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

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David Dawes Principal The King’s Academy Stainton Way Coulby Newham Middlesbrough TS8 0GA

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Ofsted visit to The King’s Academy

Following my visit with Malcolm Kirtley, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 15 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.

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Ofsted visit to The King’s 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.

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Ofsted visit to The King’s 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 visit to The King’s Academy

During the visit, we spoke to you, to the acting headteacher and to members of the senior leadership team. 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 7 September 2020. All pupils are expected to attend full time.  Attendance is lower than it was for the same period last year. Leaders described how staff are working with pupils, parents and carers to address any barriers to attendance.  Pupils in Years 7 to 13 are studying all of the subjects in the school’s curriculum. In practical subjects, such as science, the order in which some curriculum content is taught has been changed. You explained this is because you want to give priority to certain groups of pupils for practical activities.  Teachers are using assessment to check pupil’s knowledge. Teachers are spending additional time revisiting learning that pupils studied when schools were only open to some pupils due to COVID-19 restrictions.  In Year 11, leaders have delayed mock examinations. You explained that you have done this to get more insight into pupils’ knowledge and understanding

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

of their subjects.  Teachers are establishing ways to deliver the curriculum remotely. Leaders have developed an online system to enable pupils to access school work from home.

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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. I am copying this letter to the chair of the executive board and the chief executive officer of the Emmanuel Schools Foundation, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Middlesbrough. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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