Setting

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

p.1

Stacey Postle Headteacher Beaumont Primary School Wendover Drive Bolton Lancashire BL3 4RX

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to Beaumont Primary School

Following my remote visit with Ian Hardman, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 24 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 Beaumont 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 Beaumont 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 Beaumont Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher, the English leader and the pastoral leader. 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:

 Since the start of term, approximately nine out of every ten pupils at the school has had to work from home. The Reception class ‘bubble’ has been sent home on three separate occasions.  All pupils are studying their usual range of subjects, although the content has been adapted to make up for the gaps that some pupils have developed in their learning. You hope to return to your usual curriculum by summer 2021.  In September 2020, teachers checked on pupils’ learning to establish their new starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. These checks showed that pupils had not remembered some of their prior learning.  In reading, teachers noticed that pupils in the Reception Year, Year 1 and Year 2 have not remembered some of their phonic knowledge. You have employed more staff so that pupils can practise their sounds and the letters they represent more frequently.  In mathematics, teachers have identified that pupils have forgotten some key

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

mathematical vocabulary. They have also spotted that pupils’ calculation skills are not as secure as they were in March 2020. You have put in place additional support and more regular practice to help pupils catch up.  In the wider curriculum, teachers have defined the key subject knowledge that was not taught during the spring and summer terms. In each subject, teachers are incorporating the missed content into new learning.  Your remote education offer includes paper-based learning packs and online activities. Where whole-class bubbles are sent home, you aim to match pupils’ work to the school’s usual curriculum to replicate the lessons taught within a normal school day. You told us that when individual pupils have to self-isolate, they are given work that reinforces their prior learning.

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.

p.3

From this 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 Bolton. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.3