Setting

Mr Stuart Ludford Headteacher Hazeldown School Maudlin Drive Teignmouth Devon TQ14 8SE

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Hazeldown School

Following my visit to your school on 15 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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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Hazeldown School

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

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Evidence

During my visit I met with you and your deputy headteacher to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. I also discussed this with five members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority. You gave me a tour of the school and I was able to see pupils at work in their new classes as part of the school’s work on transition. I looked at a range of documents including some evaluations of lesson observations, the local authority’s improvement plan for the school and some minutes of recent governing body meetings. I also evaluated the school improvement plan.

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Context

Since the inspection a senior teacher with responsibility for literacy has decided to leave the school. The deputy head will be covering this teaching commitment until the vacancy can be filled. Tribal 1-4 Portland Square Bristol BS2 8RR T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0117 311 5316 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Email : Shannyn.sachse@tribalgroup.com

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Main findings

Working closely with your deputy headteacher, you have taken swift action to improve specific aspects of the school. The governing body have taken the inspection findings seriously and are seeking to develop their own practice. As a result, I believe that, together, you are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement, identified at the recent section 5 inspection.

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Main findings

You have rightly focussed on the quality of teaching and have introduced more frequent lesson observations with feedback that identifies clear areas for improvement for teachers. As we discussed, this now needs to become even more focussed so that teachers understand the precise areas of their teaching that they need to improve to accelerate pupil progress.

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Main findings

The governing body have met to discuss the findings of the report and already agreed to undertake an external review to strengthen their effectiveness. They have also met with staff to discuss the inspection findings and formed a smaller group to monitor the improvement plan. Governors now need to determine how they will support senior leaders to improve the quality of teaching and ensure that they are able to monitor improvements to this aspect of the school.

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Main findings

To maintain the pace of current work the school should take further action to:

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Main findings

 sharpen the focus in lesson observation feedback so that teachers are given specific areas that they can act upon  develop a more differentiated approach to improve the quality of teaching so that smaller groups of teachers can work together on common areas for improvement  simplify your non-negotiables for teaching and behaviour and work with staff to identify how they will be monitored  clarify how improvements in the quality of teaching are being monitored and evaluated by the school and the governing body.

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Main findings

Ofsted may carry out further visits and, where necessary, provide further support and challenge to the school until its next section 5 inspection. I will return to the school shortly to work with senior leaders and the governing body on the identification of milestones that can be used to monitor and evaluate rates of progress in teaching.

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External support

School leaders are making effective use of the support provide by the local authority because they have used it to strengthen specific areas of the school. For example, the work carried out to moderate the judgements of teaching by senior leaders provided a clear and accurate picture of the current profile of teaching within the school. Current plans to extend the support to encompass other aspects of provision and to secure the support of a national leader of education are clear and appropriate.

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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 Devon.

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