R J Mitchell Primary School

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

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Victoria Morris Executive Headteacher R J Mitchell Primary School Tangmere Crescent Hornchurch Essex RM12 5PP

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Primary School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 6 November 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 took place because the school meets the monitoring threshold as set out in the Monitoring Inspection Handbook .

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Primary School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s key and (where applicable) provision judgements, but to identify and report on the school’s progress. It is to highlight to the school, and parents and carers any improvements that school leaders have made since the school’s previous graded inspection.

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Primary School

During the inspection, I discussed with you, other senior leaders, the governing body 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 conducted lesson visits, spoke with pupils, met with staff, looked at a selection of pupils’ work and spoke with parents. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but some aspects of the

The school should take further action to:

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but some aspects of the

 Ensure that staff have the expertise they need to embed the new curriculum effectively, including the checks they use to ensure pupils have remembered the intended learning.  Fully implement recent changes to the attendance policy, working closely with parents to ensure pupils attend school regularly.

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Main findings

Since the last inspection in June 2023, you have worked quickly to implement and enhance the school’s development plan, which closely aligns with the areas for improvement that were identified in the inspection in June 2023. You have also taken on the role of acting headteacher at the school, supported by two acting deputy headteachers. This has helped to provide stability for the current and new staff employed at the school. You have appointed more permanent members of staff, and there are now fewer temporary agency staff employed at the school.

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Main findings

You have introduced a new and ambitious curriculum in mathematics and some wider curriculum subjects. You continue to provide frequent, relevant professional development for all staff. This has improved teachers’ subject knowledge and their understanding of how pupils learn. Teaching also ensures that activities in classes are relevant and useful, enabling pupils to learn the intended curriculum. This has contributed to improvements in teaching and pupils’ achievement. However, some of these changes are recent. This means that some pupils have gaps in their key knowledge. You know there is more work to do to ensure that teaching addresses the legacy of weaknesses in pupils’ achievement. Rightly, the school continues to prioritise reading, language and communication skills for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Provision for pupils with SEND in the specially resourced provision remains well organised and

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Main findings

You have worked with those responsible for governance and ensured that they take an active role in supporting and challenging the school to make necessary changes. They are in school regularly, work closely with leaders and provide appropriate support. As a result, the school’s self-evaluation is accurate, and you know what you need to do next to secure further improvements. The school also makes use of the shared curriculum expertise from its ‘sister’ school in the federation. You have also sought the views of staff, pupils and parents. You have made good use of the local authority’s expertise to help the school implement change and make improvements.

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Main findings

Recently, you have implemented a new, ambitious attendance and punctuality policy. This is necessary, as pupils’ attendance rates are not as high as they should be and some pupils remain persistently absent from school. As part of your attendance strategy, the school has clear systems to identify absence patterns. However, this policy is new and has not been fully embedded, so it is too early to see its impact.

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Main findings

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

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