Setting

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

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Neal Murray Acting Headteacher Stockcross C.E. School Chapel Road Stockcross West Berkshire RG20 8LD

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Ofsted visit to Stockcross C.E. School

Following my visit to your school on 3 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.

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Ofsted visit to Stockcross C.E. 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.

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Ofsted visit to Stockcross C.E. 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 visit to Stockcross C.E. School

During the visit, I spoke to you. I did not speak to pupils because of the protective measures in place.

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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 (coronavirus) pandemic. 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 one fifth of pupils have had to isolate at home for short periods this term. No whole classes have had to study from home.  Pupils are studying their usual range of subjects. Teachers spent more time teaching personal, social, health and economic education at the start of term but this is now back to normal. Some subjects, such as computing and languages, are currently taught less frequently than usual. You hope to return to the full curriculum by summer 2021.  Teachers have assessed pupils’ knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics. This has enabled teachers to establish pupils’ new starting points, taking into account any learning that they have missed or forgotten. Teachers are currently spending more time on these subjects.  You are prioritising pupils’ reading. Younger pupils spend more time during each day learning phonics to help them catch up. Pupils read to adults regularly and take books home to read every week. Older pupils have

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

displayed particular enthusiasm for reading since returning in September 2020.  Teachers have noticed that pupils generally require extra support with problem-solving in mathematics. As well as teaching new content, teachers are making sure that they spend more time helping pupils to solve problems.  Pupils have lost stamina in their writing. You have also identified pupils’ spelling as a key area of focus. Teachers are working on these aspects of pupils’ writing across subjects.  Alongside planning the lessons they deliver in school, teachers also prepare online material every week. This includes work in most of the subjects being taught in school. Pupils access this provision if they need to isolate at home. You provide guidance for parents to help them support their children. Should any larger groups need to study at home in the future, you plan to use the same system.

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

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