Setting

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

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Heather Poustie Headteacher Decoy Primary School Deer Park Road Newton Abbott Devon TQ12 1DH

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Ofsted visit to Decoy Primary School

Following my visit with Iain Freeland, 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 Decoy 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 Decoy 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 Decoy Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator. 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 to all pupils on 7 September 2020.  Pupils’ current attendance is broadly in line with normal attendance for this time of year.  All pupils are studying the full curriculum.  Leaders have scheduled some end-of-project tests for later in the term. Initially, teachers are using a mixture of informal and formal assessments to identify gaps and plan for future teaching. In addition, teachers are providing additional support and teaching to specific pupils, if required.  In mathematics, teachers are prioritising pupils’ key knowledge, such as place value and how to multiply accurately. For example, in Year 6, pupils are reviewing and securing their times tables to address gaps in their knowledge.  Leaders have given reading a high priority since all pupils returned to school. Teachers have assessed the gaps in pupils’ knowledge and made adaptions to teaching as a result. For example, in Reception and key stage 1, children are

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

focusing on phonics.  Pupils study all the subjects in the wider curriculum, with some adaptions to teaching, such as providing pupils with more outdoor learning. Wider opportunities, such as visiting speakers and trips, are limited at this time.  Leaders have plans in place to ensure that the curriculum can be delivered remotely to individual pupils or groups of pupils, should this be needed. Leaders have listened to feedback from staff and parents and evaluated the success of previous remote learning to make adaptions. Leaders intend that any pupils who are learning remotely will follow the same curriculum as if they were physically in school.

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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 regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Devon. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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