Setting

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

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Vikki Garratt Headteacher Meynell Community Primary School Meynell Road Sheffield South Yorkshire S5 8GN

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Ofsted visit to Meynell Community Primary School

Following my visit with Sarah Hubbard, 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 Meynell 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 Meynell 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 Meynell Community Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and members of the senior leadership team, including the senior leader responsible for safeguarding. 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 on the 2 September 2020. Children in the Nursery and the Reception Years started gradually over the first three weeks of the term. All year groups are now expected to attend full time.  Pupils’ attendance since the start of term is slightly lower than it was over the same period last year. A small number of pupils have not returned to school. You told us that you are working with the local authority and the families to encourage all pupils to attend school.  Pupils are studying the range of subjects that make up the school’s usual curriculum.  Teachers have undertaken checks on pupils’ phonics knowledge. You told us that some pupils have not remembered what they have previously been taught and so you have adjusted your curriculum to spend more time teaching phonics in Years 1 to 3. Staff are providing additional support for pupils who need to catch up in reading.  In mathematics, teachers have assessed pupils’ starting points. Leaders have

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

adjusted the curriculum content to address gaps in pupils’ learning. You told us that you have prioritised teaching place value and helping pupils to recall their times tables.  Teachers have started to check the knowledge that pupils have missed or forgotten in history and geography. You told us that teachers have made some amendments to the curriculum to cover the content missed. You have plans in place to check pupils’ knowledge in other subjects across the wider curriculum. You plan to return to the school’s usual curriculum by the summer term of 2021.  A small number of pupils are currently accessing remote learning because they are self-isolating at home. You told us that you have plans in place to deliver parts of the curriculum remotely, including English and mathematics, to all pupils should it be needed. Staff have received training on delivering lessons virtually.

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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), and the chief executive officer of the Tapton multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Sheffield. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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