Setting

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

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Wendy Nunns Headteacher Clitheroe Pendle Primary School Princess Avenue Clitheroe Lancashire BB7 2AL

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Ofsted visit to Clitheroe Pendle Primary School

Following my visit with Jo Olsson, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 3 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 visit to Clitheroe Pendle 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.

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Ofsted visit to Clitheroe Pendle 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 visit to Clitheroe Pendle Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher and the senior leader for key stage 2. 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 (coronavirus) pandemic. 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:

 You opened the school to all pupils on 2 September 2020. You expect all year groups to attend full time.  Pupils’ attendance is broadly the same as usual for this time of year.  All pupils are studying the full range of curriculum subjects this term. Staff have adapted the way they teach each subject to help pupils to catch up on any learning that they have missed since March 2020. You told us that you expect pupils to be learning the usual curriculum content by summer 2021.  You explained that teachers have checked for gaps in pupils’ knowledge of reading which may have developed since March 2020. Based on what teachers have found, they are providing additional support to help pupils in Years 1 and 2 to catch up with their knowledge of phonics. You explained that in Year 3 to Year 6, teachers are helping pupils to practise comprehension skills by embedding reading across all areas of the curriculum.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 You described how teachers made checks on pupils’ mathematical knowledge to set new starting points. These checks showed that some pupils in Years 1 and 2 are now struggling to apply their knowledge of using numbers to solve problems confidently. Some older pupils in Years 5 and 6 are unsure about fractions. Teachers are providing extra support for these pupils to build up their knowledge of these areas.  In other subjects, such as science or geography, you told us that teachers check if pupils have missed any learning since March 2020 which might be relevant to what they are learning this term. Teachers then include the knowledge that pupils have missed in the current learning they have planned.  You have planned to provide remote learning, if needed in the future, using your existing online methods. You stated that teachers adapt the work to suit the age and needs of all pupils.

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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 Lancashire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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