Jennett's Park CofE Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mrs Jo Evans Jennett’s Park CofE Primary School 3 Tawny Owl Square Bracknell Berkshire RG12 8EB

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School

Following my visit with Elizabeth Griffiths, Ofsted Inspector, to your school on 8–9 June 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken since the school's previous monitoring inspection.

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School

The inspection was the third monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection that took place in December 2014. The full list of the areas for improvement that were identified during that inspection is set out in the annex to this letter. The monitoring inspection report is attached.

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School

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time:

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School

Leaders and managers are taking effective action towards the removal of special measures. However, during this inspection, weaknesses were found in the safeguarding processes. These need to be rectified immediately.

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School

The school may appoint newly qualified teachers before the next monitoring inspection. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Oxford, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Bracknell Forest. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection that took

 Improve the quality of teaching by: – ensuring teachers always have the highest expectations of what pupils can achieve – improving the quality of feedback and marking so that pupils know how to improve their work – ensuring that work is planned for those who are more able and that pupils are always fully challenged in lessons.  Rapidly improve the achievement of Key Stage 2 pupils in writing and mathematics by: – providing more opportunities for pupils to apply and use their writing and mathematical skills across the curriculum – ensuring that disadvantaged pupils make more rapid progress so that any gaps in their attainment and the attainment of their peers close rapidly.  Develop leaders’ capacity to secure improvements by ensuring that:  the school’s evaluation of its performance is accurate  leaders and staff check pupil progress rigorously and immediately act to address any pupil underperformance identified

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection that took

 subject leaders constantly check the progress of pupils in the subjects for which they have responsibility.  Develop the role and skills of members of the governing body to ensure that:  they hold the school to account for the progress of pupils in the school  they know about the quality of teaching and hence are able to ensure that targets set for teachers are challenging  expenditure of additional funds, such as for the pupil premium, is effective.  Ensure that pupils’ attitudes towards their learning are consistently good by making sure all teachers engage and challenge pupils effectively during lessons. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Evidence

Inspectors met with the headteacher, the three assistant headteachers, two governors and representatives from the local authority and the diocese. The lead inspector also had a telephone conversation with the chair of the governing body. Inspectors observed teaching, spoke to pupils, parents and staff, scrutinised pupils’ work in books and listened to readers. They evaluated documentation related to leadership and management, and reviewed the school’s safeguarding policies, training procedures and information-sharing systems.

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Context

Since the monitoring inspection in November 2015, the school has appointed a deputy headteacher who is set to join in September. In the meantime, an interim deputy headteacher, who joined in December, is providing leadership support. Three new teachers have also joined at different times, replacing teachers who have left.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Leadership is improving. The headteacher has continued to tackle the identified weaknesses and her actions, and those of other senior leaders, are bringing about improvements in teaching, achievement and leadership. Weaker leaders are receiving useful support from the school and local authority, which is helping to bring about improvements in specific subjects and classes.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The leadership of mathematics is effective. The leader works with specific individuals to increase their skills and subject knowledge, so they can meet pupils’ needs more fully. The mathematics leader has a clear and accurate picture of where teaching is stronger and weaker, and provides appropriate support where required. As a result, most pupils who have fallen behind are making more progress than expected and catching up to where they should be.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Leadership of the teaching of writing is beginning to bring about improvements but outcomes are still some way behind where they should be. Specific work with individual teachers has brought improvements, but this is not happening in all the classes where it is required. Senior leaders have taken some useful action to ensure that teachers’ assessments are accurate. However, there are still some year groups where inconsistencies remain. At the last visit it was recognised that the headteacher was in the process of introducing measurable performance targets for staff. However, some targets are still not as specific as they need to be to hold teachers fully to account because they do not link closely enough to pupils’ attainment and progress.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The required review of governance, carried out by the diocese, has provided useful guidance as to what needs to improve. The governing body are now much clearer about pupils’ progress and attainment, and the questions governors are asking are relevant and provide some useful challenge to the headteacher. However, they do not yet consistently request evidence to support information they are given.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The leadership and management of safeguarding processes for training and information sharing are not sufficiently rigorous. People with responsibility for safeguarding are not clear enough about statutory requirements for training and record keeping. Many staff have not read essential documentation and their training is out of date. The headteacher, who is the designated safeguarding lead, must take immediate action to ensure that these weaknesses are tackled, so pupils are safe. This will be checked by Her Majesty’s Inspector within two weeks of the date of this letter.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Improvements in the teaching of mathematics are much more embedded and, as a result, almost all classes and many groups of pupils are doing well. Writing is being taught more systematically than it was, and there is now a more cohesive approach, but pupils are not catching up as quickly as they need to. This is as a result of the ongoing weaknesses in teaching and the limited opportunities pupils have to use their writing skills in other subjects.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

The quality of teaching overall is much better than it was. Many teachers now meet the majority of pupils’ needs well, but still do not cater well enough for the most and least able. A few teachers do take account of what the most and least able can do, and plan activities at exactly the right level to help them to make good progress. However, most teachers are not yet skilled enough at meeting the needs of pupils with differing abilities.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are higher than they were at the previous visit. They expect pupils to complete much more work in English and mathematics than was previously the case. However, staff still do not expect enough of pupils in other subjects, such as science and history. Recent changes to the teaching of physical education are helping to improve outcomes, but the curriculum does not enable pupils to learn as much as they could in all subjects.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Teachers provide useful feedback, which is in line with the school’s policy. This has been an area of focus for the school and is now consistent in all classes, even where teachers have recently joined the school.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Pupils’ behaviour in and around the school and their behaviour for learning have improved further. Pupils demonstrate enthusiasm to learn and they are keen to attempt the green star challenges. They recognise the improvements in school, and say the school is much better than it was.

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Outcomes for pupils

Outcomes are improving and many pupils are now making accelerated progress to catch up to the expected standard. The proportion of pupils who are working at the higher levels is larger than it was and is now close to other schools nationally. However, some pupils higher up the school, who have experienced ineffective teaching over a longer period of time, are still not at the expected standard for their age.

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Outcomes for pupils

Progress in mathematics is stronger than in reading and writing. In these subjects, many pupils are now making expected progress and some are catching up to where they need to be.

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Outcomes for pupils

Some disadvantaged pupils are catching up to other pupils in the school but this is not consistently the case. Teachers and leaders have focused too much on all pupils making more than expected progress, but they have not focused sharply on identifying exactly what disadvantaged pupils need to learn to get to the same level as their peers.

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Outcomes for pupils

Pupils who have special educational needs or disability are making more progress than they were, as a result of carefully planned support. Leaders check regularly whether the support is helping pupils to make progress and it is quickly stopped if it is not having the desired impact. Many of these pupils are now making expected progress.

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External support

The effective support provided by the local authority and diocese has continued to help the school to improve. The clearly defined roles have ensured that there is no duplication of roles and they communicate well to ensure that this continues to be the case. The close working with Crowthorne Church of England School has continued to benefit leaders and teachers.

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External support

 The headteacher and governors must take urgent action to tackle the weaknesses identified in safeguarding.

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