Setting

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

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Deby Day Headteacher Guston Church of England Primary School Burgoyne Heights Dover Kent CT15 5LR

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Ofsted remote visit to Guston Church of England Primary School

Following my remote visit with Frances Nation, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), 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 Guston Church of England 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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Ofsted remote visit to Guston Church of England 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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Ofsted remote visit to Guston Church of England Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and two assistant headteachers. 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 September, about one quarter of pupils have had to self-isolate at some point and continue their learning from home.  Pupils are studying their usual range of subjects across the curriculum, although there have been adaptations in physical education and music. Leaders intend for pupils to return to their full curriculum by summer term 2021.  Leaders have given reading a high priority. Teacher assessment has identified gaps in pupils’ phonics knowledge. Teachers are providing targeted phonics interventions and additional reading support for any pupils who require it.  In mathematics, pupils are being taught the school’s usual mathematics curriculum. Teachers have identified gaps in mathematics knowledge where content had been missed due to COVID-19 restrictions, and are providing additional support.  Leaders feel that pupils in all year groups require help to develop their stamina to write at length. Teachers are addressing this through providing writing

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

opportunities across a range of different subjects.  Across the wider curriculum, leaders are planning to address any gaps in pupils’ knowledge arising from learning missed. Leaders intend to address these gaps, in all subjects, during the current academic year.  Remote education is provided for pupils who are self-isolating at home. Teachers set work which pupils can access either electronically or on paper. Leaders plan to expand the remote learning offer with the addition of pre- recorded lessons that align with 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 governing body, the director of education for the diocese of Canterbury, 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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