Setting

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

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Tony Segalini Principal Kettering Science Academy Deeble Road Kettering Northamptonshire NN15 7AA

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Ofsted remote visit to Kettering Science Academy

Following my remote visit with Christine Watkins, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 10 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 Kettering Science 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. 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 Kettering Science 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.

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Ofsted remote visit to Kettering Science Academy

During the visit, we spoke to you, the executive principal, the trust curriculum director and members of the senior leadership team, including the senior leader responsible for safeguarding. 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:

 A small proportion of pupils in Years 7, 10 and 12 ‘bubbles’ were required to self-isolate for a short period of time during the first half term.  All pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 are studying the full range of national curriculum subjects. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 continue to study their usual range of GCSE subjects, including the subjects they opted for. Similarly, in Years 12 and 13, students continue to study the courses they had chosen.  Leaders have amended their curriculum plans for the practical elements of some subjects, particularly in Years 7, 8 and 9. For example, practical experiments in science have initially been prioritised for pupils in Years 10 and 11. In music, singing is not currently taught. In other subjects, such as geometry in mathematics, the content of the curriculum has been reorganised to prioritise aspects of learning which require precise whole-class teaching. Leaders have plans in place to restore all aspects of the curriculum by summer

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

2021.  Leaders have carried out a range of assessments to check pupils’ knowledge and skills across all subjects. Additional checks have been made on pupils’ reading and comprehension skills. Teachers are using the information gained from these initial checks to inform their planning. Additional lessons have been introduced for pupils in Year 11 to help them catch up on missed learning. A similar programme is in place for students in the sixth form.  Leaders have prioritised aspects of the curriculum for pupils’ personal development, such as online learning and safety, resilience, and remote work experience for students in the sixth form.  Teachers have developed a range of online resources to provide remote learning, should this be necessary, in case of pupil absence or future local restrictions. Leaders told us that these resources have been designed to reflect pupils’ usual curriculum experience as closely as possible. Pupils without

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

access to equipment or who have trouble accessing online resources have been supported.

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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, the chief executive officer of the Brooke Weston multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Northamptonshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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