Setting

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

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Alison Moxham Headteacher Bretherton Endowed Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School South Road Bretherton Lancashire PR26 9AH

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Aided Primary School

Following my remote visit with Amanda Stringer, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 17 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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Aided 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.

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Aided 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.

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Aided Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and the deputy headteacher. 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 school reopened in September 2020, all pupils have spent some time working from home.  You explained that pupils are studying all of the subjects that make up the school’s usual curriculum. However, in some subjects, such as geography, you have made changes to curriculum content to allow more time for English and mathematics. You intend to return to the school’s normal curriculum by summer term 2021.  In reading, teachers’ checks on pupils’ new starting points have revealed that pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 have forgotten some of their phonics knowledge. You informed us that additional support is in place to help these pupils to catch up.  You told us that some older pupils are struggling to read and write for sustained periods of time. Teachers are providing more opportunities across all subjects for pupils to practise reading and writing at length.  Teachers have also checked on what pupils know and remember in

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

mathematics. Following these checks, teachers are returning to pupils’ previous learning in number. For example, pupils are revisiting and rehearsing important number facts that they have forgotten.  In subjects other than English and mathematics, you have identified the most important subject content that pupils missed during the summer term 2020. Teachers are adapting their curriculum plans so that this learning can be included in future lessons.  You described how pupils can access education remotely through paper-based and online resources. Teachers set work daily and plan learning for most subjects. They provide feedback to pupils on the work that they complete at home.  You have provided help for parents so that they can support their children to learn at home.

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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, the director of education for the diocese of Blackburn, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Lancashire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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