Setting

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

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Trudie Colotto Headteacher St John the Baptist CofE Primary School East Avenue Leicester Leicestershire LE2 1TE

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Ofsted visit to St John the Baptist CofE Primary School

Following my visit with Christine Watkins, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 13 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 John the Baptist CofE 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 St John the Baptist CofE 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 St John the Baptist CofE Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to members of the senior leadership team and two other members of staff. 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 reopened on 3 September to all pupils. This followed a phased return for pupils.  Pupils’ attendance is the same as what it was this time last year. At the time of the visit, one Reception class ‘bubble’ was isolating.  Leaders have prioritised reading, writing and mathematics. They are also focusing on personal, social, health and economic education, especially pupils’ emotional well-being. Teachers are using the outside areas to develop pupils’ resilience, self-confidence and social skills.  Teachers are delivering some other subjects and topics based on pupils’ interests, for example art, and design and technology. Leaders plan for all subjects to be taught in the second half of the autumn term. They intend to return to the usual curriculum by summer 2021.  Teachers have assessed the reading skills of all pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3. They are providing pupils with extra phonics lessons to enable them to catch up with

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

their reading. Leaders intend to introduce online reading resources that will support all pupils’ reading and develop a love of reading.  Teachers have checked pupils’ mathematical learning to see if there are any gaps. They are using this information to adapt the curriculum.  Leaders are continuing to develop resources and ways of delivering the curriculum to any pupil who is absent because of COVID-19. They are planning to provide equipment for some pupils who do not have electronic devices, and remote learning for all pupils if there is a need. 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 director of education for the diocese of Leicester, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Leicester local authority. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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