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

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Tracey Sandy Headteacher Priory Infant School Cannon Road Ramsgate Kent CT11 9XT

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Ofsted visit to Priory Infant School

Following my visit with Frances Nation, 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 Priory Infant 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 Priory Infant 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 Priory Infant School

During the visit, we spoke to you, your deputy headteacher, the family liaison officer and a Year 2 teacher. 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:

 Pupils returned to school when it fully reopened on 3 September 2020. Reception children had a phased start to the year attending full time from the 21 September 2020. Four pupils have a part-time timetable due to their specific needs, all other pupils are expected to attend full time.  Attendance has improved compared to this time last year, including for disadvantaged pupils and those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Pupils are studying all of their normal subjects, but some topics have been extended to allow more time to learn new things. You are currently checking which topics and knowledge may be missed as a result. You are hoping to return to your normal curriculum by the summer term in 2021.  Reading has been made a greater priority because your assessment shows that the majority of pupils have fallen behind during lockdown. More opportunities have been found to practise phonics and to read aloud to pupils.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 Informal assessment in mathematics has shown that pupils have not fallen behind so much. Your teachers are reinforcing work on early number facts whenever they can.  The Reception curriculum has been adapted to give a greater focus to communication and language and social development. In Year 1, afternoon lessons are currently covering the early years curriculum. You expect this to continue until Christmas.  A greater focus has been given to personal, social and health education in Years 1 and 2 to allow pupils more opportunity to talk about their feelings, the world around them and personal hygiene. Physical education lessons are only taking place outside, due to the hall being used for other purposes.  You have thought about how you will deliver the curriculum remotely should this be needed. Pupils will be provided with a range of tasks each week that can be completed flexibly. You will make use of nationally published, online

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

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