Setting

Ms Gabrielle Quinnen The Headteacher Edward Pauling Primary School Redford Close Feltham TW13 4TQ

p.1

PRIMARY SCHOOL

Following my visit with Graham Stephens, Additional Inspector and Liz Pike, Additional Inspector, to your school on 30 th April and 1 st May 2008, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector to confirm the inspection findings.

p.1

PRIMARY SCHOOL

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures in December 2007. The monitoring inspection report is attached and the main judgements are set out below.

p.1

PRIMARY SCHOOL

Progress since being subject to special measures– satisfactory

p.1

PRIMARY SCHOOL

Newly qualified teachers may not be appointed.

p.1

PRIMARY SCHOOL

This letter and monitoring inspection report 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.

p.1

PRIMARY SCHOOL

I am copying this letter and the monitoring inspection report to the Secretary of State, the chair of governors and the Director of Children's Services & Lifelong Learning for Hounslow.

p.1

H M Inspector

Prospects Learning Services Ltd 132-138 High Street Bromley Kent BR1 1EZ T 08456 40 40 40 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 020 8313 7760 Direct F 020 8464 3393

p.1

Evidence

Inspectors observed the school's work, scrutinised documents and met with the senior leadership team, subject coordinators, teachers, the headteacher from the federated school, the team leader of the Team Around the School, the link adviser from the local authority (LA), the chair of governors and with pupils.

p.2

Context

The appointment of a part-time teacher to one of the Year 4 classes has enabled the deputy headteacher to be released from her responsibilities as a class teacher. The new chair of governors took up the post in March and two additional learning support staff were appointed at the beginning of this term. Since the last inspection the school has entered into a soft federation with a local primary school. During the spring term twelve pupils joined the school and seventeen left to attend other schools.

p.2

Achievement and standards

The previous report identified three areas for development and progress against these is evaluated below. Two of the areas include an aim to raise the achievement of pupils. A summary of the impact of initiatives taken by the school is as follows. The new assessment system has helped senior managers, subject leaders and teachers to identify how much progress pupils made last term in English, mathematics and science. It also gives staff the information that they need to identify areas of underachievement more effectively. The tracking confirms that standards of work remain too low and that the progress made by some pupils is not fast enough. The pupils made satisfactory and sometimes good progress in reading last term. Progress was slower in writing and mathematics. In most of the lessons observed during this visit, pupils made satisfactory progress.

p.2

Personal development and well-being

It is clear that pupils are happy in school. They are very positive about their lessons, teachers and the opportunities that the school offers them. The Year 5 pupils look forward to mentoring children in the Reception classes for reading and those in Year 6 take their responsibilities as the headteacher's lunchtime personal assistants very seriously. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good and pupils report that behaviour has improved. The pupils play cooperatively at break times and show positive attitudes to work in class. The attendance rates have declined and, at just below 93% since September, are below national averages. Although an unusual period of sickness may account for some absences, the school recognises that poor attendance remains an issue for some pupils and that this is having an adverse effect on their rate of progress. During the last term four pupils were excluded for a short

p.2

Quality of provision

The teachers are committed and determined to improve pupils' achievement by improving their teaching. More accurate assessment and analysis of pupils' work is beginning to have an impact on the extent to which they know how well their pupils are achieving and how to plan appropriate interventions. For example, learning intentions and success criteria are used more consistently in lessons, particularly in English and mathematics. Discussions with pupils confirm that they are familiar with both group and personal targets recently set. One said, 'they help us more with our learning and if we don't think we've achieved our target we can write that in our books'. Another said 'marking has changed, they've introduced success criteria and sometimes they write the next steps as well'.

p.3

Quality of provision

To accelerate progress in mathematics, the school has improved the resources available. For example, in all classes in Key Stages 1 and 2 pupils can use personalised computer programmes for 15 minutes each day to improve their number skills. The pupils talked about this very enthusiastically and the programme's built-in assessments show that they are often making significant progress and are beginning to catch up on previous underachievement. The school is continuing to develop strategies that were in their infancy at the time of the last inspection. These are aimed at accelerating progress in English, for example, through the introduction of success criteria in writing. In addition, staff are making good use of advice and support from external consultants and teachers from the federated school.

p.3

Quality of provision

All teaching observed during this visit was satisfactory or good, showing an improvement since the last inspection. While this is a positive start, there is still some work to be done to ensure that initiatives are implemented consistently, that teaching is monitored more effectively and to match work in class more closely to pupils' needs. Senior staff continue to monitor lessons and pupils work regularly, as they have done for some time but there is insufficient emphasis on learning as an outcome of teaching and whether or not pupils are being challenged sufficiently. The information from assessment, whilst now much more extensive, is not yet being used fully to help teachers plan work that is matched to pupils' needs. Consequently, some work in class is insufficiently challenging. The marking of pupils' work is mostly often completed but teachers do not routinely optimise the effect of their hard work by

p.3

Quality of provision

allowing time in class for pupils to complete the suggested corrections. Teachers usually make positive comments but there were too few constructive suggestions to help pupils to improve their work.

p.3

Quality of provision

Progress on the areas for improvement identified by the inspection in December 2007:  Improve teaching so that achievement is better, particularly in English and mathematics – satisfactory

p.3

Leadership and management

The senior leadership team is to be commended for the way in which they have maintained a very positive ethos in the school since the last inspection. This has enabled the staff to move forward with confidence and with an appropriate sense of urgency. The staff work very well together as a team. They have embraced the professional support offered by others without being overwhelmed by the work that needs to be done. This is partly because the headteacher has carefully managed this external support so as to make best use of it, but also because the staff are steadfast in looking for ways in which they can improve the provision and determined that they will succeed.

p.4

Leadership and management

A positive start has been made to track pupils' progress. Although regular assessments have taken place for some time, the information gained has not always been used effectively to plan pupils' learning. Consequently, some pupils have underachieved in the past. Following the last inspection the school took swift action to address this issue. The deputy headteacher has taken responsibility for coordinating assessments and has already established an improved system that staff are able to access with increasing confidence. Staff are finding the system easy to use and, together with the help of the LA, the school is working hard to ensure that assessment information is now recorded clearly and in a way that will support teachers' lesson planning. A programme for further improvement in the quality of assessment in the Foundation Stage is about to commence. The school recognises that systems need to become embedded and to make sure that there is a

p.4

Leadership and management

consistency of approach. Hence, it is currently reviewing the way in which teachers record the impact on learning of the support given to pupils who find aspects of learning challenging.

p.4

Leadership and management

It is still too early to see the difference that the new systems for managing and interrogating use of data will make to pupils' progress but the school is now in a position from which it can move forward with confidence. Leaders and managers at all levels now have a clear focus on raising pupils' attainment. The chair of governors, although appointed very recently, has already mobilised her colleagues to monitor the work of the school more closely. Subject leaders for English, mathematics and science have worked very hard to refocus on identifying areas of strength and weakness in the teaching and learning for their subjects. This greater focus on pupils' progress is beginning to permeate the school so that the pupils themselves are starting to talk about their targets and how to improve their work. This work now needs to be consolidated so that teachers and subject leaders can demonstrate more clearly the amount of progress made by individual pupils and

p.4

Leadership and management

groups. The staff and governors are about to revise the school improvement plan. The new plan will benefit from clear milestones for improvement for each issue, linked to a cycle of monitoring activities to provide evidence from which sound judgements can be made.

p.4

Leadership and management

Progress on the areas for improvement identified by the inspection in December 2007:  Analyse data more quickly to identify underachievement and to put in effective strategies for improvement – satisfactory  Ensure subject leaders and governors are clear about the progress of pupils and are effective in raising achievement – satisfactory

p.4

External support

The LA has provided a satisfactory statement of action for the school and are formulating new plan to support staff during the next academic year. Over the past term the school has benefited from good, timely support from the LA that has been well-received and well-respected by staff. Support from the LA link advisor and National Strategy consultants has been effective in challenging staff while also acknowledging their skills and determination to remain in control of the improvement process. The LA initiative for the Team Around the School is now in place and although the impact is yet to be realised, there is confidence that this approach will help to address the needs of children and their families more effectively, while maintaining the focus on helping pupils to achieve their potential. The decision to enter into a soft federation with a local primary school appears to be a good one, particularly because of the positive professional relationships that have been

p.5

External support

established. The range of support offered by the federated school to teachers and leaders has effectively empowered them to reflect on their practice and to make the necessary changes. This level of external support needs to continue so that the school can sustain the improvements already made.

p.5

Priorities for further improvement

No additional priorities for improvement have been identified at this time.

p.5