Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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James Vernon Headteacher Quainton Church of England School Lower Street Quainton Aylesbury Buckinghamshire HP22 4BJ

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England School

Following my visit to your school on 13 July 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the monitoring 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 to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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England School

The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and has taken place because the school has received two successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous section 5 inspections.

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England School

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. I discussed the impact of the pandemic with you and have taken that into account in my evaluation.

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England School

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

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

in order for the school to become a good school.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

The school should take further action to:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 closely monitor the implementation of the curriculum so leaders know how well pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are learning in all subjects, starting from Reception  ensure that plans to improve the school have clear actions and time frames for completion.

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Context

Since the last full inspection in November 2019, several staff have left the school, including the deputy headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). Five teaching staff started in their posts in September 2020, including the assistant headteacher and the SENCo.

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Main findings

Your plans to improve the school have been disrupted by staff turnover and your focus on remote education when schools were partially closed. Despite this, some developments have continued. The pace of change has recently increased. Staff and governors are united in their determination to maintain this rate of improvement as it is starting to have a positive impact on pupils’ learning.

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Main findings

Subject leaders have developed plans that map out what pupils will learn across the school. In some subjects, plans do not build well enough on what pupils learn in Reception. Leaders are still refining the content as not all plans precisely identify the knowledge and skills they intend pupils to learn. In some subjects, teachers in Years 5 and 6 have recently trialled the use of commercial schemes that identify more accurately what pupils will learn. In history, for example, this is helping pupils to know and be able to do more. In mathematics, plans that are being trialled are strengthening pupils’ knowledge and skills to apply to solving problems. These plans will be used in all year groups from September.

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Main findings

Since the previous full inspection, you have prioritised English and mathematics training for staff. Some subject leaders have been supported in beginning to monitor how well staff are teaching the content of lessons. They have started looking at planning, pupils’ work and talking to children. This helped subject leaders to amend the curriculum content when the school was partially closed. They have not yet focused enough on how well pupils, including those with SEND, are learning in all subjects.

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Main findings

The teaching of reading has recently been strengthened. This term, you have ensured that all staff have been trained to teach early reading. They use this knowledge to teach phonics daily and when listening to pupils read. Pupils who have fallen behind are well supported with extra sessions to help them catch up. You have invested in new books so that when pupils read, they practise the sounds they have been learning.

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Main findings

The provision for pupils with SEND has moved forward. The new SENCo has ensured that staff have received high-quality training. Pupils now have individual support plans with targets that are regularly reviewed. These pupils are well supported in English and mathematics lessons through adult support and resources. You recognise that the support in other subjects is not yet as strong. You have made sure that plans to develop the school are focused on the right priorities. The actions are not always precise enough. It is not always clear what the important steps or time frames to bring about the desired change are.

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Main findings

Governors are much better informed and use information to challenge leaders knowledgeably. They receive detailed information from leaders about safeguarding, pupils’ learning in English and mathematics and the impact of funding. Governors use visits to the school purposefully to assure themselves that what leaders are telling them is accurate.

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Additional support

Following the last full inspection, you made use of English and mathematics support from the local authority. You also made use of support from the local authority during the period when there was no SENCO in post.

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Additional support

You and your team are using support from a local mathematics hub to help develop the mathematics curriculum.

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Evidence

During the inspection, I met with you and the assistant headteacher, staff, representatives of those responsible for governance and a representative of the local authority to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection.

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Evidence

I visited lessons in every year group, listened to pupils read, talked to pupils in lessons, examined the school’s improvement plan and internal and external monitoring reports and looked at curriculum plans and pupils’ work. I looked at 76 responses, including 49 free-text comments, to Ofsted’s questionnaire, Parent View. I also looked at 20 staff survey responses.

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Evidence

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

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