Setting

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

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Deborah Reynolds Headteacher Norwood Primary School Gunthorpe Road Gunthorpe Peterborough Cambridgeshire PE4 7DZ

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Ofsted visit to Norwood Primary School

Following my visit with Richard Kueh, 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 Norwood 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 Norwood 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 Norwood Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and the deputy 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. 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 was fully open for Year 1 to Year 6 pupils on 7 September 2020. Children in Reception attended part time from 9 September 2020 and then full time from 14 September 2020.  Pupils’ attendance is currently better than is typical for this time of the year. Your summer survey of pupils showed that almost all pupils were keen to return to school.  Pupils across the school are learning in the usual range of subjects. In some subjects, teachers have changed the order in which the content is taught. In physical education, some aspects of gymnastics that are usually taught indoors will be taught later in the year. After-school clubs have not yet resumed. You plan to review this later in the term.  Teachers are checking pupils’ knowledge in reading (including phonics), spelling and mathematics. This information is being used by teachers to help them understand where pupils have forgotten important knowledge. Teachers

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

plan to use this information to teach any gaps in pupils’ learning.  Staff noticed that some pupils have taken a step back in their knowledge of phonics and vocabulary. They have added daily ‘top up’ activities to help pupils catch up.  Teachers found out that some pupils have forgotten how to use their learning in mathematics to solve problems. Pupils have daily practice in lessons to improve their number skills.  You have prioritised assessing pupils’ knowledge in English and mathematics. Teachers have not yet checked what pupils have remembered in subjects such as science, history and geography.  Your plans for remote learning include using a combination of online resources and activities that are as close to the usual curriculum as possible. These are being used already to support English and mathematics lessons.

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

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