Setting

Miss Lisa Sumpter Acting Headteacher Robert Bruce Middle School Bedford Road Kempston Bedfordshire MK42 8PU

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School

Following my visit to your school on 22 September 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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School

The visit was the second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in March 2015. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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School

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection in order to become a good school.

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Evidence

During the inspection, I held meetings with you, the acting deputy headteacher and 10 pupils from Years 6 and 8. In addition, I spoke with four members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. I evaluated the school improvement plan. I scrutinised information on pupils’ achievement and documents relating to health and safety. I also reviewed the school’s records of recruitment checks on staff.

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Context

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk The substantive headteacher has not been in school since 12 June 2015. The previous acting headteacher completed his secondment to the school on 17 July 2015. You commenced as acting headteacher on 18 July 2015 and the associate deputy headteacher has now become the acting deputy headteacher. The senior assistant headteacher and the manager of the Inclusion Centre resigned at the end of the summer term. You have appointed a new subject leader for mathematics. You have completed the re-organisation of the staffing structure. Results from the 2015 national tests have been annulled by the Standards and Testing Agency, following an allegation of malpractice. One of the two joint Chairs of the Governing Body has now become the Chair and the other is now the Vice-Chair. The school plans to become a

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Main findings

Since your recent arrival at the school, you have started to deal with the vast majority of the concerns raised in my previous report. You have swiftly addressed the weaker aspects of the school’s safeguarding procedures. The school’s record of recruitment checks on staff now fully meets requirements and is well maintained. Matters identified pertaining to health and safety have been systematically tackled and pupils continue to tell me that they feel safe when in the school. You are clearly trying to establish a culture where pupils come first and where mediocre teaching is not acceptable. This culture is reflected in your school improvement planning and in my discussions with a range of pupils in the school.

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Main findings

The previous school improvement plan, which was not fit for purpose, has been suitably amended to include all the priorities identified in the last section 5 inspection and during my previous monitoring inspection. It is clear who is leading the initiatives, and the improvement plan is now linked to your schedule for monitoring, evaluating and reviewing the work of the school. There is also a clearer monitoring role for members of the governing body. The improvement plan identifies how you plan to measure the success of your actions, although some of your targets are too vague at present and need to be sharper and more precise so that they are easily measurable.

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Main findings

Following the annulment of the 2015 national tests, you are currently reliant on teachers’ checks on pupils’ progress. The accuracy of these checks is more variable in mathematics than in English. However, you have wisely planned for all pupils affected to take tests in October 2015 that will be marked externally. This will enable you to set more accurate targets for these pupils. You are actively attempting to involve all staff in using information on pupils’ achievement more appropriately and accurately. Appropriate use of this information had previously been restricted to very few members of staff. You rightly plan to support more staff in making use of this information to inform teachers’ planning, to set work that is suitably challenging and to hold teachers to account. Your new achievement information sheets aim to tackle this historical flaw. Also, by designating heads of year as leaders of learning, you

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Main findings

have made a clear statement that you expect these colleagues to play a key part in raising academic standards as well as ensuring that pupils thrive as well-rounded individuals.

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Main findings

Achievement information made available at the time of this inspection shows that the most-able pupils achieve above expectations. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, disadvantaged pupils and low-attaining pupils who need to catch up do not achieve as well as they should. This is linked to the variable quality of the teaching that pupils experience. Your school improvement plan rightly identifies the need to personalise support for weaker teachers by making use of expertise in a local teaching school and through the support and challenge of the proposed sponsor. This support is due to start imminently.

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Main findings

The governing body has made a conscious decision to consider how it might become more effective and is doing so by:

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Main findings

 removing its sub-committees and increasing the number of full governing body meetings  identifying skilled lead governors to monitor the key priority areas identified in the school improvement plan.

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Main findings

The external review of governance and the school’s use of pupil premium funding recommended at the section 5 inspection have been discussed but have not yet taken place. This must now be a priority for the governing body, as only then can governors maximise their impact in driving school improvement and ensure that the pupil premium funding is spent to best effect.

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Main findings

Ofsted may carry out further monitoring inspections and, where necessary, provide further support and challenge to the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

The local authority responded quickly to the matters raised during the previous monitoring inspection in July 2015. Its human resources department provided helpful advice during the staffing restructure process and also supported the school to start the process of rectifying the record of recruitment checks of staff. The local authority’s school improvement service brokered the support of the current acting headteacher and provided initial support for writing the post-Ofsted action plan during the summer holiday. The school improvement partner also attended the latest meeting of the governing body and took away points for further action.

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External support

The school has also brokered the support of a local teaching school to tackle weak teaching and to strengthen middle leadership, particularly with regard to using and developing information on pupils’ achievement. I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services for Bedford Borough.

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