Setting

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

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Jamie MacLean Principal Dover Christ Church Academy Melbourne Avenue Whitfield Dover Kent CT16 2EG

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Ofsted visit to Dover Christ Church Academy

Following my visit with Hannah Miller, 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.

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Ofsted visit to Dover Christ Church Academy

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.

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Ofsted visit to Dover Christ Church Academy

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 visit to Dover Christ Church Academy

During the visit, we spoke to you and several members of the school’s leadership team. We did not speak to pupils because of the protective measures in place.

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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 (coronavirus) 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:

 You opened the school to Year 7 pupils on 3 September 2020 and to Year 10 pupils on 4 September 2020. All year groups were expected to attend full time from 7 September 2020.  Since the start of the autumn term, pupils’ rates of attendance have been slightly below those in the autumn term last year. Staff have kept in regular contact with absent pupils’ families in order to communicate your attendance expectations.  In all year groups, teachers have assessed where pupils are in their learning and are focused on helping pupils to catch up with the work that they have missed.  Pupils in Years 7 to 9 are learning the full range of subjects that the school normally offers. You have made changes to when some subject content is taught. For example, in music, you have decided to move some practical activities, such as singing, to the end of the year.  In Years 10 and 11, pupils are continuing to study all of their examination

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

subjects. You have focused on meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including pupils with education, health and care plans who are part of the specialist unit.  You have made no changes to the subjects Year 12 and 13 students are studying. You are in the process of making changes to some aspects of students’ learning. For example, leaders are currently looking at ways that students can safely complete voluntary work in the community.  Pupils who are absent from school are able to complete learning through the school’s website or paper-based resources. You have made remote education available that matches the range of subjects in the school’s curriculum.

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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 chief executive officer of the Dover Christ Church Academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Kent. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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