Setting

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

p.1

Peter Gaul Principal King’s Leadership Academy Hawthornes Fernhill Road Bootle Merseyside L20 6AQ

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to King’s Leadership Academy Hawthornes

Following my remote visit with David Selby, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 19 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.

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to King’s Leadership Academy Hawthornes

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.

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to King’s Leadership Academy Hawthornes

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.

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to King’s Leadership Academy Hawthornes

During the visit, we spoke to you and members of the senior leadership team including the senior leader responsible for safeguarding. We did not speak to pupils.

p.1

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.

p.1

Context

In undertaking this focused work, HMI are visiting a broad range of schools. HMI will visit a sample of:

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 A small group of pupils in Year 8 and all pupils in the Year 10 ‘bubble’ are currently self-isolating. During the autumn term, all pupils in Year 10 have had to work from home twice. A small group of these pupils have had to work from home three times. About one half of all pupils have worked from home on at least one occasion this term.  Pupils in Years 7 to 11 are studying the full curriculum that the school usually offers. This includes the subjects that pupils in Years 10 and 11 will be examined in. You told us that pupils in all year groups have their usual access to specialist rooms and resources in practical subjects.  You told us that teachers are checking what pupils remember about the subject content they covered last year. This is happening through checks in lessons, online activities and formal tests. You explained that teachers are using the findings from these activities to identify pupils’ new starting points

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

and to decide what they should learn next.  You explained that pupils are expected to join in lessons remotely when you have asked them to self-isolate. This gives them access to the same resources as pupils who are in school. You told us that teachers sometimes provide additional alternative work for pupils who are learning remotely in practical subjects.

p.2

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. I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees, the chief executive officer of the Great Schools multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Sefton local authority. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.2