Setting

Tony Cox Headteacher Long Buckby Junior School South Close Long Buckby Northampton NN6 7PX

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School

Following my visit to your school on 9 July 2013, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report 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 February 2013. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Evidence

During the visit, I met with you and the assistant headteacher to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. I also met with two members of the governing body and the senior school improvement adviser from Northamptonshire local authority. The school improvement plans were evaluated along with monitoring records of teaching and assessments of pupils’ progress in English and mathematics. I visited each class with you and the assistant headteacher, and we spoke to some pupils during lessons about their learning and progress.

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Main findings

The headteacher has wasted no time taking the school forward since the school’s inspection. The teaching is improving and pupils are making better progress because senior leaders are checking pupil performance data and the quality of teaching regularly. There are good systems in place to monitor pupils’ learning over time and teachers have improved the way they mark and check pupils’ work. The governing Serco Inspections Colmore Plaza 20 Colmore Circus Queensway Birmingham B4 6AT T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01216 799154 Direct email :aidan.dunne@serco.com

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

body has also streamlined the way it works. A core group of governors is now responsible for monitoring alongside the school’s leaders. This is boosting the pace of improvement as governors are providing the right level of support, scrutiny and challenge to hold leaders to account for teachers’ performance. Nevertheless, some measures of success cited in the school’s improvement plans are not specific enough to help leaders judge the impact of the school’s actions. The headteacher and senior leaders are good at checking assessment data and can identify which pupils are making, or not making enough progress over time in English and mathematics. To build on this, leaders need to put in place specific training to help teachers measure pupils’ progress in lessons more sharply so that all pupils, particularly those that are more able, make good progress.

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection. The school should take further action to:

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

 include more specific measures of success in the improvement plans so that leaders and governors can judge whether pupils’ achievement and the teaching are improving enough  provide more training to help leaders and teachers measure pupils’ progress in lessons more sharply.

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

Ofsted may carry out further visits and, where necessary, provide further support and challenge to the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

The local authority has an accurate view of the school’s effectiveness and undertakes termly reviews of the school’s progress. There are plans to provide more focused support by setting up a partnership with a good or outstanding school. This is rightly aimed at sharing best practice and will enable teachers and leaders to see more good and outstanding 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 Northamptonshire local authority.

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

The letter should be copied to the following:

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

 Appropriate authority - Chair of the Governing Body/Interim Executive Board  Local authority – including where the school is an academy  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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