Setting

Miss Joy Waelend Acting Headteacher Clanfield Junior School Little Hyden Lane Clanfield Waterlooville PO8 0RE

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Ofsted monitoring of schools with a notice to improve

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 30 September 2008, for the time you gave to our phone discussions and for the information which you provided before and during my visit. Please pass on my thanks to the members of the senior leadership team, subject leaders, chair of governors and local authority district manager who spent time talking and working with me.

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Ofsted monitoring of schools with a notice to improve

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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Ofsted monitoring of schools with a notice to improve

As a result of the inspection on 27 February 2008, the school was asked to:  raise standards and improve the achievements of more able pupils in mathematics and science  develop the roles of the whole leadership team so that they can effectively monitor the quality of provision and the impact of new assessment processes on pupils’ progress  make use of the assessment data to accurately track pupils’ progress and ensure that pupils are on target to reach their full potential.

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Ofsted monitoring of schools with a notice to improve

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 pupils’ achievement.

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Ofsted monitoring of schools with a notice to improve

The school has experienced major changes in its leadership, following the retirement at the end of the summer term of the headteacher and an assistant head. Currently, the mathematics subject leader is on long-term sick leave. The interim head, who is in post from 1 September 2008 until the appointment of a substantive headteacher Prospects Learning Services Ltd Prospects House 19 Elmfield Road Bromley, Kent BR1 1LT T 08456 40 40 40 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 020 8315 1250 Direct F 020 8315 1279 Sue.Frater@ofsted.gov.uk Page 2 in the summer term, is providing good direction for improvement. However, progress on the three areas for improvement has been too slow and is too recent.

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Ofsted monitoring of schools with a notice to improve

Although achievement in science has improved, and the 2008 national tests indicate above average standards overall and at the higher levels, pupils’ achievement in mathematics and English has declined. Results of the recent national tests in these subjects show that standards are broadly average overall and well below average at the higher levels. English has rightly been included in the priority for improving standards and achievement for more able pupils.

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Ofsted monitoring of schools with a notice to improve

Recent review of the senior and subject leadership teams has resulted in increased enthusiasm to develop skills in monitoring the impact of teaching and learning on achievement. The teams have made a promising start, but lesson observations are not focused on pupils’ progress. The recently developed progress tracking system is not yet being implemented to help them monitor progress across the school.

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Ofsted monitoring of schools with a notice to improve

Teachers are beginning to use their assessments to plan lessons to match the range of pupils’ capabilities. Observation of lessons showed that teaching assistants are deployed effectively to support pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. In many lessons, however, more able pupils are insufficiently challenged by the tasks and teachers’ use of questioning to reach the higher levels in mathematics and English. Marking, although encouraging, does not enable pupils to know how to improve their work. Targets and assessments are not yet being used consistently by all teachers to ensure all pupils reach their full potential.

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Ofsted monitoring of schools with a notice to improve

The acting headteacher, the leadership team, the governing body and the local authority, know what is required to accelerate progress now. There is a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Appropriate action to bring about the required improvements has been identified. Much of the work is to be underpinned by the introduction of the system to track pupils’ progress. This is being launched in mathematics, but needs to include English as soon as possible. It has the potential to aid the monitoring of pupils’ progress. More importantly, teachers will need to be supported in using it to pitch lessons at the right levels for all pupils, and in particular the more able pupils, to improve their achievements and raise standards.

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Ofsted monitoring of schools with a notice to improve

The pupils’ behaviour remains outstanding and the school’s procedures for safeguarding are robust.

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Ofsted monitoring of schools with a notice to improve

The local authority’s statement of action has recently been revised and is fit for purpose, although the action plan does not provide milestones by which progress will be measured before the 2009 national tests. In order to support sustained improvement, the statement covers the period to the end of the summer term. With the exception of the support provided in science and the school improvement partner’s work in clarifying roles and responsibilities, the impact of the local authority’s support for the school has been limited and is, therefore, inadequate. The Page 3 local authority is committed to ensuring the school now makes the rapid progress that is required.

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Ofsted monitoring of schools with a notice to improve

I hope that you have found the visit helpful in promoting improvement in your school.

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