Setting

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

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Michael Serridge Headteacher Harrow Way Community School Harrow Way Andover Hampshire SP10 3RH

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Ofsted visit to Harrow Way Community School

Following my visit with Christopher Russell, 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 Harrow Way Community 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 Harrow Way Community 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 Harrow Way Community School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the two deputy headteachers and an assistant 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.

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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:

 You opened the school to Year 7 pupils on 4 September 2020. Pupils in Years 8 to 11 returned on 8 September 2020. Apart from a very small number of pupils on part-time timetables, pupils are expected to attend full time.  Pupils’ attendance is, overall, just below what you would expect at the school for this time of year. A number of pupils are either currently self-isolating with their families or have needed to since the term began.  Pupils are studying the range of subjects they normally would. You have made some adaptations to practical aspects of a few subjects. For example, teachers of physical education have selected sports which reduce the potential for contact between pupils. You intend to return to teaching the curriculum in the usual way by the summer term 2021, if not sooner.  In all subjects, teachers have checked what pupils remember. Teachers are supporting pupils both individually and as class groups to catch up with any

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

learning that they have missed. Year 7 pupils are getting extra help with their reading.  The vast majority of Year 11 pupils are continuing to study all of their planned examination courses. You have reduced the range of courses for a small number of pupils, but you report that this is unconnected to any issues arising from COVID-19. In these cases, you have worked with pupils and their parents to make these decisions.  Pupils who are off school are supplied with remote education which mirrors what is being taught in school. Leaders have combined publicly available resources with material which the school’s teachers have produced. You have plans in place to deliver the full curriculum remotely if, in the future, the school is fully or partially closed because of COVID-19.

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

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