Setting

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

Mr Timothy Newbould Headteacher Marton and District Church of England Aided Primary School School Lane Marton Macclesfield Cheshire SK11 9HD

p.1

the reformed workforce

Thank you for your co-operation and hospitality, and that of the staff and pupils, during my visit on 22 November 2007 to evaluate the impact of the deployment, training and development of the reformed workforce. For the purposes of this survey inspection, the term ‘reformed workforce’ will apply to any person employed by or working in partnership with the school who is not a qualified teacher.

p.1

the reformed workforce

The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions but individual institutions will not be identified in the main text. All feedback letters will be published on the Ofsted website at the end of each half-term.

p.1

the reformed workforce

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included discussions with staff and pupils, scrutiny of relevant documentation and observations of three lessons.

p.1

the reformed workforce

The overall effectiveness of the reformed workforce in your school was judged to be good.

p.1

the reformed workforce

The impact of the reformed workforce on achievement and standards is good.

p.1

the reformed workforce

 Standards are above average and pupils make good progress. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress because they are well supported by teaching assistants.  The reformed workforce makes a good contribution to pupils’ personal development and well-being. Members of the reformed workforce manage behaviour well because they have a clear understanding of the use of rewards and sanctions. They have established good relationships with pupils who say they enjoy school.  The clerical assistant plays an effective role in monitoring attendance and alerting staff to any persistent absences.  The sports coaches provide an interesting variety of activities and encourage pupils to be enthusiastic about sport and to appreciate the importance of keeping fit.

p.1

the reformed workforce

The impact of the reformed workforce on the quality of teaching and learning is good .

p.2

the reformed workforce

 Teaching assistants are deployed effectively in the Foundation Stage to administer assessment tasks or lead small groups. Teaching assistants have been trained well to understand the needs of young children and the importance of learning through practical activities.  The learning support assistants offer effective help in class for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.  Good relationships between pupils and staff lead to a happy school and an environment which encourages learning. Support staff improve the learning environment with imaginative displays of pupils’ work.  In lessons, learning support assistants are effective in managing behaviour that might hinder the learning of others. On occasions, they focus too much on completing tasks rather than using appropriate strategies to further pupils’ learning, for example by using challenging questions. . The impact of the reformed workforce on the quality of the curriculum is good.

p.2

the reformed workforce

 Teaching assistants’ personal skills are used well to enhance the curriculum. For example, a teaching assistant runs the netball club and another has qualifications that enable her to teach swimming.  Teaching assistants are deployed well to lead ‘booster’ classes to improve pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills.  The sports coaches make a positive contribution by providing a variety of tasks as well as assessing progress so that teachers are kept well informed about how well pupils are doing.

p.2

the reformed workforce

Leadership and management of the reformed workforce are good.

p.2

the reformed workforce

 You have rationalised the responsibilities of the reformed workforce by giving more attention to deployment through linking their responsibilities to priorities in the school development plan. Members of the reformed workforce report that they feel valued and appreciate opportunities to contribute to the school’s self- evaluation.  You receive effective support from the bursar in financial management and the inputting of data. Delegating administrative work to the bursar and clerical staff gives teachers additional time to focus on teaching and learning.  There is good capacity to develop the reformed workforce. Induction and training have been provided to match knowledge and expertise to pupils’ specific needs. Some members of the reformed workforce would like more guidance on career development and how to gain higher levels of accreditation.  The school is working in partnership with the local authority to develop effective

p.2

the reformed workforce

systems to manage the performance of the reformed workforce.  The reformed workforce is deployed well to match school improvement priorities, although the impact of their work on raising standards is not evaluated fully. . The impact of the reformed workforce on inclusion is good.

p.3

the reformed workforce

 The support for pupils with learning difficulties is effective in ensuring they play a full part in extra-curricular activities and make good progress.  Teaching assistants make good use of home-school diaries to increase the involvement of parents and carers in their children’s learning.

p.3

Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include the need to:

 develop systems to evaluate the impact of the reformed workforce on pupils’ progress  manage the performance of the reformed workforce more coherently in order to identify training needs and inform career development.

p.3

Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include the need to:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to train and develop the reformed workforce.

p.3

Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include the need to:

As I explained in my previous letter, a copy of this letter will be sent to your local authority and will be published on Ofsted’s website. It will also be available to the team for your next institutional inspection.

p.3