Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Miss Cassie Hurt Headteacher Eureka Primary School Dunsmore Way Swadlincote Derbyshire DE11 7LA

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Ofsted visit to Eureka Primary School

Following my visit with Deirdre Duignan, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 29 September 2020, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the visit’s findings. Thank you for the time you made available to discuss your actions since September 2020, when the government expected all schools to open fully to all pupils.

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Ofsted visit to Eureka Primary School

This visit was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for visiting schools while routine inspections are temporarily suspended.

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Ofsted visit to Eureka Primary School

Ofsted’s visits to schools during the autumn term are not inspections. We are not giving graded judgements. We did not undertake the usual range of inspection activities and were unable to check other sources of evidence, such as visits to lessons or looking at pupils’ work. The content of this letter gives an overview of our discussions about what has happened in your school this term.

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Ofsted visit to Eureka Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you. We did not speak to pupils because of the protective measures in place.

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Context

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills is leading Ofsted’s work into how England’s education system is managing the return to full education for pupils following an extended break in formal schooling due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. In undertaking this focused work, HMI are visiting a broad range of schools. HMI will visit a sample of:

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Context

 approximately 1,200 schools across all Ofsted grades (outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate)  maintained schools, academies and free schools, special schools and centres of alternative provision, including those in cities, and coastal, town or rural communities.

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Context

The information from this visit will feed into Ofsted’s national reporting so that the insights can be shared with the government and the education sector. We did not find any significant concerns during the visit. In such a case, an inspection report would be published on our website and available to parents and carers.

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Context

We did not consider your response to COVID-19 during the spring and summer terms 2020, when the school was not open to all pupils.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 The school reopened fully to pupils on 3 September 2020. All pupils are attending full time.  No year-group ‘bubbles’ of pupils have needed to be absent to date. Overall attendance is slightly lower than is normal for this time of the year. You are making clear to parents that pupils’ attendance is mandatory.  With the exception of music, which is being taught in one class only, all subjects are currently being studied by pupils. You expect music to be taught across the school again from the beginning of the summer term. Swimming lessons are currently unable to take place.  Teachers have noted that some children in Reception Year have entered the school with lower levels of writing skills than usual, and that children’s early understanding of numbers is less developed. They are giving children frequent opportunities to help them to learn about these aspects.  The assessments teachers have made of pupils’ current knowledge show that

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

pupils in Years 1 and 2 have some gaps in their phonic knowledge. Teaching assistants are providing additional support for them in the afternoons.  In mathematics, teachers are focusing on teaching pupils about number and place value, so they can improve their fluency and speed in calculating. Teachers have identified that pupils have lost some of their quick recall of facts in mathematics.  Staff are currently considering how they will adjust the curriculum over the rest of the year with the aim of supporting pupils to catch up in, for example, history and geography.  You have plans in place, including training for staff, to deliver remote learning if this is needed as a result of COVID-19. This will include using the school’s mathematics scheme, both whole-class and one-to-one video communication between staff and pupils through the internet, and online learning platforms.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

Thank you again for contributing to this important national work. The views and experiences you have shared will help to inform future policy.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Derbyshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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