Setting

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

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Tracie Langfield Headteacher Upper Arley CofE VC Primary School Upper Arley Bewdley Worcestershire DY12 1XA

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Ofsted remote visit to Upper Arley CofE VC Primary School

Following my remote visit with Ann Pritchard, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 11 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 Upper Arley CofE VC 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 Upper Arley CofE VC 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 Upper Arley CofE VC Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and the key stage 2 coordinator. 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:

 About 8% of pupils in the school had worked from home at some point since the start of term.  All pupils are studying the usual range of subjects. You said that you are trying to cover as much of the missed English and mathematics curriculum content as possible, before the summer term assessments take place.  You have checked pupils’ new starting points in English and mathematics to establish where they have gaps in their learning, and what they have or have not have remembered from work studied before and during the period when schools were only open to some children due to COVID-19 restrictions. In other subjects, including science and music, you have taken a different approach by establishing what pupils already know about a topic or theme before it is taught. There are currently changes in what pupils can do in physical education; for example, they cannot take swimming lessons because the pool is closed. There have also been some adaptations to the music

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

curriculum over the choice of instruments pupils can learn.  You have provided additional catch-up sessions in phonics for all pupils in Reception and Years 1 and 2. You are also planning a pre-school reading catch-up session for targeted pupils. You have allocated additional reading time for pupils who have fallen behind.  You have also arranged pre-school catch-up sessions for pupils in each class, to include basic skills in mathematics. You have identified statistics and shape as areas where pupils have missed learning due to the period when schools were only open to some children due to COVID-19 restrictions.  By shortening the lunchtime break, you have extended learning time, and scheduled an additional personal, social and health education lesson which you regard as a high priority. All other subjects are receiving their usual curriculum time. You said that you are using the wider curriculum as a driver to improve

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics.  You have made plans to deliver remote education through a combination of digital and paper-based materials. So far, you have delivered remote learning to individual pupils, selecting work that you have identified can be completed at home. Where possible, you are aiming for remote learning to reflect the work pupils would normally be doing 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 director of education for the diocese of Worcester, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Worcestershire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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