Setting

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

p.1

Francis Power Headteacher The Fallibroome Academy Priory Lane Upton Macclesfield Cheshire SK10 4AF

p.1

Ofsted visit to The Fallibroome Academy

Following my visit with Rachel Goodwin, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 20 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.

p.1

Ofsted visit to The Fallibroome 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.

p.1

Ofsted visit to The Fallibroome 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.

p.1

Ofsted visit to The Fallibroome Academy

During the visit, we spoke to you, the senior leadership team and the senior leader responsible for safeguarding. We did not speak to pupils because of the protective measures in place.

p.1

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.

p.2

Context

In undertaking this focused work, HMI are visiting a broad range of schools. HMI will visit a sample of:

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 Different year groups started to return to school from 2 September 2020. The school opened fully to all pupils on 4 September 2020. You expect all pupils, including students in the sixth form, to attend full time.  Attendance is below the school’s normal rate of attendance for this time of year. You told us that staff continue to work with pupils and their families to reassure them about returning to school. At the time of the visit, half of the pupils in Year 7 were isolating.  All pupils, including students in the sixth form, have returned to their usual timetable of curriculum subjects.  You have made some minor changes to the order in which some subjects are delivered. This is to ensure that pupils and students can access specialist classrooms and equipment. For example, in subjects with practical elements, such as art, music, design and technology and science, teachers use specialist equipment on a rota. Teachers in music and design and technology have made

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

changes to practical projects.  You plan for all pupils and students to return to their usual curriculum before the summer term 2021.  You explained to us how teachers in all subjects are checking what pupils and students have learned since March 2020. You told us that, when appropriate, teachers use this information to adapt their lessons. You plan to deliver extra sessions after school and during the holidays to help pupils to catch up with learning that they have missed or forgotten.  You have an online system in place to deliver the curriculum remotely for those pupils who are isolating. You explained to us that this includes live lessons that are aligned with the school’s curriculum. You have invested in new hardware to support digital learning.

p.2

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.

p.3

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees, the chief executive officer of The Fallibroome Trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Cheshire East. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.3