Setting

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

p.1

Victoria Page Headteacher Langstone Infant School Stride Avenue Portsmouth Hampshire PO3 6HL

p.1

Ofsted visit to Langstone Infant School

Following my visit with Laurie Anderson, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 8 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.

p.1

Ofsted visit to Langstone Infant 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.

p.1

Ofsted visit to Langstone Infant 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.

p.1

Ofsted visit to Langstone Infant School

During the visit, we spoke to the deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher and an officer from the multi-academy trust.

p.1

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:

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 The school reopened on 7 September 2020 to all pupils in Years 1 and 2. Children in Reception started their usual induction period on this date, attending full time from 21 September.  Attendance is higher than usual for this time of the year.  Leaders have temporarily removed music and some parts of design and technology from the curriculum. The intention is to begin teaching these subjects again in the summer term. Leaders have given additional curriculum time to science as pupils did not learn several key scientific concepts while the school was only open to some pupils.  Staff have initially assessed pupils’ knowledge in reading and mathematics. Leaders plan to check pupils’ knowledge in other curriculum subjects at regular points over the year and to adapt their plans to include any knowledge that pupils have forgotten.  Leaders are pleased that many pupils have remembered what they learned in

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

phonics and are reading with confidence. Staff have recapped some of the trickier sounds and spellings to help pupils to read and write a wider range of words. Staff are reading aloud more often to broaden pupils’ vocabulary.  In mathematics, some pupils are struggling to recall the basics of calculation and counting. Teachers are recapping key knowledge by teaching pupils to link written numbers and the values that they represent.  If pupils need to isolate, or in the event of the school closing to most pupils, staff will provide pupils with packs of work to complete at home and will provide remote support to families on the phone or using email. This work will mirror the school’s planned curriculum.

p.2

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.

p.3

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Portsmouth. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.3