Setting

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

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Mrs L Burnett Headteacher Montreal C of E Primary School Ennerdale Road Cleator Moor Cumbria CA25 5LW

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Ofsted visit to Montreal C of E Primary School

Following my visit with Garry White, 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 Montreal C of E 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 Montreal C of E 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 Montreal C of E Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the assistant headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and the senior learning mentor. 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.

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Context

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 opened to all pupils on 2 September 2020. All year groups, including the Reception Year, are expected to attend full time.  When the school opened in September, pupils’ attendance was broadly in line with the normal attendance for this time of year. Recently, more pupils have been absent due to displaying symptoms of COVID-19.  Your teachers have resumed teaching in all curriculum subjects. They have altered the content of some subjects, including music and physical education. This is to reduce the risk of COVID-19 being transmitted.  In the Reception Year and up to Year 3, staff have undertaken checks to determine where pupils are up to in phonics and early reading. You have arranged support to help pupils get back on track. You have purchased new resources for pupils in key stage 2 to help them catch up with their reading.  In mathematics, teachers are making checks on pupils’ knowledge. Since the

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

beginning of term, teachers have focused on number calculations and place value across the school.  Teachers are adapting plans and resources to ensure that the content of all subjects is taught. This involves identifying important learning that pupils may have missed or forgotten during the spring and summer terms.  Should it be needed, you have plans in place to deliver the curriculum remotely through a combination of online and physical resources. You are investing in new hardware and software to support these plans. Training is being arranged to improve the expertise of teachers in using online 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 director of education for the Diocese of Carlisle, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Cumbria. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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