Setting

Mr Simon Lea Kessingland Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Field Lane Kessingland Suffolk NR33 7QA

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Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 1–2 April 2014, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions which have been taken since the school’s previous monitoring inspection.

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Voluntary Controlled Primary School

The inspection was the third monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place on 23 May 2013. The full list of the areas for improvement which were identified during that inspection is set out in the annex to this letter. The monitoring inspection report is attached.

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Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Having considered all the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Voluntary Controlled Primary School

The school is making reasonable progress towards the removal of special measures.

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Voluntary Controlled Primary School

The school may not appoint newly qualified teachers before the next monitoring inspection.

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Voluntary Controlled Primary School

This letter and monitoring inspection report will be published on the Ofsted website. I am copying this letter and the monitoring inspection report to the Secretary of State, the Chair of the Interim Executive Board, the Dioceses of Norwich and the Director of Children’s Services for Suffolk .

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

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 01216 799154 Direct email : aidan.dunne@serco.com

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place in May 2013

 Improve teaching by ensuring all teachers: - insist on the very best work and behaviour from all pupils - provide activities at the right level of difficulty to interest all pupils and to help them to maintain their concentration - use questioning more effectively to engage pupils, check their understanding and challenge them in their learning - deploy teaching assistants more effectively to support pupils’ learning within the classroom and when working with small groups of pupils.

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place in May 2013

 Accelerate pupils’ progress and raise their attainment in English and mathematics by: - improving systems for tracking pupils’ progress and providing effective support for all pupils at risk of underachieving - increasing pupils’ confidence in reading and writing, for example, through providing more opportunities to read in school - improving pupils’ understanding of number and their ability to apply their skills in mathematical calculations - targeting effective support for those girls who are falling behind in mathematics - ensuring that pupils’ targets are challenging enough to help them to make good progress.

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place in May 2013

 Improve the leadership of teaching so that no teaching is inadequate and there is a significant reduction in the amount that requires improvement by ensuring that: - systems for checking the quality of teaching lead to accurate judgements that take full account of pupils’ achievement - teachers performance targets are based on pupils’ making good progress, and include specific areas for development in teaching - there are more opportunities for improving teaching through coaching and sharing good practice both within and beyond the school.

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place in May 2013

 Improve the effectiveness of leaders and governors by: - middle leaders undertake training to enable them to be more effective in their supporting and monitoring roles - the pupil premium funding is used effectively to support eligible pupils who are at risk of underachieving - the school works more closely with parents and carers to improve attendance - governors and senior leaders rigorously check the effectiveness of key decisions and actions to ensure they are leading to rapid improvements in teaching and the achievement of pupils An external review of governors should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

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Evidence

The inspector observed the school’s work, scrutinised documents and pupils’ work, and met with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, the Chair of the Interim Executive Board and one other governor, the special educational needs coordinator and a representative from the local authority. The lead inspector spoke with pupils on the playground and around the school. He also spoke with a local headteacher who has been supporting the senior leadership team.

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Context

The school has concluded consultations on becoming an academy and will join the Diocese of Norwich Education Academy Trust by September 2014. Three teachers will leave at the end of the spring term, with new teachers appointed or current teachers taking on extra teaching. In observing teaching in all key stages, the inspector particularly focused on those teachers remaining with the school after Easter.

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Context

Since the last monitoring inspection, the governing body has been replaced by an interim executive board which discharges the responsibilities of a governing body.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

Pupils’ progress is beginning to accelerate and attainment is starting to rise. Since September, pupils in Year 6 have made the most progress in mathematics and the least in reading. If current rates of progress are maintained, standards will be close to those expected in reading and mathematics but not good enough in writing. This is because the more rapid progress achieved this year is not sufficient to close the gap with pupils’ attainment in writing nationally. Pupils supported through the pupil premium are doing well in mathematics but the attainment gap with their classmates in reading and writing is widening. This is because their progress is not as good as that of other pupils.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

Pupils in Year 2 are now making much better progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Their achievement is best in reading. Pupils supported through the pupil premium are still not doing well enough in writing or mathematics.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

Children start in the Early Years Foundation Stage with widely differing levels of experience, understanding and knowledge. Some encounter particular difficulty in speaking and listening, and in working and playing constructively with other children. The school has made these a focus for teaching and, as a result, children’s progress is improving. Adults are increasingly successful in developing children’s willingness to speak in front of the class and in nurturing enthusiasm for learning. Pupils across the school are doing better because the quality of teaching is improving. Where teaching is most effective, teachers ask a good range of questions which encourage pupils to respond with thoughtful, well-considered answers.

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The quality of teaching

The quality of teaching has improved. More is now good and very little is inadequate. No inadequate teaching was observed during the inspection and most was good. As a result, pupils are beginning to make better progress. Where teaching is best, it engages pupils’ attention and enthusiasm because lessons are pitched at the right level, and made interesting and enjoyable. Teachers now use questioning well to prompt pupils to respond, check how well they are doing and provide encouragement. Where questioning is less effective, teachers are too quick to interpret answers and provide information, rather than prompting pupils to think harder and provide better answers themselves. Expectations of both the quality and quantity of the work pupils can produce have risen. Pupils are taking greater pride in the accuracy and appearance of their writing. The quality of marking has improved significantly. It tells pupils how well they have done and what they need to do to

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The quality of teaching

improve. The school’s marking guidelines are more consistently and effectively used.

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The quality of teaching

Pupils work very well together in pairs or groups. In a mathematics lesson where teaching was excellent, the objective of solving a difficult problem through working with others was outstandingly successful. In some lessons, expectations of how much pupils can achieve are not high enough and teachers do not stick to the time limits they set for the pupils to complete activities. In others, teaching loses focus because exactly what it is that pupils are to learn has not been thought through carefully enough and the lesson runs out of steam.

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The quality of teaching

Teaching assistants now provide good support for learning, particularly when working with groups of pupils, so that the most- and least-able make good progress. They question and encourage pupils well. In an English lesson where the teaching was good, the teacher provided good reminders about what pupils were supposed to be writing about and the key vocabulary, while the teaching assistant made effective links between letters, their sounds and how words are spelled. The role of teaching assistants in the early parts of lessons, where the whole class is typically gathered together on the carpet, is often less well planned. They are too frequently spectators rather than active promoters of learning.

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The quality of teaching

Teachers think carefully about how well they have taught. They are eager to discuss their work and how to improve their teaching.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school is typically good. Where teaching is good and motivates pupils to learn, pupils are generally keen and enthusiastic. Because of poor teaching in the past, some pupils are difficult to enthuse. Even when the quality of teaching is good, some are reluctant to join in and risk being wrong. In other lessons, however, they display excellent attitudes to learning and are highly motivated.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils are friendly and polite. Some are eager to talk about their work and tell visitors how much they enjoy a full range of subjects. They are greatly enjoying the chance to play on the field again after such a wet winter.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance has improved significantly and is now broadly average. However, within this encouraging trend there are some groups, such as those supported through the pupil premium and Gypsy/Roma pupils, whose attendance continues to give concern.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The new interim executive board has acted quickly to develop a clear understanding of pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching across the school. Its members have the skills and knowledge required to provide both robust challenge and support for the school. They are very well placed to monitor the school’s performance and ensure that priorities for improvement are achieved within the required timescale.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The headteacher, very ably supported by a knowledgeable and experienced deputy headteacher, is providing increasingly effective leadership. The senior leadership team is making better use of progress data to track how well pupils are doing. They now hold teachers to account by using the more accurate assessment data as part of better-informed pupil progress meetings.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Performance management systems are being used well to address weak teaching. Senior leaders have an accurate picture of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching across the school. They provide clear judgements and useful feedback. This is followed up by very effective coaching and support so that inadequate teaching has been almost eradicated and the proportion of good and better teaching is rising. While the management of special educational needs is improving, subject leadership is at an early stage of development.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The school improvement plan is regularly updated and has a sharper focus on pupils’ achievement. The school is better placed to track the impact of its work on pupils’ progress.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Safeguarding arrangements meet current national requirements, staff training is up- to-date and the register of those able to work with children is well maintained.

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External support

Senior leaders have valued the support provided by a local authority improvement adviser to enhance their understanding and use of data and their monitoring of the quality of teaching. The most recent local authority review has provided a good benchmark for improvement over time; particularly, improvements in the quality of teaching. The strategic accountability group, in tandem with the interim executive board, is holding the school to account and asking the difficult questions required. Local authority advisers for English and mathematics have provided effective support for improving subject leadership. There has been valued support from the local authority human resources department in addressing weak teacher performance. The very effective support offered by a local headteacher will continue until the school becomes an academy. The Diocese of Norwich is now invited to meetings of the interim executive board.

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