Setting

Mrs Heather Lampard Headteacher Templefield Lower School Malham Close Flitwick Bedford MK45 1AJ

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School

Following my visit to your school on 2 October 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

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in May 2015. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. At its previous section 5 inspection in 2013, the school was also judged to require improvement.

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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 in order to become a good school.

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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with you, other senior and middle leaders, the governing body and a representative of the local authority to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. The school improvement plan was analysed. During a tour of your school, we observed teaching in every class. Further lesson observations were also undertaken to gauge the quality of teaching and learning. During the day I scrutinised a range of documentation, including the minutes of the governing body’s meetings, and evaluated the impact of performance management. I also checked procedures for recruiting and vetting staff. Ofsted

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Evidence

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Context

You have resigned as headteacher and are due to leave the school at the end of the spring term 2016. The governors already have well-developed plans in place to maintain the momentum of change and continue to build leadership capacity. A permanent deputy headteacher has been appointed to lead on teaching and learning as part of the new leadership structure. An inclusion manager has been appointed to lead and evaluate the impact of the additional support given to disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

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Main findings

You have wasted no time since the last inspection in updating the school development plan to correctly focus on addressing the issues highlighted in the inspection. You and your governors consider that there are no barriers preventing the school from continuing to improve quickly and being judged as good at its next inspection. Staff morale is high; they have responded positively and are committed to securing long-term improvements. Actions in the school development plan are fit for purpose. As you continue to raise standards, your plans need to show more systematic evaluation of the impact of your work.

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Main findings

Governors now concentrate on the core priorities of school improvement. As a result, they are more organised and becoming more effective. Each governor is now linked to an area of improvement within the school, so they can hold school leaders to account for the performance and progress of pupils. Governors are suitably ambitious and highly committed to ensuring significant change; they are confident at analysing and interpreting data and other school information. This places governors in a strong position to ensure that the work of the current headteacher and leadership team will be sustained.

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Main findings

You have rightly prioritised building a more effective leadership team and now have a more effective structure in place. Middle leaders are enthusiastic about their roles and responsibilities. You are supporting their professional development and two of them are benefiting from courses run by the local authority to develop their leadership skills. As a result, they are already having an impact in leading and raising the standard of teaching and learning of their subjects. For example, the early years leader is ensuring that the provision is very well organised and that all adults are involved in providing rich and stimulating activities for children to enjoy and learn well. As a result, children are achieving well.

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Main findings

You are using your knowledge and understanding of where pupils are in their learning well to ensure that they continue to make good progress and achieve above national expectations. Outcomes for pupils in early years, phonics and Key Stage 1 for 2015 reflect this. You have implemented robust appraisal targets for teachers, together with a strong focus by leaders on monitoring the quality of teaching and learning. As a result, all staff are committed to raising standards for groups of pupils across the school. The new inclusion manager has already centralised the support for more vulnerable pupils in the school so that their progress can be rigorously evaluated, although it is too early to measure the impact.

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Main findings

Changes to the environment have already had an impact for the pupils, providing them with indoor learning spaces next to their classrooms for enhanced practical learning opportunities. Adults plan and use these newly developed spaces (heart spaces) well. In one mathematics lesson seen, pupils worked in one of these areas to solve mathematical challenges about measurement. They demonstrated perseverance skills, together with a positive attitude to learning, while working independently. As a result, these pupils made good progress.

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Main findings

Ofsted may carry out further monitoring inspections and, where necessary, provide further support and challenge to the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

The school makes the most of opportunities to work in partnership with other schools and takes up offers to participate in programmes provided by the local authority. Several staff have benefited from access to courses run by the local authority to develop their teaching and leadership skills. The local authority commissions effective support for the school that reflects and meets the school’s needs. It has brokered a national leader of education (NLE) to support you with your school improvement work. Governors commented that they value the support they have received.

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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 Central Bedfordshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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