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

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Anne Clinton Executive Headteacher St Patrick’s RC Primary School Livesey Street Collyhurst Manchester M4 5HF

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Ofsted visit to St Patrick’s RC Primary School

Following my visit with John Tomlinson, 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 St Patrick’s RC 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 St Patrick’s RC 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 St Patrick’s RC Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and 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. 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 reopened fully to all pupils on 7 September 2020. You expect pupils to attend full time.  Pupils’ attendance is above their usual attendance level for this time of year.  You explained that pupils are studying the usual curriculum.  Teachers’ checks have shown that some pupils have not remembered the phonics content that was taught before the period when schools were only open to some pupils due to COVID-19 restrictions. You are providing additional support to help these pupils catch up.  You explained that teachers have not noticed any differences in older pupils’ reading ability. These pupils are reading as well as teachers would typically expect for this time of the year.  Teachers are checking pupils’ knowledge and skills in mathematics. You told us that teachers will use information from the results to adapt curriculum plans if this is required.  Teachers are also checking what pupils have remembered in subjects other

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

than English and mathematics. If needed, you plan to reorganise the way that some subjects are being taught to cover the skills and knowledge that pupils may have missed during the 2020 summer term.  You described the systems in place to deliver the curriculum remotely should this be needed. The remote curriculum is aligned with the school’s usual curriculum. 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 director of education for the diocese of Salford, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Manchester. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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