Setting

Mrs Cathy Chalk Headteacher Sambourne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Sambourne Road Warminster BA12 8LF

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of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 26 November 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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of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

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

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of England Voluntary Controlled 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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of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

 ensure that the focus of school improvement activities closely match the school’s priorities, and that this is reflected in the school’s written plans  ensure there are short-term targets in the improvement plan so that senior leaders and the governing body can evaluate the impact of improvements on a regular basis. 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 5323 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Email : suzy.smith@tribalgroup.com

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Evidence

During the visit, I met with you, your deputy headteacher and the assistant headteacher to discuss the context of the school and your work since the inspection. You showed me around your school and explained your recent and planned developments. I met with two members of the governing body and held a phone conversation with the Chair of the Governing Body. I also spoke to a representative from the local authority. During the visit, I also evaluated reports from the local authority, a range of your monitoring reports, current assessment data and the school improvement plan.

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Main findings

Since the inspection, the school has continued to focus on raising the quality of teaching so that the rate of progress improves for all pupils. The school’s tracking of pupil progress indicates that achievement is improving and this was also the finding of the local authority’s most recent monitoring report. There is a detailed action plan in place that contains clear intended final outcomes based on improved progress for pupils. Currently, the action plan covers a broad range of activity and does not focus specifically on the key areas that require improvement.

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Main findings

Governors are committed to the school and have taken on board the findings of the inspection. They have strengthened the link governor role to become ‘ambassadors’ so that they are more able to monitor the school and hold it to account. However, governors have not established procedures, which show how they monitor and evaluate the progress of the school. At present, they are not sufficiently focused on monitoring how well the improvement actions being undertaken impact on pupils’ outcomes. They also need to consider the impact of these actions on the progress of vulnerable pupils in the school.

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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 will return to the school within the next twelve months to evaluate the school’s progress to date.

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External support

The local authority meets regularly with the school to monitor its progress and evaluate the effectiveness of the actions taken. They provide additional support and training for the headteacher and governing body to further strengthen leadership in the school. Consequently, the local authority is supporting the school to improve. The governing body has yet to seek further support from the local authority to ensure that they develop the skills needed to effectively hold the school to account. I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Director of Children’s Services for Wiltshire and the Diocese of Salisbury.

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