Setting

Emma Hendy Headteacher Powell Corderoy Primary School Longfield Road Dorking RH4 3DF

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Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 8 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 second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in November 2012. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. HMI conducted a further advisory visit in May 2013.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you, other leaders, a group of pupils, four governors and two representatives of the local authority. A range of the school’s documentation was analysed including the school improvement plan. I visited five lessons and looked at a sample of pupils’ work.

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Context

The headteacher left the school in January 2014. The deputy headteacher became the acting headteacher and was appointed as the substantive headteacher from April 2014. The governors are in the process of recruiting a new deputy headteacher. Three teachers have left the school since the previous monitoring inspection in February 2013, along with one teaching assistant. Three new teachers and two 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 teaching assistants have joined the school. Four governors have left and been replaced. The Chair of the Governing Body took over this role in September 2013.

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Main findings

Until January 2014, the school had not improved at a sufficient rate. The new Chair of the Governors led an urgent review of the school’s progress in September 2013, acting on the good advice of the local authority. Governors visited the school on a number of occasions to gather their own evidence. As a result, they rightly challenged school leaders to make essential improvements more quickly. This has led to much more rapid progress from the beginning of 2014. The new headteacher has acted swiftly and very effectively to improve teaching and to raise pupils’ achievement. Teachers’ performance is checked regularly and they are all aware of the specific elements they need to improve in their teaching. They are given the right training and support to make these improvements. Teachers are now much more accountable for pupils’ progress. Pupils’ achievement is tracked in detail, allowing leaders and teachers to take the right action when pupils are at risk of

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Main findings

underachieving. Most importantly, the headteacher has raised teachers’, pupils’ and governors’ expectations about how highly pupils should achieve.

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Main findings

While some teaching still requires improvement, the proportion of good or better teaching is growing. Consequently, pupils’ progress has begun to accelerate. Some inconsistencies remain, however. For example, the work pupils are set is not always challenging enough. This leads some pupils to lose concentration. Pupils do not always act on teachers’ advice by making the necessary improvements to their work. Pupils’ progress in Years 3 and 5 is currently slower than it is in other year groups. The headteacher is fully aware of all these issues and is taking the right action to address them.

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Main findings

Governors receive much more detailed information about pupils’ achievement, which helps them challenge school leaders effectively. For example, they know that most disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are now making similar progress to other pupils in the school. They also know that the gaps in achievement between pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium and other pupils are closing because the pupil premium funding is spent well. Governors are now fully involved in evaluating improvements and rightly insist that these continue at a rapid rate. Governors have also improved their communication with parents, for example through the establishment of a parent council.

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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

The local authority has a good knowledge of the school and, as well as monitoring the school’s progress regularly, has provided a range of very useful support. For example, consultants’ work with individual teachers is having a demonstrable impact on their teaching. A thorough review of pupils’ behaviour in January 2014 identified specific actions for leaders and teachers to take, which they have done. The local authority has brokered the support of a local leader of education, as well as another experienced leader for three days a week, who will assist the headteacher in making further improvements before the new deputy headteacher starts.

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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 Surrey.

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