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

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Mike Jackson Headteacher Cleaswell Hill School School Avenue Guide Post Choppington Northumberland NE62 5DJ

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Ofsted visit to Cleaswell Hill School

Following my visit with Graham Findlay, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 20 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 Cleaswell Hill 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 Cleaswell Hill 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 Cleaswell Hill School

During the visit, we spoke to you and 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 most pupils on 2 September 2020. Children joining the school in the Reception Year started gradually over the first two weeks. Pupils are expected to attend full time.  You told us that pupils’ attendance is slightly lower than this time last year. Leaders are working with a few pupils who need extra support to attend full time due to heightened anxieties related to COVID-19.  You explained that some activities and learning opportunities, such as aspects of science, physical education and music, have ceased for some pupils. This is because you want to reduce pupil and staff movement in and around the school site. You are hopeful that pupils will experience the school’s normal curriculum fully by the summer term 2021.  You said that staff have been checking pupils’ new starting points against their individual, pre-COVID targets in education, health and care plans. You feel that this is helping to identify areas of learning that need to be prioritised for

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

pupils in each year group. For example, leaders found that personal, social, emotional and mental health development is a priority for most pupils right now.  Leaders have also started to check pupils’ current subject knowledge, for example in mathematics, communication and early reading. You reported that some pupils across year groups may need extra support with phonics because of lost or missed learning during the period of COVID-19 restrictions. Other pupils have been provided with extra homework and support to help them remember aspects of algebra or geometry that they have forgotten.  You are planning to offer and deliver remote learning in the future should it be needed. This may include a mixture of paper-based packs of work and online learning resources.

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

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