Setting

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

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Andrew Leivers Headteacher Kirkby and Great Broughton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Kirkby Lane Kirkby-in-Cleveland Middlesbrough TS9 7AL

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Voluntary Aided Primary School

Following my remote visit with Kate Rowley, 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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Voluntary Aided 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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Voluntary Aided 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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Voluntary Aided Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and the assistant headteacher. 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 class ‘bubbles’ have had to work from home since September 2020. A small number of individual pupils have had to self-isolate, at some point, since the start of this term.  Pupils are studying their usual range of subjects. You have directed more time into English and mathematics to ensure that pupils have remembered knowledge taught in summer term 2020. You have adapted the curriculum content in subjects such as geography and science to make time for this. Leaders expect that pupils will return to the full curriculum by summer term 2021.  Leaders are focusing on developing children’s listening and social skills in Reception. Leaders told us that this is because children missed out on interacting with others over the summer term.  Leaders told us that reading is a priority for the school. In Years 1 and 2, leaders have prioritised phonics because they recognised that pupils have gaps in their phonic knowledge. Leaders have planned support for these pupils to

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

revisit curriculum content missed in the summer term.  Similar checks in mathematics show that younger pupils need extra time and support to help them remember number bonds and place value. You explained that there is support for older pupils to revisit how to apply mathematical knowledge to solve problems.  Pupils who have to work at home due to COVID-19 receive similar activities to those in the school’s normal curriculum. You provide resources for parents to support younger children at home, while older pupils complete online activities independently.

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

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