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 566857 Direct F 01695 729320 Direct email: jkinsman@cfbt.com

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Mrs Sandra Evans Headteacher Bamber Bridge St Aidan's Church of England Primary School Larch Grove Bamber Bridge Preston Lancashire PR5 6GX

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School

Following my visit to your school on 18 January 2013, 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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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, assistant headteacher and two subject leaders, the Governing Body, a representative of the local authority. The school action plan was evaluated. Minutes of the governing body and other documentation relating to the monitoring of standards was scrutinised.

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Context

The school has employed two temporary teachers to accelerate pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills in years 4, 5 and 6.

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Main findings

In response to the section 5 inspection, leaders and managers have produced a clear and well-organised action plan. Subject leaders have readily accepted more responsibility for the monitoring of standards and are starting to measure the impact of their work in order to raise achievement more rapidly. The Governing Body has changed the way that leaders and managers report to it, to ensure that they can clearly see the rate at which improvements are implemented. Members of the Governing Body have assessed their own effectiveness and produced an action plan identifying ways in which they can hold leaders to account more rigorously.

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Main findings

Subject leadership roles have been re-organised with the intention of accelerating progress for the current year 6, particularly in mathematics and English. Individual coaching is now in place to support those teachers who need to broaden their expertise in certain subjects, or improve their skills in planning and assessment. Senior leaders, governors and the local authority are taking collaborative action to ensure that the school provides better value for money by using the Teachers’ Standards and implementing more rigorous performance management. The local authority has provided training for all teachers around improving the pace of learning and accelerating progress for all pupils, particularly those in the middle ability range.

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Main findings

Senior leaders, governors and the local authority 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

 refine plans at senior leader and subject leader level to ensure that they explicitly focus upon the achievement of all groups  ensure that subject leaders and senior leaders meet more regularly to make best use of information about current achievement  continue to develop the role of governors in challenging leaders more rigorously about the achievement of all pupils.

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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 enhanced its level of support to help the school increase the pace of change to good effect. The monitoring and intervention team from the local authority is supporting the headteacher to improve teaching. Extra visits to monitor the school’s progress have taken place and two local authority representatives attended meetings with senior leaders and governors to scrutinise standards and effectiveness. The local authority is also providing bespoke training for governors to help them use information about students’ achievement more readily to hold leaders to account.

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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 Lancashire and as below. Yours sincerely

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Her Majesty's Inspector

The letter should be copied to the following:

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Her Majesty's Inspector

 Appropriate authority - Chair of the Governing Body/Interim Executive Board  Local authority  the academy chain where relevant  Diocese - for voluntary aided and voluntary controlled schools  The Education Funding Agency (EFA) if the school has a sixth form  The person or body responsible for appointing foundation governors if the school has a foundation  The lead inspector.

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