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 Hobbs Headteacher Bay Primary School St Alban Road Bridlington YO16 7SZ

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Riding of Yorkshire

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 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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Riding of Yorkshire

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 the visit, I met with you and other senior leaders, the Chair and one other member of the Governing Body, a representative from the local authority and a group of pupils. I evaluated the school action plan and scrutinised other key documentation. I also had the opportunity to accompany you on a tour of the school.

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Context

Since the last inspection, you have expanded your senior leadership team, and made new appointments to the positions of literacy co-ordinator and leader of Key Stage 2. A newly qualified teacher has been appointed to teach Year 4 and one other full time teacher has also been appointed. Both of these members of staff will take up their positions in September 2013.

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Main findings

The recent inspection report acknowledges that Bay Primary is an improving school and you and your team were initially very disappointed with the judgement. That said, you feel the whole process has made the school community stronger, and you have wasted no time at all in using it as a catalyst for a renewed focus on the next stage of improvement. You had produced your first draft of your action plan by the day after the inspection and you refused to allow anyone to wallow in their disappointment. Your positive response has galvanised staff and governors and the impact of this is already evident.

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Main findings

The swift decision to extend the senior leadership team means that you are not trying to do everything, as had previously been the case. You quickly identified that building leadership capacity was more important than looking for quick fixes. Members of this new team carried out a full programme of joint lesson observations very soon after the inspection. Following this, the senior leadership `coaching task force´ has provided effective personalised support to individual teachers which has already led to an improvement in the quality of teaching across the school. Inadequate teaching has been eradicated and the target set for the proportion of teaching judged to be good or better by October 2013 has already been met. This has allowed you to raise the bar even further in this area. All teachers are members of coaching triads which reflects the importance you give to the philosophy of learning from each other. This method also enables you to make the most of the good and outstanding

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Main findings

practice which exists in school. There are plans for support staff and governors to form coaching triads in September 2013.

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Main findings

Your robust tracking of pupils’ achievement, which is now done half-termly, shows that pupils in Year 1 and 2 are not building on the very strong start they get in the Reception class and are not making enough progress. You have implemented a full review of Key Stage 1 provision to drill down and find out the reasons for this. The recent Year 6 results demonstrated improvements in all areas apart from attainment in mathematics, and you have identified possible reasons for this. There have been significant improvements in pupils’ writing across the school.

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Main findings

The school action plan sets a clear route for sustained improvement but it is not clear who specifically is responsible for leading, monitoring and evaluating the impact of the various actions. Attendance was identified as an area for improvement in the recent inspection, but you do not include this in your action plan. However, the pupils I spoke to said you were taking a `firm line´ on this and were keen to help their class win the attendance trophy each week in assembly.

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Main findings

Governors share your `can do´ attitude. The Chair of the Governing Body’s immediate reaction to the feedback at the last inspection was, `let’s get on with it´, which is exactly what they have done. She has a great deal of experience in education which enables her to support and challenge you very effectively. The rest of the governing body has a wide range of expertise and they have benefited from training from both the local authority and senior leaders. They are now asking you more challenging questions, particularly about pupils’ achievement. 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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Main findings

 sharpen the school action plan so it is clear about who is responsible for leading, monitoring and evaluating the various actions, and includes a specific section on attendance  ensure that pupils rapidly improve their achievement in mathematics  ensure that all pupils make the best possible progress in Key Stage 1.

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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.

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External support

The local authority has provided effective support for the school. It has played a key role in training and coaching the recently appointed senior leaders. As a result of this they are now confident in their ability to make robust lesson observation judgements, give helpful but challenging feedback and create effective support plans. This has been instrumental in bringing about improvements to the quality of teaching across the school. The local authority has delivered training to all staff on how to move from good to outstanding and worked alongside the school in the setting up of the coaching triads. Their training to governors has given them the skills to dig deeper than they had previously done, particularly on pupils’ achievement.

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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 East Riding of Yorkshire and as below.

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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  Local authority  The lead inspector.

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