Setting

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

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Mr Andrew Berry and Mrs Louise Clark Interim Headteachers Ixworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Crown Lane Ixworth Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP31 2EL

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Controlled Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 3 October 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

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Controlled Primary School

This inspection was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for inspecting schools with no formal designation. The inspection was carried out because Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector wished to determine the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements at the school.

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Evidence

I carried out a detailed scrutiny of the single central record and other documents relating to safeguarding and child protection arrangements. Additionally, I checked the school’s policies related to safeguarding. I also looked carefully at how leaders ensure that the school’s safeguarding systems are effective, as this was a vital area for improvement identified in the previous inspection. I met with you both, three assistant designated safeguarding leads, the interim chair of the governing body, the office manager, two representatives of the local authority and most of the staff team. I also talked to pupils in a meeting and parents at the beginning of the school day.

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Evidence

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

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Context

Ixworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is a smaller-than- average primary school with 207 pupils on roll. The majority of pupils are of White British background. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is lower than average. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is similar to the national average.

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Context

In February 2017, the school’s overall effectiveness was judged to be inadequate and the school was placed into special measures. One reason for this was ineffective leadership of safeguarding practices. Consequently, this inspection focused on the rigour and effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements and the impact of leaders’ work to ensure that all staff understand their role in keeping children and pupils safe.

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Context

Since the previous inspection there have been significant changes in leadership at the school and this has resulted in unsettled times at Ixworth. During the summer term in 2017, an interim headteacher was in place to cover leadership absence. Since September 2017, you have both become part-time interim headteachers, with one of you also being the principal of the Tilian Partnership multi-academy trust. It is expected that you will both remain in these roles until the school imminently converts to an academy.

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Context

The school is due to convert to academy status with the Tilian Partnership multi- academy trust in November 2017.

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Inspection findings

Since your appointments to the school, you have both worked hard to ensure that arrangements for safeguarding are more rigorous, meet statutory requirements, are fit for purpose, and that the safety and welfare of pupils are of paramount importance.

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Inspection findings

At the time of this inspection, the single central record of pre-recruitment checks on staff met statutory requirements. You both oversee and ensure that appropriate checks are made on all adults who work with children and pupils at the school and that detailed records are kept of all staff appointments. You both also make sure that prior to starting work at the school, a thorough induction process informs new staff well so they are fully aware of their responsibility in, and the school’s systems, processes and expectations for, safeguarding pupils.

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Inspection findings

There are currently four designated child protection staff leaders, including yourselves, and this is due to increase to five people in the coming weeks. There is now clear evidence to indicate that child protection issues are responded to in a timely way, and accurate, detailed records are kept to record incidents and concerns. These are now kept securely, with a good regard to confidentiality. Statutory policies are up to date and published on the school’s website. Information is also displayed around the school to highlight safeguarding issues and inform all staff and visitors of what to do if they have a concern and who to go to.

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Inspection findings

Although all members of staff are appropriately trained, your recent safeguarding external review and my own inspection evidence indicate that staff are not consistently demonstrating that they are aware of their accountability and their safeguarding responsibilities. While more recently referrals are completed appropriately and the systems are much more rigorous than they were, you both are very much aware that the safeguarding culture and ethos within the school is not yet as developed and embedded as it should be. This is an aspect you are focusing on and you have made some inroads to improve this quickly in a very short time.

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Inspection findings

Since you started at the school you have increased the security of the school site to tighten up health and safety procedures. For example, you have worked hard to ensure that all pupils are visible and well supervised in all classrooms, which was a significant issue upon your arrival at the school. You have also carefully considered the needs of the children and pupils in planning for their care and welfare. For example, the creation of the ‘pupil well-being’ leader’s role is providing effective, over-arching whole-school support for children, pupils and families.

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Inspection findings

The governing body, under the guidance of a local authority appointed interim chair, who joined in July 2017, is now starting to undertake its responsibilities with regard to safeguarding with more rigour and an increasingly better knowledge and understanding. This is ensuring that governors are able to hold leaders to account and know when the systems in place are effective.

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Inspection findings

Pupils spoken to during this inspection were able to explain how staff keep them safe. They are confident about sharing any worries they have with all adults in school and firmly believe their concerns will be sorted out quickly. Additionally, pupils spoke knowledgeably about practical safety and security aspects such as fire drills and also pointed out to the inspector the improvements undertaken such as the fencing around the boundary of the school. Pupils demonstrated a good understanding of how and why these actions are required.

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Inspection findings

There has been increased openness and transparency in the communication that parents receive. You both ensure that you are visible when children and pupils enter and leave the school premises. This provides parents with the opportunity to talk to you if they have any concerns or worries. Parents spoken to during the inspection confirmed that new leaders are approachable and they believe that safeguarding of their children has improved since the previous inspection. Parents’ view is that their children are safe and well cared for at Ixworth. While there are aspects identified in this inspection that still require more focused attention, as newly appointed leaders you are both very aware of what needs to be done and are working determinedly and swiftly to take immediate action. You understand the importance of safeguarding. Ensuring this is effective has been your absolute priority. You are realistic about the amount of work still to do in order to

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Inspection findings

ensure that all staff understand their role in safeguarding children and pupils. However, you are both resolute about non-negotiables and heightened expectations for all staff and are determined to secure improvements rapidly.

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External support

Since the previous inspection, the local authority has been working with the school on a regular fortnightly basis. Some of the local authority’s input has, and is, serving the school well; for example, appointing the interim chair of governors who is making a significant impact upon school improvement. However, other aspects have not been as successful with regard to ensuring that safeguarding is effective.

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External support

A local authority review of safeguarding effectiveness was carried out following the previous inspection. However, the monitoring of the school’s work to make sure that safeguarding and child protection systems and processes were watertight and securely in place has not been rigorously enough checked. This led to, until very recently, continued gaps in the recording and reporting of safeguarding. This slowed the school’s effectiveness in establishing safeguarding systems as effectively and quickly as they should have done following the previous inspection.

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External support

In September 2017, local authority strategic support increased, with the addition of a lead standards and excellence officer, (SEO), who oversees schools within the locality. This role is in addition to the current SEO who has been in place since February 2017.

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Priorities for further improvement

 Leaders should embed further a stronger culture and ethos of safeguarding, ensuring that all staff fully understand their role, responsibility and accountability in child protection.  Leaders should continue their work to review, establish and implement a secure, formal, foolproof infrastructure of safeguarding and child protection systems that are used effectively by all staff.  Governors’ systems and procedures for monitoring and evaluating the new safeguarding systems should continue to be thorough and hold all staff appropriately to account for keeping children and pupils safe.

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Priorities for further improvement

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Suffolk. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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