Setting

Resham Mirza Headteacher Tiverton Primary School Pulford Road London N15 6SP

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School

Following my visit to your school on 11 July 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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School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in March 2014. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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School

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

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School

 re-write and implement the action plan by including measurable, short- term milestones and measures of success so that its leaders and governors can judge the impact of each priority for improvement at specific points of time  produce and implement an action plan in light of the outcomes and recommendations made by the recent governance review  ensure that teaching assistants are used effectively by teachers so that they support the learning of all pupils, including the most able. 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 5359 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Email : christina.bannerman@tribalgroup.com

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you, other senior leaders and a group of governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. I met with a group of teachers, a group of teaching assistants, the literacy coordinator, the numeracy coordinator and a representative from the local authority. The deputy headteacher joined me on a visit to lessons and we scrutinised pupils’ work. I evaluated the school’s action plan and examined other relevant documentation.

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Context

Since the last inspection two teachers have left and have been replaced by two supply teachers. Three teaching assistants have also left since the inspection and new replacements have been employed. The deputy headteacher is now carrying responsibility for numeracy across the school. An assistant headteacher has been recruited to start in September 2014 and this will increase the capacity of your leadership team.

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Main findings

The school’s action plan lacks detail and clarity. It does not provide clear enough information about how the success of actions will be measured and precise timescales for when these will be achieved, how they will be monitored and how their impact evaluated. In addition, there is insufficient focus on the intended impact on the achievement of the most able pupils. Governors were not involved in the development of the action plan and they not involved in monitoring it.

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Main findings

Nevertheless, you have begun to make some positive changes to address some of the areas for development from the last inspection. In mathematics lessons pupils undertake a range of different activities that are tailored to their ability and challenge them to develop their knowledge and understanding. Additional resources for reading have been purchased and a reading policy has been drafted. A new marking policy has also been drafted. However, neither of these policies have been implemented yet and therefore have had limited impact. The feedback provided in books to pupils and ideas to challenge them further remains variable. Where teachers make comments there is limited evidence to suggest that they follow them up with the pupils.

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Main findings

Limited action has taken place to improve the use of teaching assistants by teachers so that the all pupils can benefit from their expertise. In mathematics lessons, teaching assistants are being encouraged to provide challenge for the most able. In some classes, teaching assistants now listen to the most able pupils reading. However, variation exists across the school in the way in which teaching assistants are utilised. The external review of governance has helped governors to recognise what they have not been doing well in the past and what they need to do to improve in the future. Members of the governing body have now received training on external sources of data and have also successfully brokered the support of a National Leader of Governance (NLG). The governing body has also secured the services of a new clerk. However, a strategic action plan in response to the review of governance has been finalised. This is now a priority and needs to be considered with the utmost

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Main findings

urgency. Governors need to ensure that they are able to hold school leaders to account in order ensure the rapid improvement of the school.

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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

Since the last inspection, the local authority has increased the tier of support provided for the school. Governor Services have been effective in providing support for the governing body by commissioning the review of governance, providing training and making available the services of the new clerk.

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External support

There is a disparity between the view of local authority about the support it believes it has provided and what the leaders and governors of the school believe they have received. There is a lack of written evidence received by the school from the school’s improvement advisor. The effectiveness of the action plan created by the school in light of the last was evaluated by local authority, but there were no recommendations for improvement made by the school’s improvement advisor. Although lesson observations have been carried out with the school’s improvement advisor, other meetings with you have lacked formal structure and points for action have only been conveyed verbally. As a result, the support from the local authority has not been as effective as it could be.

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External support

You have now independently secured support from other schools in the authority and you report that this is having a positive impact on the improvement of your school.

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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 Haringey.

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