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

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Ruth McNeil Interim Principal Landau Forte Academy Moorhead Brackens Lane Alvaston Derbyshire DE24 0AN

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Ofsted visit to Landau Forte Academy Moorhead

Following my visit with Roary Pownall, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 8 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 Landau Forte Academy Moorhead

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 Landau Forte Academy Moorhead

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 Landau Forte Academy Moorhead

During the visit, we spoke to you, the assistant headteacher, the safeguarding leader, leaders responsible for English, mathematics and early years, and the family support worker. We 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.

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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:

 Since September 2020, a small number of pupils have had to learn at home.  Pupils are studying their usual range of subjects. Instead of singing, pupils are learning Makaton signing as part of their music activities. Pupils bring their own equipment to practical lessons. Swimming lessons are not taking place.  Educational visits and residential events are not taking place. Staff are providing more themed activities, such as an art project and a careers week. Leaders plan to return to their normal curriculum by summer 2021.  Staff have carried out assessments in English and mathematics, to identify pupils’ new starting points. These checks show that many pupils have fallen behind in phonics and reading. Staff have also identified a reduction in pupils’ writing stamina and number fluency across the school.  In reading, pupils in all year groups are receiving extra phonics teaching. The school library has been relocated for easier, safer access.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 In writing lessons, staff across the school are focusing their teaching on vocabulary, handwriting and punctuation.  In mathematics, all pupils have daily ‘recap’ slots at the start of each lesson, to revisit the learning that was lost when schools were not fully open to all pupils.  Leaders are currently placing greater emphasis on art and personal, social and health education. An artist in residence was appointed to lead a whole-school project, to support pupils’ mental health and well-being.  Staff provide paper-based learning packs for individual pupils who have to learn at home. There is a plan in place to cater for whole ‘bubbles’ isolating, if that is needed. This consists of a combination of paper and online resources, to deliver three hours per day of learning in English, phonics, mathematics and a range of subjects that align with the class timetables.

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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 chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the Landau Forte multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Derby City. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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