Setting

Mr Robin Jones Headteacher St Budeaux Foundation CofE (Aided) Junior School Priestley Avenue Plymouth PL5 2DW

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Foundation CofE (Aided) Junior School

Following my visit to your school on 31 January 2014, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the findings. 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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Foundation CofE (Aided) Junior School

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

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Foundation CofE (Aided) Junior School

Senior leaders and governors are not taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the last section 5 inspection and plans are not focused sharply enough on bringing about rapid improvement. The school’s leaders should take immediate action to ensure that:

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Foundation CofE (Aided) Junior School

 targets for pupils’ progress and the standards they achieve are used to measure the impact of teaching on learning and the effectiveness of the school improvement plan  they have an accurate understanding about the aspects of teaching that need to improve  the governing body effectively monitors the impact of the school improvement plan on the learning pupils make. 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 Email : rachel.evans@tribalgroup.com

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Evidence

During the visit, I met with you, three members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. You gave me a tour of the school so that I could see the pupils and staff at work. I met with the assistant headteacher and considered a range of documentation, including reports from external advisors, records of lesson observations and performance management documents. I also reviewed some reports arising from work scrutinies and briefings and data relating to pupils’ academic progress. The school improvement plan was also evaluated.

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Main findings

Governors and senior leaders have not given sufficient consideration to the aspects of the school that the inspection found to require improvement. As a result, the improvement activities currently being undertaken by the school have not been altered or amended to reflect the findings of the inspection. Consequently, the school is not addressing the issues identified in the inspection.

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Main findings

Plans for school improvement do not identify how activities will impact on pupils’ learning or how governors can monitor improvements in the quality of teaching and the progress pupils achieve. Leadership roles are not matched to actions in the improvement plan. As a result, it is not clear who is responsible for delivering each area of work.

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Main findings

The monitoring of teaching does not provide an accurate overview of the strengths in practise and the areas of teachers’ work that could improve. Although the school has increased its focus on monitoring pupils’ academic progress, the systems used are not sufficiently robust and do not provide an accurate picture of current levels of progress. Consequently, governors are not able to hold the school leaders sufficiently to account for the quality of teaching or the progress pupils make. At present the governing body is not being provided with the level of information they need to carry out their role successfully.

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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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Main findings

I have serious concerns about the insufficiency of the actions being taken by the school. I will return to the school to discuss these with the full governing body as soon as possible.

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External support

The recent inspection reported that the ‘light-touch support’ provided by the local authority since the previous inspection has not sufficiently accelerated the rate of school improvement. The support provided by the local authority remains insufficient to enable the school to become good by the time of the next inspection.

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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 Plymouth.

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