Setting

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

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Mr Tim Phillips Headteacher Hoyle Court Primary School Fyfe Grove Baildon Shipley West Yorkshire BD17 6DN

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Ofsted visit to Hoyle Court Primary School

Following my visit with Patricia Head, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 8 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 Hoyle Court 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 Hoyle Court 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 Hoyle Court Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to a range of leaders, including yourself as the designated safeguarding lead. 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:  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:

 School opened to all pupils on 7 September. All pupils are expected to attend full time.  Attendance has been higher than it would normally be so far this academic year.  Pupils are studying the full range of curriculum subjects as usual.  Teachers have checked whether pupils have any gaps in their knowledge. Aspects of pupils’ learning which need revisiting have been woven into the usual curriculum plans.  Pupils from Reception to Year 2 who have gaps in their phonics knowledge are receiving extra support.  It has been necessary to provide opportunities for pupils to revisit prior learning in mathematics, such as counting and times tables.  In the wider curriculum, teachers are using existing plans, but are taking account of any prior learning which may be missing and is needed for pupils to be successful with new learning, following the school’s partial closure.  In Reception and Year 1, teachers are prioritising the development of pupils’

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

social skills and spoken language, as these areas required attention following the school’s partial closure.  You have introduced a new approach to remote education, which you plan to use more extensively as required, for example if there are further restrictions. Teachers set work which can be accessed on different devices and can be completed in a range of ways, including on paper. You have provided access to electronic books for all pupils. This includes books for beginner readers which are matched to their phonic knowledge.

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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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