Setting

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

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Rosemary Diskin Headteacher Norwood Primary School Chamberlayne Road Eastleigh Hampshire SO50 5JL

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Ofsted remote visit to Norwood Primary School

Following my remote visit with Aimee Floyd, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 12 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 Norwood 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. Following changes to government guidance and the imposition of COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown restrictions, we made this visit remotely to reduce pressure on the school.

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Ofsted remote visit to Norwood 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 remote visit to Norwood Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher, and subject leaders for English, mathematics, music and science. 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 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:

 At the time of the visit, 12 pupils were self-isolating at home. Just over a quarter of pupils have had to self-isolate since the start of term, some for a few days, many for two weeks at a time.  Pupils are studying the school’s normal range of subjects, with more time given to pupils’ personal development learning at present. Teachers have adapted how they teach each subject to fit in with the school’s health and safety measures. For example, classes now sing in the hall rather than in classrooms.  Teachers have checked what pupils can remember in English and mathematics. The biggest gaps are in mathematics, where many pupils have forgotten some number skills and how to work out fractions. Teachers are helping pupils to catch up, including by providing extra teaching for those who are most behind. They aim for pupils to have caught up and returned to their normal curriculum by February half term.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 In English, teachers have found that they need to focus on phonics, spelling and writing skills. They have reorganised how English is taught to include content that was missed from the summer term. Work is set around new class reading books, with tasks being shorter to help build up pupils’ stamina for writing.  In other subjects, teachers have reorganised the topics they teach to match the books pupils are reading in English. They have checked what content pupils have missed or forgotten so that they know what to include in future topics.  In the Nursery and Reception classes, teachers have checked children’s starting points. Leaders told us that these are lower than usual. Teachers are adapting the curriculum to help address gaps in children’s early learning and development, especially in communication and language.  Teachers provide work for pupils to do if they have to self-isolate. This is either paper-based or digital depending on what equipment pupils have access

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

to at home. All work set is aligned with what pupils would normally be learning if they were in school.

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

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