Setting

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

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Helen Smith Headteacher Malorees Infant School Christchurch Avenue London NW6 7PB

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Ofsted remote visit to Malorees Infant School

Following my remote visit with Jasper Green, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 11 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 Malorees Infant 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 Malorees Infant 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 Malorees Infant School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the executive headteacher and members of your senior leadership team, including 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:

 No pupils have had to work from home since September 2020.  All pupils are back to studying their usual range of subjects. Leaders have prioritised the teaching of social and emotional skills as an important part of the school’s ‘recovery curriculum’. Picture books are used regularly, encouraging pupils to reflect on their recent experiences and build their resilience.  Leaders checked pupils’ knowledge and skills in reading, writing and mathematics at the start of the academic year. The gaps identified have been used to create a teaching plan for this term. Staff have started to find out more about gaps in other curriculum subjects.  Reading has been given a high profile. In Reception and in Years 1 and 2, teachers are helping pupils remember and apply the phonics knowledge they had previously learned but had forgotten. Pupils in Year 2 are being supported to rebuild their stamina in writing for longer periods.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 From their checks, teachers noted that many pupils struggled to recall important facts about number. The teaching of number fluency is currently a key priority in mathematics. Rebuilding pupils’ confidence in using this knowledge to tackle harder problems is also being prioritised.  Leaders have made adjustments to the wider curriculum, based on their review of content that has been missed. In response, the school’s orchard is being used to teach some practical work in science. In physical education, for the first half term, skipping replaced the teaching of gymnastics.  Leaders and teachers have put a programme in place for remote education using pre-recorded lessons in English, mathematics and other subjects. This includes links to additional resources for pupils and parents to access. It is aligned closely to the school’s existing curriculum, although teaching of the practical elements of some subjects is a challenge.

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

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