Setting

Mrs Jo Phillips Headteacher Wyton on the Hill Community Primary School Cambridge Square Wyton-on-the-Hill Huntingdon PE28 2JB

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Community Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 18 March 2015, 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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Community Primary School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in December 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. The school should take further action to:

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Community Primary School

 make sure that you check quickly the impact of any training and coaching to ensure that it is having an impact on teaching and learning and that more help can then be given if required  ensure that new subject leaders gain a secure understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in their subjects before making plans to improve them  sharpen the improvement plan so that it is clear what the desired impact of the improvements is to be on pupil outcomes. 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 679 9161 Direct email : ann.morris@serco.com

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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with you, other subject leaders, two governors and a representative of the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. The school action plan was evaluated. Short visits were made with you to all classes where I looked at books and spoke to pupils.

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Context

Since the inspection, one teacher has left the school and will be replaced in September 2015. Currently, a supply teacher is replacing her. Another teacher will be returning to school from maternity leave in April.

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Main findings

You have been effective in eradicating inadequate teaching since the last inspection, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage. You have secured better quality assessment for these children as seen in their learning journals which is now much more accurate. Consequently, key skills such as phonics are developing, but at other times behaviour suffers because children are allowed to get involved in play that lacks purpose.

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Main findings

In the other lessons visited, the indications are that behaviour is improving in lessons. Most pupils were observed working hard and cooperating sensibly with each other.

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Main findings

You have led developments in marking this term and staff have benefited from training and guidance on what you expect when books are marked. Some teachers are marking effectively, others are not. The reason for this is that you did not follow up this training by checking quickly enough whether teachers were making the necessary improvements. Checks are planned, but this will be three months after the training.

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Main findings

In response to the need to strengthen teaching and outcomes in subjects other than English and mathematics you have appointed subject leaders who are keen, but inexperienced. You have also planned training to support them next month. Currently, they do not have a secure enough understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching in their subjects across the school. They are intending to plan improvements, but without this understanding the plans may not be fit for purpose.

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Main findings

Governors have added more rigour to their meetings so that you are now questioned about improvements. They are also making checks on the developments within school, such as the visits they made to classes yesterday to examine behaviour. Your action plan has been revised to reflect the areas for improvement recommended at the last inspection, but it is not helpful enough to governors because it is too general. It does not give sufficient specific detail on where improvements are most needed and the desired impact on the outcomes for pupils. For example, your plans to strengthen science teaching do not take into account subject specific weaknesses that need to be addressed.

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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 school has benefited from support to strengthen the provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The local authority is also providing a much greater degree of challenge, but also support, by commissioning the time of a local headteacher to help you with the planned improvements.

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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 Cambridgeshire Local Authority.

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