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

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Michelle Dawson Headteacher Alne Primary School Main Street Alne York North Yorkshire YO61 1RT

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Ofsted visit to Alne Primary School

Following my visit with Timothy Jenner, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 6 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 Alne 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 Alne 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 Alne Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you in your role as headteacher and designated safeguarding leader. 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 8 September 2020. There are no pupils who attend school on a part-time basis.  Attendance is similar to that of the same period last year.  Pupils are learning all subjects, as set out in the national curriculum, with some amendments to content and approach where the full delivery has not been possible.  Teachers assessed pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding in reading, writing and mathematics during the first two weeks of the autumn term. Staff are using the assessment results to plan one-to-one interventions and whole- class teaching activities. This is to address the gaps in pupils’ understanding that occurred as a result of the school’s partial closure during the spring and summer terms 2020 when it was not open to all pupils.  Teachers’ recent assessment of pupils’ reading highlighted that pupils in Years 1 and 2 needed additional support with their phonics knowledge.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

Additional COVID-19 funding has been used to increase the amount of one- to-one and small-group teaching that pupils receive, to help them recover their lost learning in reading.  In mathematics, teacher assessments, pupils’ recent results and teacher observations highlight some shortcomings in pupils’ mental agility. Also, some pupils appear to be less resilient when trying to complete more challenging mathematical concepts, since their return from the school’s partial closure.  Leaders and staff intend to organise wider curriculum activities remotely, such as the school nativity and harvest festival, in light of current restrictions on large gatherings in public places. Additionally, you explained that staff have amended the curriculum to include more physical activities for pupils.  Leaders intend to deliver the curriculum remotely, by way of ‘live’ lessons using video-conferencing systems, should it be required in the future due to

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

further restrictions. Additionally, pupils have been provided with workbooks created by staff and/or purchased externally. Arrangements have been made for teachers to view pupils’ completed work to help inform future planning.

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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 North Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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