Setting

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

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Andrew George The Kimberley School Newdigate Street Kimberley Nottinghamshire NG16 2NJ

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Ofsted visit to The Kimberley School

Following my visit with Jayne Ashman, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 1 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 The Kimberley 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 The Kimberley 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 The Kimberley School

During the visit, we spoke to you, members of the senior leadership team and the senior leader responsible for safeguarding. 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 opened to all pupils on 2 September 2020. Pupils are expected to attend full time, including those attending alternative provision placements.  Pupils’ attendance is slightly lower than at this time last year. Staff are working with families and external agencies to provide support for those pupils not yet attending full time. Attendance in the sixth form is normal for this time of year.  All pupils are studying the full range of subjects included in the national curriculum in Years 7, 8 and 9. All pupils in Years 10 to 13 are studying the full range of GCSE and A-level subjects they opted for. Leaders have amended their curriculum plans for the practical elements of some subjects, such as science and technology. Leaders have continued some essential school visits as part of examination courses, such as fieldwork in geography.  Leaders are carrying out initial assessments for all pupils in English, literacy

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

skills and mathematics. They will use the information from these assessments to identify pupils’ new starting points and any gaps in pupils’ learning. Teachers will use this information to inform their planning across all subjects.  Teachers have used and developed a range of online resources to provide remote learning should this be necessary in the future because of COVID-19. Pupils without equipment or who have trouble accessing online resources have been supported.

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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 chief executive officer of the trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Nottinghamshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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