Setting

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

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Lucy Wilson Headteacher Bracebridge Infant and Nursery School Francis Street Bracebridge Lincoln Lincolnshire LN5 8QG

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Ofsted remote visit to Bracebridge Infant and Nursery School

Following my remote visit to your school on 12 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 Bracebridge Infant and Nursery 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 Bracebridge Infant and Nursery 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 Bracebridge Infant and Nursery School

During the visit, I spoke to you, and the attendance officer. I 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, only a very small number of pupils have needed to self-isolate.  Teachers are following the school's usual curriculum plan. There have been some changes to the order in which they teach some subjects. For example, this term pupils have been focusing on design technology and art.  Teachers have checked what pupils can remember in English and mathematics.  In mathematics, pupils have lost some knowledge and vocabulary. For example, some pupils have forgotten that subtraction is the inverse of addition. Teachers are filling these gaps in pupils’ knowledge before they move on to new learning.  In English, some pupils’ knowledge of speech and language has regressed, and they have lost some of their wider vocabulary. In phonics, pupils cannot recall some of the more complex sounds. Pupils are spending more time learning phonics to help them to catch up.  In the early years, staff are providing higher levels of toileting and hygiene

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

care and support for some children. Some children are not able to share things as well as they did before the lockdown.  When pupils need to work from home, teachers will provide lessons in English, mathematics and one other subject each day. Pupils watch virtual lessons and then complete tasks linked to these. Most pupils do not have access to computers or tablet devices, therefore, leaders have made sure pupils can view the video lessons on mobile phones, with supporting documentation provided for families if requested.

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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 board of trustees, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Lincolnshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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