Setting

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

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Catherine Logan Headteacher Twydall Primary and Nursery School Twydall Lane Gillingham Kent ME8 6JS

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Ofsted visit to Twydall Primary and Nursery School

Following my visit with Hanna Miller, 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 Twydall Primary and Nursery 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 Twydall Primary and Nursery 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 Twydall Primary and Nursery School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher, the inclusion manager, the attendance manager, the behaviour mentor, the home support worker and four senior teachers. 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. Reception- age children started full time on 7 September 2020. A small number of pupils attend part-time.  Pupils’ attendance is higher than normally seen at this time of year. Leaders have communicated expectations for pupils’ full-time attendance to parents while providing support through the inclusion and welfare teams.  Pupils are studying all subjects in the school’s usual curriculum. During the first three weeks of September, the curriculum focused on pupils’ emotional needs through additional teaching of personal, social, health and economic education. Teachers have made adaptations to how subjects, such as music, history and physical education, are taught.  Pupils have undertaken formal assessments in English and mathematics. These assessments identified that pupils need further support to develop their writing. Teachers are providing opportunities for pupils to practise their writing

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

skills in a range of subjects.  Teachers have carried out checks on pupils’ phonics knowledge. They have increased and adjusted phonics teaching from Reception to Year 2 for pupils who have fallen behind in reading. Teachers in Years 3 to 6 are focusing on developing pupils’ vocabulary and comprehension skills.  In mathematics, teachers have adapted planning to help pupils revise concepts before moving on to new learning. Assessments have identified that pupils in all year groups need support with reasoning and problem-solving skills.  Teachers plan to check pupils’ knowledge across the wider curriculum subjects. They intend to use this information to help pupils catch up on any learning they have missed.  Pupils who are unable to attend school are provided with work that matches the learning taking place in lessons. Teachers set work which pupils can access either electronically or on paper. Leaders are currently considering ways of

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

delivering remote learning in the event of a future lockdown.

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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 Rainham Mark Education Trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Medway. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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