Setting

Mrs P Mather Headteacher Wootton Community Primary School Church Road Ryde PO33 4PT

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Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 2 December 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.

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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 September 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

 develop the skills and effectiveness of leaders other than the headteacher so that they all contribute to improving the quality of teaching and learning.

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Evidence

During the inspection, I met with you, senior leaders, subject leaders and the Chair of the Governing Body to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. I also spoke to a representative from the local authority. I evaluated the school improvement plan, as well as a range of other documentation, such as minutes from meetings of the governing body and your latest headteacher’s report. We visited Tribal Kings Orchard, One Queen Street, Bristol BS2 0HQ T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0117 311 5323 Direct email :suzy.smith@tribalgroup.com classrooms together, during which I spoke to some pupils and scrutinised the quality of their work.

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Main findings

The school has continued to improve under your strong and influential leadership. Your development plan is appropriately focused on the areas for improvement that were identified in the previous inspection report. It includes clear, measurable milestones against which governors can challenge leaders on the impact of planned actions. You have already implemented strategies to improve the quality of teaching and learning across the school, such as the introduction of ‘the fantastics’ to show pupils how to become better independent learners.

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Main findings

In addition to improving teaching, the increased stability of staff is also having a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Teachers’ morale is improving and they have responded well to your initiatives, in particular the creative approach you have introduced to the teaching of writing. You monitor teaching and learning carefully and have a secure view of where there are strengths and weaknesses in provision. For example, you review carefully the difference your use of pupil premium funding is having on the progress of disadvantaged pupils to ensure that what you are doing has the necessary impact.

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Main findings

Governors continue to provide robust challenge about the work you are doing to improve the school. They also evaluate their own effectiveness carefully and are accurate about what they need to do to continue to become more effective. Minutes of their meetings show that they ask challenging questions of you. They triangulate what they learn at meetings effectively by visiting the school when pupils are at work and discuss the initiatives being used to develop teaching.

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Main findings

The school has rightly reorganised how subjects are led. I was pleased to meet with your new leaders for history, geography and science. Some subject leaders are still very new to their roles. Training you have organised for them has been well received and this has led to them taking steps to monitor how well pupils are doing, for example, by reviewing the standard of work pupils produce in their subjects. They do not however, have the skills they need to improve the quality of teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility.

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Main findings

Too much of the work undertaken to improve provision at the school is down to you. For example, you are leading the vast majority of appraisals for staff at the school. Not enough time has been invested in developing the skills of other leaders to ensure improvements to the school are sustainable.

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Main findings

During our short visits to classrooms, we saw evidence of where the work you have been doing is beginning to improve provision. Many teachers now have higher expectations for what pupils should achieve in lessons. In an English lesson, for example, Year 6 pupils were challenged to write their own version of a traditional tale. The learning was supported effectively by clear ‘steps for success’ that increased in difficulty to encourage pupils to challenge themselves. Pupils were industrious and focused on what they were doing and demonstrated that they are beginning to produce writing of a higher quality. Also, pupils are starting to develop their independence by ensuring they have the necessary equipment without being prompted by adults.

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Main findings

Pupils’ work in their English books shows they are now writing for a range of purposes. There are signs that the quality of marking is improving, with pupils getting feedback that is helping them to improve their work. Marking in mathematics books, however, is less effective and focuses too much on presentational skills rather than what pupils need to do to improve their learning.

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Main findings

Despite these signs of improvement, there are still inconsistencies in the quality of teaching overall. We observed some lessons where expectations remain too low, which at times results in low-level disruptive behaviour. This shows that the behaviour of pupils continues to require improvement, as they rely too heavily on adults to remain focused on their work.

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Main findings

Pupils continue to make improved progress across the school and this is well tracked and monitored by leaders. You are rightly aware of the need to ensure that more pupils reach the higher levels in both Key Stages 1 and 2.

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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

You continue to make good use of tailored and regular support provided by the local authority. They have effectively supported you to make the improvements seen in the teaching of English, particularly writing. The local authority has also brokered good opportunities for you and other staff to observe and work alongside other more effective schools, such as Crofton Hammond infant and junior schools in Hampshire. This has helped staff gain a better understanding of what they should be expecting of pupils at 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 Isle fo Wight.

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