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

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Gareth Ivett Headteacher Daventry Hill School Ashby Road Daventry Northamptonshire NN11 0QE

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Ofsted remote visit to Daventry Hill School

Following my remote visit with Hazel Henson, 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 Daventry Hill 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 Daventry Hill 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 Daventry Hill School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher with responsibility for the primary phase, the assistant headteacher with responsibility for the secondary phase, the operations manager and the pastoral leader. 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:

 Since the start of the autumn term, approximately 20% of pupils have had to self-isolate and work from home.  All pupils are studying their usual range of subjects. Some adaptations have been made to the way content is taught in the curriculum which aims to prepare pupils for adulthood. Pupils are not able to use the hydrotherapy pool, currently.  Staff have checked pupils’ knowledge and skills. They have identified where pupils need extra support. Additional help is focused on pupils’ mental well- being and therapeutic needs.  Leaders have prioritised the teaching of reading and phonics. Staff have received advice and training to deliver additional lessons. New library areas have been created for each ‘bubble’ in the school, to help develop pupils’ reading, communication and language skills.  Pupils study vocational and academic subjects. Pupils in Year 10 and Year 11, and those in the sixth form, have resumed their studies. These include study

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

for Functional Skills assessments and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.  Leaders are providing remote education for pupils to complete at home, when needed. This matches the curriculum in school. In the event of a full or partial school closure, teachers will provide a mixture of daily online lessons and opportunities for pupils to interact with their peers.

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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 Creating Tomorrow 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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