Setting

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

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Caroline Rodgers Brockley Primary School Clowne Road Shuttlewood Chesterfield Derbyshire S44 6AF

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School

Following my visit to your school on 6 November 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.

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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 2017. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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School

At its section 5 inspection before the one that took place in January 2015, the school was also judged to require improvement.

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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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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. The school improvement plan was evaluated, and a number of documents relating to the school’s performance, the safeguarding of pupils and pupils’ progress tracking information were reviewed. Together with the headteacher, I visited all classrooms and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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Context

Since the last inspection, there has been one change in teaching staff as a result of a teacher leaving the school.

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Main findings

The headteacher and governing body have acted quickly to ensure that external reviews of governance and the use of the pupil premium have been undertaken. Governors are now better equipped to challenge the headteacher about the performance of the school and about how she is addressing any underperformance. At the heart of their challenge is an unrelenting drive to raise the aspirations and outcomes of every pupil, regardless of ability or background. There are initial signs that these reviews are having a positive effect. For example, in 2017, all of the disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 achieved at least the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Main findings

The headteacher knows her school well. She has not shied away from tackling any staff underperformance. The headteacher and governing body use the management of teachers’ performance to set challenging targets for pupils’ progress and attainment. Senior leaders review pupils’ progress half termly, to ensure that teachers are quick to take action to support any pupil who is falling behind. Leaders and governors use this information to assess the impact of any additional support that pupils are receiving. The school’s current assessment information about pupils’ performance suggests that this approach is contributing to improved outcomes in most classes.

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Main findings

Work in pupils’ books shows that they cover a wide range of subjects on a regular basis. In the majority of classes, pupils use the skills they have learned in English and mathematics to good effect in other subjects, such as science and religious education. This is particularly true of spelling and grammar. Increasingly, pupils are expected to explain what they have done and why. In mathematics, pupils now have many opportunities to use and apply their developing number skills. They apply their knowledge and show reasoning in a variety of subjects, and this is helping pupils to develop and secure their understanding.

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Main findings

There has been some improvement in pupils’ attendance since the inspection. There is a range of initiatives to promote and sustain good attendance, including rewards and the threat of legal action for families in which attendance is consistently poor. Leaders have used the additional funds provided through the pupil premium to encourage and improve the attendance of disadvantaged pupils. Their improved attendance has contributed to the improved social and academic outcomes for this group.

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Main findings

Teachers are not setting work that is consistently well matched to pupils’ abilities. The school’s policy on marking and feedback to pupils is not consistently applied by all teachers. Teachers’ feedback to pupils does not identify and support the next steps in pupils’ learning as well as it should. Even so, there is evidence in books of increased levels of challenge for pupils, for example the most able. In some classes, there is also evidence of teachers and teaching assistants addressing pupils’ misconceptions quickly.

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External support

The headteacher, governors and teachers speak highly of the range of opportunities made available through the local authority, its teaching school alliance and the local cluster of schools. Leaders seek out training courses and visits to other schools to view good practice, which reflect the career point or development needs of each teacher. A number of teachers told me of how these opportunities had informed and improved their classroom practice and resulted in improved outcomes for pupils.

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

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