Setting

Reema-Gee Reid Hollydale Primary School Hollydale Road London SE15 2AR

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Monitoring inspection of Hollydale Primary School, Southwark carried out

under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Monitoring inspection of Hollydale Primary School, Southwark carried out

Following my visit to your school on 18 December 2013, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report on 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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Monitoring inspection of Hollydale Primary School, Southwark carried out

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

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Monitoring inspection of Hollydale Primary School, Southwark carried out

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the last section 5 inspection. The school should take immediate action to:

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Monitoring inspection of Hollydale Primary School, Southwark carried out

 use assessment information about disabled pupils and those with special educational needs to identify their needs, plan support and track progress from their starting points  strengthen leadership by developing the skills of senior leaders and holding them to account for the areas of the school’s work for which they are responsible. 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, leaders of subjects and phases, the inclusion leader, the Chair of the Governing Body and four other governors, the school improvement partner and a consultant employed by the local authority. I evaluated the school improvement plans. I visited lessons to look at the work of teachers and pupils in all year groups.

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Context

Since the last inspection links have been established with good and outstanding schools in the local authority so that leaders and governors can learn from the practice of others.

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Main findings

You have responded with urgency to the recommendations in the inspection report and have introduced rapid changes. You have the confidence and support of other leaders, the governors and the local authority. You understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses and provide a clear direction. However, you take on too much of the work yourself, because leadership roles are not organised well enough to share responsibilities evenly. Leaders do not provide you with high quality support because some need help to develop their skills. Since the last inspection the responsibilities of leaders have been clearly defined in line with school improvement priorities and the contribution of the leaders of subjects and phases has been strengthened. As a result, they understand how they are to be held to account for the aspects of the school’s work for which they are responsible.

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Main findings

Most progress has been made in changing staff’s attitudes to teaching and learning. You expect staff to be outward looking and use carefully planned opportunities to visit a range of other schools to observe good and outstanding practice and to work with others. Although it is early days, teachers have higher expectations of what pupils can achieve are beginning to be more innovative with their teaching. Teaching assistants record the impact of the support they provide during lessons on the recently introduced intervention sheet. As a result, they are developing a clearer understanding of the contribution they make to pupils’ learning and progress. However, they are not used as well as they could be in every year group.

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Main findings

Assessment information is not used consistently across the school because systems to track pupils’ progress against targets are not well established. Not all staff are confident in using information to plan their lessons to match the needs and abilities of different groups of pupils. This is particularly relevant for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, where the staff do not use information well enough to identify needs, plan support and track progress from their starting points. Improvement plans are of high quality because they set realistic targets. The include key review points to measure and to identify further actions against tight timescales. Planning reflects a strong partnership between the school staff, governors and the local authority, with each partner checking the schools’ progress against targets regularly .

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Main findings

Governors have taken rapid and effective action following an external review of governance to improve their knowledge, skills and understanding. They have a realistic understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are determined to make a difference. The formation of a school improvement oversight board has allowed a small core group of governors to provide strong challenge to school leaders. Link governors have been appointed and are well placed to monitor progress against key priorities for improvement. Opportunities to work with effective governors in other schools could be used to help them evaluate their own effectiveness.

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Main findings

Ofsted will continue to monitor the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

The school is drawing very well on the targeted support provided by the local authority school improvement partner and the consultant. Regular visits and half- termly reviews of progress against the recommendations from the inspection report provide external challenge to the school. Teachers and leaders are benefiting from well-planned opportunities to observe effective teaching and learning and to work with other schools that have been brokered by the local authority.

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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 Southwark. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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