IT SEEMS that Ofsted really has its claws into Thurrock as they deliver another “pull no punches” assessment on a Thurrock primary school.
Ofsted returned to Little Thurrock primary, six months after giving the school a “Requires improvement” rating.
They make the following comments:
1.Leaders have adapted the school’s improvement plans to address all of the areas of improvement from the inspection in March 2013. Attainment and progress targets are set for July 2013 only and not beyond. Some of the targets are challenging enough, including those for attainment in writing. It is difficult therefore for governors and others to monitor the school’s progress in improving achievement overtime, so that it is good by the time of the next inspection.
2.Leaders are working with individual teachers to develop their practice through coaching and there has been some improvement in literacy and numeracy teaching. Some evaluations of the quality of teaching in subjects other than mathematics and English, by senior leaders, are too generous. Some weaknesses are missed and therefore feedback is not as helpful as it could be.
3.More needs to be done to ensure that all governors can challenge the school effectively. Governors are planning to request achievement data in a way that can be easily interpreted by all of them. Governors have not yet received the information they need to consider the pay structure of the staff and the quality of teaching. Nor do they have a grasp on the impact of pupil premium funding.
4.The local authority has brokered support for leadership and management and to improve teaching, which is beginning to have an impact. They have arranged for a local leader in education to work with the school and support it through transition to new leadership when the current headteacher leaves in August 2013. However while the governing body is developing its own effectiveness, the local authority is not monitoring the school’s progress carefully enough.
“Big trouble in Little Thurrock”. Up to your usual standard, I see, Michael !
Why state it as OFSTED having its claws in Thurrock, if the school has not made the changes necessary within the given time frame then something is going wrong with the senior management team and this needs to be improved or changed, there really are no excuses.
Now that Mr Kent is the portfolio holder maybe he will pick up on their last point about the local authority not monitoring the progress, obviously something that was very much lacking by the last holder of the post.