Setting

Mrs Catherine O’Neill Edwards Headteacher Hoylake Holy Trinity CofE Primary School Market Street Hoylake Wirral Merseyside CH47 3BH

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CofE Primary School, Wirral

Following my visit to your school on 3 April 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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CofE Primary School, Wirral

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in January 2014. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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CofE Primary School, Wirral

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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CofE Primary School, Wirral

 sharpen the action plan so that it includes milestones to help governors check that it is working  ensure that all members of the senior leadership team provide the governing body’s monitoring committee with detailed evidence of the impact of their actions.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you, other senior leaders, your consultant headteacher, pupils, representatives of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. The school CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 West Lancs Investment Centre Maple View Skelmersdale WN8 9TG T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01695 566 937 Direct F 01659 729 320 Direct email :jsimmons@cfbt.com improvement and action plans and other documents relating to school improvement were evaluated and I visited every class in school to see teaching and children’s work to evaluate the impact of your actions.

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Context

Two members of staff have chosen not to continue their contracts in school. A senior leader has moved classes to cover a staff absence and an additional member of staff has joined the senior leadership team. The school has begun the process of appointing a new Deputy Headteacher.

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Main findings

Although you were new to post immediately prior to the inspection this has not held you back in taking effective actions to improve the school.

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Main findings

Leadership and management is improving because you reviewed, restructured and augmented the leadership team.

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Main findings

Your governors recognised the importance of having strong leadership in Key Stage 1 and the Early Years Foundation Stage. They are taking appropriate actions to ensure this by recruiting a new Deputy Headteacher to lead in this area and to support you in improving the school.

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Main findings

Your confidence as a new headteacher is growing as you tackle the issues raised in the inspection report. This is enhanced because a consultant headteacher, commissioned to work with the school prior to your appointment, has been retained on a part time basis to support you in your first two terms. It is a wise move by the Governing Body and has allowed you to focus on improving key priorities whilst also receiving effective advice and challenge.

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Main findings

You and your governors have drawn up an action plan which highlights appropriate priorities for improvement. This plan is a working document and is regularly reviewed and amended, reflecting your improving use of self-evaluation. However, this plan must be further refined to include milestones that allow the governing body to check that it is working.

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Main findings

Governors are ensuring quick improvement because they relentlessly challenge you and other senior leaders regarding the impact of actions. Governors have established a committee to more frequently check the progress of the action plan. This committee should ensure that all senior leaders provide detailed evidence of the impact of their actions on a more frequent basis.

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Main findings

Governors are enhancing communication with parents, keeping them informed of developments and seeking their viewpoints through a newly established parent forum. Better teaching is accelerating the pace of learning. You are systematically using the good or better practice to develop that of others. You set clear expectations and identify what teachers need to improve and by when. You provide appropriate training and support for teachers, including coaching from senior leaders which is having an impact on improving learning.

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Main findings

Learning is improving, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage where children are now set focussed ‘challenges’ in every area of learning that increase in difficulty in planned steps.

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Main findings

Marking and feedback is getting better, especially in mathematics. The introduction of ‘Response Time’ is leading to children being more aware of how to improve their work and regularly correct errors. While more frequent checking of books by senior leaders ensures that the policy is more consistently applied.

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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

Senior leaders and Governors are making good use of the effective external support from the Local Authority including the brokering of a consultant Headteacher, and support from Early Years Foundation Stage, English and mathematics consultants.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Director of Children’s Services for Wirral.

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