Setting

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 : 01216 799164 Direct email : tim.ogbourn@serco.com

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Wendy Taylor Headteacher Albrighton Primary School New House Lane Albrighton Wolverhampton WV7 3QS

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School

Following my visit to your school on 28 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 21 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. The school should take further action to:

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School

 ensure that the school’s development plans include measurable success criteria to demonstrate impact and enable more effective monitoring  ensure that the appraisal targets for teachers and teaching assistants reflect the progress needed for different groups of pupils in their classes and these progress targets are linked to the targets in the school development plan.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you, your senior leadership team, the Chair of the Governing Body, other governors, the new headteacher from September 2014, and a representative of the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. I evaluated the school’s plans for improvement and reviewed some of the school’s achievement data. I visited all classes during lessons, talked to a number of pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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Context

The current headteacher retires in at the end of the summer term and a new headteacher will take up post in September 2014. One teacher has left and a temporary teacher has been appointed until the end of the summer term.

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Main findings

You and your deputy have begun to tackle the areas for development identified in the last inspection effectively. All staff and governors understand the priorities for improvement and have accurately identified the actions required to bring about improvement. The school improvement plan reflects the priorities in the recent report. However, the plan does not have sharp success criteria and this may limit the effectiveness of monitoring activities.

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Main findings

Your analysis of an appropriate range of pupil progress data is improving. You, your deputy and the governors have accurately identified that pupils’ progress across the school is uneven. The information is now being used to hold teachers to account. As part of this process, teachers analyse and discuss the progress of individual pupils. You do not yet include the progress of groups as part of teachers’ and teaching assistants’ targets for appraisal. You have begun to share the school’s good practice more effectively through weekly staff meetings. As a result, the quality of marking and feedback to pupils has improved. Pupils said teachers’ comments were helpful.

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Main findings

Opportunities for pupils to read more frequently and widely have increased. You have recognised the need to provide a wider range of non-fiction books and work closely with the school’s library service to broaden the selection in school. Work in pupils’ books is neater and the pupils’ handwriting is improving. There are more opportunities for pupils to write at greater length, especially in Key Stage 1. All around the school displays celebrate pupils’ writing. However, there are fewer displays of pupils’ work in mathematics. Work in pupils’ mathematics books shows increased opportunities to solve word problems and to estimate.

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Main findings

Governors are more confident in challenging you and the staff. They have a more accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Governors have worked with determination to improve their knowledge of the school and their understanding of their role. They have all undergone training in understanding data and use this new knowledge to question you.

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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 a detailed and realistic view of the schools’ strengths and areas for development. The school improvement partner and local authority consultants have provided effective and timely support to staff and governors.

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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 Shropshire.

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