Setting

Monique Anderson Principal Lansdowne Primary Academy Lansdowne Road Tilbury RM18 7QB

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Academy

Following my visit to your school on 10 July 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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Academy

The visit was the second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in June 2014. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. At its previous section 5 inspection the school was also judged to require improvement.

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Academy

Senior leaders, governors and the Gateway Learning Community are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection. The school should take further action to make sure:

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Academy

 pupils learn to form letters and numbers accurately and present their written work neatly from Early Years Foundation Stage onwards  pupils know what they are expected to achieve by the end of each lesson  teachers use their knowledge of pupils’ different abilities to plan learning activities that develop pupils’ reasoning skills so that pupils have the opportunity to think and work things out for themselves. 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 9167 Direct email : farhan.aslam@serco.com

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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher, other senior leaders, the chief executive (CE) and deputy chief executive (DCE) of the Gateway Learning Community (GLC), assistant headteachers and chair of the local governing body to discuss the action taken since the last monitoring inspection. We walked round the school and observed learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Years 1 to 5. We looked at pupils’ books in their classrooms.

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Context

Since the last monitoring inspection in November 2014 six teachers have left the school. The school is fully staffed from September. The local governing body has recruited three new governors.

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Main findings

Since that last monitoring inspection there has been a huge turnover of staff. The CE of GLC has recognised the difficulties that you have had in recruiting good teachers and has made a concerted effort to ensure the school has a full and stable teaching staff from September. The DCE has travelled to Australia to recruit new teachers for the GLC. This has proved a very successful venture and, as a result, Australian teachers have been recruited for your school.

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Main findings

You and the senior leadership team have worked extremely hard to ensure consistency across the school in the quality of teaching and learning. This has proved very difficult given the high turnover of staff. As a result, pupil outcomes are not as good as you had hoped. The phonics check in Year 1 pupils dipped from last year, as did Year 2 writing and Year 6 writing and mathematics. However pupils’ progress has improved from Year 2 to Year 6 and the school’s performance information indicates that this is likely to be above other pupils nationally this year, except in mathematics.

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Main findings

Teaching has improved since the last monitoring inspection because of your stringent monitoring and the support you have received from the DCE. There remain inconsistencies in the quality of pupils’ learning, particularly in the presentation of their work, how much they are expected to achieve in lessons and their ability to think and work things out for themselves.

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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 GLC have given excellent support to the school since the last monitoring inspection. The DCE works with you for one day a week, additional time has been given to senior leaders to check pupils’ work and you have been able to make links with an outstanding school. The GLC have formed task groups across the Academy Trust. This has been very helpful to you particularly in checking that teachers’ assessments are accurate.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Local Governing Body, the CE of GLC and the Director of Children’s Services for Thurrock.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

cc. Appropriate authority - Chair of the Governing Body/Interim Executive Board cc. Local authority cc. CausingConcern.SCHOOLS@education.gsi.gov.uk

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