Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Catherine Thornton Executive Headteacher Samuel Barlow Primary and Nursery School Church Road Clipstone Mansfield Nottinghamshire NG21 9DF

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Primary and Nursery School

Following my visit to your school on 1 December 2016, 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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Primary and Nursery School

The visit was the third 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. At its section 5 inspection before the one that took place in December 2014, the school was also judged to require improvement.

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Primary and Nursery School

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the last section 5 inspection in order to become a good school.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you and the head of school, other school leaders, two representatives of the governing body and a group of pupils to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. I held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority. I considered a range of documentation, including the school improvement plan, the latest self-evaluation document and your most recent information on pupils’ progress and attainment. We conducted a tour of the school together and visited all classes to see pupils and staff at work. I spoke with several parents at the beginning of the school day.

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Context

Since I visited the school in June 2016, three new teachers have been appointed. The governing body is actively pursuing academisation with the Diverse Academies Trust. The scheduled date for conversion is 1 May 2017.

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Main findings

You and the head of school have taken swift and effective action since my last monitoring visit. Together, you are providing strong and determined leadership, with a clear mission to raise the aspirations of every pupil in the school. As a result, you are successfully creating a culture of high expectations which is shared by staff, pupils and governors. A well-devised programme of professional development for teachers is allowing teachers good opportunities to review and reflect on their own practice, to learn from each other and to observe good practice in other schools. Consequently, teaching is improving and pupils are making better progress in many classes. The teaching of phonics has improved rapidly due to the intense training for all staff. I observed pupils being encouraged to sound out the letters and blend them to make new words. Others were using their phonics well to help them read. Pupils

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Main findings

were enthused by their learning and focused for relatively long periods of time. As a result, pupils were making rapid progress. Through improved tracking of pupils’ progress, you are beginning to raise expectations of what pupils can achieve. All teachers are successfully using this information to plan work that is better matched to the learning needs of pupils. This is confirmed by pupils, who say that they are expected to work harder during lessons and that activities are now more challenging. You keep a close eye on any pupils who are underachieving and ensure that the right support and intervention are put in place. As a result, outcomes are showing signs of improving. In the 2016 tests and assessments, outcomes for pupils at the end of key stage 1 were much closer to the national averages in reading, writing and mathematics. At the end of key stage 2, pupils’ progress and attainment remained well below the

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Main findings

national averages in reading, writing and mathematics because of the severe legacy of underachievement which remains for older pupils. However, the quality of work in pupils’ books, the learning observed in lessons and the assessment information provided by the school all show that pupils currently in the school are making accelerated progress as a result of stronger teaching. The team of middle leaders is providing effective support to senior leaders in driving up standards in teaching and learning. They are regularly involved in checking on the quality of teaching in the school and how this is contributing to the progress being made by individuals and groups of pupils. Consequently, they have a sound understanding of where gaps in attainment exist and are planning appropriate actions for improvement. The governing body is receiving a range of training to update its knowledge and skills. For example, governors have received training to improve the governing

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Main findings

body’s use of pupils’ achievement information and to support their monitoring activities. As a result, governors are increasingly asking senior leaders challenging questions to rigorously and systematically check all aspects of the school’s work. The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet current requirements. Pupils I spoke with told me they felt happy and safe in school. Pupils trust all adults to listen to and deal with any worries or concerns. In every lesson we visited, attitudes to learning were positive and pupils were well engaged in their work. The behaviour of the pupils seen was consistently good. 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 is continuing to provide effective support and challenge to the school. The education improvement adviser visits the school regularly. His most recent visits have rightly focused on improving the quality of teaching and learning and outcomes for pupils. You welcome his regular visits to check on progress and to challenge you on the impact of your leadership. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Nottinghamshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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