Whitchurch C of E Junior School “absolutely determined” to improve following Ofsted inspection

Staff and governors at Whitchurch C of E Junior School say they are “absolutely determined” to improve after Ofsted inspectors rated the school as ‘inadequate’ following an inspection in November 2017.

At their previous inspection in January 2013 the school was rated as ‘good’.

Now the school says that they want to become ‘good’ again as soon as possible, and have already begun work to address the areas for improvement identified by Ofsted inspectors. The school is working closely with education advisers from Shropshire Council to ensure that the measures needed to bring about the improvements are put in place.

In the Ofsted report – published on Thursday 21 December 2017 – inspectors ruled that the effectiveness of leadership and management; quality of teaching, learning and assessment; and outcomes for pupils were all ‘inadequate’ and that personal development, behaviour and welfare ‘requires improvement’. They rated the school as ‘inadequate’ overall.

Government inspectors will now return at regular intervals to check on the progress the school is making and that improvements are happening at the pace required.

Although inspectors raised a number of concerns, their report does highlight a number of strengths.

They found that children behave well, and report improvements in: the standards of pupils’ writing; the attendance of disadvantaged pupils; the development of artistic learning within the curriculum; and in pupils’ behaviour.

They also found the school has made several key appointments designed to address standards in core subjects. They say that “new leaders are experienced, enthusiastic and understand key issues”.

Diana West, headteacher at Whitchurch CE Junior School, said:

“We are extremely disappointed by the inspection outcome. Only one week prior to the inspection, feedback from parents was the most positive that we have had in recent years with 100% of parents indicating that they feel “my child is well taught at this school” and 100% of parents stating that they would recommend the school to another parent. Recent external reviews of the school have also felt the school to be in a stronger position than the inspection reflects.

“Nevertheless, the inspection team have identified that the school requires significant improvement and we have taken this on board. We are absolutely determined to ensure that we quickly return to our Ofsted status as a ‘good’ school and have already begun our fight back to address the priorities for improvement.”

Karen Bradshaw, director of children’s services with Shropshire Council, said:

“It is clear that there are issues that need to be addressed. However, the headteacher, staff and governors have already begun work with the support of advisers from the council to address these priorities. We are all committed to making the necessary improvements to ensure the best possible provision for all pupils at the school.”

The school sent home a copy of the Ofsted report to all parents this week, with a letter outlining the actions that the school is taking to address the report’s findings.

The two-day inspection took place on 14 and 15 November 2017 and the inspectors’ report was published on Thursday 21 December.

Further information

1 – Actions that the school has taken, and will take, to address the findings of the Ofsted report, include:

• The school has asked Shropshire Council to review its SEN provision. This review has already taken place and as a result they have clarified SEN information on the school website and purchased a tracking system to simplify the way progress and attainment for SEN pupils is recorded.
• Reading time from 1pm-1.30pm has been made more focused on improving the children’s comprehension skills and weekly checks will be made to ensure this is happening in all classes.
• The way that lessons are planned has been reviewed to make sure that work is challenging enough and that it builds on past learning more effectively.
• The governors have created a standards working group to focus tightly on checking that the school’s actions are having a rapid impact on children’s learning.
• The school will review its Pupil Premium spending and recommendations from the review will be put in place.
• The work of the school’s governors will be reviewed and governors will be given guidance about how to carry out their roles on the best way possible.
• The school will work with successful, ‘National Leaders of Education,’ local Teaching Schools and Shropshire Council to ensure that outcomes improve rapidly.

2 –  There are four Ofsted grading categories:

Grade 1: Outstanding
Grade 2: Good
Grade 3: Requires Improvement
Grade 4: Inadequate