Setting

Ms Emma Leighton Headteacher Hallgate Primary School Cottingham Hallgate Cottingham HU16 4DD

p.1

School Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire

Following my visit to your school on 1 October 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 Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire

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.

p.1

School Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire

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 Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire

 strengthen school planning by establishing a timescale for improvement and ensuring all actions clearly reflect the impact they are designed to have on pupils’ learning and progress

p.1

School Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire

 ensure all staff have high expectations of pupils’ writing and behaviour in lessons and that they are understood by pupils and their parents.

p.1

Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher, other senior leaders, the governing body and a representative of the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. The work of the school was evaluated, a range of documentation was scrutinised including the school’s action plan, achievement 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 729320 Direct email: jsimmons@cfbt.com data, reports to governors and the outcomes of monitoring activities. Visits were made to two Key Stage 2 classes and discussions took place with pupils about their work.

p.1

Context

Since the inspection which judged the school to require improvement, one teacher has left the school and two new class teachers have joined in a Year 1 and 2 class and a Year 3 and 4 class.

p.2

Main findings

You have a secure understanding of what needs to be done to improve the quality of teaching, and particularly writing and the presentation of pupils’ work. The impact is starting to be seen in faster progress for some pupils and higher attainment in the recent Year 6 tests. Checks on the progress of individual pupils and groups, together with better analysis of performance data have begun and are helping teachers to set more challenging work. A common approach to the teaching of mathematics and writing has begun but high expectations and examples of good writing are not yet consistent in all classes. Teachers’ marking and feedback are becoming more systematic. Pupils are aware of their responsibilities to act on teachers’ feedback and have time to respond and make corrections to their written work. In lessons many pupils are interested, work hard and concentrate but expectations of behaviour are not clear, consistently reinforced or understood by all pupils.

p.2

Main findings

Governors’ decisions to increase staffing and reduce class sizes, together with more frequent monitoring by middle leaders, are ensuring that closer attention is being given to pupils’ needs. Weaknesses in teaching are being tackled and support plans are in place for individual staff. Plans for a programme of training and development for all staff are in hand. The school’s action plan is focused on the areas for improvement. However, in places it does not have sufficient detail to help governors and leaders evaluate how quickly and effectively the school is securing improvements.

p.2

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.

p.2

External support

The local authority has provided regular support to the school. Training for senior and middle leaders has helped them to become more adept in interrogating data, checking the quality of teaching and identifying where changes need to be made to quicken pupils’ progress. At the time of this visit links with two schools were being arranged by the local authority in order to share good practice. I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services for East Riding of Yorkshire.

p.2