Setting

Anna Sydenham Headteacher Meadows Primary School and Nursery Riddings Close Telford TF1 5HF

p.1

School and Nursery

Following my visit to your school on 4 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.

p.1

School and Nursery

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

p.1

School and Nursery

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:

p.1

School and Nursery

 add interim success measures to the school improvement plan so that governors are able to check more frequently the impact of teaching on pupils’ achievement and hold leaders to account for the rate of improvement  establish the new systems that you have introduced to check pupils’ achievement and make sure that all teachers use the information more precisely in order to provide suitably challenging work for pupils of different abilities.

p.1

Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you and other senior leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors, and a representative of the local Serco Inspections Colmore Plaza 20 Colmore Circus Queensway Birmingham B4 6AT T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T : 0121 6799169 Direct email : mathew.mitchell@serco.com authority to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. The school improvement plan was evaluated. A range of documentation was reviewed, including senior leaders’ notes of lesson observations and the latest information on pupils’ achievement.

p.1

Context

Since the inspection one teacher has left. You have appointed a new subject leader for mathematics and a new Assistant Headteacher. These have been internal promotions. Governors have appointed an additional Teaching Assistant. Four new governors have been appointed. The governing body has been reconstituted.

p.2

Main findings

You are responding to the issues identified in the recent inspection with urgency. With the support of governors, you have made quick decisions to strengthen the leadership team. You have organised effective support from the local authority for subject leaders. As a result they are clear about their roles and responsibilities. You are acting upon the advice of your local authority adviser and consultants to make the necessary changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage. You have organised support and training for the Early Years Foundation Stage leader.

p.2

Main findings

Your school improvement plan addresses all the key areas identified in the last inspection and includes suitably challenging targets and actions to drive improvement. Although you have a clear idea of when you intend the school to be a securely ‘good’ school, your plan lacks interim success measures. This makes it difficult for you, or governors, to ensure that the school is making sufficient progress in the agreed timescale.

p.2

Main findings

With support from the local authority, you and other senior leaders have introduced an improved system to check pupils’ progress. You are now able to identify the progress of different groups and individual pupils, from their starting points, and to quickly recognise any underachievement. As a result, teachers have more accurate information about pupils’ achievement.

p.2

Main findings

You have taken rapid action to secure improvements in the quality of teaching. You, and other senior leaders, regularly check the quality of teaching and pupils’ work. Written feedback to teachers identifies successful practice and where further improvements are required. You have provided teachers with individual programmes of training and support as necessary. Your records show that teaching has improved. However, work in pupils’ books show that not all teachers are using information about pupils’ achievement in order to provide work which challenges pupils of different abilities.

p.2

Main findings

You have taken swift actions to improve pupils’ attendance. You have improved your systems for communicating with parents. Pupils talk positively about the recent improvements. They value the ‘commendation assemblies’ and ‘class trophies’ for good attendance. When compared to the same period last year, attendance has improved. Your latest information shows that attendance is currently just above national average.

p.2

Main findings

Governors have a good understanding of what the school needs to do to become ‘good’ and have taken a range of appropriate actions since the inspection. As a result of effective local authority support, governors have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Governors have organised a review of the governing body to identify where further training and support is needed. This will be undertaken in May 2014.

p.3

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.

p.3

External support

You have received a good level of support and challenge from the local authority. Regular review meetings and visits from your adviser have helped you to focus on the main areas of weakness and take suitable action.

p.3

External support

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

p.3