Setting

Tribal Education 1-4 Portland Square Bristol BS2 8RR T 0845 123 6001 F 0845 123 6002 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 edhelpline@ofsted.gov.uk

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Mrs B Herszenhorn The Headteacher Chadsmoor C of E (C) Junior School Burns Street Cannock Staffordshire WS11 6DR

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Introduction

Following my visit with Martin James, Additional Inspector, to your school on 26 and 27 April 2006, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector to confirm the inspection findings.

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Introduction

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures in December 2005.

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Introduction

This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website. Please inform the Regional Inspection Service Provider of any factual inaccuracies within 24 hours of the receipt of this letter.

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Evidence

Inspectors observed the school’s work, scrutinised documents, and met with the headteacher, a group of teachers with specific responsibilities, the chair of governors and a representative from the local authority (LA).

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Context

There have been no significant changes in the school’s context since the inspection in December 2005.

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Achievement and standards

Ofsted’s analysis of the school’s performance data from the 2005 national test results confirms the findings of the last inspection. The pupils’ attainment on entry to the school is broadly average but their progress in English, mathematics and science has been consistently inadequate for the last three years. Boys and girls have made equally poor progress. Consequently, the standards achieved by pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 have been below what is expected of them. In 2004 standards were exceptionally low overall. Standards improved marginally in 2005 but remained below average. Standards seen in childrens’ work in mathematics and English in Year 6 remain below average.

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Achievement and standards

During lessons observed by inspectors, the pupils’ progress ranged from good to inadequate but was mostly satisfactory. Where progress was good, teachers’ expectations of children were high. They demanded a good effort from all and set more able pupils more challenging tasks to complete.

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Achievement and standards

The school, with support from the LA, has followed national guidance in implementing a system which uses the results of Key Stage 1 national tests for setting individual children’s targets. Targets are now sufficiently challenging. The school is predicting that standards will remain below average in this summer’s national tests.

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Achievement and standards

Progress on the areas for improvement identified by the inspection in December 2005: • raise expectations across the school by giving more weight to the results of Key Stage 1 national tests - satisfactory progress.

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Personal development and well-being

Children enjoy coming to school. Their attendance is good and their attitudes and behaviour are good. Children are polite and courteous and they relate well both to adults and to each other. As confirmed by the diocesan inspection recently, children’s moral and social development is now good. Children benefit from the acts of worship, where enjoyment and spirituality are clearly evident. Children feel safe in school, and they report bullying is not a problem.

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Personal development and well-being

Children are aware of the need to adopt healthy lifestyles. They know about the importance of a healthy diet and physical activity. Children make good contributions both to the school and the wider community, for example through fund raising and being members of the school council. Children are now making better progress in both English and mathematics but the standard of their work does not yet fully prepare them for their next stage of education or later life.

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Quality of provision

The quality of teaching observed overall was satisfactory. It was good in three lessons, satisfactory in four and inadequate in one. Where teaching was good, the pace of lessons was brisk. Teachers had high expectations and ensured they were given work of appropriate difficulty. Where teaching was satisfactory the pace of lessons was sometimes slow, for example through overlong introductions, and the tasks provided did not suitably challenge more able children. Planning for English, mathematics and science has improved and the school is currently trialling a number of different planning formats for lessons. Planning for other subjects is inadequate.

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Quality of provision

Satisfactory assessment procedures are in place. Teachers are now making better use of assessment information to provide work which suits the different needs of children. However, there are many instances when the work provided for more able children lacks adequate challenge. Marking in childrens’ books varies significantly in quality throughout the school. Some teachers provide detailed advice on how the children can improve their work. Others, however, provide little more than words of praise and encouragement.

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Quality of provision

Relationships in class are good. Teachers’ subject knowledge is mostly sound but in the one inadequate lesson that was seen this was a weakness. Teaching assistants work well with children who have learning difficulties and disabilities. However, they are not deployed effectively by teachers to make full use of their time in helping children learn.

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Quality of provision

Since the last inspection, the curriculum has been modified to provide more time for the core subjects. Information and communication technology is used well in other subjects. There are attractive displays of children’s work which greatly enhance the learning environment. The curriculum is enriched by a good range of clubs, outings and visitors to the school.

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Quality of provision

The school places great emphasis on the pastoral care of its children. Arrangements for child protection are in place, risk assessments and safety checks are carried out and the school site is secure. Children are readily reminded about the need for safety, for instance when taking part in a science lesson in Year 6 on heating materials. Target setting and the tracking of children’s progress are in place, but the school recognises that it has not used information from tracking effectively. It is not intervening effectively to provide extra help for children who are underachieving.

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Quality of provision

Progress on the areas for improvement identified by the inspection in December 2005: • improve the quality of teaching by ensuring activities are better matched to the pupils’ level of understanding - satisfactory progress.

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Leadership and management

The school was already receiving extra support from the LA at the time of the last inspection and there was an awareness of the need for standards to improve. Since the last inspection the existing improvement plan has been reviewed with the LA and revised. The plan specifies appropriate actions for bringing about improvement on all three key issues. It is clear what action is to be taken, who will be doing it, and what the precise improvement is expected to be as a consequence. There are clear ‘milestones’ which enable the school to check whether its rate of improvement is sufficient. The quality of planning and the monitoring of improvement by the school and the LA are good. The school has identified appropriate priorities and actions for its next stage of development.

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Leadership and management

Robust systems for monitoring lessons and checking the quality of children’s work are now in place. They show some evidence of improvement. The headteacher’s evaluations of the quality of teaching and learning closely matched that of inspectors. The school has rightly identified that subject coordinators need to take a greater lead in monitoring and evaluating progress in their own subject areas.

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Leadership and management

The governors recognise that they were not monitoring school performance sufficiently rigorously at the time of the last inspection. They have now put structures in place to do so. The chair of governors is well aware of the key issues for improvement and the action being taken to address them.

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Leadership and management

Progress on the areas for improvement identified by the inspection in December 2005: • improve the quality of leadership and management by making monitoring and evaluation more rigorous in identifying weaknesses and pursuing improvement - satisfactory progress.

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External support

The LA’s statement of action is good and sets out the extra support it will provide to the school. Support includes a programme of training for staff and governors as well as regular monitoring visits by the LA to check on progress. The headteacher and the chair of governors are appreciative of the high quality of support they have received from the LA.

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Main Judgements

Progress since being subject to special measures - satisfactory.

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Main Judgements

Quality of LA’s statement of action - good.

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Main Judgements

Newly qualified teachers may be appointed.

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Priorities for further improvement

Use the outcomes of assessment to: • plan work of suitable challenge for more able children • provide all children with guidance on how they can improve • identify children who are underachieving and provide extra support • improve the quality and consistency of lesson planning.

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Priorities for further improvement

I am copying this letter to the Secretary of State, the chair of governors, the Director of Education for the Diocese of Lichfield and the Director of Children’s Services and Life Long Learning for Staffordshire.

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