Setting

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

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Emma Meadus Headteacher Coppice Valley Primary School Knapping Hill Harrogate North Yorkshire HG1 2DN

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Ofsted remote visit to Coppice Valley Primary School

Following my remote visit with Zoe Lightfoot, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 26 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 Coppice Valley 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 Coppice Valley 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 Coppice Valley Primary 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:

 No class ‘bubbles’ have had to self-isolate since September. A small number of pupils have had to self-isolate at some point since the start of term, and a few pupils have had to self-isolate more than once.  Although pupils are studying the range of subjects that make up the school’s usual curriculum, you have made adaptations to the plans for some subjects. For instance, in physical education (PE), you have asked teachers to provide increased opportunities for pupils to improve their physical fitness, because teachers have identified that pupils have reduced fitness levels following the time they missed school in the spring and summer terms.  Teachers have checked on pupils’ new starting points in reading. You noted that some pupils have gaps in their phonics knowledge because they have forgotten some of the knowledge that they had previously been taught. You explained that some pupils are receiving additional phonics support in small

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

groups to help them to catch up.  Pupils are finding it more difficult to write independently for extended periods of time than was the case prior to March 2020. You have asked teachers to provide more opportunities for pupils to practise their writing in order to build up their stamina.  Teachers have assessed pupils’ new starting points in mathematics. You explained that there are new gaps in pupils’ knowledge of times tables, particularly in Years 5 and 6. Because of this, you have directed teachers to focus on revisiting times tables.  You have plans for teachers to undertake checks on pupils’ new starting points in subjects across the wider curriculum, such as history and PE, later in the academic year.  During the visit, a small number of pupils were accessing education remotely. When individual pupils are self-isolating, they are given access to ‘live’ lessons, streamed online, in all of the subjects that they are usually taught in the

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

school day.  You explained that you intend to deliver English and mathematics as live lessons online if a class bubble is required to self-isolate. In other subjects, you plan that teachers will upload online videos and resources for pupils to access.

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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 Red Kite Learning Trust, 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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