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 566 937 Direct F 01695 729320 Direct email: jsimmons@cfbt.com

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Mrs E Grimshaw Headteacher St Antony's RC Primary School Shadsworth Road Blackburn Lancashire BB1 2HP

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Education act 2005 to St Antony's RC Primary School, Blackburn with Darwen

Following my visit to your school on 22 April 2013 with Drew Crawshaw HMI, 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 St Antony's RC Primary School, Blackburn with Darwen

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in February 2013. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Evidence

During the visit, I held meetings with you, the deputy headteacher, the Chair of the Governing Body and the assistant headteacher who has overall responsibility for Key Stage 2. I also met with the school improvement officer from the local authority. I scrutinised a range of documents including the school development plan, the post Ofsted action plan and the minutes of those governing body meetings that have taken place since the inspection. I also took the opportunity to look at the school’s current data on pupils’ progress and examined the work in a sample of their books so that I could assess the quality of marking.

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Context

There have been no changes to staffing since the previous inspection. However, senior leaders have carried out a review of how staff are deployed in the school. As a result the governors are seeking to strengthen the management team and are advertising for a teacher to join you and take responsibility for the leadership and management of lower Key Stage 2. This is the area of the school that relates to Years 3 and 4. In addition, from September 2013, to further improve the quality of teaching in music and religious education, pupils will be taught by a specialist teacher of both subjects.

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Main findings

The school development plan addresses the main areas for improvement and is supplemented by a separate Ofsted action plan, written in response to the inspection. This plan describes the actions leaders and managers will take to address each of the areas for improvement identified by inspectors. These include improving the quality of teaching and reviewing the deployment of staff, particularly at Key Stage 2, so that teachers’ expertise is used more effectively to drive up standards.

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Main findings

Although the post Ofsted action plan is detailed it is not sharp enough. The targets for improvement are not in an order of priority. So it is hard to tell which are the most important. Staff who have responsibility for each target have not been identified. It is also not clear how the governing body will check that the actions being taken are having a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes.

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Main findings

Senior leaders’ monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning is now more robust. They are taking effective action to improve lesson planning so that the needs of all pupils are catered for in lessons. Early indications from the school’s achievement data are that this is having a positive impact on pupils’ progress.

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Main findings

Senior leaders have reviewed the school’s marking policy since the inspection and a revised version has recently been introduced. Pupils’ books are marked regularly and pupils receive praise when work has been done well. However, pupils are often not given enough information about how they can improve their work and when they are, pupils do not always follow it up. Consequently opportunities are missed for pupils to learn from their mistakes.

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Main findings

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, I would recommend that further action is taken to:

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Main findings

 sharpen the post Ofsted action plan so that it is clear what the order of priorities are; identify who has responsibility for each of the actions to improve the school and clarify how governors will check the impact of these actions on outcomes for pupils  embed the school’s new marking policy so that pupils receive high quality feedback from all their teachers and are given opportunities to follow it up so that they are able improve their work.

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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 school improvement officer continues to provide effective support for senior leaders in their drive to improve the school. Since the inspection this support and guidance has been geared to improving the quality of teaching and learning in Key Stage 2.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Director of Education for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford and the Director of Children's Services for Blackburn with Darwen. Yours sincerely

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