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

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Andrew Martin Headteacher Oswaldtwistle Moor End Primary School White Ash Lane Oswaldtwistle Accrington Lancashire BB5 3JG

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Ofsted remote visit to Oswaldtwistle Moor End Primary School

Following my remote visit with Sue Eastwood, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 19 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 Oswaldtwistle Moor End 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 Oswaldtwistle Moor End 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 Oswaldtwistle Moor End Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher, the early years lead and the learning mentor. 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:

 About a third of pupils in the school have spent some time learning from home since the start of term. On the day of the visit, children in the early years ‘bubble’ were self-isolating.  Pupils are studying all subjects in the planned curriculum, but you explained that not all subject content will be taught this term. For instance, in music, pupils are not playing musical instruments or singing. You intend to get back to your usual curriculum content by summer 2021.  Teachers have assessed pupils’ reading skills. They have found that many pupils do not display the same reading stamina as they did before March 2020. They are also finding it more difficult to answer questions about the texts that they read. You have placed a whole-school focus on developing pupils’ comprehension skills.  The checks on pupils’ mathematical knowledge have shown that they have forgotten some of what they were taught before March 2020. This has had

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

an impact on their ability to solve mathematical problems. As well as the usual mathematics lessons, you give pupils daily opportunities to practise calculations and to solve problems.  In the wider curriculum, teachers are adapting plans to cover any missed learning in subjects which were not taught in the summer term 2020. For instance, this term Greek history and Roman history will be taught together.  You described how you are delivering remote education to pupils who are self-isolating. Most pupils access this learning online.  You explained that, for the children in the early years bubble, teachers are providing daily lessons in phonics, reading, mathematics and one other area of learning. Where an individual pupil is self-isolating, lessons match what the other pupils are learning in class.

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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 Lancashire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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