Setting

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

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Janine Donovan Headteacher Old Cleeve Church of England First School Washford Watchet Somerset TA23 0PB

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Ofsted remote visit to Old Cleeve Church of England First School

Following my remote visit with Nathan Kemp, 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 Old Cleeve Church of England First 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 Old Cleeve Church of England First 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 Old Cleeve Church of England First School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the senior leadership team and your chair of governors. 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:

 Since the start of term, a small proportion of pupils have had to study from home due to COVID-19.  Pupils study all subjects in the school’s curriculum. A new curriculum is currently being embedded in geography and French. Teachers are developing their assessment of pupils’ knowledge and skills in these subjects.  You and your staff have identified some gaps in pupils’ knowledge of reading, writing and mathematics. You are using the COVID-19 catch-up premium to help some pupils improve their understanding.  Reading assessments have shown that pupils have not fallen behind with their early reading skills. However, you have adapted your reading curriculum to develop pupils’ understanding of characters and themes.  Through assessments, you and your staff have identified that younger pupils have difficulty with writing letters and words. Similarly, you have identified that older pupils’ handwriting skills are not well developed. You have adapted the

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

curriculum to address these gaps in pupils’ learning.  Teachers have assessed pupils’ knowledge of mathematics. As a result, they are focused on ensuring that pupils develop secure knowledge of multiplication, place value and number.  You have prioritised the social and emotional well-being of pupils through the curriculum. Teachers are focused on improving pupils’ self-confidence and readiness to learn.  Teachers provide live recordings of lessons for pupils who self-isolate. Pupils upload their work to the school’s online system and teachers assess it. Pupils can study all subjects in the curriculum through remote learning. Teachers adapt work for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities where necessary.

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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, and the chief executive officer of the West Somerset Academies multi-academy trust, the director of education for the Diocese of Bath and Wells, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Somerset. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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