Setting

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

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Andrew Raistrick Executive Headteacher Surfleet Primary School Station Road Surfleet Spalding Lincolnshire PE11 4DB

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Ofsted visit to Surfleet Primary School

Following my visit with Stephanie Innes-Taylor, 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 Surfleet 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 Surfleet 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 Surfleet Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and the head of school. 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 all pupils from 3 September 2020. The vast majority of pupils are attending full time.  Since the beginning of the school year, attendance has been similar to that seen at the same time last year. Leaders are encouraging all pupils to return to school and are providing support to families when it is needed. No pupils were isolating at the time of the visit.  Pupils are learning most subjects in the school’s curriculum. Computing and geography are timetabled to start later in the year. Leaders plan for all pupils to return to the school’s usual curriculum by the end of the academic year.  Teachers have identified pupils who have fallen behind in reading, writing and mathematics. They plan to carry out assessments in other subjects to check pupils’ new starting points.  Teachers are revisiting forgotten content in mathematics. They are focusing on number and place value. Some pupils are receiving extra support to help them

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

catch up.  Teachers have checked pupils’ phonics knowledge in Years 1 and 2. Leaders have increased the curriculum time and now teach two daily phonics lessons, including in the early years, to help pupils catch up. Staff provide extra support for pupils who need it. In Years 3 to 6, teachers are focusing on helping pupils to catch up with their knowledge of inference and deduction in reading.  Leaders and other staff have chosen particular content to teach in physical education; personal, social and emotional education; religious education; history and art. This is to help pupils catch up in reading and writing and support their personal development and well-being.  For a very small minority of pupils, the curriculum is being delivered remotely. Leaders have plans in place to provide all pupils with remote education, including online learning, should this be needed. This includes plans to check pupils’ engagement and provide feedback on their learning.

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

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