Setting

Mr Peter Sturges Headteacher Moulton Primary School Church Hill Moulton Northampton NN3 7SW

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School

Following my visit to your school on 19 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. The school should take further action to:

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School

 identify clearly in the school improvement plan the targets for the proportion of pupils who will be making better than expected progress in each year group to help leaders and governors to measure the success of teaching over time.

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Evidence

During the visit, I held meetings with you, the deputy headteacher, two other leaders and two governors including the Chair of the Governing Body. I also met with a representative of the local authority. We visited all classes to look at the learning that was taking place. I looked at a range of documentation, including the school’s information about pupils’ progress, a sample of pupils’ work and the school’s improvement 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 : 01216 799169 Direct email : mathew.mitchell@serco.com

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Main findings

Senior leaders and governors show a strong sense of urgency to make this a good school. A key change since the last inspection is the sharper focus on pupils’ progress. Leaders’ checks on pupils’ performance have increased and parents are informed more frequently about their children’s progress in reading, writing and mathematics. You, ably supported by the deputy headteacher, are raising teachers’ expectations about how much more the pupils should be achieving, making it clear to all staff that if pupils only make expected progress, it is not good enough, particularly for the most-able pupils. Leaders, including the subject leaders for English and mathematics, are linking the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning more securely, in the context of a revised teachers’ appraisal system which governors have ratified. You have well-developed plans to further strengthen leadership skills of subject leaders by using the expertise from an effective school where the

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Main findings

headteacher is a Local Leader of Education. Your actions to improve the quality of teachers’ marking have mixed results so far; not all teachers are consistent in meeting your expectations.

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Main findings

Governors are keen to support and challenge. For example, they have made suggestions in the drafting of the school improvement plan and identified how they will check the impact of actions. The plan addresses all of the areas for improvement from the last inspection, with clear milestones to check progress. Leaders have included measurable success criteria against specific priorities for improvement, for example, that of raising pupils’ achievement. However the plan does not clearly highlight what proportions of pupils are being targeted to make better than expected progress across all classes.

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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 brokered a link with a good school to help improve teaching and the quality of subject leadership. The school improvement adviser has supported school leaders in the formulation of the improvement plan.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children, Schools and Families for Northamptonshire.

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