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

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Sue Brown Headteacher St Paul’s CofE Infant School, Tongham East Ring The Cardinals Tongham Farnham Surrey GU10 1EF

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Ofsted visit to St Paul’s CofE Infant School, Tongham

Following my visit with Sian Thornton, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 15 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 St Paul’s CofE Infant School, Tongham

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 St Paul’s CofE Infant School, Tongham

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 St Paul’s CofE Infant School, Tongham

During the visit, we spoke to you and a curriculum leader. 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 to pupils in Years 1 and 2 on 2 September 2020, and to Reception-age children shortly after. All pupils were expected to attend full time from 7 September 2020.  Pupils’ attendance is similar to this time last year.  All pupils are studying the range of subjects they normally would. Teachers are adapting their plans to include a focus on pupils’ well-being, personal development and fitness.  You have checked pupils’ new starting points in reading. Teachers are revisiting the sounds that pupils need to know before they move learning on. You are investing in new resources for phonics and reading.  Teachers have checked what pupils can remember in mathematics. They are giving pupils time to practise place value and calculation.  In all year groups and across all subjects, teachers are focusing on pupils’ communication and vocabulary. In Reception, you have asked teachers to focus on children’s speech and language development.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 You have resources ready to be used for remote learning, should it be needed, including paper-based materials and online activities. You are intending to match this work to what pupils would be learning in school. You have ensured that electronic devices are available for pupils to use at home. 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 governing body, the director of education for the diocese of Guildford, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Surrey. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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