Queen Margaret Primary School

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

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Sara Bennion Headteacher Queen Margaret Primary School York Road Tewkesbury Gloucestershire GL20 5HU

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School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection of your school that took place on Wednesday 26 April 2023, on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and took place because the school has received two successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous graded (section 5) inspections.

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School

During the inspection, I discussed with you, other senior leaders, staff, governors and the local authority the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also visited phonics lessons, listened to pupils in Year 1 and 2 read to an adult, met with subject leaders for history, geography, art and science, met with pupils to look at and discuss their work, met with safeguarding leaders and looked at documents related to school improvement. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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have made progress to improve the school, but more work is necessary for

The school should take further action to:

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have made progress to improve the school, but more work is necessary for

 Develop subject leadership further so that it accurately evaluates the implementation of the intended curriculum. This is to ensure that all pupils know and remember the essential knowledge identified in the curriculum.

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Main findings

You, along with your staff, have focused on addressing the weaknesses found at the last inspection. Your priority has been on curriculum design. You have now identified the essential knowledge you want pupils to learn. You have ensured there is progression in key concepts. Throughout the curriculum design, subject leadership has been mindful of building pupils’ cultural capital. As a result, leaders have identified purposeful enrichment activities. You have included content that broadens pupils’ understanding of life in modern Britain.

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Main findings

Your work on the curriculum means that pupils learn well-sequenced content. Teachers use the sequences to identify gaps in knowledge and deliver learning that builds on what pupils already know. As this is still relatively new, some pupils are not always able to recall their learning confidently. This is because, in some subjects, the curriculum is not yet being taught as you intend.

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Main findings

You have achieved consistency in the phonics curriculum. As a result, most pupils learn well. Support for those pupils who need to catch up and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. Most teaching has high expectations of pupils. Teachers check on pupils’ learning continuously, which means misconceptions are addressed quickly. This increases pupils’ accuracy.

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Main findings

Governors support and hold you to account well. They share your depth of understanding of the context of your school. Governors have worked hard to secure short- and long-term external support that is well matched to the needs of your pupils. Governors check on the information you give them to assure themselves of the effectiveness of your actions.

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Main findings

Work with a school improvement partner, the local authority and a multi-academy trust has had a positive impact. You, and your staff, have welcomed the support and advice. Subject leadership has developed in understanding and confidence. The monitoring and evaluation of the impact of the curriculum, however, is not fully developed. Subject leaders value working with the external support and are excited to develop their subjects further.

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Main findings

I am copying this letter to the co-chairs of the governing body, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Gloucestershire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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