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

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Paula Walker Headteacher Christ Church School Redhill Street Camden London NW1 4BD

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Ofsted remote visit to Christ Church School

Following my remote visit with Andrea Bedeau, 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.

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Ofsted remote visit to Christ Church 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 Christ Church 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 Christ Church School

During the visit, we spoke to you and members of the leadership team, including the designated safeguarding lead. 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:

 Pupils in the Year 2 ‘bubble’ were isolating at the time of the visit. Just under a third of pupils have had to work from home since the start of term.  All pupils are studying their usual range of subjects. The exception is in physical education (PE), where swimming has been postponed. Your plan is for pupils to return to their typical PE curriculum as soon as possible.  Teachers have checked children’s knowledge across the early years foundation stage curriculum. In Years 1 to 6, teachers have carried out assessments in English and mathematics to identify pupils’ new starting points. This information has been used to identify and plan learning for those who need additional support to get back on track.  In reading, more time has been allocated to the teaching of phonics in Reception and in Years 1 and 2. You have purchased additional books for pupils to take home to match their new starting points.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 In mathematics, greater emphasis has been placed on revisiting pupils’ understanding and use of mathematical vocabulary and formal calculation methods.  For all subjects in the school’s wider curriculum, teachers have adjusted their autumn term plans. They have considered how they can modify their lessons to include key content that pupils may have missed during the summer term.  Leaders are focusing on how remote education can be improved should it be needed in the future. You are developing a blended approach, introducing a new online learning system alongside paper-based education packs.  You told us that half of the families at the school cannot access the remote education provided by the school online. For those families with access, many share devices of varying suitability for pupils’ engagement with the school’s online education offer. Leaders are planning to purchase a set of laptops to

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

enable greater access to the full remote education offer.

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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 London, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Camden. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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