Setting

CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 West Lancs Investment Centre Maple View Skelmersdale WN8 9TG T 0300 1231231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01695 566939 Direct F 01695 729320 Direct email: glaw@cfbt.com

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Mr Mark Barlow Headteacher Hanley St Luke's CofE Aided Primary School Wellington Road Hanley Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire ST1 3QH

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Education act 2005 to Hanley St Luke's CofE Aided Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 18 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 Hanley St Luke's CofE Aided 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, the strategic principal of the local academy, a representative of the local authority, the Chair of the Governing Body and three other governors. The school improvement plan was evaluated.

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Context

There have been no important changes to the staffing since the October inspection.

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Main findings

Plans for improvement are in place and are being acted upon. They include all the areas identified at the last inspection and have clear time-scales for putting actions into practice. Some of the planned activities do not have regular short-term checks to enable the school’s leaders and the governing body to be sure that pupils are on course to make the rapid progress necessary. In-school training, sharing of good practice and visits to observe good teaching at other local schools have provided teachers with opportunities to develop their teaching skills. Senior leaders have undertaken joint lesson observations with the strategic principal of the local academy to improve their skills in monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching. Subject leaders are undertaking a leadership development programme. Although the work of the governing body was not identified as an area for improvement at the last inspection, many governors have attended training and are now more aware of their

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Main findings

role in monitoring and evaluating pupils’ achievement. The governing body is now wisely looking to develop its own plan for improvement, with support from the local authority and the headteacher. Senior leaders and governors are taking 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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Main findings

■ ensure that the plans for improvement show regular short-term checks ■ develop an improvement plan for the governing body.

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Main findings

Ofsted will continue to monitor the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

The local authority has provided training and guidance to the headteacher and governing body, and has linked the school with a local academy. The strategic principal of the academy is providing guidance to the school through working with senior leaders and enabling teachers to visit the academy to observe examples of good teaching.

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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 Stoke-On-Trent.

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