Setting

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

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Ms J Bruton-Simmonds Executive Principal Jubilee Primary School Filey Avenue London N16 6NR

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leadership: influences and outcomes

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of your staff, pupils, parents and governors, during my visit with Joanna Beckford-Hall HMI on 11 November 2008 to evaluate the impact of new models of leadership on school improvement.

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leadership: influences and outcomes

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.

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leadership: influences and outcomes

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included discussions with governors, staff, pupils, parents, a scrutiny of relevant documentation and a lesson observation.

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leadership: influences and outcomes

The overall effectiveness of the model of leadership, a federation of two primary schools with one executive principal, is good.

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leadership: influences and outcomes

The impact of the model of leadership on achievement and standards is good.

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leadership: influences and outcomes

 Validated data for Jubilee School demonstrate that, over the past few years, pupils have attained standards that are generally in line with national averages by the time they leave the school, although results dipped in 2007. When pupils’ attainment on entry to the school is considered, this represents outstanding progress.  Historically, at Gainsborough School, pupils’ results have been very low, and they have made inadequate progress. The impact of the federation is such that, across the school, pupils’ progress in reading has accelerated over the last year and is now good. In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), pupils’ achievement has improved, and is now good. This is as a result of the focused support and liaison between EYFS staff at both schools.  Behaviour at Jubilee is outstanding because staff have high expectations of pupils, who appreciate the rationale for, and the application of the

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leadership: influences and outcomes

school’s behaviour policy.  At Gainsborough, staff, pupils, parents and governors noted that behaviour had improved significantly since federation. Around the school, behaviour is now satisfactory and during the lesson observed in a Reception class, behaviour was good. Crucially, pupils at Gainsborough were able to discuss the importance of good behaviour for learning in order to secure better life chances in the future.

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leadership: influences and outcomes

The impact of the model of leadership on the quality of teaching and learning is good.

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leadership: influences and outcomes

 Senior leaders have a comprehensive and accurate view of the quality of teaching. At Gainsborough, teaching has improved significantly. In the past, the senior leaders of the federation judged eight out of ten lessons to be unsatisfactory. The executive principal has acted decisively to eradicate poor practice. Now, virtually all lessons are satisfactory, and around four in ten are good.  Peer observation opportunities and sharp feedback to teachers from senior leaders have successfully raised teachers’ awareness of how they can improve their teaching.  Parents at Jubilee expressed high levels of satisfaction with teaching which consistently ‘enables the needs of every child to be met’.  Since federation, all staff have benefited from well targeted and joint professional development opportunities. Gainsborough staff reported that this has been a catalyst for increasing opportunities to reflect on their own

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leadership: influences and outcomes

The impact of the model of leadership on the quality of the curriculum is outstanding.

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leadership: influences and outcomes

 At Gainsborough, senior leaders have judiciously introduced a tightly focused scheme to teach early reading, including systematic phonics. This approach is making a very positive impact on pupils’ reading skills, and has enabled some older pupils to taste success in this essential area for the first time in their lives.  At Jubilee, there is a clear rationale for a creative curriculum which embeds a love of learning, develops key skills and captures an excellent depth of knowledge. This curriculum is coherently mapped and clearly underpinned by the National Curriculum.  Over the past two years, Gainsborough has successfully adapted this curriculum so that it now meets the particular needs of the school community.  Both schools have given excellent consideration to tailoring their curricula to local circumstances. The curriculum units of work which capitalise on the close proximity of the Olympics 2012 site are proving to be

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leadership: influences and outcomes

inspirational for pupils.  Senior leaders have provided staff at Gainsborough with a step by step framework for delivering the curriculum which has been instrumental in improving pedagogical skills.  Parents at Gainsborough remarked upon a clear improvement in the approach of staff to setting and marking homework.  Historically there has been outstanding extra-curricular provision at Jubilee. Pupils at Gainsborough spoke positively about the widening range of clubs and sporting activities which are now available to them.

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leadership: influences and outcomes

The impact of the model of leadership on the quality of leadership and management throughout the school is good.

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leadership: influences and outcomes

 The executive principal is providing excellent leadership to the federation. She is supported by strong heads of school and senior staff.  The governors of Jubilee have been forward-looking and courageous in choosing to facilitate the federation of their school with Gainsborough.  The role of the governing body at Gainsborough is developing. They are keen to build their skills in supporting the school and in holding it to account for its work.  The local authority has provided good support and appropriate resources to underpin the work of the federation.  School improvement planning at Gainsborough is sensibly prioritised, and details clear lines of responsibility and includes good monitoring and evaluation procedures. It does not contain annual targets for reading, writing and mathematics for each year group of pupils.  Leadership is increasingly well distributed across the federation. Parents

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leadership: influences and outcomes

and pupils remarked that the executive principal maintains a high profile around the schools, but other senior and middle leaders were always readily accessible. One parent at Gainsborough noted that this is a substantial and positive change since the inception of the federation.  Both schools have a comprehensive range of progress tracking data for Key Stage 2. Gainsborough does not yet analyse this data sharply to ensure that it is fully accountable to parents, governors and the local authority.  Work remains to ensure that teachers’ assessment is sufficiently robust and that systems for tracking pupils’ progress across Key Stage 1 are secure.

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leadership: influences and outcomes

The impact of the model of leadership on inclusion is good.

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leadership: influences and outcomes

 At the time that the schools were federated, there was inadequate identification of pupils at Gainsborough with learning difficulties. One parent expressed her relief that her child’s needs had now been assessed accurately, and that he is getting the help he needs to make progress academically and socially.  The recent focus on early reading, including systematic phonics, is improving the progress, attainment and life chances of some of the local authority’s most vulnerable pupils.  Across Hackney, Gainsborough School has the highest proportion of pupils on the child protection register. The school plans to analyse the progress of these pupils as a specific group to ensure that they get the help they require to thrive, and make the best possible progress.

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Areas for development for Gainsborough, which we discussed, include:

 ensuring that improvement planning reflects annual targets in reading, writing and mathematics for each cohort so that governors are able to hold the school more effectively to account  improving the accuracy of teachers’ assessment and tracking of pupils’ progress across Key Stage 1  developing sharp analyses of data which inform school improvement, enable early intervention and facilitate accountability to parents, governors and the local authority  analysing the social and academic progress of pupils on the child protection register incisively to ensure that they get the help they require to thrive, and make the best possible progress.

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Areas for development for Gainsborough, which we discussed, include:

I hope these observations are useful to you as you continue to develop both schools.

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Areas for development for Gainsborough, which we discussed, include:

A copy of this letter will be sent to your local authority and will be published on the Ofsted website. It will also be made available to the team who conduct your next institutional inspection.

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