Setting

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

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Mark Marande Principal The Petersfield School Cranfield Road Petersfield Hampshire GU32 3LU

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Ofsted visit to The Petersfield School

Following my visit with Stephen Long, 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 The Petersfield 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 The Petersfield 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 The Petersfield School

During the visit, we spoke to you and members of the senior leadership team, including the senior leader responsible for safeguarding. We also spoke to the chief executive officer and other leaders from 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. 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 pupils in Year 7 on 3 September 2020 and Year 11 on 4 September 2020. Pupils in all other years returned on 7 September. The vast majority of pupils attend full time.  Pupils’ rates of attendance are slightly lower than is typical for this time of year. Numbers having to self-isolate or quarantine are low so far. You are relieved that the large proportion of pupils using public transport have found this to be straightforward, despite some initial worries.  Pupils are studying their full curriculum. You made changes to some activities, for example Year 11 pupils ‘joined’ their geography field trip online. Teachers have moved some topics around so that those which are harder for pupils to learn remotely are covered as soon as possible, in case there is another lockdown.  Teachers have checked what pupils in each year group remember in each subject. Groups of pupils who needed help to make up gaps in English,

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

mathematics or science attended summer school. You are continuing extra lessons for pupils who still have learning to make up.  You aim to make school as ‘normal’ as possible for pupils, including in extra- curricular activities. Most of these have restarted and you report an enthusiastic take-up.  You report that you are ready to move the full curriculum to online learning, should it be required. You are confident that all pupils now have access to the technology required. You are currently providing remote education for pupils who are self-isolating. 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 board of trustees and the chief executive officer of Bohunt Education Trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Hampshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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