Setting

Mrs Marian Fairley Headteacher Lynnfield Primary School Grosvenor Street Hartlepool County Durham TS26 8RL

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School, Hartlepool

Following my visit to your school on 25 March 2015, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection 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, Hartlepool

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in December 2014. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The school should take further action to:

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School, Hartlepool

 amend the school improvement plan to include measurable milestones for all of the planned actions and to clarify who will carry out the actions, monitor the actions and evaluate the impact of the actions.

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School, Hartlepool

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 inspection, meetings were held with you, other senior and middle leaders, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. The school improvement plan was evaluated. HMI visited lessons, spoke to pupils and reviewed a range of documentation including pupils’ progress data, attendance data, notes of governing body monitoring visits, a local authority review and recent checks on teaching. CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 West Lancs Investment Centre Maple View Skelmersdale WN8 9TG T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01695 566850 Direct F 01695 729320 Direct email: dmccarrick@cfbt.com

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Context

One governor and one part-time teacher have resigned since the Section 5 inspection.

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Main findings

Firm action has been taken to address the school’s weaknesses since the last inspection and, as a result, a number of areas of the school’s work have improved.

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Main findings

The quality of teaching has improved because of raised expectations of pupils’ capabilities, high quality staff training, regular monitoring of lessons and thorough feedback to teachers about their work. As a result, pupils are already making better progress, especially in mathematics. The teaching staff have a much better understanding of the progress pupils are making and the standards now being reached through the shared analysis of robust data during half termly pupil progress meetings. Teachers and teaching assistants are more accountable for pupils’ progress through more rigorous performance management target setting.

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Main findings

Time is now appropriately allocated for pupils to improve their work following their teachers’ marking and feedback. Pupils appreciate this time to complete their green pen corrections and challenges. They told me that it helps them to better understand what is being taught. Inspection evidence shows clearly that this process is proving beneficial.

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Main findings

Pupils’ attendance, although still below average, is much improved through the painstaking work with parents carried out by the parent support advisor. Pupils are making better progress because they attend school more regularly.

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Main findings

Governors now check regularly on the progress the school is making and have an accurate view of standards throughout the school. However, they underestimate the will of parents, and other members of the local community, for pupils to do well and achieve very high standards at school.

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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

Following a successful bid of £10,000 from the National College of School Leadership, the school is receiving effective support to develop the leadership team from a national leader of education who is the headteacher of Stranton Primary School and the executive headteacher of Eskdale Academy.

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External support

The local authority carried out a supportive review of the school two weeks before the recent inspection. This provided a very accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Effective work has been undertaken to improve and verify the accuracy of the data collected for all pupils. A local authority officers’ group meets at regular intervals to challenge and support the progress that the school is making. This is providing the necessary rigour in holding senior leaders accountable for improvement.

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External support

Closely targeted support from an external improvement partner is beginning to have an impact on the work of middle leaders in the school. HMI will check on how effective this process is at a subsequent visit.

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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 Hartlepool.

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