Setting

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

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Jenni Willis Headteacher St Teresa’s RC Primary School Redcar Road Little Lever Bolton Lancashire BL3 1EN

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Ofsted visit to St Teresa’s RC Primary School

Following my visit with John Tomlinson, 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 St Teresa’s RC 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 St Teresa’s RC 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 St Teresa’s RC Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and the deputy headteacher. 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. 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 from Year 1 to Year 6 on 2 September 2020. Children in the Reception Year started at the school on 7 September 2020.  Pupils’ attendance is broadly the same as you would expect at this point in the year.  All pupils are studying the usual range of subjects. You explained that the curriculum has been adapted in some subjects, to ensure that pupils have more time to practise their reading and mathematical fluency. You expect that the school’s normal curriculum will be fully in place by January 2020.  Teachers have checked where pupils are up to in learning to read. They have identified that some pupils in Year 2 and Year 3 have not remembered some of the phonics content previously taught. Staff are providing extra support to help pupils get back on track.  Teachers have also carried out checks in mathematics to find out what pupils have remembered from their learning prior to March 2020. This information

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

is being used to adapt the curriculum to enable pupils to catch up on missed learning.  In the wider curriculum, teachers have identified important learning that pupils may have missed or forgotten. They are using this information to alter their plans and resources, so that they can address any gaps in pupils’ learning.  You intend to use the systems that are in place to deliver the curriculum remotely, if this should be required in the future. 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 director of education for the Diocese of Salford, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Bolton. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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