Setting

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

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Carly Tonks Acting headteacher Tuffley Primary School Evenlode Road Tuffley Gloucestershire GL4 0JY

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Ofsted visit to Tuffley Primary School

Following my visit with Simon Rowe, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on Tuesday 6 October 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 Tuffley 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 Tuffley 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 Tuffley Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the special educational needs coordinator and the family welfare 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:

 The school opened to pupils on 2 September 2020.  The rate of pupils’ attendance is similar to this time last year. All pupils, including children in the Reception Year, are attending full time.  Pupils are studying all subjects. Staff have altered curriculum plans in some subjects. For example, in design and technology pupils will not participate in cookery lessons until term 5.  Staff are prioritising reading, writing and mathematics. Some other subjects are now taught less frequently. Leaders expect pupils to be studying the full curriculum by the summer term.  Teachers’ assessments have identified gaps in pupils’ phonics and reading skills. Additional phonics and reading support are in place for pupils.  Pupils are practising mental mathematics and times tables activities daily. Teachers help pupils before and after mathematics lessons to correct mistakes and overcome misconceptions.  Staff have prepared plans to deliver remote learning if pupils cannot attend in

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

the future. A similar approach to that adopted during lockdown will be used.

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

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