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

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Paul Collin Headteacher City Academy Norwich 299 Bluebell Road Norwich Norfolk NR4 7LP

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Ofsted visit to City Academy Norwich

Following my visit with Damian Loneragan, 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 City Academy Norwich

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 City Academy Norwich

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 City Academy Norwich

During the visit, we spoke to you and your team of senior leaders, one of whom is your designated safeguarding lead. I also held brief telephone calls with your chair of governors and chief executive officer of the Bohunt Education Trust. 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 reopened full time to all pupils on 14 September 2020.  Attendance in the first three weeks of term is lower than it was at this time last year. Leaders are working with parents to encourage pupils who are regularly absent back into school.  Support staff continue to maintain regular contact with vulnerable pupils and their families. Leaders have updated the safeguarding policy and procedures in response to COVID-19.  In Years 7, 8 and 9, pupils continue to study the usual range of subjects. Information technology is not currently taught to pupils in years 7 and 8 as a separate subject, due to COVID-19 and limited staffing.  In Years 10 and 11, pupils study English, mathematics and science, as well as the subjects they have chosen to study. You anticipate that all pupils will return to the normal curriculum, including enrichment activities, by the summer term 2021.  Information gained from the school’s transition arrangements is being used to

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

assess the starting points of Year 7 pupils who have recently joined the school, and to organise them into groups. Leaders are beginning to use this information to identify what support pupils need with their learning.  Monitoring of pupils’ engagement in remote learning last term has provided staff with some information about pupils’ progress. Mock examinations in all subjects in Years 10 and 11 are planned for later this term.  Your revised improvement plans aim to return all pupils to learning this year and re-engage them. Plans include a strategy for providing either a full-time curriculum in school or remote learning at home, should it be necessary.

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

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