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

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Keven Bartle Headteacher Canons High School Shaldon Road Edgeware Middlesex HA8 6AN

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Ofsted remote visit to Canons High School

Following my remote visit with Jasper Green, 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 Canons High 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 Canons High 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 Canons High School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the chair of governors, members of the leadership team including the business manager and the leader with responsibility 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:

 Since the start of term, a very small proportion of pupils have needed to work from home.  All pupils are studying the school’s usual range of subjects. You have changed the order in which content is taught in some subjects. For example, in science, music, technology and computing, pupils are focusing on more theoretical aspects of the subjects and watching online demonstrations rather than completing practical work. You plan for pupils to return to their usual curriculum by the spring term 2021.  When pupils returned to school, you checked their new starting points in all subjects and year groups. Teachers are adapting their subject plans to help pupils go over key knowledge and skills that they previously learned but do not remember, or content that they have missed, before teaching something new.  Teachers’ checks in Year 7 found that some pupils are behind in their reading skills. You have organised extra opportunities for pupils to read regularly and

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

receive support to help them to catch up.  You have found that some pupils in Years 10 and 11, and some students in the sixth form, have fallen behind in their writing skills and lack confidence in applying their knowledge to complex tasks. In particular, teachers are helping students to be better prepared for writing essays.  You have provided digital remote education for small groups of pupils who have needed to self-isolate at home. Teachers help pupils to learn new knowledge remotely that is closely matched to what their peers are learning in school. Pupils are set homework using the school’s new digital systems to help pupils to get used to accessing remote education in this way. Leaders across subjects are developing the range of online subject resources to support remote education.

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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 Canons High School board of trustees, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Harrow. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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