Setting

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

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Simon Duncan Headteacher Peters Hill Primary School Peters Hill Road Amblecote Brierley Hill West Midlands DY5 2QH

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Ofsted visit to Peters Hill Primary School

Following my visit with Heather Simpson, 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 Peters Hill 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 Peters Hill 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 Peters Hill Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, two deputy headteachers, and the school safeguarding officer. 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 all pupils in Years 1 to 6 on 3 September 2020. Children in the early years started on 17 September 2020.  Leaders told us that attendance is above normal for this time of year.  All pupils are studying their usual range of subjects. Leaders have changed some activities. For example, in physical education, you have decided to pause the teaching of swimming. You plan to return pupils to their full curriculum by summer term 2021.  Teachers are checking pupils’ knowledge in lessons. You are planning to test pupils in mathematics and English later in the term.  Teachers have identified younger pupils who are being supported with their reading. You have introduced an additional daily phonics lesson for all pupils in Years 1 and 2. Your aim is that these additional sessions will help pupils to catch up.  Leaders told us that teachers’ checks in mathematics have shown gaps in pupils’ knowledge of place value. In addition, you told us pupils are struggling

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

to remember their times tables. You aim to support pupils in mathematics by increasing the opportunities they have to revise and practise number skills.  Teachers have changed planning in other subjects to cover key content missed in the summer term. For example, Year 5 pupils had an ‘electricity day’ that covered content from Year 4 science.  Leaders have recently introduced a digital platform for pupils to use at home. Teachers are using this resource to set homework. You intend for pupils to use this digital platform to access remote lessons in all subjects, if needed in the future.

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

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