Setting

Craig Jones Headteacher Cam Everlands Primary School Birch Road Dursley GL11 5SF

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Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 2 May 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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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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Primary School

Senior leaders and governors are not taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the last section 5 inspection. The school should take immediate action to:

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Primary School

 ensure that you, as headteacher, take the strategic lead role in monitoring all teaching to secure a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. This is in order to plan improvements which align with the areas requiring improvement from the last inspection  develop an accurate and consistent system for measuring the academic progress made by pupils so that support is provided where underachievement is identified in reading, writing and mathematics and teachers can be held to account  enhance the school improvement plan so that it shows clear and measureable outcomes which can be used to judge the progress against the areas requiring improvement from the last inspection 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 5323 Direct email :suzy.smith@tribalgroup.com  revise the responsibilities of the governors in relation to the monitoring

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Primary School

of the areas for improvement from the last inspection and ensure that progress is discussed and recorded at full meetings of the governing body  ensure staff and governors are familiar with the findings of the Ofsted survey reports Getting to good – How headteachers achieve success and School governance – Learning from the best and how they can be used to support the school’s work in improving teaching and raising standards.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you, the Chair of Governors and a representative of the local authority. In addition, I toured the school with you visiting all classes and we discussed the development of the school’s improvement plan. I also conducted a scrutiny of pupils’ books.

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Context

At the time of my visit you had been in post for nine days as the new headteacher.

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Main findings

The main reason why the senior leadership of the school is not is not making a clear enough difference to pupils’ academic achievement and quality of teaching is that you have only very recently taken up the post as headteacher. The three visits you had to the school prior to taking up your role were aimed at developing your understanding of procedures and processes, together with staffing and individual pupil issues. In addition, as you have joined the school from another area you have not yet had time to develop the contacts and links with the local authority and school leaders within Gloucestershire. This said, it is clear that you have a well- defined vision for the development of the school with an appropriately strong focus on improving teaching and the achievement by pupils.

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Main findings

You have produced a draft school improvement plan based on the areas requiring improvement from the last inspection together with issues raised from your analysis of academic outcomes for the school. This has useful actions which are linked to staff members and resources. We agreed that, as a matter of urgency, clearly defined and measureable outcome measures for the actions in the plan are required. These are needed so that senior leaders, including members of the governing body, can judge the success of actions and make amendments if appropriate.

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Main findings

On our tour of the classes it was clear that you have a good understanding of what constitutes an effective learning environment. You have suitable intentions for monitoring the quality of teaching in each class. It is very important that this is completed quickly. This will give you a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for development in teaching which you will be able to build in to the school’s improvement plan.

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Main findings

You outlined the procedure for tracking pupils’ academic progress and shared some concerns about its use to promote increased progress and higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics. The system in the school is not one used widely in the authority and you are considering introducing a new one. It is important that if the school is to introduce a new progress tracking system this is undertaken quickly so that it is in place and staff are trained before the new school year in September.

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Main findings

The Chair of Governors understands the need for improvement in terms of the quality of teaching, higher standards and stronger leadership. He is aware that time is short before the next inspection during which to demonstrate measureable impact on the areas requiring improvement from the last inspection. It is very important that the governing body develop comprehensive monitoring and evaluation procedures swiftly. This will enable them to provide appropriate support and challenge for senior leaders.

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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

Prior to your appointment the school has been subject to support from the local authority for over a year which involved regular reviews and actions to raise achievement which were closely monitored. However, this support did not result in an improved outcome at the last inspection. In our discussions you noted the positive support you had received at the beginning of your induction as a new headteacher in Gloucestershire and the valuable information provided by your link adviser.

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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 Gloucestershire.

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