Setting

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

p.1

Susannah Bellingham Headteacher Brunswick Park Primary School Picton Street Camberwell London SE5 7QH

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to Brunswick Park Primary School

Following my remote visit with Daniel Constable, 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.

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to Brunswick Park 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.

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to Brunswick Park 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.

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to Brunswick Park Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and your senior leadership team. 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 remote visit, inspectors noted that:

 The school opened to all pupils on 7 September 2020. Most year groups are attending full time.  Attendance is slightly lower than at this time last year. You have provided support for a small number of pupils who were reluctant to return to school.  All pupils are studying their usual curriculum, including all subjects within the national curriculum. You have re-organised music and physical education sessions so that children can benefit from the usual curriculum content in these subjects.  At the start of term, staff checked pupils’ new starting points in reading, writing and mathematics, and compared these to the expected levels for pupils’ ages. These checks have led you to focus on developing pupils’ reading comprehension skills and their number and data handling skills. You have invested in published resources to support teachers in closing gaps in pupils’ knowledge.  You found that some Year 1 pupils had progressed well in reading when they

p.2

From this remote visit, inspectors noted that:

were at home during the spring and summer terms. You have organised phonics sessions in Year 2 to help pupils catch up on lost learning. Across the school, staff are spending more time than usual in developing pupils’ comprehension and vocabulary skills.  In mathematics, you are investing in an online tuition programme to support pupils in closing the gaps in learning that you identified at the start of the term.  You have provided pupils with curriculum ‘recovery’ days. Pupils explored topics, across a range of subjects, which they had not covered during the spring and summer terms. You have placed a sharp emphasis on teaching personal, social and health education since September and are prioritising pupils’ well-being. For example, you have specifically focused on developing pupils’ vocabulary to help them articulate their feelings to you.  You have plans in place to deliver all subjects remotely should this become

p.2

From this remote visit, inspectors noted that:

necessary. You have provided training for staff to support them in using your preferred online platform.

p.3

From this remote 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.

p.3

From this remote visit, inspectors noted that:

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Southwark. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.3