Setting

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

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Stacey Kendall Headteacher Cheveley C of E Primary School Park Road Cheveley Newmarket Suffolk CB8 9DF

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Ofsted visit to Cheveley CofE Primary School

Following my visit with Tessa Holledge, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 6 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 Cheveley CofE 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 Cheveley CofE 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 Cheveley CofE Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, your deputy headteacher and the school business manager. 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 on 7 September 2020 for all pupils from Years 1 to 6, to attend full time. Children in Reception attended for a ‘stay and play’ session and an additional half a day to familiarise themselves with the school setting. They started to attend full time on 9 September 2020.  Pupils’ current attendance is broadly in line with a similar time last year. You told us that pupils are attending well and pleased to be at school.  Since the school opened, pupils are studying the full range of subjects. Teachers are using a ‘recovery curriculum’ to support pupils’ social and emotional needs and to help pupils get used to being back in school. You consider this is helping to improve pupils’ concentration over longer periods.  Your teachers are checking pupils’ knowledge of phonics. Teachers have found that some pupils have not remembered all the sounds they had been taught previously. Teachers are using opportunities to remind pupils about

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

their phonics throughout the school day.  Leaders are still finding out what gaps pupils have in their mathematical understanding. Teachers are helping to support pupils by checking pupils’ calculation skills when solving problems.  You have introduced new curriculum plans for subjects such as history and art. Teachers are using the plans to identify what they need to teach. Leaders are investigating different ways to deliver the curriculum where trips are currently not taking place.  You are planning to train staff in the use of a different learning platform to support remote learning. You consider this will improve remote learning should it be needed in the future.

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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 director of education for the diocese of Ely, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Cambridgeshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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