Setting

Miss Lesley Lawrence Headteacher West Byfleet Junior School Camphill Road West Byfleet Surrey KT14 6EF

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School

Following my visit to your school on 6 March 2014, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the findings. 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 November 2013. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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School

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you, other senior leaders, members of Governing Body and a representative of the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. The school improvement plans were evaluated. Brief lesson observations were undertaken across the school.

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Main findings

Both senior leaders and governors are in no doubt that key aspects of school’s work need to be improved more rapidly. You and the leadership team have written suitable plans to address the weaknesses identified in the last inspection focusing on teaching, improving pupils’ writing and increasing the effectiveness of leaders and 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 5307 Email : rachel.evans@tribalgroup.com

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

governors. You now need to give more attention to carefully monitoring the impact of the actions taken, on a regular basis and with more specific timescales. The rate of improvement needs to be increased.

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

Increasingly more leaders are observing lessons and monitoring teaching, both formally and informally, focussing particularly on improving pupils’ writing which is a key area of the schools work. Senior leaders have attended externally-led training to improve their skills in monitoring the work of the school, especially teaching. The English leader is now fully aware of the roles and responsibilities of her work. Some aspects of this role are new and therefore at this stage the overall longer term impact remains to be seen. The school’s focus on writing is beginning to have a positive impact on pupils’ achievements. There is a greater consistency between classes in the approaches used by teachers to improve pupils’ writing. Pupils are writing regularly for a wide range of purposes in different areas of the curriculum.

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

The analysis of assessment information as an aid to raising pupils’ achievements is improving. Increasingly teachers are using this information to check more robustly that pupils are making expected and better than expected progress. Although you have improved the range of monitoring activities there is not yet a strong enough link made between the work in pupils’ books, assessment data and the quality of teaching.

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PROTECT-INSPECTION

The governing body has had a review of its work and is now ensuring that it is addressing all the recommendations within it. They have increased the rigour of their challenge to school leaders but need to ensure that all governors become more skilled and knowledgeable.

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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 appropriate procedure to regularly hold the school leaders and governors to account. A programme of support has been scheduled to develop both curriculum and management approaches, but it is too early to see any impact.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Director of Children’s Services for Surrey.

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