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September 2009 PROTECT-INSPECTION Page 1 11 May 2010

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Miss Moyes Headteacher Fox Hill Primary School Pondmoor Road Bracknell RG12 7JZ

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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 5 May 2010 , for the time you gave to our phone discussions and for the information which you provided before and during my visit. Please also pass on my thanks to the pupils and the chair of governors, who spent time talking with me.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The school has been through a period of considerable staff turbulence with four changes of headteacher over a period of two years. A new headteacher and leadership team were appointed from September 2008 along with six teachers, three of whom were newly qualified. Two new teachers joined the staff in January 2009 and a further two in January 2010.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

As a result of the inspection on 14 to 15 May 2008, the school was asked to:

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

 raise standards in mathematics by providing more opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills in solving problems  raise standards and achievement at Key Stage 1 by providing an appropriate level of challenge for more able pupils  make better use of assessment to accelerate the progress of all groups of pupils  develop the roles of subject leaders, particularly in relation to monitoring achievement and improving the quality of teaching and learning within their areas of responsibility.

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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. Tribal 1–4 Portland Square BRISTOL BS2 8RR T 0845 123 6001 F 0845123 6002 T 0300 1234234 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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September 2009 PROTECT-INSPECTION Page 2 Following the last inspection, attainment in the 2009 national tests fell and was well below average by the end of Year 6. The reasons for this were largely linked to the complex needs of pupils and the significant turbulence in staffing experienced by this year group. Progress in improving attainment and achievement for pupils currently in the school is more encouraging and shows a satisfactory capacity to improve.

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The quality of learning in the Early Year Foundation Stage has improved and is now good. Children achieve well and reach the levels expected for their age group from below expected starting points. This good start is being built on well in Years 1 and 2. There are now more opportunities for pupils, especially the more able, to make faster progress. School assessment information shows that progress in the current Year 2 is at least satisfactory, with increasing numbers of pupils reaching the higher Level 3 in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Initiatives in mathematics are developing well with helpful support for teachers in quickly assessing and plugging gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills. This is laying a firm foundation for sustained improvement in problem solving and calculation. Pupils confirm that activities are much more challenging and fun. Several of them said that, ‘Teachers are really helping us catch up and do our very best.’

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The improved systems for the regular and detailed assessment of pupils’ progress provide a clearer picture of what each individual can do. Teachers make much better use of this information to identify those who are underachieving and provide them with extra help and support. This was reflected in the teaching observed jointly with you, which was of satisfactory quality and often included good elements.

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Class teachers are increasingly skilful at ensuring that work is of a sufficiently demanding level. As a consequence, many pupils make accelerated progress to make up lost ground. However, these good features are not consistent in all lessons. The lesson observations made by yourself and the school improvement partner confirmed these observations and have been used to identify some appropriately focused areas for further development.

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Your good leadership has enabled significant changes to be made to the way the school is managed. The newly formed senior management team share your vision for improvement. Subject leaders’ roles, responsibilities and accountabilities are now very clear and teachers are held accountable for the progress made by the pupils in their classes. However, with a high proportion of new staff, more time is needed before improvement becomes fully embedded across the school.

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Local authority advisors and consultants have provided good support for school improvement, which has been carefully devised to meet the school’s needs. There is now a shared vision for improvement and an ambition to succeed. Attainment and achievement are rising because the school is setting challenging targets and

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September 2009 PROTECT-INSPECTION Page 3 achieving them, although more remains be done. The school is well placed to continue to improve.

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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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