance provided, to fine tune the school action plan so that it meets the essential requirements. You have also started to work with two headteachers from effective schools to drive school improvement.

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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 Norfolk.

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