Setting

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

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Wendy Underwood Headteacher Hulland Church of England Primary School Firs Avenue Hulland Ashbourne Derbyshire DE6 3FS

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Ofsted visit to Hulland Church of England Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 4 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 visit to Hulland Church of England 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 Hulland Church of England Primary School

Ofsted’s visits to schools during the autumn term are not inspections. We are not giving graded judgements. I did not undertake the usual range of inspection activities and was 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 Hulland Church of England Primary School

During the visit, I spoke to you. I 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, Her Majesty's Inspectors (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. I 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

I 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, the inspector noted that:

 The school opened to all pupils on 3 September 2020. All pupils are expected to attend full time.  Pupils’ attendance is above the usual rate for this time of year. The headteacher attributes this to the ‘fantastic’ support the school has received from parents in returning their children to education.  Pupils are studying the usual range of subjects, except for languages. The headteacher has suspended the teaching of languages to give more time to help pupils catch up if they have fallen behind in reading, writing and mathematics. The headteacher expects pupils to return to their usual curriculum no later than the beginning of the spring term of 2021.  Teachers have assessed pupils’ skills and knowledge in reading. A few pupils are not able to deduce or infer the meaning of what they read as well as previously. Staff are listening to pupils read more often and are checking their understanding of what they read more closely.

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From this visit, the inspector noted that:

 Teachers have found that pupils’ ability to calculate is of a similar standard to previously. However, pupils’ understanding of how to apply this knowledge to solve mathematical problems is not as strong. Teachers are providing pupils with more activities and detailed feedback to help them to improve.  Leaders’ assessments have revealed that pupils’ knowledge of grammar is not as secure as previously. Teachers have prioritised reviewing the knowledge of vocabulary and grammar that pupils have forgotten. They have given pupils more opportunities to apply this knowledge, so that when they write across a range of subjects they are able to do this accurately.  The headteacher has started to develop plans to deliver education remotely to pupils if required.

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From this visit, the inspector 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, the inspector noted that:

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the diocese of Derby, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Derbyshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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