Central Church of England Junior School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mrs Gillian Leadbetter-Simms Interim Headteacher Central Church of England Junior School Orchard Street Chichester West Sussex PO19 1DQ

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Junior School

Following my visit with Gerida Montague-Munson, Ofsted Inspector, to your school on 15 and 16 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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Junior School

The inspection was the fourth monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection that took place in February 2015. 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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Junior School

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

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Leaders and managers are not taking effective action towards the

The school may not 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 Chichester, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for West Sussex. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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place in February 2015

 Make sure teaching is good and provides pupils with opportunities to learn more quickly, by ensuring:  teachers check on pupils’ understanding as it develops and adapt their explanations and pupils’ tasks appropriately  teachers’ planning focuses clearly on the skills that pupils need to learn  pupils benefit from regular opportunities to read and enjoy a wide range of interesting books  all teachers understand how best to promote the learning of the most able pupils and those with special educational needs.  Increase the rate and consistency of the progress pupils make across the school, particularly in mathematics and writing, by:  improving teachers’ understanding of what skills and knowledge pupils should be confident with at each stage of their learning  making sure teachers expect more of pupils of all abilities  ensuring teachers give pupils more precise feedback about what pupils need

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place in February 2015

to do to improve, and ensure pupils make these improvements quickly  supporting disadvantaged pupils more effectively, including in lessons, so that their progress accelerates.  Improve pupils’ attitudes towards their learning by:  involving pupils in setting appropriate targets and checking their progress towards them  making sure pupils develop their determination to tackle challenging tasks, without giving up too quickly  ensuring pupils understand how they can resolve minor issues and conflicts themselves before they escalate.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management across the school, by:  involving leaders at all levels in checking the quality of teaching and give teachers more helpful feedback about what needs to improve  making sure that middle leaders have the skills and confidence to check that teachers are making the changes that need to happen, and that improvements are sustained over time

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place in February 2015

 ensuring that policies are kept up to date and reflect current requirements  Increase the effectiveness of governors in holding the school to account for bringing about improvements, by:  following up issues that are identified more rigorously  establishing more robust systems for keeping a close check that policies and procedures are up to date and reflect recent changes in legislation or best practice  setting higher expectations for the quality of leadership in the school and the impact leaders have on improving the quality of teaching. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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place in February 2015

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

During this monitoring inspection, 18 lessons were observed, three jointly with leaders. Inspectors met with senior leaders, other leaders, staff and three members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body. Inspectors spoke to parents and a group of pupils from across the school. A recent survey of parents was also considered. An inspector listened to pupils in Year 3 and Year 5 read and scrutinised a sample of reading records. Pupils were observed during breaktime, lunchtime and an assembly. Pupils’ mathematics, writing and wider curriculum books chosen by inspectors were sampled during lessons. In addition, a further sample of books, provided by staff, was reviewed. Inspectors evaluated a range of information, including leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching and learning, attendance information, intervention programmes and current performance information. Governing body meeting minutes and records of their visits were also

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Evidence

considered. External evaluations of the work of the school were reviewed. Documentation relating to how the school keeps pupils safe was also checked.

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Context

Since the last inspection, one new teacher has joined the school in Year 5. A new parent governor has been appointed. Parents have had the opportunity to meet with Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust representatives to discuss the school’s planned conversion to academy status on 1 November 2016.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Leaders’ actions to improve teaching, learning and assessment and outcomes for pupils have not been effective this term. The momentum that had gathered at the last monitoring visit for improvement has faltered. The roles and responsibilities for improvements to teaching and learning among members of the senior leadership team are unclear. Leaders do not evaluate whether their actions are making sufficient difference. Consequently, the quality of teaching between classes remains variable. Additionally, governing body meeting minutes report that leaders expect results this year to be disappointing.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Leaders with responsibility for mathematics and reading make checks to ensure that teachers follow agreed policies and procedures. They plan actions effectively to tackle identified issues and take responsibility for leading on these. For example, leaders have taken successful actions to improve pupils’ love of reading, choice of text and use of the library. However, their actions are not followed up in a timely way to sustain momentum. These leaders report that they have less time allocated to their roles than in the past and are unsure whether their projects will continue after the summer term. Governors continue to follow a planned schedule of monitoring visits linked to specific areas of improvement. Most recently, governors considered the impact of the reading action plan by discussing leaders’ actions with them, talking to pupils and looking at samples of information about reading shared with parents. Governors

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

ask pertinent and challenging questions linked to the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress. They asked, for example, how recent training events had supported improvements to the quality of teaching.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Parents’ views are becoming more positive overall. A recent survey carried out by leaders, capturing 137 responses, was encouraging. Parents welcome changes to the topics pupils study and say that these are inspiring pupils’ interest and enthusiasm. Many say that communication is improving and that they are able to find out more quickly what is happening at the school through regular newsletters and parent workshops. A number of parents told inspectors that leaders addressed concerns they raised about their child promptly and effectively. These positive views are tempered by a smaller number of parents who do not share the same view. They continue to feel that leaders do not respond promptly to concerns they raise about pupils’ behaviour and the quality and timeliness of information they receive. The 39 responses to Ofsted’s online survey reflect these viewpoints.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Leaders are reporting to and working with the governing body, the local authority, the diocese and the academy trust during this period of transition towards academy status. At this point, the parties engaged in the improvement of the school do not share a consensus view about the quality and impact of leadership on teaching, learning and assessment and pupils’ outcomes.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Teachers’ response to pupils’ needs was variable during this monitoring visit. In some samples of pupils’ work, it was clear that teachers’ high expectations and a precise focus on the key barriers to learning resulted in speedy progress for pupils. In these samples, the quality of presentation and accuracy of pupils’ writing in English and in the wider curriculum were striking. Pupils were clear about the expectations set by the teacher, responding positively, working hard and finishing their work to a high standard. In these classes, pupils achieve well.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

On a number of occasions, however, teachers’ limited subject knowledge capped the extension of the most able pupils, most notably in mathematics. Pupils with lower starting points struggled to access some of the activities on their own and it took too long for their teacher to address this. Consequently, these groups of pupils lost interest in their learning, and became idle and engaged in chatter among themselves. The use of additional adults across classes did not lend confidence that this resource is well deployed or focused on supporting pupils’ learning effectively. Additionally, agreed strategies for managing pupils’ behaviour were not consistently applied by all staff. This led to variation in the use of rewards and sanctions across classes. Pupils in these classes are making much slower progress. Teachers talk positively about the activities leaders plan for them to discuss their practice. They meet regularly with leaders to discuss the progress pupils are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

making. They work together to look at samples of pupils’ work from different classes. This term, teachers have also had the opportunity to visit other schools. This recent training did not promote a sharp enough focus on the ways that successful teaching promotes rapid progress. This limited the impact of this opportunity and meant that teachers’ skills have not been enhanced further.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Leaders are strengthening pupils’ behaviour during breaktimes through the use of ‘friendship leaders’. Pupils have received training to help them work together to resolve any minor disputes. This initiative made effective use of pupils’ views, gathered through the school council, to identify the key barriers that prevented pupils from having a successful playtime. Pupils themselves wrote the job descriptions for these positions. Observations during breaktime showed pupils using equipment sensibly and safely, following routines and considering others well during their games. Pupils who spoke to inspectors knew how the new friendship leaders could help them if needed.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Lunchtime routines and supervision are less effective. Although a sufficient number of adults were in evidence, there were times when they did not focus sufficiently well on supervising pupils. On occasions, pupils’ behaviour deteriorated because intervention was not prompt enough. Some equipment was used inappropriately during this time and there were more limited opportunities for pupils to engage in purposeful play activities. Where parents expressed concerns about pupils’ behaviour, lunchtime was a common factor.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Behaviour records show a consistent approach to recording incidents that occur and follow-up actions, including contact with parents. Pupils can explain the ‘learning ladder’ system implemented last term and wear their ‘I’ve reached outstanding’ stickers with a great deal of pride. Pupils say that these stickers are earned for working hard, following instructions and being kind to others. In too many lessons, however, pupils’ learning time is disrupted by pupils who are not working as hard as they could or maintaining their focus. Often, this is due to tasks being too easy or too hard.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Leaders continue to work effectively with a small number of families whose children miss school regularly. There is strong evidence that this work is keeping these children safe. However, the improvement in their attendance is very small and their overall attendance continues to be below national averages.

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Outcomes for pupils

Since the last monitoring visit, systems to evaluate crucial aspects of leaders’ work, such as the impact of additional funding, are still emerging. Although the number of disadvantaged pupils predicted to meet the standard expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics is increasing, rates of progress for these pupils are not accelerating. Observations during this monitoring visit show that additional adults are not playing an effective role in supporting pupils’ progress. Given that additional funding is directed towards this resource, this is a cause for concern. An up-to-date evaluation of the impact of additional funding has not been published by governors on the school’s website.

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Outcomes for pupils

Performance information collected across each half term shows that the number of pupils projected to meet age-related expectations in reading, writing and mathematics is rising. However, the rate at which pupils are moving towards these expectations is too slow. This is particularly the case in Year 6, despite additional support being targeted at this year group. Far fewer numbers of pupils are predicted to meet the expected standards in writing compared with reading in all year groups. The impact of leaders’ actions to improve writing is not clearly evidenced in performance information and samples of pupils’ writing seen during this visit.

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External support

The local authority and the diocese work together to share information about the school and its progress. Evaluation accurately identifies that the wider culture of leadership within the school is yet to be established. The local authority is maintaining a clear and appropriate watching brief on the school as it moves towards academy status. There are some tensions evident, however, within and between partners involved in evaluating the work of leaders that have not been resolved effectively. This has meant that improvement has stalled.

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