Setting

PROTECT-INSPECTION

Miss Alison Bull Headteacher Bantock Primary School Aston Street Penn Fields Wolverhampton WV3 0HY

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Education act 2005 to Bantock Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 29 November 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 Bantock Primary School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in September 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, staff, the Chair and members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority. The school’s improvement plans were evaluated, together with the minutes of the governing body’s meetings, the impact of performance management and the school’s monitoring and tracking data.

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Context

There are no significant changes in context since the last inspection.

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Main findings

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 3263 Direct email :lewis.mackie1@serco.com

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

The school’s development plan has been rewritten to more effectively cover the issues identified in the previous inspection. The school development plan does not sufficiently incorporate the monitoring activities which senior leaders carry out. The inclusion of measurable outcomes would help school leaders clarify how effective their interventions and support are in improving the progress of different groups of pupils.

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The school is regularly monitoring teaching and staff have had some training. The school scrutinises feedback from teachers to pupils about their learning. Evidence from the school’s monitoring indicates that more staff are following the marking policy and feedback to pupils is improving.

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The governing body has an action plan and has asked for governing body minutes to reflect the challenge it gives to senior leaders. Examples of challenge could not be seen as the latest minutes were not available. Currently, no individual governor takes responsibility for scrutinising how the additional funds given to the school for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals are spent.

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The current headteacher retires at the end of this term and a newly appointed headteacher takes up post in January 2013.

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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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 ensure the school development plans have clear measurable outcomes for all groups of pupils  ensure that a member of the governing body has oversight of additional funding paid to the school for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals  HMI will return to the school to monitor the actions of the newly appointed headteacher with particular regard to the school’s development plan, and to review the progress the governing body has made in challenging and holding senior leaders to account.

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

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External support

The local authority knows the school well and has regular discussions about the school’s progress. It has ensured that the incoming headteacher will receive support from another headteacher at a nearby school. The school is part of a group of schools who support and help each other.

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

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