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

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Mrs Janet Edwards Headteacher Deykin Avenue Junior and Infant School Deykin Avenue Witton Birmingham B6 7BG

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Ofsted visit to Deykin Avenue Junior and Infant School

Following my visit with Mark Howes, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 20 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 Deykin Avenue Junior and Infant 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 Deykin Avenue Junior and Infant 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 Deykin Avenue Junior and Infant School

During the visit, we spoke to you and your 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. 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 all pupils on 3 September 2020. You expect all pupils to attend school full time.  Pupils’ attendance is below that which is normally expected at this time of year. At the time of the visit, 60 pupils from two separate year-group ‘bubbles’ were self-isolating. Another year-group bubble has just returned to school after self-isolating earlier this term. You continue to promote regular attendance and you told us that more pupils are now arriving to school on time.  You have made some changes to the curriculum. Pupils are spending more time on English, mathematics and personal, social and health education than usual. This is because you want to help pupils close the gaps in their learning and get the support they may need for their mental health and well-being. At the time of the visit, pupils were not studying art, music, design technology, computing and modern foreign languages. You are planning to reintroduce

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

these subjects over the next few months and anticipate that you will have returned to your usual curriculum before Summer 2021.  You checked pupils’ starting points in reading, writing and mathematics at the start of term. You have noticed that the biggest gaps are in reading and mathematics. Teachers’ assessments show that Reception children need more help to improve their language and communication.  In phonics, you have identified that Reception pupils need the most support. You are re-grouping the pupils according to their ability and plan to put in place extra help for pupils to catch up.  In mathematics, teachers are putting an extra focus on number and times tables to address the gaps you have identified. You say that gaps in pupils’ learning are also being addressed through subjects such as history and geography, as you are emphasising the importance of reading and writing in these subjects. You have lengthened physical education lessons to help

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

improve pupils’ health and fitness.  Pupils who are self-isolating are accessing a package of online and paper- based learning, as closely aligned to your usual curriculum as possible. You plan to introduce live lessons for pupils over the next few months should further local restrictions take place.

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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 Birmingham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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