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:

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Mrs F Swallow Headteacher Marsden Infant and Nursery School Brougham Road Marsden Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD7 6BN

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Nursery School, Kirklees

Following my visit with Nick Hudson Regional Director to your school on 13 September 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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Nursery School, Kirklees

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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Nursery School, Kirklees

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:  ensure monitoring places greater emphasis on the quality and the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning  link monitoring activities to the school’s improvement plan and record them clearly so that leaders can hold staff to account more effectively  agree milestones along the journey to ‘good’ so there is a common understanding of how well the school is doing  review targets for pupils’ progress to ensure they reflect the ambition and drive of leaders and governors to get to ‘good’  strengthen the school improvement plan to focus the actions and monitoring of senior leaders and governors on clear criteria for success.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you, three senior leaders, members of the governing body and two representatives from the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. The school improvement action plan and other documentation related to school improvement were evaluated.

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Context

Since the inspection the deputy headteacher has resigned and a new assistant headteacher has started at the school.

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Main findings

Since the inspection the school has restructured the senior leadership team. Together with the leader with responsibility for special educational needs and the leader for the Early Years Foundation Stage, the leadership team now has a better balance of responsibilities across the school. Leaders have a clear commitment to more rigorous monitoring and have undertaken training to develop their skills in this area. They have a ‘yes we can’ attitude. This is reflected in the reallocation of classes to distribute skills and expertise across the school and ensure stronger teachers are able to share their effective practice.

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Main findings

Leaders have drafted an improvement plan which contains appropriate actions to address the issues identified in the inspection report. However, the criteria and milestones against which improvement can be measured need to be sharpened further to enable governors and leaders to hold staff to account effectively. The school has clear systems for tracking the progress and attainment of pupils across the school and identifying where pupils are not making the progress expected. Leaders accept that targets for pupils’ progress need to be more challenging.

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Main findings

Monitoring to check the progress of improvements is underway. However, this needs greater emphasis on the quality of teaching and its impact on learning and should be linked to clear milestones in the school improvement plan.

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Main findings

Governors have received training and are reviewing their role and are engaging with support to ensure a greater focus on improvement and holding leaders to account.

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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

There has been effective support from the local authority which has included identifying, brokering and delivering training to leaders and the governing body. There is a clear strategy further to customise the support for the school as the new leadership team becomes established.

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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 Kirklees 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/Interim Executive Board  Local authority - including where the school is an academy  Contractor providing support services on behalf of the local authority - where appropriate  The Education Funding Agency (EFA) if the school has a sixth form  Diocese - for voluntary aided and voluntary controlled schools  The person or body responsible for appointing foundation governors if the school has a foundation

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