Setting

Mrs N Flowerdew The Grove Primary School Campkin Road Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB4 2NB

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 4 March, for the time you gave to our phone discussions and for the information which you provided before and during my visit. Please would you also thank the chair of governors and your assigned inspector from the local authority for attending meetings.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

As a result of the inspection on 13-14 December 2006, the school was asked to:

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

 Raise standards in English and mathematics by ensuring that teaching and learning are consistently good.  Agree a plan for the school's long-term development which identifies the joint and separate roles of the leadership team in realising their vision for the future of the school.  Ensure that staff vetting checks are kept in a single central record.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time the school is making inadequate progress in addressing the issues for improvement and in raising the pupils’ achievement.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The period since the inspection has been a turbulent one for the school. The deputy headteacher, who was also the Year 6 teacher, resigned at the end of the Spring term 2007 and was replaced in September 2007. The headteacher resigned at the end of 2007, after a period of illness. The chair of governors also resigned from her position. A highly experienced acting headteacher is in place for the Spring term and another acting headteacher is expected to lead the school in the summer term. The governing body plans to appoint a permanent headteacher for Autumn 2008. The school is also currently being supported by a consultant headteacher from another primary school. Cambridge Education Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS T 08456 40 40 40 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01223 578500 Direct F 01223 578501 risp.inspections@camb-ed.com At the time of the last inspection, achievement and standards were satisfactory,

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

reflecting the satisfactory teaching pupils received. There has been a decline since then as a result of the changes to the school’s staffing. In the national tests in 2007, Year 2 pupils’ performance in reading, writing and mathematics were all exceptionally low. Standards in Year 6 rose well in English and were in line with those found nationally. They improved somewhat in mathematics, though they remained exceptionally low as they had been in 2006. In science they fell to exceptionally low. The progress made by the Year 6 pupils in mathematics and science since Year 2 was inadequate.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The quality of teaching and learning has now been restored and is again satisfactory. No teaching is inadequate and some is outstanding. This is the result of sustained action on the part of the school’s leaders and support from the local authority. It has included frequent lesson observations and advice on improving teaching. The variability in the quality of teaching is reflected in the progress which pupils are currently making. Some are making up lost ground rapidly, others have further to go. Teaching and learning benefit from the good relationships which exist between teachers and pupils. Teachers use resources well particularly in their use of visual stimuli. However, learning is slowed when, as in some lessons, there is not enough monitoring of the work which pupils are doing. This means that those who are on the wrong track are not helped quickly enough. While teachers’ questions are sometimes used very successfully to provoke thought and analysis, they are not used

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

sufficiently to test pupils’ understanding. Misconceptions are therefore not revealed and teaching is not adapted to remove them. Progress has been made in developing a means of tracking pupils’ progress. This is being used well to identify those who would benefit from extra teaching. However, data about pupils’ abilities is not used well enough to inform planning, for example to ensure that the more able are sufficiently challenged. Those who have learning difficulties are generally well supported, however. This has been helped by the school’s improved sharing of lesson plans between teachers and teaching assistants.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The school’s long term development plan has been agreed. It is well constructed. Good evaluation has identified priorities, such as the need for more accurate assessment of pupils’ learning in some subjects. There is now a clear allocation of responsibilities within the school. Members of staff understand their responsibilities, previous uncertainties have been removed. The school’s priorities for improvement are well understood by the leadership team and by governors.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The staff vetting checks now meet government requirements by being kept as a single central record.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The effectiveness of the support from the local authority has been satisfactory. It has taken some robust actions. In addition it has experienced leadership for the school until a suitable permanent headteacher is appointed; training has been provided, for example for the teaching of literacy and numeracy; the progress of the school has been monitored and support has been given to the governing body. I hope that you have found the visit helpful in promoting improvement in your school.

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