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

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Jo Knuckey Headteacher Illogan School Churchtown Illogan Redruth Cornwall TR16 4SW

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Ofsted visit to Illogan School

Following my visit with Iain Freeland, 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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Ofsted visit to Illogan 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 Illogan 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 visit to Illogan School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher and curriculum leaders. We did not speak to pupils because of the protective measures in place.

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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 in Year 1 to Year 6 attended full time from the start of term. Pupils in the early years initially attended part time, with full-time attendance commencing on 21 September 2020.  Pupils’ current attendance rate is higher than the normal attendance for this time of year.  All pupils are studying the full range of curriculum subjects.  In the first half of term, leaders used assessment to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge, and then adapted their planning accordingly. For example, teachers have incorporated key vocabulary, not taught in the summer and spring terms, into the autumn curriculum.  Leaders have given reading a higher priority since all pupils returned to school. Teachers are giving pupils greater opportunity to practise reading.  In mathematics, teachers have prioritised securing basic knowledge, such as addition and multiplication, to rebuild pupil’s fluency. Leaders have provided

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

additional teaching and intervention to specific pupils when required.  Pupils study all the subjects in the wider curriculum. In the physical education curriculum, swimming is currently on hold.  Leaders are refining plans for the wider curriculum and making adaptions in response to their ongoing observations of what children know, understand and can do. For example, in art and design, teachers are addressing the gaps in pupils’ practical skills that are a result of the partial closure of the school in spring and summer.  Leaders have prepared learning resources for pupils who need to self-isolate. In addition, teachers and pupils can use a number of online programs to support learning in mathematics and reading.

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

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