Setting

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

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Jennifer Taylor Headteacher Farnborough Road Infant School Farnborough Road Birkdale Southport Merseyside PR8 3DF

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Ofsted remote visit to Farnborough Road Infant School

Following my remote visit with Sheila Iwaskow, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 12 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 Farnborough Road Infant 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 Farnborough Road Infant 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 Farnborough Road Infant School

During the visit, we spoke to you and members of the senior leadership team. 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:

 Very few pupils in the school have had to work from home since the start of term.  You told us that all pupils are studying their usual range of subjects. However, you told us that teachers have reordered topics in the early years. In Years 1 and 2, you have also made adaptions to some subjects. For example, in music, pupils use sign language instead of singing.  You expect to return to your usual curriculum content by the summer term 2021.  You told us that teachers have checked what pupils remember since March 2020 in reading, writing and mathematics. You described the extra support that is in place for pupils who need to catch up.  You explained that reading is your top priority as many pupils in Years 1 and 2 are not at the stage you would usually expect them to be at this time of the year. You also note that many children in the Reception Year struggled to read or write their own name at the start of the autumn term.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 Due to missed learning, teachers are supporting older pupils to recall number facts with greater speed.  You said that in the wider curriculum, teachers are finding out what pupils know or can remember as they progress through the term. You explained, for example, that pupils in Years 1 and 2 can recall scientific vocabulary that they learned last year. In the Reception Year, however, children’s vocabulary is not as strong as it has been for previous cohorts of children in the early years.  You said that parents have everything that they need to help children and pupils to learn at home. Pupils and younger children working from home follow the same timetable that is used in school. However, you said that this can be difficult for some subjects, such as music or science, when practical resources are needed.

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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 regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Sefton. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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