Setting

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

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Anna Gautrey Headteacher St Columba’s Catholic Primary School Tong Street Dudley Hill Bradford West Yorkshire BD4 9PY

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Ofsted visit to St Columba’s Catholic Primary School

Following my visit with Sarah Hubbard, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 9 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 Columba’s Catholic 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 Columba’s Catholic 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 Columba’s Catholic Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to the senior leadership team. 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 to all pupils on 7 September 2020. All year groups are expected to attend full time.  Pupils’ attendance since the start of the term is higher than it was over the same period last academic year.  Leaders explained that pupils are studying the range of subjects that make up the school’s usual curriculum.  Teachers have undertaken checks on pupils’ phonics knowledge. You explained that you have revised the phonics and reading curriculums to prioritise the content that pupils have not remembered.  Teachers have assessed pupils’ starting points in mathematics. Leaders have adjusted the curriculum content to address gaps in pupils’ learning. You told us that teachers are prioritising teaching place value and helping pupils to recall their number bonds and times tables.  Teachers have started to identify the knowledge in science that some pupils may have missed. You explained that you intend to ensure that any missed

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

content is covered in future topics. You have plans to check pupils’ knowledge in all subjects across the wider curriculum by the end of the autumn term.  You have plans in place to deliver the full curriculum remotely, should this be needed. You have purchased a range of resources to help with the delivery of remote learning. You told us that staff have received training on delivering lessons remotely. 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 Leeds, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Bradford. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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