Setting

Miss Alex Allison Broomfield Community Primary School Ploughmans Lea East Goscote Leicester LE7 3ZQ

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Community Primary School

Following my visit to your academy on 22 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 academy since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Community Primary School

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

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Community Primary School

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection.

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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher, other senior leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the Syston and Thurmaston Educational Partnership to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. The academy action plan was evaluated. You joined me on a tour of the academy, where I spoke informally with pupils and looked at their work. We scrutinised some pupils’ books together and viewed other school documentation. I checked the single central record.

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Context

Since the last inspection, a new deputy headteacher has been appointed. A new English subject leader has also been appointed. The special educational needs subject leader is now leading Key Stage 2. Two full-time teachers have left. A part- time teacher has retired. The mathematics subject leader has returned from 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 : 0121 6799164 Direct email : tim.ogbourn@serco.com maternity leave. A further teacher has gone on maternity leave and a newly qualified teacher is covering this class. Two parent governors have resigned from the governing body, a community governor has also not renewed his term of office. One new community governor has been appointed and one new parent governor has also been elected onto the governing body.

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Main findings

Since the last inspection, you have acted quickly to address the issues identified. Your action plan is sharply focused on improving the quality of teaching to raise the attainment of pupils. There is urgency within the plan, which demonstrates that you, your senior team, and the governing body are determined to be judged good at your next inspection. However, the governing body’s role is under-developed within your plan and for some actions, it is not clear how the governing body will hold you to account for your work.

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Main findings

It was clear from my visit that the mathematics and special needs leaders share your determination to bring about improvements quickly. Training and opportunities to visit examples of good practice in their subjects have inspired them to act quickly to improve their work. As a result, they are using a wide range of evidence in order to identify more precisely the strengths and weaknesses in their subjects. They are taking remedial action to address the under achievement of pupils who have fallen behind in their learning. They are also more confident to hold teachers to account for standards in their subjects.

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Main findings

Teachers’ marking has improved. Where it is most effective, teachers tell pupils how well they are doing and expect them to think carefully about the answers to their teachers’ comments. Pupils have more opportunities to respond to marking in order to correct mistakes and, as a result, they are making better progress. However, this more effective marking is not consistent in all classes.

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Main findings

The governing body is determined to improve its role in order to hold you to account for your work. It has taken swift action to reorganise itself so that smaller groups of governors meet regularly to check the quality of school improvement. The governing body has quickly undertaken a review of its work and has set itself clear actions to improve its role. Governors have a much better understanding of the progress of different groups of pupils and, consequently, governors are able to challenge you more rigorously where they find pupils are not making the progress they should.

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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 Step Teaching School Alliance (an extension of the Syston and Thurmaston Educational Partnership) has responded quickly to the outcome of the inspection. It has provided a local leader of education (LLE) to support the headteacher to write the action plan. The LLE is also supporting senior leaders to analyse pupils' progress data and meets regularly with the headteacher to check the progress of the school in addressing the key issues. The Step Teaching School Alliance also provides effective support to the governing body by providing training to help it hold senior leaders to account for their work.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Director of Children’s Services for Leicestershire and the Department for Education, Academies Advisers Unit.

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