Setting

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

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Karen Cornick Headteacher Patchway Community School Hempton Lane Almondsbury South Gloucestershire BS32 4AJ

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Ofsted remote visit to Patchway Community School

Following my remote visit with Marie Thomas, 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 Patchway Community 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 Patchway Community 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 Patchway Community School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher and the senior leader responsible for safeguarding. 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:

 At the time of the visit, all pupils in the Year 9 and Year 10 ‘bubbles’ were self- isolating at home. Since September, approximately two thirds of pupils have had to spend some time working from home.  All pupils are studying the same subjects as they would normally. Teachers have made some modifications to the curriculum in subjects that require specialist equipment, such as science and art. Leaders expect to return to the normal curriculum by the summer term 2021.  Since the beginning of the academic year, teachers have checked pupils’ knowledge across all subjects. Teachers found some gaps in pupils’ learning. For example, some pupils had lost confidence in producing extended pieces of writing.  Teachers have altered the order that content is taught in some subjects. For example, in English, a unit of work on Shakespeare has been moved from the end of Year 8 to the start of Year 9. In Years 7, 8 and 9, leaders have

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

introduced an extra teaching group in mathematics, English and science to support pupils who have lost ground.  All pupils in Years 10 and 11 are able to study their chosen GCSE courses. Teachers are providing tuition after school for any pupils who need extra help to catch up.  Sixth-form students are able to travel to the other schools in the sixth-form partnership for their usual lessons.  Leaders have made plans for pupils to learn at home when necessary. Pupils are given learning activities through an online system. Teachers aim to set work that is similar to the work pupils would normally cover in school.

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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, and the chief executive officer of the Olympus Academy Trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for South Gloucestershire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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