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PROTECT-INSPECTION

September 2009 PROTECT-INSPECTION Page 1 21 October 2009

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Mrs Emma Wynne Cooper Perry Primary School Seighford Stafford ST18 9PQ

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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 20 October 2009, for the information which you provided before and during my visit. Please pass on my thanks to the pupils, staff the Chair of Governors who met with me and the School Improvement Partner for the time she gave to our phone discussion.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

To support the headteacher, governors appointed two acting assistant headteachers from within the school in December 2008. The governors also appointed a newly qualified teacher in September 2009 on a full time temporary contract. A new Chair of Governors was elected in September 2009. The headteacher redeployed the teaching staff at the start of the autumn term. At the time of this inspection, all teachers were teaching in an age group that was different from the one that they taught previously.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

As a result of the inspection on 16 October 2008, the school was asked to  provide more challenge to pupils of average ability in writing and mathematics in Key Stage 2 to help them make faster progress.  gather more accurate assessment of pupils' attainment to inform lesson planning and support school leaders in driving school improvement.  improve the balance of the curriculum to give sufficient weight to academic subjects.

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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 satisfactory progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Since the last inspection the school has placed a greater emphasis on the teaching of basic literacy and numeracy skills. A whole school approach to the teaching of writing, number calculations and problem solving has also been introduced. The curriculum has been redesigned so that sufficient weight is given to academic Serco Solutions Boundary House 2 Wythall Green Way Middle Lane Birmingham B13 3JJ T 08456 40 40 40 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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September 2009 PROTECT-INSPECTION Page 2 subjects. In addition to daily literacy and numeracy sessions, there are regular opportunities in the school day for pupils to learn and use basic skills in different contexts. These are all positive developments and are contributing to rising standards and better rates of progress.

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The 2009 Year 2 provisional teacher assessments and the unvalidated Year 6 test results were better than last year, with a large majority of pupils reaching the standards for their age. The school assessment information shows that although pupils in Year 6 made satisfactory progress last year this was not enough to make up completely on lost ground. From their above average starting points at the end of Year 2, pupils in this year group did not reach the standards of which they were capable because of previous inadequate progress. The latest school assessment information, which has been moderated, suggests that standards in Year 6 are set to rise further in 2010.

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School assessment data shows that in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 pupils make at least satisfactory progress. Many pupils make good progress. In Key Stage 2, pupils of average ability are now making satisfactory progress. This is confirmed by lesson observations and a scrutiny of pupils’ work. Nevertheless, throughout the school progress in writing continues to lag behind reading and mathematics and more able pupils do not always reach the higher standards of which they are capable. Boys in Key Stage 2 achieve less well than girls, particularly in writing. The school has already identified these as priorities and started to make appropriate changes to its provision. For instance, teachers are taking better account of pupils interests when planning writing activities. Pupils are responding positively to these changes. One pupil said with enthusiasm, ‘Writing is fun now and we are

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getting better at expressing our ideas.’

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Much work has been done to gather more accurate assessments of pupils’ attainment. Staff have moderated assessment information by working alongside local authority consultants. Consequently, they now have a secure understanding of the levels pupils are working at in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers use this information satisfactorily when planning lessons. Although, they plan for different ability groups, the activities for the more able do not always provide a sufficient level of challenge. Some teachers are effectively using their marking of pupils’ work to identify gaps in pupils’ learning and amend their daily planning to set activities which successfully build on pupils’ previous learning. Consequently some pupils are making accelerated progress. This effective practice is not yet widespread.

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Members of the school leadership team review the performance of pupils each term. They use this information well to provide targeted support for pupils who are at risk of underachieving. Once a year, the headteacher and one of the assistant headteachers complete a more detailed analysis of the performance of pupils at the end of each Key Stage. They highlight strengths and weaknesses in the quality of learning and use this information to identify school improvement priorities. Senior leaders acknowledge the need to complete this detailed analysis for all classes and

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September 2009 PROTECT-INSPECTION Page 3 all groups of pupils more regularly so that they can more quickly identify the strengths and weaknesses in each year group and ensure all pupils make good progress. The satisfactory progress in addressing the issues for improvement coupled with sound systems for monitoring and evaluating pupils’ performance demonstrate the school’s satisfactory capacity for sustained improvement.

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The local authority has provided helpful advice. In partnership with the headteacher, the Education Improvement Partner and School Improvement Partner visits have identified areas of weakness and plan a programme of support. The impact of this support has been satisfactory.

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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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