Setting

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

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Liz Bradbury Federation Headteacher Park Hill Junior School Parkfield Drive Kenilworth Warwickshire CV8 2JJ

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Ofsted remote visit to Park Hill Junior School

Following my remote visit with Jonathan Leonard, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 5 November 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 remote visit to Park Hill Junior 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. Following changes to government guidance and the imposition of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, we made this visit remotely to reduce pressure on the school.

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Ofsted remote visit to Park Hill Junior 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 remote visit to Park Hill Junior School

During the visit, we spoke to you, and the federation lead for teaching and learning. We did not speak to pupils.

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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 all pupils on 3 September 2020.  Attendance is currently very similar to your normal attendance for this time of year.  You told us that pupils are currently studying all their usual subjects. In a few subjects, you have changed the order in which some topics are taught. For example, pupils in Year 4 would normally have completed a cooking activity in which they share ingredients and taste each other’s food. You hope that pupils will be able to complete this later in the year.  You have checked what pupils know and understand using a combination of standardised tests and assessment activities in lessons. These checks have identified some areas where you believe that pupils have fallen behind a little. Teachers are prioritising these areas in their teaching now.  In English, some pupils have forgotten some of the grammar they had previously learned. Others are now less able to apply higher-order reading

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

skills, such as inference. Pupils generally have found writing at length more challenging than previously.  In mathematics, some pupils are less confident in their basic skills, such as arithmetic methods and times tables.  In subjects beyond English and mathematics, you recognise that there are topics that pupils have missed because they were not taught them in the summer term.  You have plans in place to provide teaching for pupils who have to isolate in the future. Teachers will provide work online, and pupils will be able to submit work and receive feedback online. You intend to provide printed packs for the small number of pupils who struggle to access work using the internet.

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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 Warwickshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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