Setting

Ms Aileen Jamieson Rushey Mead Primary School Gipsy Lane Leicester Leicestershire LE4 6RB

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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 Wednesday 21 April 2010 , for the time you gave to our phone discussions and for the information which you provided before and during my visit .

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Since the school was inspected in June 2008, two newly qualified teachers have been appointed. A number of new governors have been appointed and a new Chair of Governors was elected in September 2009. The headteacher will be retiring in the summer of 2010.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

As a result of the inspection on 16 June 2008, the school was asked to: improve the quality of teaching, ensure assessment information was accurate and pupils had guidance to improve their work, and improve monitoring and evaluation procedures.

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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 inadequate progress in making improvements and in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with knowledge and skills that are significantly below those expected for this age. Many do not speak English as their first language. Although attainment remains well below national expectations by the time pupils enter Key Stage 1, the introduction of ‘letters and sounds’ is beginning to improve reading and writing skills. In 2009, attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 declined and is significantly below average for reading, writing and mathematics. Despite a slight improvement in writing, both reading and mathematics dipped compared with 2008. Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 remains significantly below average. In 2009, there were further dips in English and mathematics compared with 2008, although standards rose slightly in science, particularly at Level 5. Moderated teacher assessments in January 2010 indicate that standards throughout the school remain well below average and progress is variable. For

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Serco Inspections Boundary House 2 Wythall Green Way Middle Lane BIRMINGHAM West Midlands B47 6LW T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Page 2 example, less than half of the current Year 6 has made the expected progress since the end of Key Stage 1. The most recent school data indicates that a greater proportion of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are making the expected two levels progress in English and mathematics. Statutory targets are suitably challenging but they were not met in 2009 and pupils are not currently on track to meet 2010 targets. There is still work to do in improving the achievement and attainment for the large majority of the pupils and closing the attainment gap.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The quality of teaching and learning seen during the monitoring inspection was satisfactory. In stronger lessons pupils are suitably challenged and expectations are high. Lesson monitoring undertaken by the school indicates that a greater proportion of lessons are judged to be good or better. These recent improvements in teaching have not yet impacted fully on outcomes for pupils. Lessons are characterised by positive relationships, good behaviour and effective support from bi-lingual teaching assistants. Work is regularly marked, but pupils are not given sufficient guidance about how to improve the quality of their work. The quality of presentation in pupils’ books is inconsistent. Basic errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar are not always addressed and this slows progress in pupils’ acquisition of basic skills. Pupils have learning targets for writing and mathematics but this is a recent development.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

Data about pupils’ performance is collected regularly, moderated and appropriately analysed. Teachers use this information to plan their lessons and they are now being held to account for pupils’ progress. Senior staff regularly monitor the quality of teaching and learning. Feedback to staff is currently not sufficiently robust to bring about more rapid improvement. Middle leaders undertake a range of monitoring activities and contribute positively to school improvement. The school development plan is currently being revised. The school rightly focuses on raising standards and improving the quality of teaching. However, the plan lacks robust measurable targets that are clearly linked to raising standards. There are no regular milestones to measure success or clear lines of accountability. Self-evaluation is generally accurate, if a little generous.

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Ofsted monitoring of Grade 3 schools

The school has made some limited progress in tackling the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection, most notably improving the quality of teaching and implementing more robust systems to monitor and evaluate the work of the school. However, the impact on outcomes for pupils has been limited and the school remains vulnerable to failure at its next inspection. The local authority has provided helpful support and the impact of this work has been satisfactory. During the inspection, safeguarding procedures were checked and found to meet the latest requirements.

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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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