Setting

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

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Jennifer Chiverton Headteacher North Borough Junior School Peel Street Maidstone Kent ME14 2BP

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Ofsted visit to North Borough Junior School

Following my visit with Lee Selby, 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 North Borough Junior 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 North Borough Junior 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 North Borough Junior School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher and the family liaison officer. 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:

 You opened the school to all pupils on 2 September 2020. Nearly all pupils attend full time.  Overall attendance of pupils from Year 3 to Year 6 is broadly in line with the school’s normal attendance for this time of year. You and your staff have kept in contact with families prior to September 2020. All pupils have now returned to school.  All pupils are studying their usual curriculum. You have made adaptations to some subjects such as music and computing in line with government guidance on the use of resources.  You have undertaken assessments in reading, grammar, punctuation and spelling, and mathematics. You have used the information from these assessments to adapt your curriculum planning in English and mathematics.  Linked to their assessments, teachers have adapted arrangements for the teaching of phonics. Phonics is now being taught daily in Year 3 to help pupils catch up. Teachers’ planning is focused on helping older pupils re-establish

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

their stamina, fluency and comprehension.  The published scheme you use in mathematics has been adapted to build on topics that pupils may have missed and knowledge that may have been forgotten. You are using increased repetition to revisit and practise key skills, especially around place value and number.  You are continuing to develop how you plan for your wider curriculum. You are currently prioritising the application of English and mathematics skills when teaching other subjects.  Pupils unable to attend school can currently access learning on the school’s website. This will be available for all pupils if needed in the future. Paper- based materials are made available to pupils who do not have access to online resources.

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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 Kent. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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