Setting

Mr Grahame Sammons Headteacher Crookhorn College Stakes Hill Road Waterlooville PO7 5UD

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Crookhorn College

Following my visit to your school on 16 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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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Crookhorn College

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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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Crookhorn College

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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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Crookhorn College

 ensure that leaders’ lesson observations more clearly evaluate how well teaching makes an impact on the progress of different groups of pupils, and that feedback to teachers focuses on this  clarify the role of the governors in monitoring the impact of leaders’ in securing improvement

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you, other senior leaders, and the Chair and Vice Chair of the Governing Body. I also had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority. I evaluated a range of documentation including the school action plan and information relating to the monitoring of teaching. You 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 5307 Direct email : rachel.evans@tribalgroup.com took me on a tour of the school and we made brief visits to a number of classes where I spoke to students about their work.

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Main findings

You and the senior leadership team are clear about the priorities for improvement and that better quality teaching is crucial to this. New appointments to the senior leadership team have brought a fresh perspective and stronger challenge to the school. Roles within the senior leadership team have been clarified so that areas of responsibility and accountability are more clearly defined. You have made improvements to the curriculum that allow students to concentrate on doing better in a smaller range of subjects, including English and mathematics.

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Main findings

Governors understand that teaching and achievement needs to improve for all students and especially for those eligible for free school meals. However, the school’s action plan does not make clear enough what the governors’ role will be in challenging senior leaders over whether their work is bringing rapid improvement.

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Main findings

You are providing some useful professional development and support to teachers where they require improvement and for teachers who are moving from good to outstanding. Early signs are that this is proving more effective in developing the practice of teachers who are already good, than those whose teaching requires improvement. A contributing factor is that, while you are refining the way you and other leaders observe lessons and feed back to teachers, there is too little analysis of the impact of teaching on the progress of different groups of pupils.

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Main findings

The programme of more frequent checking on the performance of different subjects is making middle leaders increasingly accountable for how well their departments are doing. It is also enabling middle leaders to be more involved in the improvement of teaching across the school. You are now having more focused student achievement meetings which are holding teachers more strongly to account for the progress of students in their class.

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Main findings

The use of assessment information has sharpened, enabling you to see if students are making faster progress and to check they are on track to achieve their potential. Where appropriate you are setting new more ambitious targets for students as a result of progress they have made, so that they know more is expected of them. You are monitoring the progress of students eligible for free school meals more closely and this has enabled you to provide them with more targeted support. The introduction of the ‘flight path’ allows students to keep track of their own their progress and be better informed about what they need to do to improve.

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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 a clear understanding of the challenges facing the school as well as its strengths. It has provided good advice for writing and refining the school action plan. Its provision of a Hampshire lead teacher for English has improved support and challenge to the department in addressing the areas for development.

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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 Hampshire.

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