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

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Joanne Knapp Principal The Sir Donald Bailey Academy Bailey Road Newark Nottinghamshire NG24 4EP

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Ofsted visit to The Sir Donald Bailey Academy

Following my visit with Shaheen Hussain, Seconded Inspector, 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 Sir Donald Bailey Academy

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 Sir Donald Bailey Academy

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 Sir Donald Bailey Academy

During the visit, we spoke to you, members of the senior leadership team, and your attendance and safeguarding 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. 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 1 September 2020. Children in the Reception class attended part time in the first week. All children from Reception to Year 6 are now expected to attend full time.  Currently, attendance is broadly in line with that seen at this time last year. Leaders are supporting the very few pupils who have been reluctant to return to school.  All pupils are studying the full range of subjects.  Teachers have checked what pupils know in phonics and reading. Leaders have increased the time that teachers spend each day teaching phonics in Reception, Years 1 and 2, and to some pupils in Years 3 and 4. They have also increased the opportunities for pupils across all year groups to read, including individually with teachers.  Following their assessment of the gaps in pupils’ knowledge in mathematics, leaders have prioritised the teaching of number and place value in Years 1 and

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

2 and multiplication tables in Years 3 to 6.  In the wider curriculum, teachers are assessing pupils’ knowledge across the different subjects. They are adapting their teaching to cover any content that pupils may have missed when they were not in school.  Remote learning is available for any pupils who are absent. This learning matches the school’s curriculum. Leaders are further developing the online learning that pupils can access from 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 the board of trustees and the chief executive officer, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Nottinghamshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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