Setting

Mr David Grimshaw Headteacher Inglewood Junior School Arnside Road Harraby, Carlisle Cumbria CA1 3QA

p.1

School, Cumbria

Following my visit to your school on 9 September 2014, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection 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.

p.1

School, Cumbria

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

p.1

School, Cumbria

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:

p.1

School, Cumbria

 Analyse the achievement of different groups of pupils, taking account of their starting points, and use the information to check progress and plan teaching and support. Make sure governors are aware of how well different groups achieve including ability groups, those eligible for pupil premium and those with special educational needs.  Strengthen governors’ role in engaging with parents.  Ensure the school website is fully up to date.  Make sure the quality of pupils’ writing remains a focus in whole school improvement planning.  Add quantifiable milestones to improvement planning so that progress and impact can be evaluated at set points.  Prioritise actions in the Governors’ action plan. CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 West Lancs Investment Centre Maple View Skelmersdale WN8 9TG T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01695 566 937 Direct F 01695 729 320

p.1

Evidence

During the inspection, I met with the headteacher, subject leaders, four members of the Governing Body including the Chair and a representative of the local authority. I spoke with a group of pupils and talked with others informally during break-times. I looked at a sample of pupils’ work and made brief visits to classrooms during a tour of the school.

p.2

Context

Since the last inspection, one part-time and two full-time teachers have joined the school. One teacher has left. The Governing Body has been reconstituted and two new governors have joined.

p.2

Main findings

You have acted quickly to tackle the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. Staff and governors are working together effectively to drive improvements to teaching and leadership. Your changes to the organisation of teaching are making the best use of expertise across the school. The post-Ofsted action plan addresses fully all the areas for improvement and the actions and success criteria are clear. It would be helpful to add quantifiable milestones at regular intervals so that governors and leaders can be sure actions are progressing as planned and are continuing to raise pupils’ achievement.

p.2

Main findings

The areas for improvement identified at the last inspection focus on improving teaching and achievement in mathematics. It is clear that you had begun to tackle weaknesses in mathematics prior to the inspection, but new initiatives were not sufficiently embedded across the school. Marking has improved further following focused staff meetings and with regular checks on books by the mathematics leader and senior leaders. Pupils are being provided with more challenging work and are moving on to new learning quicker. However there are still occasions when pupils’ misunderstandings are not resolved effectively and this slows progress. Pupils who spoke with me said they like the more challenging work in mathematics and find marking helpful. They say the new arrangements to teach mathematics in ability sets work well. This approach is still at early stages and will need to be checked regularly to make sure all ability groups make good progress.

p.2

Main findings

These initiatives are having a positive impact and raising pupils’ achievement. The proportion of pupils attaining Level 5 and Level 6 in mathematics in 2014 increased significantly to above the 2013 national average. Around half the pupils made better than expected progress to reach these high levels. Pupils’ achievement in reading also improved and was above average. Pupils’ achievement in writing improved as well, although they did not make such rapid progress and fewer pupils reached the higher levels. Your tracking of pupils’ progress indicates that pupils are making more rapid progress lower down the school and sustaining these standards. Writing lags reading and mathematics and rightly remains a priority for further improvement.

p.2

Main findings

You have taken effective action to tackle the areas for improvement relating to the effectiveness of leadership and governance. No time has been wasted in developing the roles and extending the responsibilities of middle leaders. The mathematics and English leaders are providing a strong steer to improve teaching, leading by example. Training in leadership skills is helping middle leaders to extend their role in monitoring and supporting colleagues confidently. The introduction of year group leaders has helped to devolve leadership responsibilities across the school and enabled more regular checks on teaching and learning and better support to colleagues. Staff are keen to take on more responsibility and welcome the increased opportunities for professional development and discussion with colleagues.

p.3

Main findings

Improved liaison with the infant school has ensured that pupils entering Year 3 this year have continuity in their learning and make more rapid progress from the start. School leaders and teachers from both schools are working together effectively to the benefit of pupils.

p.3

Main findings

You have introduced imaginative approaches to engage parents so they can better support their children’s learning. The pupils thoroughly enjoyed the ‘World Cup Maths Day’. It was successful in helping parents understand the mathematics their children do in school, with over a hundred parents attending. Parents are also better informed about the children’s progress in all subjects with the termly reports that are now going home. There is scope for governors to engage with parents more actively, for example through addressing them at parents’ meetings and making themselves known on the school website. The website requires updating.

p.3

Main findings

The review of the Governing Body has increased Governors’ understanding of their roles and responsibilities and sets a baseline for what needs to be done to ensure effective governance. Governors are aware of the next steps; principally the need to prioritise actions and set a clear timeline to make sure actions are manageable and proceed as planned. The appointment of two experienced Governors has strengthened the Governing Body by broadening their collective skills and expertise. Governors are better informed about the school’s overall performance but less knowledgeable about the progress of different groups of pupils. Data from teacher assessments are used effectively to identify trends in subjects and classes. However there is currently little detail about the achievement of different groups of pupils and about pupils’ progress from different starting points.

p.3

Main findings

Pupils enjoy school and behave well. Those who spoke with me said that lessons are interesting and often fun. They feel safe and could talk very knowledgably and with sensitivity about the impact of different types of bullying. They feel any poor behaviour or bullying is always sorted out. They were less informed when talking about different faiths and cultures and fundamental British values. Nevertheless they demonstrate respect and good manners toward each other and take pride in their roles as ’good behaviour leaders’ and monitors.

p.3

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. We have agreed that I will re-visit the school in December 2014 to review revisions to data analysis and plans with you, carry out a joint work scrutiny and provide guidance to the full governing body.

p.4

External support

You are drawing on external support effectively. The Carlisle Schools Primary Alliance is providing an effective network to facilitate school to school support, professional development and opportunities for staff from different schools to work together and share good practice. You have made links with two good schools to support peer review. The local authority has provided good support for the Governor Review and development of governance. The school’s adviser is accessible and supportive. However further support from the local authority is limited by lack of resources.

p.4

External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Director of Children’s Services for Cumbria and as below.

p.4

Her Majesty’s Inspector

The letter should be copied to the following:

p.4

Her Majesty’s Inspector

 Appropriate authority - Chair of the Governing Body/Interim Executive Board  Local authority – including where the school is an academy  Contractor providing support services on behalf of the local authority - where appropriate  The Education Funding Agency (EFA) if the school has a sixth form  Diocese – for voluntary aided and voluntary controlled schools  The person or body responsible for appointing foundation governors if the school has a foundation  DfE - Academies Advisers Unit [ open.FREESCHOOLS@education.gsi.gov.uk ] - for academies, free schools, UTCs and studio schools

p.4