Setting

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

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Janette Vincent Headteacher Childwall Sports and Science Academy Queens Drive Liverpool Merseyside L15 6XZ

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Ofsted remote visit to Childwall Sports and Science Academy

Following my remote visit with Linda Emmett, 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 Childwall Sports and Science Academy

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 Childwall Sports and Science Academy

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 Childwall Sports and Science Academy

During the visit, we spoke to you, the chief executive officer and members of the senior leadership team. This included the senior leader responsible for safeguarding. 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 pupils in Year 7 and students in Year 12 on 3 September 2020. Pupils and students in other year groups returned to school on 4 September 2020. Everyone is expected to attend full time.  Pupils’ and students’ attendance is lower than is usual for this time of year. You explained that you communicate regularly with the families of those pupils and students who are reluctant to attend.  All pupils and students are studying the usual range of curriculum subjects. However, you explained that teachers are changing the order of the curriculum content in many subjects. You aim to return to the usual curriculum content by summer 2021.  You explained that teachers use everyday lessons to check what pupils and students can recall from the learning they have done since March 2020. Teachers then adapt their planning to match pupils’ new starting points.  You described how subject leaders are reviewing their curriculum plans. You

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

expect that pupils and students will revisit important curriculum content that they have missed or forgotten from the summer term 2020.  In Years 7 to 10, pupils now have a reading lesson. You explained that this is because some pupils have fallen behind with their reading skills due to COVID- 19. In Years 11 to 13, pupils and students have an extra lesson to focus on the subjects that they need most help with.  Pupils and students in Years 10 to 13 continue to study their examination subjects. They have priority access to specialist classrooms and resources. In Years 7 to 9, teachers are adapting how they deliver the practical elements of subjects.  You described how you have developed remote learning. You said that pupils who must self-isolate follow the same timetable as their peers. You explained that leaders monitor pupils’ attendance and engagement in online sessions.

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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 Lydiate Learning multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Liverpool. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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