Setting

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

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David Taylor Executive Headteacher Dinnington Community Primary School School Street Dinnington Sheffield S25 2RE

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Ofsted remote visit to Dinnington Community Primary School

Following my remote visit with Chris Cook, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 5 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 Dinnington Community 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. 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 Dinnington Community 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 remote visit to Dinnington Community Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to senior leaders, including those responsible for safeguarding. 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:

 The school opened fully to all pupils on 3 September 2020. All pupils are expected to attend on a full-time basis.  Attendance is above the school’s normal attendance for this time of year. You are working with parents and carers to promote better attendance.  Pupils are studying all the subjects that you would normally be covering at this time of year. You are planning for pupils to return to their usual curriculum before the summer term in 2021.  Staff have tested pupils’ reading to assess comprehension skills and to check for any gaps in their knowledge of phonics that arose during the period when school was partially shut. Teachers have allocated additional time to reading to help emphasise the importance of phonics. These sessions are usually delivered to the whole class, although some pupils receive additional support in small groups.  You have also assessed pupils’ knowledge in mathematics. You have identified

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

that pupils’ speed and fluency in mental mathematics are areas that need more practice. Staff are using this information to plan future lessons.  All the subjects within the wider curriculum are being taught. You have adapted the curriculum in some subjects to help increase pupils’ vocabulary.  You are providing remote education for children who need to isolate from school. You told us that you are ready to expand this if entire ‘bubbles’ need to access their learning remotely in the future due to further restrictions. You explained that in all cases you are providing work that matches the content pupils would be covering if they were in school.

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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 academy improvement board, the chair of the board of trustees, the chief executive officer of the White Woods Primary Academy Trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Rotherham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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