Setting

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

p.1

Samantha Saville Headteacher Ashton Keynes Church of England Primary School Gosditch Ashton Keynes Swindon SN6 6NZ

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to Ashton Keynes Church of England Primary School

Following my remote visit with Elizabeth Farr, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 1 December 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.

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to Ashton Keynes 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.

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to Ashton Keynes 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.

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to Ashton Keynes Church of England Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you throughout. We did not speak to pupils.

p.1

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.

p.1

Context

In undertaking this focused work, HMI are visiting a broad range of schools. HMI will visit a sample of:

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 Since the school opened fully to all pupils, no class ‘bubbles’ have had to work remotely. A small number of pupils have needed to learn at home for a few days.  Pupils are studying their usual range of subjects through the school’s ‘shine curriculum’. Teachers are making small changes to what they teach. You told us that this is to make sure that pupils have caught up with forgotten learning before moving on to something new.  As pupils settled back into school routines at the start of term, teachers looked at pupils’ work to check for any gaps in learning. Staff found that many pupils need help to return to their previous standards in writing. You are therefore making writing a priority across all subjects.  In September, staff found that some pupils in Years 1 and 2 had forgotten some of the sounds they previously knew. They also discovered that some older pupils lack confidence when responding in writing to questions about

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

what they have read. Staff are adapting their approaches to the teaching of phonics and reading so that pupils make up lost ground.  You told us that checks made on pupils’ understanding in mathematics showed that some have lost confidence with numbers and their values. Teachers are making sure that pupils have recovered previously understood number knowledge before moving on to other mathematical learning.  For other subjects, such as art, staff are building in learning that pupils have missed. Some important learning is being given greater focus. Teachers are reinforcing pupils’ understanding about how to stay safe when online.  You have developed your approaches towards remote learning. Pupils learning at home have a programme of learning that replicates, as much as is practical, the learning that takes place at school. You prioritise giving feedback when learning remotely, as you say that this has secured stronger pupil

p.2

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.

p.3

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

p.3