Setting

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

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David Gunning Head of School Brookwood Primary School Connaught Road Brookwood Surrey GU24 0HF

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Ofsted visit to Brookwood Primary School

Following my visit with Shazia Akram, 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 Brookwood 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 Brookwood 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 Brookwood Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, members of the senior leadership team, the chief executive officer and two other representatives from Bourne Education Trust (BET). 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 pupils in Years 1 to 6 on 3 September 2020, with the expectation they attend full time. Reception children started to attend full time by the 8 September 2020.  Pupils’ attendance is in line with what it was at this point last year.  Pupils are learning across all of the subjects they usually would. Teachers have made temporary changes in some subjects, to prioritise reading and mathematics, and to provide more time for physical education this term. You anticipate a return to the school’s normal curriculum by summer 2021.  Teachers have tested what pupils remember in reading and mathematics. In other subjects, they check pupils’ knowledge and vocabulary prior to introducing new concepts. Working with subject leaders from other schools across BET, teachers aim to help pupils catch up by focusing on the most important knowledge in each subject and changing the order of teaching

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

where necessary.  Teachers have adapted their teaching and are giving more time to support younger pupils’ phonics and early reading skills where this is needed. Across all year groups, teachers are spending more time teaching reading skills and reading books to pupils.  In mathematics, teachers have identified aspects that pupils need to revisit before moving on to new concepts. Greater focus is being given to place value and promoting pupils’ reasoning and problem-solving skills in all year groups.  Staff have established a remote education system which parents and pupils access online or via paper copies. This system supports pupils, who may need to self-isolate, to access their normal range of subjects. You have plans for how this will be used in the event of any partial- or full-school closures that may be needed 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 board of trustees, and the chief executive officer of the Bourne Education Trust academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Surrey This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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