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

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Emma Lea Headteacher Bucklesham Primary School Main Road Bucklesham Ipswich IP10 0AX

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Ofsted visit to Bucklesham Primary School

Following my visit with Tessa Holledge, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 22 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 Bucklesham 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 Bucklesham 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 Bucklesham Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you. 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 fully to pupils on 3 September 2020. Reception children started attending school part time, and then began full-time attendance two weeks later. These are the usual arrangements for this time of year.  Pupils’ attendance is currently in line with that of the same time last year.  Leaders are prioritising the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics this term. Teachers have checked what pupils can do in these subjects and the results are being used to help pupils catch up.  Pupils in Reception and Year 1 are having personalised phonics lessons to help them catch up on learning they have missed.  In English, teachers are giving pupils more opportunities to write. Teachers are planning for pupils to have more time to revisit the vocabulary they have previously learned and to improve their grammar skills.  Teachers’ checks in mathematics show that pupils have gaps in their problem-

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

solving skills. Teachers are providing more opportunities for pupils to improve their ability to solve problems accurately.  This term, leaders are spending more time focusing on reading, writing and mathematics, which is leaving less time for other subjects to be taught. In these other subjects, teachers are adapting what pupils learn because of the reduced teaching time available. Leaders aim for teachers to return to the fully planned content for all subjects by January 2021.  The school has an online offer of learning that aims to match much of what is being taught in school. This includes recorded lessons and daily feedback opportunities between pupils and teachers. Pupils will able to use this if there is a need to in the future.

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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 Suffolk County Council. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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