Setting

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

p.1

Eileen Rogers Headteacher Gorse Ride Junior School Gorse Ride South Finchampstead Wokingham Berkshire RG40 4JJ

p.1

School

Following my visit to your school on 10 October 2017, 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.

p.1

School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in June 2016. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

p.1

School

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

p.1

School

The school should take further action to:

p.1

School

 ensure that the monitoring of teaching, learning and assessment identifies specific actions that will enable pupils to make more progress.

p.1

Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, pupils, eight members of the governing body, a representative from Wokingham local authority and a group of middle leaders. All of these meetings were held to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and I visited classrooms to consider teaching, learning and assessment.

p.1

Evidence

I examined a range of documentation, including the school’s register of checks on adults working or volunteering in the school, minutes of governing body meetings and assessments of what pupils know and can do. I reviewed leaders’ evaluation of the school’s performance and evaluated the school improvement plan.

p.2

Context

There have been a number of changes to teaching staff and leadership since the last inspection. Two teachers, the deputy headteacher and the inclusion manager have left the school. New teachers have been appointed. A new deputy headteacher took up her post in September 2016 and a new inclusion manager has been appointed to join the school in January 2018.

p.2

Main findings

Teaching, learning and assessment have improved since the last inspection. This is because you have improved the planning and assessment, both for disadvantaged pupils and for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. You have introduced a range of measures to ensure that teachers focus on the needs of these pupils and ensure that they make good progress. A good example of this is the introduction of regular meetings to discuss the progress that targeted pupils are making. These meetings ensure that teachers give sufficient attention to pupils who are struggling with aspects of their learning.

p.2

Main findings

Leaders have introduced a very effective new approach to the assessment of what pupils learn and can do. This is providing teachers with additional information so that they can ensure that lessons more closely match pupils’ needs. It is also providing leaders with a good understanding of the progress that different pupils are making. This is used well to identify next steps for the whole school, for example the introduction of a new approach to spelling that has improved this aspect of writing.

p.2

Main findings

You use a variety of approaches to evaluate the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. The improved assessment provides increasingly reliable information about the progress that pupils make. Leaders also regularly look at pupils’ work and visit classrooms. Together, these give leaders a broad picture of teaching, learning and assessment in the school. However, this information is not yet being used to identify specific next steps for teachers that will enable pupils to make even greater progress.

p.2

Main findings

Leaders are determined to further improve rates of progress for all pupils. Attendance is closely monitored and is improving. Plans for improvement are detailed and ambitious. Regular pupil progress updates enable leaders and governors to monitor the success of the plans effectively. They are also able to judge if the rate of change is fast enough. These plans are working well and have successfully guided improvements so far.

p.2

Main findings

Governors moved quickly to address the issues raised by the last inspection. They have significantly improved the way they check the progress of all pupils. As a result, governors are now fully aware of the progress that disadvantaged pupils make and closely monitor how well pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities get on. They are beginning to use this information to evaluate actions to improve the school.

p.3

External support

Since the last inspection, the local authority has provided effective support. Advisers regularly visit the school to monitor the progress that it makes. As a result, the local authority understands the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

p.3

External support

The governing body has undertaken a review of governance and improved what it does. Governors have addressed all the actions identified in the review and are continuing to further improve their work.

p.3

External support

The review of pupil premium funding has resulted in some significant changes to the way that disadvantaged pupils are supported. As a result, leaders and governors make sure that pupil premium funding is spent effectively to meet the needs of the right pupils. For example, changes to the curriculum and the introduction of learning mentors are beginning to improve outcomes for these pupils.

p.3

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 Wokingham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.3