Setting

Miss Debbie Griggs Headteacher Myland Community Primary School Mill Road Mile End Colchester CO4 5LD

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Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 26 June 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 February 2014. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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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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Primary School

 involve all governors, more fully, in checking the progress the school is making in its efforts to become good  define the role of middle leaders in the school improvement process, particularly in relation to their role in monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching and learning.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative from the local authority to discuss the action taken since the previous inspection. I also met with middle leaders and evaluated the school improvement plan. I visited each classroom to see pupils being taught and looked at 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 pupils’ books in English and mathematics from across the school. I also looked at information relating to teachers’ appraisal and pupils’ performance.

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Context

Since the previous inspection one teacher has left the school and the deputy headteacher has resigned from his post.

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Main findings

You demonstrated a clear understanding of what needs to be done in order for the school to be judged as good at its next inspection. Your high expectations and strong leadership have already led to improvements, for example you are addressing weaknesses in the quality of teaching by holding teachers to account more effectively for the progress that their pupils are making.

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Main findings

The quality of work seen in pupils’ books shows that the vast majority of teachers’ share your ambition for the school and that their efforts are resulting in pupils taking great pride in their work and making better rates of progress. Teachers mark pupils’ work well, often providing detailed information about the improvements that are needed. Pupils respond positively to the comments provided and many engage in written dialogue with their teachers about their learning.

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Main findings

The school improvement plan clearly sets out how the school intends to address each of the weaknesses identified at the previous inspection. It shows how the planned actions will be monitored and evaluated and places appropriate emphasis on improving teaching and learning. However, currently too many of the actions in the plan are the direct responsibility of the headteacher and the role of other leaders, including governors in checking on progress, has not been fully considered or documented.

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Main findings

Middle leaders are beginning to play a more active and effective role in the school improvement process. They regularly lead meetings to plan teaching and learning with colleagues and they ensure that the assessments that are made on pupils’ attainment and progress are accurate. One middle leader recently led a successful initiative which has addressed weaknesses in the way reading is taught at the school and has led to significant improvements in this year’s phonics check. Consideration now needs to be given to how responsibilities for each of the different aspects of the school’s development can be shared amongst this group of teachers who have demonstrated that they have the capacity to take on additional responsibility.

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Main findings

The Chair of the Governing Body shares your high expectations and provides good support and challenge to the school. She is ably supported by the vice-chair, who recently led training sessions for governors on performance data. This has led to governors being more challenging of the school’s leadership team. There are a large number of new governors, many of whom are currently undertaking induction training through the local authority. Along with existing governors they need to have a clearly defined role in checking the progress that the school is making against the objectives within the school improvement plan.

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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 raised concerns about the school’s underperformance in September 2013. Since then it has provided significant additional challenge to the school, through regular visits and a review of teaching and learning. Through the local authority the school has also commissioned an appropriate range of support aimed at improving the quality of teaching. This had a positive impact. The local authority continues to monitor developments at the school closely through an improvement board, which includes both the Chair and vice chair of the Governing Body.

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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 Essex.

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