Setting

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

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Mike Austins Headteacher Norton Road Primary School Norton Road Luton Bedfordshire LU3 2NX

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Ofsted visit to Norton Road Primary School

Following my visit with Fiona Webb, 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 Norton Road 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 Norton Road 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 Norton Road Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and your 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, a different 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:

 You opened the school to Years 1 to 6 from 7 September 2020. You introduced two year groups each day. Reception children followed the school's usual staggered start from 14 September 2020.  Attendance is similar to this time last year.  When the new term started in September, you made the decision to focus on pupils' well-being and re-establishing routines to help pupils to settle and prepare for learning.  All pupils are studying the full range of subjects. Lessons such as computing and music are being taught for longer periods to facilitate the cleaning of equipment. No outside visits or after-school clubs are taking place yet and, where you are able to, you are adapting your curriculum to compensate.  You have identified that pupils need to catch up in reading and writing as a priority. In Reception and Years 1 and 2, teachers are checking pupils' phonics knowledge and using additional staff to help those pupils who need to catch up.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

You have redeployed staff to help pupils across all year groups to catch up in reading and writing.  In mathematics, teachers are checking what pupils remember and using additional support to reinforce the learning of number facts.  You are currently reviewing your curriculum so that it includes learning that pupils have missed over the spring and summer terms. You have plans to check where pupils are in the wider curriculum by the end of this term.  You are providing resources for pupils currently isolating at home. You say that the systems you have in place will support all pupils to access your curriculum if they need to work from home 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 governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Luton. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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