Setting

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

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Paul Brockwell Principal Co-op Academy Leeds Stoney Rock Lane Leeds West Yorkshire LS9 7HD

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Ofsted remote visit to Co-op Academy Leeds

Following my remote visit with Sarah Hubbard, 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 Co-op Academy Leeds

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 Co-op Academy Leeds

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 Co-op Academy Leeds

During the visit, we spoke to you, the vice principal, the designated safeguarding lead, the assistant principal responsible for behaviour and attendance and the senior leader responsible for ‘tracking and intervention’. We also spoke with subject leaders for English, mathematics, science and music. 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:

 At the time of our visit no ‘bubbles’ were isolating. While you have not yet had to send any bubbles home, you explained that a group of pupils in Year 8 and Year 9 had been working from home for a few days. This was because of the high number of teachers who were absent due to COVID-19.  Pupils are studying all the subjects in your usual curriculum. You told us that some subject adaptations have been made to take account of learning that pupils missed when school was only open to some pupils due to COVID-19 restrictions. For example, in music, where pupils do not have access to instruments at home, you have increased the amount of time pupils are able to practise in school.  In some subjects, you have changed the order in which units are taught, to help pupils catch up. In English for example, Year 10 pupils are focusing on literature for two terms, to cover content that they would ordinarily have been

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

taught during Year 9. You intend to return to your usual curriculum by the summer term 2021.  Assessments of pupils’ starting points in Years 7, 8 and 9 have shown that some pupils have gaps in their scientific knowledge because of learning missed in the last academic year. You explained that teachers in all subjects are using quizzes, at the start and end of topics, to check pupils’ learning. For example, at the start of each English unit of work, teachers concentrate their checks on pupils’ spelling, punctuation and grammar knowledge.  Pupils in Year 10 and Year 11 have continued with their chosen GCSE subjects. Teachers of Year 11 pupils have used the results from mathematics tests to find out which content has been forgotten and needs reteaching. You have used this information to organise interventions for Year 11 pupils.  You have systems in place to deliver the curriculum remotely. You said that

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

you offer digital learning alongside paper-based activities. You told us that the tasks pupils do at home align with your curriculum plans.  You provide a timetable for pupils when they are working remotely, but you allow pupils to choose when they complete the work that has been set. You are directing pupils to websites for additional work where this is required.

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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, chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the Co-op multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Leeds local authority. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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