Setting

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

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Mark Joule Headteacher Winsford High Street Community Primary School High Street Winsford Cheshire CW7 2AU

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Ofsted visit to Winsford High Street Community Primary School

Following my visit with Paul Tomkow, 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 Winsford High Street Community 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 Winsford High Street Community 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 Winsford High Street Community Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, members of the senior leadership team, the family support worker, the lead behaviour professional and the school business manager. 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 fully to all pupils on 2 September 2020. All pupils are expected to attend full time.  Pupils’ attendance is broadly similar to what it usually is at this time of year.  All pupils are studying their usual range of subjects. You began the term by focusing on pupils’ personal and social development. Teachers are now checking pupils’ subject knowledge in the wider curriculum and addressing any gaps in learning as they occur.  Teachers have assessed pupils’ reading skills. They have found that many pupils do not understand what they read as well as they did prior to the period when schools were only open to some pupils owing to COVID-19 restrictions. You have prioritised the teaching of reading across all subjects with an emphasis on developing pupils’ comprehension and vocabulary.  Teachers are also working to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge in mathematics. They have found that pupils are not as fluent in the basic

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

number skills as they were. You have ensured that there is a whole-school focus on number.  Teachers in the early years have identified that the children need extra support with their social development. Teachers are providing more opportunities for the children to interact with each other.  You have plans to deliver the curriculum remotely, should this be needed as a result of COVID-19. These plans include using additional government funding to equip all pupils from Years 1 to 6 with any equipment that they need to access remote learning.

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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 Cheshire West and Chester. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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