Setting

PROTECT-INSPECTION

Mrs Julie Ward Headteacher Burbage Primary School Cavendish Avenue Burbage Buxton SK17 9AE

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Education act 2005 to Burbage Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 17 December 2012, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report on the findings of my visit. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Education act 2005 to Burbage Primary School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in October 2012. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. The school improvement plan was evaluated.

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Context

There have been no significant changes to staffing or in the school’s status since the last inspection.

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Main findings

There is a determination among staff and the governing body to improve the school to become good or outstanding. School leaders have increased their expectations of what pupils should achieve in reading, writing and mathematics and are in the Serco Inspections Cedar House 21 William Street Edgbaston Birmingham B15 1LH T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0121 683 3281 Direct email :siobhan.garrattley@serco.com

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

process of implementing a more robust system to monitor and track the progress that pupils make.

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

An appropriate improvement plan has been produced, in conjunction with the local authority, to address the issues raised at the time of the last inspection. The plan outlines appropriate actions to be taken by staff to address the school’s weaknesses. However, it does not include clear milestones to enable leaders, including the governing body, to check if pupils are on track to achieve their targets, or if the quality of teaching is improving quickly enough.

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School leaders check on the quality of teachers’ planning documents, check pupils’ work and observe lessons. As a result, they have been successful in identifying issues across the school to focus training on and support improvement. However, leaders do not always identify clear improvement targets for individual teachers to help them to improve their practice.

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

The governing body has an appropriate understanding of the school’s priorities and are becoming increasingly involved in checking the work of the school. Training is planned to develop governors’ skills in analysing data about pupils’ progress to help them to ask school leaders more challenging questions.

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

Senior leaders and governors have begun to take effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection. Following the visit to the school, HMI recommend that further action is taken to:

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 include clear milestones in the school improvement plan, so that leaders, including the governing body, can check that pupils are on track to achieve their targets and that teaching is improving quickly enough  ensure that leaders identify sharply focused improvement targets for each teacher to support their improved practice.

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

Ofsted will continue to monitor the school until its next section 5 inspection. The headteacher will submit the school’s revised improvement plan to the HMI by the end of January 2013.

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External support

Since the last inspection the local authority has supported the school to prepare an improvement plan to address the issues outlined at the last inspection. Further support has been provided to identify links with other local schools recognised for their good practice. The support has been welcomed by school staff and the governing body.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services for Derbyshire local authority.

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