Setting

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

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Enid Lewis Headteacher Park Lane Primary School Park Lane Wembley HA9 7RY

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Ofsted visit to Park Lane Primary School

Following my visit with Alison Colenso, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 13 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 Park Lane 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 Park Lane 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 Park Lane Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and the senior leadership team. 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 pupils in Years 1 to 6 on 7 September 2020. Reception Year children had come back to school by 28 September 2020.  Attendance since the school opened in September remains similar to the previous year. All pupils attend full time.  Your main priority is to focus on pupils’ well-being. As a result, there have been significant changes to the school’s curriculum. Children in Reception are studying the same curriculum as they usually would. Leaders plan to return to the school’s usual curriculum for Years 1 to 6 by January 2021.  Teachers have discovered that limitations to pupils’ learning before the school reopened have led to gaps in their knowledge in all subjects. Staff’s key priority is for pupils to improve on their speaking and listening. All pupils have daily English and mathematics lessons.  Staff plan lessons using a ‘thematic approach’. The themes are based on pupils’ ‘lived experiences’ during the period when schools were only open to

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

some children due to COVID-19 restrictions. Teachers make links to other subject areas when they decide this is appropriate.  Teachers plan, alongside leaders, to check on the areas of pupils’ previous learning that they still remember across all subjects. This is done as part of a whole-school ‘action research’ project. Leaders intend to use this gathered information to plan which topics and key learning to emphasise after the autumn half term.  You said that staff place a high priority on pupils’ physical health. As a result, all pupils now have at least two hours of physical education each week. Pupils also continue to have regular computing and art lessons.  Teachers have given all pupils in Years 1 to 3 a test in phonics. These tests have been used to put pupils into ability groups. Staff are revisiting the phonics skills that pupils would have usually learned during the summer term.  In mathematics, you are placing a priority on developing pupils’ problem-

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

solving abilities. Teachers are checking pupils’ calculation skills so that they can identify which areas to focus on later in the autumn term. You said that staff place a high importance on pupils’ ability to explain their mathematical strategies.  Specialist teachers in music and Spanish deliver most of their lessons using a video link. Teachers are planning to deliver subjects remotely should it be needed. This includes following the school’s usual timetable for all subjects.

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

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