Setting

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

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Jo Devine Headteacher St Andrew’s C of E Voluntary Aided Primary School The Green Totteridge London N20 8NX

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Totteridge

Following my visit with Andrea Bedeau, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 3 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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Totteridge

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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Totteridge

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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Totteridge

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher and a middle leader. 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. Pupils are expected to attend full time.  Attendance is broadly in line with what is normal for this time of year.  Leaders have prioritised pupils’ speedy return to the habits of good learning. Pupils are studying the school’s usual range of subjects, although the order in which some content is taught has been changed. This reflects teachers’ understanding of the gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills.  The school is implementing its usual reading programme. In Years 1 and 2, teachers are helping pupils to remember and apply the phonics knowledge that they have previously learned. Books used for guided reading in all classes have been reviewed to make sure they are ‘fit for purpose’.  Leaders and teachers have reviewed pupils’ knowledge and skills in mathematics. Based on these findings, they have emphasised the teaching of reasoning skills. Leaders have also made ‘using and applying mathematics’ a

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

top priority this term.  The work to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding in other curriculum subjects has started. This is a key task for subject leaders this term. Pupils have lost some learning in subjects such as science and history, which staff are now beginning to address.  The school is in the process of setting up a new system to offer remote education should that be necessary. Training for teachers has been scheduled and plans are in place for the system to go live by the end of November 2020.

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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 director of education for the St Albans Diocesan Board for Schools, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Barnet. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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