Setting

Gillian Westbrook Headteacher Bishop Winnington-Ingram CofE Primary School Southcote Rise Ruislip Middlesex HA4 7LW

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Ingram CofE Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 24 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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Ingram CofE Primary School

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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Ingram CofE Primary 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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Ingram CofE Primary School

 ensure that action plans are more sharply focussed on long term improvements and include clear timescales and milestones  measure how improvements in teaching are having an impact on pupils’ achievement. 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 your deputy, middle leaders, governors, a representative of the London Diocesan Board of Education and a group of pupils. A telephone conversation was held with a local authority representative. Together we visited all classes and groups. I scrutinised school action plans and other key documents alongside the books of a group of pupils.

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Context

Since the inspection, one teacher has left the school; a temporary replacement has been appointed. You have introduced weekly strategy meetings attended by senior leaders and key governors. Once a month, this group is joined by the local authority and diocesan representatives. You have also made changes to the school timetable to provide more time for the teaching of literacy and numeracy during the mornings, whilst maintaining a varied curriculum across the day.

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Main findings

Following the inspection you drew up plans to address the issues raised in the report. These plans identify actions to be undertaken and explain how you will know that actions have been completed. Governors do not have a view of where the school aims to be in the longer term, however, because each plan covers only one term’s activities. This means that governors are unable to judge whether progress is swift enough or whether the school is on track to achieve its goals.

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Main findings

You have raised the profile of writing in school through timetable changes, writing competitions and a revised marking policy. Pupils and teachers alike can talk about these improvements and the resulting positive effects on the quality of pupils’ work. One pupil said that lessons used to be ‘squished up’ but now more time is given to literacy and numeracy lessons in the morning. Throughout the school pupils now enjoy opportunities to edit and refine their work following constructive comments from teachers. From my scrutiny of pupils’ books I could see a clear improvement in the quality and consistency of marking since the inspection.

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Main findings

You have organised training for all staff in the use of questioning techniques which check pupils’ learning and extend the level of challenge in lessons. As we visited classes I observed examples of teachers and other adults using these skills to extend the learning of individual pupils.

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Main findings

The sustainability of these improvements is not secure as your plans do not identify a long term aim, or set timescales for achieving this. Measures of how successful recent improvements have been are not specific enough and there is little indication of pupil progress being used to measure success. Middle leaders have worked with the diocesan representative, to develop their leadership skills and qualities. You have supported them in undertaking external training related to their roles. As a result, they have an improved understanding of pupil progress information and are working together as a team to raise standards across the whole school. The long term impact of their work is weakened by the lack of linkage in plans between actions they are taking, and measurable pupil progress. Plans do not demonstrate an overall view of what the school wants to achieve in terms of achievement, teaching, behaviour and safety and leadership and

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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

You consider that the local authority and the London Diocesan Board of Education provide helpful support for the school. They have provided links with good and outstanding schools in the local area, and you have visited some of these to observe their practice. The diocesan representative has worked alongside your deputy in order to create a system for collating and analysing information about pupils’ achievement. He has also worked with middle leaders to develop their understanding of this information and their skills as team leaders. Leaders say they are more effective as a result of this support. Both representatives attend monthly strategic meetings and have provided advice and support as you have developed your action plans. They communicate effectively with each other to ensure that you receive timely and effective input.

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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 Hillingdon and the London Diocesan Board of Education.

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