Setting

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

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Andrew Aalders-Dunthorne Interim Executive Lead Warren School Clarkes Lane Oulton Broad Lowestoft NR33 8HT

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Warren School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 5 March 2024, 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 was the third monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded (section 5) inspection that took place in June 2022.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Warren School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s overall effectiveness, but to identify and report on the school’s progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school’s previous graded inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Warren School

During the inspection, Rebecca Quinn, Ofsted Inspector (OI) and I discussed with you, other senior leaders and the chair of the Consortium Multi-Academy Trust 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 met with the national leader of education who has been working with school leaders. We met with school staff, visited classes, and spoke to some pupils about their learning and experiences of school.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Warren School

Inspectors scrutinised school policies, curriculum documentation and information on the school’s website. We reviewed records of safeguarding, attendance and behaviour, including the use of physical restraint and pupils’ education, care and health (EHC) plans. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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

necessary for the school to be no longer judged as requiring special measures.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the last monitoring inspection, the school has received support from the Consortium Trust. The trust is now leading the governance of the school and the decisions taken to tackle the weaknesses identified at the previous full inspection. The school continues to experience staff turnover, including changes in leadership. A new substantive headteacher has been successfully appointed and will take up her post from March 2024. However, staffing turbulence has delayed some of the plans the trust has made for the school.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Despite the changes in staffing, leaders have continued to develop the quality of education. Leaders have clarified for staff exactly what pupils should know and remember. This is planned through learning pathways, designed to be a broad curriculum matched to pupils’ specific needs. The pathways set out an ambitious vision for pupils’ learning. Staff appreciate this clarity. This means that they are much clearer about what they need to teach to help pupils build their understanding step by step.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Staff continue to receive professional development to help them implement leaders’ subject plans well. This is stronger where more time has been given to training, such as English and mathematics. Teachers check pupils’ prior knowledge to ensure activities are well matched to pupils’ needs. Effective use is made of equipment, such as in mathematics, to secure understanding of key concepts. This also includes the use of different communicative techniques and devices to ensure pupils access and interact with their learning. However, teachers do not have secure knowledge across all the subjects they teach. Some subject plans are less precise about the steps of learning. Consequently, teachers do not fully understand how to adapt activities to meet the range of pupils’ needs in their class.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You have ensured that subject leaders, including those who are new to the school, receive the support they need to carry out their roles. They are making checks and providing feedback to staff to improve the delivery of the curriculum. There has not been sufficient opportunity to develop your assessment approaches. The impact of the curriculum has not been evaluated.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Reading continues to be a high priority. Your leaders have introduced high-quality texts to support the topics and themes taught in each class. The love of reading is promoted through classroom displays and daily reading of stories by staff to pupils. Pupils are successfully building their knowledge of phonics through the systematic teaching of early reading. Books are well matched to help pupils practise the sounds they know. Some staff are not as confident using their knowledge of phonics when supporting pupils’ reading.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Your leaders have successfully cleared the backlog of updating EHC plans and reviews. They have made use of external expertise to ensure that plans include an accurate assessment of pupils’ needs. Systems and processes are in place to use information from these plans to create pupil learning plans. These provide measurable targets alongside key strategies to support pupils in the class. Staff use the plans to check pupils’ progress and amend pupils’ targets.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You and your leaders continue to seek different ways to engage with parents. You have re-established parent consultation meetings. Parents are invited to attend meetings to share concerns or learn about how to support their child. Regular newsletters are provided to showcase pupils’ learning. However, some parents remain concerned about their child’s education. They do not fully understand the actions leaders are taking to improve the school. The school’s website does not contain any information about the school’s curriculum.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

There have been significant improvements to safeguarding systems. As a result, safeguarding is effective. Your leaders provide a strong oversight of all the information related to safeguarding. Staff are well trained and understand how to report their concerns, no matter how small. Records are detailed and ensure prompt action is taken to keep pupils safe.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Having worked alongside the school during transition of governance, the trust has a secure understanding of the weaknesses of the school. The trust’s systems of checks and accountability provides a comprehensive range of information. This evidence has helped to set clear priorities and timescales for the improvement of the school. The trust provides interim leadership for the school. It is mindful of the need to recruit well and provide training for staff at all levels.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

School leaders have valued the supportive network provided by experts who work for the trust. Partnerships are being forged with other schools to develop the knowledge and skills of staff. External consultants are helping to develop and strengthen the quality of education.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Suffolk. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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