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School improvement in the context of a primary school in special measures

Abstract This article is based on a case study of a large primary school placed in special measures as a result of an inspection by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education). It examines the processes of school improvement and focuses on the leadership and management roles of the head teacher and deputy head teacher. It addresses approaches to improving the quality of teaching through systematic professional development cycles set up to support teachers. The role of senior staff in facilitating these cycles and the implications with regard to classroom observation, feedback to colleagues and action planning are significant themes. Data cover the perspectives of teachers, senior managers, Local Education Authority advisers and governors. The case study provides insights into school self-evaluation and its relationship to external scrutiny by Ofsted. External inspection may be an appropriate instrument for judging school performance, but cannot, on its own, lead to improvement (Lee & Fitz, 1998). This article explores what happens after a school (in England) failed an Ofsted inspection and was put in special measures. It focuses on the processes involved in improvement, in particular those aimed at improving the quality of teaching. It is, in many respects, a success story that relates to one aspect of a journey of school improvement, during which a school rapidly went from a state of crisis to a situation in which staff could celebrate their achievements in a school that, according to Her Majesty's Inspector, had ‘notable strengths’.