Setting

Mr Matthew Longden Headteacher The Toynbee School Bodycoats Road Chandler's Ford Eastleigh Hampshire SO53 2PL

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Toynbee School

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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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Toynbee 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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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to The Toynbee School

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 The Toynbee School

 draw up a revised action plan that is more sharply focussed on addressing the required areas for improvement in order of priority, and includes measurable short-term and longer-term impact measures  ensure that the quality of teaching is checked more frequently in order to identify and tackle inconsistencies or poor practice more quickly  ensure that every teacher’s assessment of student achievement is accurate in both Key Stage 3 and 4. 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 held meetings with you and other senior leaders, middle leaders, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. I scrutinised a range of documents including the school’s action plans and student progress data. I took a tour of the school with you, which included short visits to lessons.

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Main findings

You and your senior team are showing determination and urgency in addressing the areas for improvement identified in the last inspection. You have drawn up action plans and are carrying these out fastidiously. These actions are improving the school. However, too many separate actions are currently being addressed. You need to identify more carefully which are of the highest priority and address these first. It is also not clear enough how the effectiveness of actions will be checked in the shorter and longer term.

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Main findings

You are now more regularly and rigorously checking how well all students are doing. You are using this information to focus more clearly on the progress made by different groups of students, such as those known to be eligible for pupil premium funding. In some subject areas you have made good use of local authority support to make sure that the information collected is accurate. You recognise the need to ensure that same level of accuracy in all subject areas.

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Main findings

Students make better progress in English and mathematics because those who are falling behind are now identified and supported more quickly and effectively. The introduction of progress managers, guidance managers and English and mathematics coaches has made a noticeable contribution to this.

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Main findings

You have a clear focus on developing consistently good quality teaching across the school. Teachers have been provided with suitable support and development opportunities. You are also providing appropriate extra support and challenge for those teachers whose practice needs to improve the most. The school’s ‘teaching improvement groups’ have effectively enabled teachers to learn from each other and contribute to the development of new teaching techniques. The recently developed ‘marking stamp’ is being used well to provide students with helpful written feedback and suggestions for improvement. The school’s new requirement that students have time in lessons to respond to this feedback is starting to take effect.

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Main findings

The school's most recent checks on the quality of teaching found it to now be mainly good. However, in some of the lessons visited students were not clear about what they were learning or the purpose of the lesson’s activity. This poorer practice had not been previously identified. You now recognise the need to check the quality of teaching even more rigorously and frequently to pick up any inconsistencies. Governors understand their role and have the required expertise. They now receive better and more regular information and this is helping them to gain a deeper understanding of the how students are doing. This information is also enabling them to question and challenge you more effectively.

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External support

The school is making effective use the external support provided. The local authority is carrying out helpful half termly monitoring visits and has a range of support on offer. You work closely with officers from the local authority and negotiate appropriate support when it is required.

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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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