Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Jo Machon Thanet Primary School Tedworth Road Hull HU9 4AY

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School

Following my visit to your school on 14 December 2016, 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 first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in January 2016. 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 last section 5 inspection in order to become a good school.

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School

The school should take further action to ensure:

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School

 pupils of all abilities continue to make rapid progress, particularly the most able and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities  governors have all of the information they need so they are able to more carefully track the progress of the school in meeting the areas for improvement recommended at the last Ofsted inspection.

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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with you and the deputy headteacher to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. A phone conversation was held with the chief executive of Horizon Multi-Academy Trust. I also met with all phase leaders and with the chair of governors. Together we visited all classrooms, talked with pupils and looked at work in pupils’ books.

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Context

Since the last inspection, four teachers have left the school. They have been replaced by two newly qualified teachers, a recently qualified teacher and an experienced teacher. The headteacher, who was previously a senior leader at the school, was appointed to her current role in April 2016. The deputy headteacher relinquished responsibility for a class of pupils to concentrate on supporting the headteacher in the drive to improve standards.

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Context

The school left the federation with Foredyke School in July 2016 and consequently governance was dissolved at that point. A newly formed governing body took up responsibility in September 2016.

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Context

Leaders and governors are in the early stages of joining the Horizon Multi-Academy Trust.

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Main findings

A rigorous focus on monitoring teaching is leading to rapid improvements in the quality of learning now being seen in classrooms. Staff who were unable to respond to increased expectations have since left the school. As a result of support given by Biggin Hill School, middle leaders are more confident and better equipped to carry out their roles. Alongside senior leaders, they have regularly monitored pupils’ work and made recommendations to teachers to help them improve their practice.

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Main findings

Targets for teachers have been strengthened so that teachers understand much better what it is they need to do to improve their teaching. Additionally, teachers are offered coaching and mentoring to help them reflect more frequently on the impact of their teaching. Despite the many improvements in leadership since the last inspection, leaders’ reporting to governors on the performance of pupils overall and on the progress and attainment of groups of pupils is not regular enough. Therefore governors are unable to effectively hold leaders to account on the progress they are making towards becoming a good school.

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Main findings

Although outcomes for the end of key stages 1 and 2 were disappointing in 2016, leaders are confident that better teaching is now leading to more secure learning in all classes. A higher proportion of pupils attained the Year 1 phonics screening check in 2016. The school’s data for current pupils shows that differences in the attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils and others are diminishing in reading, writing and mathematics. Some differences still exist between the attainment of girls and boys, with girls generally outperforming boys, although assessment information shows these differences are also diminishing and in some classes boys are making better progress than girls.

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Main findings

Leaders have effectively led teachers through a raft of school improvement initiatives designed to improve the progress of all pupils. Changes to the teaching of mathematics have successfully raised expectations and, in the main, pupils are rising to the challenge. In all classes, work in books shows that much better progress is now being made by boys, girls and disadvantaged pupils due to increased expectations and a close focus on the progress of individuals. More rapid progress is currently being made by pupils in key stage 2. Pupils of all ages are making secure progress and greater proportions of pupils are attaining expected levels. However, some pupils with low prior attainment are not making the rapid progress needed to ensure they reach levels expected for their age and insufficient proportions of most-able pupils are not attaining greater depth in learning.

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Main findings

Leaders have led staff through an overhaul of the curriculum in order to maximise opportunities presented by ‘Hull City of Culture’ in 2017. Links to history and geography have been exploited and teachers present pupils with thoughtful opportunities to write. Consequently, pupils’ attitudes towards their learning are much improved. Teachers have ensured pupils have considerable opportunities to practise basic skills in other subjects. For example, in a science lesson observed, pupils had recorded their experiment in detail, using reading, writing and mathematical skills well to develop their scientific enquiry.

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Main findings

Leaders have taken appropriate steps to ensure they more effectively enhance pupils’ understanding of what it means to live in modern Britain. For example, pupils now take part in regular lessons and assemblies where current affairs are explained and discussed. The school council has been developed and now contributes to all major decisions in school. It has assisted with the recruitment of teachers and teaching assistants, for example.

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Main findings

Since the inspection, leaders have reviewed the way teaching assistants now work with groups of pupils and have put into place more frequent and timely interventions to help plug gaps in pupils’ learning. Leaders have ensured teaching assistants have received the training and support they need to fulfil their new roles well.

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Main findings

Record-keeping, policies and procedures are up to date and supporting all staff in their duties to keep pupils safe. Leaders have put into place measures to support vulnerable families to improve the attendance of pupils who have been regularly absent from school. The role of the attendance officer has been developed so that she is now more actively supporting pupils to attend. As a result, attendance overall has risen and is now broadly in line with national averages. Persistent absence of a few pupils remains a concern, although there has been a reduction in the proportion of pupils absent for more than 10% of school sessions.

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External support

Leaders have actively sought support and guidance from several sources. Regular challenge provided by Hull local authority has ensured that leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the performance of the school. Local authority officers have effectively supported improvements in literacy and in Early Years. The headteacher commissioned the support of a specialist leader in education in mathematics to help teachers successfully develop more secure teaching in this subject. Leaders from Biggin Hill School have effectively supported the professional development of middle and senior leaders so they are much more effective in their roles. Senior leaders have benefited from the advice of other more experienced leaders in the newly formed Horizon Multi-Academy Trust. They have been assisted in drawing up plans precisely focused on improving the school in line with recommendations from the Ofsted inspection. The impact of external support has

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External support

been to ensure the right actions are being taken to improve the quality of education that pupils receive.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for city of Kingston upon Hull. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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