Setting

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

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Louise Fisk Principal Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School 9 Swindon Lane Romford Essex RM3 9RD

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Ofsted visit to Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School

Following my visit with Adam Vincent, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 15 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 Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory 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 Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory 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 Drapers’ Pyrgo Priory School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the vice principal, the assistant principal, the home-school support worker and the attendance officer. 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 7 September 2020. All pupils attend on a full-time basis.  Attendance is slightly above the normal attendance for the time of year.  Pupils have returned to the full range of subjects planned for this year. Teachers are planning to cover, as far as possible, the usual content for each subject. In mathematics and personal, social, health and citizenship education, teachers are using additional teaching resources to support the return to the usual curriculum.  Teachers have assessed all pupils in Years 1 to 6 in reading, including phonics, and writing and mathematics.  Teachers have found that many pupils, including some in Years 3 to 6, have gaps in their knowledge of phonics. They have arranged small-group teaching, where needed. Some pupils have also fallen behind in their reading fluency and ability to tackle longer texts. Leaders are giving reading more time within

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

the school day.  In mathematics, teachers have found gaps in pupils’ knowledge of number facts, shape and fractions. They have identified weaknesses in pupils’ fluency with number operations. Teachers are giving extra time to the teaching of number and are teaching parts of the previous year’s curriculum again.  Teachers have found that pupils’ physical development is also weaker than it should be. In early years, teachers are giving priority to activities that promote children’s physical development, including fine-motor skills. Classes in Years 1 to 6 have a daily exercise session that focuses on their fitness and coordination.  Teachers have prepared remote education resources for each subject. Leaders plan to provide work both online and as hard copies. In the event of further remote education, the content of what pupils learn in each subject will align with what they would have learned in the classroom.

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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 and the chief executive officer of the Drapers’ multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Havering. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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