Setting

Mr Tim Clarke Headteacher Norbriggs Primary School Norbriggs Road Mastin Moor Chesterfield S43 3BW

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School

Following my visit to your school on 21 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 January 2014. 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 the governing body, and a representative of the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. I visited all classrooms and held discussions with some pupils. The school’s post-inspection action plan was evaluated. I looked also at a selection of the pupils’ exercise books and examples of the teachers’ planning.

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Main findings

You responded promptly to the inspection. An action plan was drawn up swiftly and was discussed and agreed by the governing body shortly afterwards. The action plan 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 : 0121 679 9146 Direct email : clare.benson@serco.com is focused unequivocally on tackling the areas for improvement from the inspection, although it does not make clear how the school will evaluate its success.

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Main findings

Senior leaders have carried out a number of well-conceived activities to check that the actions required in the school’s plan are being carried out. As a consequence, they are better informed and providing more and better feedback to the teachers about their work. That is leading, in turn, to improvements in the teachers’ practice.

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Main findings

The staff have responded positively to the outcome of the inspection. They have made several changes to their practice already. They are making better use of assessment information and targets for the pupils to plan lessons that focus on the pupils acquiring and applying new learning. As a result, the pupils are clearer about what they are expected to learn.

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Main findings

There are early indications that changes in the way the pupils’ work is marked, including opportunities for the pupils to correct and amend their work, and several strategies you have introduced for improving the pupils’ handwriting are helping the pupils to make better progress. The changes are not embedded, however, and some continuing variations in practice mean that not all of the pupils are as aware of how to improve as others.

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Main findings

You are making more-effective use of data about the pupils’ achievement. As a result, for example, you are now identifying pupils with special educational needs more accurately than before and have improved the provision for these pupils.

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Main findings

The governing body is starting to exert more influence over the pace of improvement at the school. For example, its discussions about the post-inspection action plan resulted in the timings of some planned activities being identified more clearly. As a result, the governing body is able to check more easily what progress is being made. Though not required as a result of the inspection, the governing body has identified that it would be useful to have an external review of governance. I endorse that view.

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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 already provided you with helpful support in developing effective ways on checking how well the school is improving. It has facilitated contacts with other schools where you have been able to observe good practice. You have initiated important changes as a result of making those contacts, for example in the way in which you check the pupils’ progress. A schedule of further support for improvements in teaching has been drawn up and that activity was beginning during my visit. I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services for Derbyshire.

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