Setting

Dave Rooney Executive Principal Holy Trinity CofE Primary School School Lane Cookham Maidenhead SL6 9QJ

p.1

Primary School, Cookham

Following my visit to your school on 22 January 2014, 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.

p.1

Primary School, Cookham

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.

p.1

Primary School, Cookham

Senior leaders and governors/responsible authority/proprietor/sponsor are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection. The school should take further action to:

p.1

Primary School, Cookham

 improve the school action plan by indicating more precisely how priorities will be evaluated through external resources  ensure all governors complete training on gathering first hand evidence. 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

p.1

Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you, other senior leaders, a representative from the diocese, four members of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. The school improvement plan was evaluated along with a range of other documentation and pupils’ work. I conducted a learning walk and visited every class.

p.2

Context

Since the last inspection two teachers have left and one teacher joined the school.

p.2

Main findings

New systems and procedures introduced by the executive principal to check on pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching are proving successful. Consistent approaches to all aspects of the school’s work have engendered a high level of clarity and trust amongst the school community. The executive principal in collaboration with other senior leaders has explained to teachers what is expected of them. All teachers have responded extremely positively. Mentoring from a local outstanding school is rapidly helping leaders and teachers to understand what outstanding practice looks like. As a result, the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement is improving at a highly impressive rate.

p.2

Main findings

The school improvement plan is a highly effective document. The visual approach makes is easily accessible to parents and governors. The plan articulates high levels of ambition and expectation for all involved with the school. A ‘back-to-basics’ approach has resulted in a step change in culture. Frequent checking of pupils’ mathematical competencies and re-teaching of missing elements are rapidly improving pupils’ mathematical knowledge and understanding. Training on ‘Big Write’ methodology has re-invigorated pupils’ attitudes and impacting very positively on improving their written outcomes.

p.2

Main findings

Governors are fully aware of the strengths and any remaining weaknesses in the school. They have agreed robust and aspirational actions that are leading to better teaching and rapidly improving achievement. Better information is being given to governors about the performance of all groups of pupils from which they are probing increasingly challenging questions. Governors are increasingly taking ownership of their training, evaluations and development, for example in organising their own external review. This drive for improvement is evident in their impatience for success, as one governor said ‘we are ambitious and greedy for our children’. Governors recognise that training on how to conduct first and evidence gathering more carefully and the use of external evaluations would accelerate developments even faster. Ofsted may carry out further visits and, where necessary, provide further support and challenge to the school until its next section 5 inspection.

p.2

External support

Support provided by the local authority and diocese before the inspection strongly supported the work of the governing body. The brokering of the executive principal from a local outstanding academy has improved the quality of leadership teaching and pupils’ achievement markedly. This support extends to middle leadership training from the academy. Strong working relationships between the school, academy and other leaders in neighbouring schools have proved to be highly successful to date. Regular evaluations of the impact of external support contribute strongly to future planning.

p.3

External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Director of Children’s Services for Windsor and Maidenhead and the Diocese of Oxford.

p.3