Setting

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

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Jane Whirledge Headteacher Melbourne Junior School Packhorse Road Melbourne Derby Derbyshire DE73 8JE

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Ofsted visit to Melbourne Junior School

Following my visit with Rachel Tordoff, 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 Melbourne Junior 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 Melbourne Junior 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 Melbourne Junior School

During the visit, we spoke to you and the deputy headteacher. 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 fully to all pupils on 3 September 2020. Pupils attend full time.  Attendance since the start of term has been similar to attendance this time last year. Leaders continue to implement the school’s attendance policy to encourage all pupils to attend regularly. No year-group ‘bubbles’ have yet been sent home to isolate.  Pupils have not continued to study the school’s usual curriculum since the school opened to all pupils in September. Leaders have prioritised the teaching of English, mathematics, science, physical education (PE) and personal, social, health and economic education. Pupils currently receive more PE lessons than before lockdown. They participate in PE daily.  Each class is using a fiction book as the basis for their work in all subjects. All pupils take part in daily reading and writing activities. Teachers are using a grammar scheme to support pupils’ writing skills. Pupils are expected to read

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

regularly at home.  All pupils are following the same mathematics programme to make sure that all aspects of the curriculum are covered. Teachers have identified the gaps in pupils’ knowledge of mathematics and are focusing on the number elements of the national curriculum.  Some subjects, for example French and religious education, are not currently being taught. In other subjects, not all the usual content is being delivered. For example, in music pupils do not currently take part in singing in assembly. Leaders plan for the school’s usual curriculum to be fully implemented by the summer term 2021.  In lessons, teachers are checking what pupils know and can remember of the curriculum. They are using these ongoing checks to adapt their teaching. Leaders plan to carry out formal assessments within the next few weeks.  Leaders are beginning to plan to deliver the curriculum remotely, should it be necessary in the future. They are exploring different ways of delivering the

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

curriculum to account for the availability of devices such as laptops and Wi-Fi in pupils’ homes. 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 Derbyshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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