Contact: John Clarke, Deputy Director of Children's Services, Tel 01962 846459 [email protected] or

Richard Mitchell, Strategic School Improvement Manager, Tel 023 92 441471 [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 In March 2006, two HMI returned to carry out the first monitoring inspection of
Siskin, as a result of the school being deemed to be in need of special measures in September 2005. The detail of this inspection is in the attached report. The main outcomes related to the areas for improvement identified by the initial inspection report were:

· Progress since being subject to special measures - satisfactory

· Progress in raising standards and achievement with a focus on basic skills - inadequate

· Progress in improving pupils' behaviour and attitudes to learning - satisfactory

· Progress in improving rates of attendance - inadequate

· Progress in improving the quality of teaching and learning and the use of
assessment procedures - satisfactory

· Progress in improving the quality of care - satisfactory

· Progress in improving leadership and management - satisfactory

· Quality of the Local Authority's statement of action - good.

2 Background

2.1 Sean Connor is headteacher of the school, which has 46.9% of its population entitled to free school meals. The number on roll is 175. The percentage of pupils identified as having special educational needs (SEN) and receiving additional support in the form of School Action or School Action Plus is 41.7%.

3 Action taken by the Local Authority (LA)

3.1 Action taken by the LA since the last monitoring report in
December 2005:

· the School Improvement Manager (SIM) has continued to project manage the school

· the SIM has chaired two strategy group meetings

· the SIM has written two monitoring reports

· the attached inspector (AI) has provided intensive support for leadership and management and for teaching, learning and behaviour, mainly funded through the Intensifying Support Programme (ISP); this support and its impact has been noted in reports

· English and mathematics consultants and inspectors have worked with staff and children on a regular basis

· the LA has provided the services of a Primary Strategy Consultant Leader (PSCL) to advise the headteacher on improving leadership and management

· three additional governors and a new clerk have been provided and governors' meetings have been supported by a member of the LA governor services; a number of the original governors have now left

· an inspector for SEN, an educational psychologist and members of the behaviour support team have advised and supported on issues of behaviour

· an educational welfare officer has supported on attendance issues

3.2 The impact of much of this support, along with the hard work of the school's
leadership, is evident in the inspection findings, particularly in improved behaviour, teaching and learning, and leadership and management. It will take some time to see impact on standards and progress but it is expected that this will become evident in termly progress reports, from now on, and in the standards attainment test results in 2007. The impact of support on attendance is yet to be seen, as more temporary exclusions, whilst having a positive impact on behaviour, are resulting in weaker attendance statistics.

4 LA Statement of Action

4.1 The SIM will continue to monitor the school's progress through actions stated in the LA plan. From May there will be two separate strategy groups: one with a strategic focus and the other with a standards and progress focus. This is to enable even more focussed support and challenge. The school will remain in the ISP for another year.

4.2 This term there will be a particular focus on:

· improving children's standards and progress through better tracking procedures. This will be accomplished through regular meetings with the headteacher, AI and individual teachers, where each teacher will be held to account for the progress of each child in their class

· further developing the skills of the leadership team through support from the AI, PSCL and SIM; this will include inducting the new deputy headteacher who will take up post in September

· reviewing and implementing strategies to improve attendance further.

4.3 Towards the end of the term the first evaluation activities related to the LA plan
will take place. The results from this, along with another report from HMI, probably in June, will focus the work for the next academic year, at the end of which it is expected that the school will no longer be in need of special measures.

5 Legal implications

5.1 None

6 Financial implications

6.1 None

7 Personnel implications

7.1 None

8 Impact assessment

8.1 Race and equality impact assessment has been considered in the development of this report and no adverse impact have been identified.

9 Crime Prevention issues

9.1 None

10 Views of the Local County Councillor

10.1 The local County Councillor has been informed of the outcome of this inspection but views were not sought in the drafting of this report.

Recommendation

1 That this report be noted.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act

None