Setting

Mr Edward Savage Headteacher Hemsby Primary School School Loke Hemsby Great Yarmouth NR29 4LH

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School

Following my visit to your school on 21 May 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 December 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 last section 5 inspection. The school should take further action to:

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School

 refine the school improvement plan, to show more clearly how school leaders will check progress in each of the areas identified for improvement at the last inspection  make more regular and more rigorous checks on the quality of teaching.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you and members of the senior leadership team. I also met with the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. I looked at pupils’ work in English and mathematics from across the school, along with information about pupils’ progress. I evaluated the school’s action plan, and associated documents, and accompanied you on visits to all classes. 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 9158 Direct email : rachel.dayan@serco.com

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Main findings

Following the inspection in December 2013 you modified the school’s improvement plan to incorporate the key issues for improvement that were identified. Although the plan lists the improvements that the school needs to make, it does not identify precisely the actions that the school will take to improve teaching and achievement. Nor does it say, in sufficient detail, what the milestones will be and who will be responsible for monitoring progress.

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Main findings

The school now makes better use of assessment to measure performance. You have developed comprehensive systems to record and evaluate pupil attainment and progress. This process has helped you to gain an understanding of how well pupils are performing across the school. The information is used by senior leaders to hold teachers to account, through termly meetings at which you review pupils’ attainment and progress. However, systems for reviewing the quality of teaching and learning are not informed by sufficiently regular observation of teaching or scrutiny of pupils’ work.

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Main findings

Pupils’ writing has improved since the previous inspection. The work seen in pupils’ books indicates that many are now making good progress and attaining higher levels. This is partly due to improvements in marking, with teachers now providing better advice to pupils about how to improve their work.

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Main findings

Following the previous inspection a review of governance took place and a number of recommendations were made in order to improve the efficiency of the governing body. Governors are now linked to different aspects of school life and visit on a more regular basis to see the school at work. This is helping them to ask more challenging questions of the headteacher about the teaching and achievement.

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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

Local authority officers visit the school regularly to check on progress. A local leader in education has been commissioned to work with school leaders but has not yet started. Teachers now have access to a wide range of courses aimed at improving teaching and learning. Support for the governing body has resulted in governors feeling more confident to ask challenging questions of the school. As a result of the improvements that have been made, over the past six months, the school is no longer a cause for concern to the local authority and its officers are confident that the school can achieve a good judgement at the next inspection.

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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 Norfolk.

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