Setting

Ms M Loosemore Roe Green Junior School Princes Avenue Kingsbury London NW9 9JL

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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 10 December 2009.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

There have been no significant changes to the characteristics of the school since the last inspection though a new eco-building has improved the facilities for pupils. Six new staff started in September 2009, some of whom are newly qualified. The school now has a full complement of its senior management team. As a result of the inspection on 25–26 November 2008, the school was asked to increase the proportion of good or better teaching to accelerate pupils’ progress, ensure that the monitoring of teaching is consistent and informing self-evaluation, and to increase the opportunities for bilingual learners to develop advanced English skills.

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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 has made satisfactory progress in making improvements and good progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

In the most recent Year 6 tests there were improvements in pupils’ attainment to above average in English, mathematics and science. In particular a greater proportion of pupils reached the higher levels in English and mathematics. Progress overall improved in all subjects and is now satisfactory for most pupils, though the accelerated progress required has not yet been consistently secured across all year groups. The school has maintained its ability to create a very positive ethos and this ensures that pupils enjoy coming to school and are prepared to work hard in their lessons. A new, more systematic provision has been made to support pupils who are at an early stage of English acquisition. The early signs are that this is having a good impact on their learning. The schools’ own monitoring shows that teaching has improved and is good in most lessons. Those observed during the inspection were satisfactory overall but with a number of good elements. These were:

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Tribal 1-4 Portland Square Bristol BS2 8RR T 08456 40 40 40 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Page 2  planning for all ability levels  good use of questioning to engage pupils in whole-class sessions  the opportunities for pupils to talk with each other to discuss their tasks and learning.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

While teachers often keep a good pace in whole-class sessions, they sometimes fail to capitalise on the opportunities for learning when pupils undertake independent tasks, because the pace of learning slows, time is not used efficiently and there are missed opportunities to provide extra challenge. The school now has a consistent approach to monitoring the quality of teaching and learning which involves all senior leaders. This is identifying areas for development and improvements are now becoming evident in lessons. As well as monitoring lessons, senior managers are also scrutinising pupils’ books and engaging teachers in discussions about pupils’ progress. In order to ensure that achievements are successfully built on when pupils start in Year 3, plans have been made for staff to work more closely with colleagues from the partner infant school. This is a very positive move.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The school has improved the way in which it gathers evidence of its performance. Information about pupils’ progress is recorded systematically, providing a more detailed analysis of their achievements, especially in the key subjects of English, mathematics and science. The school has also carefully considered how best to help pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Additional provision is now better matched to their needs. The school has had significant success in supporting pupils with autism.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The systematic approach to monitoring, improved analysis of performance and greater awareness of senior leaders about specific strengths and weaknesses has placed the school in a good position to improve further and achieve the required accelerated progress of pupils.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

I hope that you have found the visit helpful in promoting improvement in your school. This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website.

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