Setting

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

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Mrs Karren El Kheir Headteacher Newhall Park Primary School Newhall Road Bierley Bradford West Yorkshire BD4 6AF

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Ofsted visit to Newhall Park Primary School

Following my visit with Patricia Head, 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 Newhall Park 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 Newhall Park 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 Newhall Park Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to the deputy headteacher and designated safeguarding lead, the school business leader and two phase leaders. 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, a different 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 term began on 7 September 2020. All pupils were expected to attend full time from that date. Children entering Reception had a phased start as usual.  Attendance is not as high as it would normally be at this time of the year. Year 2 and 3 ‘bubbles’, along with a nurture group of pupils from several year groups, were isolating at the time of the visit.  Pupils are studying the full range of curriculum subjects as usual.  Teachers made checks on pupils’ starting points in reading, writing and mathematics on their return to school. Leaders have used this information to plan to address any gaps in pupils’ learning that have occurred during the period the school was not open to all pupils.  In years 1 to 3, staff are recapping the phonics curriculum which pupils have missed. In Reception, leaders have delayed the usual start to teaching phonics.  In mathematics, pupils are studying the curriculum as normal but with additional

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

time at the beginning of each unit to revisit and consolidate any necessary prior learning.  The curriculum in subjects beyond English and mathematics has not been altered.  Leaders have extended their use of an existing online learning tool to set work for pupils who need to work remotely. Teachers of any year group bubbles that are isolating upload videos which instruct pupils on the work that has been set. Paper-based copies of work are also available. This is the approach the school would continue with should there be a need to in the future due to further restrictions which prohibited pupils from attending on a full-time basis.

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

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