2 November 2007 Mr W Chatwin Headteacher Elmete ... - Ofsted

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for them to distract each other. Some pupils find these tasks too simple. On other occasions the lack of challenge stems from teachers not wishing to intimidate pupils. Staff can become over-protective, offering answers to questions rather than leaving space for pupils to take more responsibility for their response. However, there were good examples of more effective practice when teachers asked questions and left time for the pupil to reflect before answering. Teachers were conscious of the need to maintain a good pace, used questioning skilfully to draw pupils into the activities and offered opportunities for them to evaluate their own work. A similar systematic approach is supporting the development of the curriculum. Very thorough monitoring of medium and long-term planning has identified areas of the curriculum where planning needs to be improved to give pupils a consistent experience. The programme for personal social and health education (PSHE) has been fully planned and agreed with good support from Education Leeds’ consultants. The priority area of sexual and relationships education is well under way. After internal monitoring identified fundamental flaws in the provision for physical education (PE), the scheme of work has been radically changed to emphasise skills rather than activities in both the lesson plans and assessment approaches. Support staff are undertaking specialist PE training and the school is offering pupils opportunities to train as junior sports leaders. Senior managers are exploring ways of providing further PE opportunities in partnership with a nearby secondary school. Recent appointments of subject leaders for PE and PSHE have added stability to these improvements. An after-school club in creative arts, open to all pupils, has been established this term in conjunction with the youth service. The newly appointed parent and family support worker has been successful in liaising with some individual families and this has resulted in improved attendance in these cases. The impact of the recently established multi-disciplinary team within the school is yet to be evaluated, although early evidence suggests this is a positive development. A pilot project pulling together the pupils’ behaviour, academic, attendance and healthy and safe living targets into an individual learning plan is being prepared for implementation for Key Stage 3 pupils at the Stonegate Road site. This involves the pupils, parents and carers and has much promise. There are examples of good written feedback being given to pupils about their work. The best clearly identifies what they have mastered, the level of their work and also describes what they need to do to improve further. However, this practice is inconsistent across subjects and in some cases within a subject. Progress on the areas for improvement identified by the inspection in February <strong>2007</strong>: � Ensure pupils achieve well by improving the quality of teaching and the curriculum – satisfactory. Leadership and management The senior staff are working well as a team and, as a consequence, are delivering consistent messages to staff. Staff are responding well to the challenges set and they are fully involved in school development through their membership of various ‘change’ groups, such as those looking at teaching and learning and the Page 4 of 6
management of behaviour. Senior staff are ensuring that good practice in school is shared, as well as identifying where development is needed. A good example is the form used to record lesson observations. This is detailed and clear and concludes with strengths, areas for development and practice to be shared. The school’s records show that the quality of teaching is not less than satisfactory, with about half being good. Inspectors also found about half of the teaching to be good but also found a small amount of teaching to be inadequate. Substantial changes in staffing make comparisons of the quality of teaching over time difficult. Nevertheless, there is evidence that the teaching is improving. Monitoring by seniors leaders, along with guidance from Education Leeds, has improved the consistency of planning. Subject leaders are furthering their influence by observing lessons delivered by other teachers and in managing assessment data. Although there remain inconsistencies between subjects, often associated with permanency of staffing, subject leaders are leading their subjects with more confidence. A policy and process for performance management has been agreed, with suitable links between staff’s performance objectives and whole-school priorities. The school improvement plan is currently based on the key areas for development from the last inspection. These plans are regularly and effectively monitored by the governing body, the task group, which comprises senior staff and local authority officers, and also the joint review group, chaired by a senior officer from Education Leeds. The school has responded well to the points for further improvement identified at the last monitoring inspection. The monitoring of pupils’ placements with alternative providers has improved. Effective work has been done to make the assessments of the pupils’ work more accurate. There have been improvements in the use of academic targets in lesson plans, although this practice is variable. The governing body is at full complement. It has been strengthened by the appointment of new governors, some with relevant expertise. The training governors have received has been helpful in developing their skills and understanding. Members are now in a better position to hold the school to account in their work as ‘critical friends’. Progress on the areas for improvement identified by the inspection in February <strong>2007</strong>: � Establish robust systems to monitor the effectiveness of the SILC and its impact on learning and achievement – satisfactory. � Make the workload of the leadership team more equitable and effective – good. External support There has been bespoke support for subject leaders, from Education Leeds’ national strategies’ consultants. Their action plans to support the school are helpful and map out their commitment for the rest of the school year. The benefit of this support is already evident in improved assessments, planning and monitoring. As members of the task group and joint review group, officers from Education Leeds are helping Page 5 of 6
Page 1 and 2: CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 W
Page 3: Personal development and well-being

2 November 2007 Mr W Chatwin Headteacher Elmete ... - Ofsted

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