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

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Helen Marshall Headteacher Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School Ashwood Road Parkgate Rotherham South Yorkshire S62 6HT

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Ofsted visit to Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School

Following my visit with James Duncan, 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 Rawmarsh Ashwood 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 Rawmarsh Ashwood 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 Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the assistant headteacher, the learning mentor and four staff from the trust’s central team. This included leaders 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 11 September. All pupils are expected to attend full time.  Attendance is higher than what is normal for this school at this time of year.  Pupils are studying their usual range of subjects but not always in the same depth or breadth. Leaders plan to return pupils to their full curriculum by spring 2021.  You have checked pupils’ reading to identify any gaps in their knowledge and skills that have opened up during the period when the school was not open to all pupils due to COVID-19 restrictions. You told us that evident gaps in pupils’ phonics knowledge are being addressed.  You have also checked pupils’ knowledge and understanding in mathematics for any gaps that may have opened up. As a result, in the Nursery and Reception, you are focusing on the meaning of numbers, while in Years 1 to 6, you are concentrating on calculations, time and properties of shape.  Leaders have plans to deliver the curriculum remotely should this be needed.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

You intend to continue to use online learning packages and paper-based learning packs. You have plans to train staff to use the technology they need to enable them to deliver ‘live’ lessons to their pupils. 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 board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the Wickersley Partnership Trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Rotherham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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