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NOTICE OF MEETING School Performance Advisory Panel Thursday 26 March 2009, 5.00 pm Function Room, Fifth Floor, Easthampstead House, Town Square, Bracknell To: The School Performance Advisory Panel Councillor Kendall (Chairman), Councillor Mrs Birch (Vice-Chairman), Councillors Dudley and Turrell cc: Substitute Members of the Committee Councillors Harrison, Mrs McCracken, Osborne, Mrs Ryder and Virgo ALISON SANDERS Director of Corporate Services EMERGENCY EVACUATION INSTRUCTIONS 1 If you hear the alarm, leave the building immediately. 2 Follow the green signs. 3 Use the stairs not the lifts. 4 Do not re-enter the building until told to do so. Contact: Sue Hills Telephone: (01344) 352060 Email: [email protected] Published: 11 March 2009 School Performance Advisory Panel Thursday 26 March 2009, 5.00 pm Function Room, Fifth Floor, Easthampstead House, Town Square, Bracknell AGENDA Page No 1. Apologies for Absence and Substitute Members To receive apologies for absence and to note the attendance of any substitute members. 2. Declarations of Interest Members are required to declare any personal or prejudicial interests and the nature of that interest, in respect of any matter to be considered at this meeting. 3. Minutes To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Panel held on 27 1 - 4 November 2008. 4. Urgent Items of Business Any other items which, pursuant to Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972, the Chairman decides are urgent. 5. Ofsted Inspection Reports on Bracknell Forest Schools To consider the attached report of the Director of Social Care and 5 - 8 Learning. i) College Town Infant and Nursery School 9 - 18 ii) College Hall Pupil Referral Unit 19 - 30 iii) Edgbarrow School 31 - 40 iv) Warfield CE Primary School 41 - 50 6. Date of Next Meeting Thursday 11 June 2009 Agenda Item 3 SCHOOL PERFORMANCE ADVISORY PANEL 27 NOVEMBER 2008 5.00 - 6.20 PM Present: Councillors Kendall (Chairman), Dudley and Turrell Apologies for absence were received from: Councillor Mrs Birch Also Present: Lesley Heale, Director of Social Care and Learning Sue Hills, Democratic Services Officer Bob Welch, Chief Adviser 18. Declarations of Interest Councillor Kendall declared an interest in agenda item 5(i) as a governor at Cranbourne Primary School. 19. Minutes RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Panel held on 14 October 2008 be approved as a correct record. 20. OFSTED Inspection Reports The Panel received the report of the Director of Social Care and Learning, informing of the findings of OFSTED inspections on Cranbourne Primary School and Wildridings Primary School. In the reports judgements were made based upon a four point grading scale: Grade 1 outstanding Grade 2 good Grade 3 satisfactory Grade 4 inadequate 20.1 Cranbourne Primary School Councillor Kendall, the Chairman, declared a personal interest in this item as he was a governor at the school. He remained in the meeting but took no part. With only two participating members, the meeting was not quorate during consideration of this report and the meeting continued on an informal basis. In the absence of the Vice Chairman, Councillor Turrell took the chair. 1 . The Chief Adviser reported the main findings of the OFSTED Section 5 Inspection Report on Cranbourne Primary School. Head Teacher, Colin Sambrook, and Chair of Governors, Dr Valerie Forster, attended the meeting to comment on the report and respond to members’ questions. The report concluded that Cranbourne Primary School was a satisfactory and improving school with a strong family feel. The following judgements were made:- Early Years and Foundation Stage outstanding Personal development and well-being good Teaching and learning good All other aspects satisfactory The Inspectors commented on the high standards in pupils’ reading. The report identified the following areas of improvement:- • Improving pupils’ writing skills • Improving academic guidance • Developing the role of middle managers. Colin Sambrook, Head Teacher, commented that it was a fair, accurate and positive report, very much in line with the school’s self assessment. He was pleased that the report had recognised improvement made and the capacity to improve further. He outlined to the Panel improvements being implemented at the school. Valerie Forster, Chair of Governors, acknowledged that the report was a vast improvement on the last inspection report. On behalf of the Panel, the Chairman thanked Mr Sambrook and Dr Forster for attending and asked them to convey to the staff, pupils and governors the Panel’s congratulations for the good report, in particular, for the grade 1 in the Early Years and Foundation Stage. 20.2 Wildridings Primary School Councillor Kendall in the Chair. The Chief Adviser reported the main findings of the OFSTED Section 5 Inspection Report on Wildridings Primary School. Head Teacher, Julia Evans, and Chair of Governors, Anthony Sly, attended the meeting to comment on the report and respond to members’ questions. Ms Evans took full responsibility for the school in September 2008, with some support from the former Head Teacher, after a year of mentored co-headship from him. The report concluded that Wildridings Primary School provided an acceptable standard of education. However the Early Years and Foundation Stage and the overall quality of teaching and learning were identified as being inadequate, resulting in the school being issued with a Notice to Improve. Personal development and well-being received a ‘good’ grade. The Inspectors recognised the strong sense of community in the school, the positive views of the 2 parents about the school’s ethos and the school’s capacity to improve. Other aspects of the school were judged to be satisfactory. The Panel noted that the Local Authority had submitted to OFSTED a Statement of Action, setting out the support that would be provided. The plan included identified support for the school from members of the Local Authority advisory team and from other local schools. Ms Evans informed the Panel that the majority of issues outlined in the report had already been identified by the school and incorporated into a 5 year plan. She was disappointed that the school had been served with the Notice to Improve but acknowledged that it brought with it support and finance. She outlined to the Panel some of the improvements already being rolled out, including putting together a programme of training and observation, and thanked the Local Authority for its support. Mr Sly expressed the governors’ support for Ms Evans and outlined plans to improve the management structure, including:- • developing key stage and subject leaders; • improving the Governing Body’s monitoring of the school; • the establishment of a Teaching and Learning Committee; • preparing assessment protocols. The Panel noted that it was planned to hold regular curriculum evenings for parents and the first one, soon to be held, was on reading. HMI would carry out a six month visit to assess progress and a full Inspection would be undertaken in a year’s time. Members of the Panel assured Ms Evans of their full support and encouraged her to seek and accept any help necessary to achieve her aims. The Panel also asked her to convey to the staff and governors at the school its good wishes in their endeavours over the next 12 months. The Panel asked the Director – (i) to re-affirm to Ms Evans the Panel’s strong support; (ii) to give a verbal update to the next meeting on the six month visit to assess progress; and (iii) to send to the Panel the authority’s Statement of Action. 21. Date of Next Meeting Thursday 26 March 2008 CHAIRMAN 3 This page is intentionally left blank 4 Agenda Item 5 SCHOOL PERFORMANCE ADVISORY PANEL 26 MARCH 2009 ___________________________________________________________________ OFSTED INSPECTION REPORTS ON BRACKNELL FOREST SCHOOLS (Director of Social Care and Learning) 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The purpose of this paper is to inform the Panel of the findings of OFSTED inspections of schools in Bracknell Forest. Attached as Appendices are reports on College Town Infant School, College Hall PRU, Edgbarrow School and Warfield CE Primary School. The reports include what the schools should do to improve further. 2 RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 That the Panel notes the findings of the inspection reports. 3 SUPPORTING INFORMATION 3.1 The schools were inspected on the following dates by OFSTED to the Framework for Inspection which was introduced in September 2005: College Town Infant School 15 January 2009 College Hall PRU 20 November 2008 Edgbarrow School 21 January 2009 Warfield CE Primary School 15 & 16 January 2009 Members were informed in detail of the changes to the school inspection regime in papers presented to the Panel in June 2005 and November 2006. 3.2 The new framework reflects the requirement in the Children Act 2004 for Ofsted to develop (in partnership with others) a procedure for the integrated inspection of children’s services. Inspectors are required to report on the contributions made by schools to the five outcomes for children and young people: • staying healthy • keeping safe • enjoying and achieving • contributing to the community • social and economic well-being. 3.3 The main features of the inspections are: • that they take no more than two days in a school and concentrate on closer interaction with senior managers in the school, taking self-evaluation evidence as the starting point. • that more emphasis is placed on the school’s own self-evaluation evidence as the starting point for inspection and for the school’s internal planning, and as the route to securing regular input and feedback from users – pupils, their parents and the community – in the school’s development. 5 3.4 Inspectors are required to arrive at an overall judgement on the effectiveness and efficiency of the school and this judgement should be informed by the capacity of the school to make improvements and to assess accurately the quality of its own provision.

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