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

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Joanne Davies Headteacher Queen Eleanor’s Church of England School Queen Eleanor’s Road Guildford Surrey GU2 7SD

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Ofsted visit to Queen Eleanor’s Church of England School

Following my visit with Shazia Akram, 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.

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Ofsted visit to Queen Eleanor’s Church of England 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 Queen Eleanor’s Church of England 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 Queen Eleanor’s Church of England School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the assistant headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and the home school link worker. 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:

 You opened the school to all pupils on 2 September 2020. All pupils are expected to attend full time.  Since the start of the autumn term, pupils’ rates of attendance are similar to those at this time last year. You and your staff contacted all pupils’ parents prior to September 2020 to discuss any anxieties or concerns they may have had.  Teachers focused on pupils’ personal, social and health education for the first three days of the autumn term. You report that this was to introduce pupils to the new expectations and help them build relationships. All pupils are now studying the full range of subjects that the school normally offers.  Teachers have checked pupils’ knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics. They have used this information to provide support to pupils who need to catch up, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Teachers have used what they know from their checks on pupils’ reading to

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

adjust phonics teaching in Year 3. You are prioritising reading across the school, especially focusing on pupils’ fluency and comprehension skills.  In mathematics, leaders have adapted the school’s normal curriculum to help pupils practise the important knowledge they need before moving on with new learning.  In the wider curriculum, teachers have adapted some aspects of design and technology, music and physical education, to ensure that they are taught in line with government guidance. You are keen to reintroduce extra-curricular provision as soon as possible. You intend to return to the school’s normal curriculum by summer term 2021.  You have made plans to deliver the full curriculum remotely if needed. Paper- based materials are available for pupils who do not have access to online resources.

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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 vice chairs of the governing body, the chair of the board of trustees, the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust, the director of education for the diocese of Guildford, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Surrey. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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