Setting

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

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Michael Chambers Headteacher Coppull Primary School and Nursery Park Road Chorley Lancashire PR7 5AH

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Ofsted remote visit to Coppull Primary School and Nursery

Following my remote visit with Elizabeth Stevens, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 26 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 Coppull Primary School and Nursery

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 Coppull Primary School and Nursery

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 Coppull Primary School and Nursery

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher and the leader responsible for safeguarding. 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 September 2020, almost half of the pupils in the school have had to learn from home for short periods of time.  You told us that teachers are delivering the school’s usual range of curriculum subjects. However, some aspects of physical education are not being taught. This is to allow more time for pupils to catch up with the English and mathematics curriculum content that was not taught when the school was closed to most pupils due to the COVID-19 restrictions.  In subjects other than English and mathematics, teachers have adapted their plans to include any learning not taught in the spring and summer terms. Your aim is that pupils will resume the school’s usual curriculum by the summer term 2021.  Assessments in phonics revealed that most pupils in Years 1 and 2 have not remembered the phonics that they knew in March 2020. Teachers are providing additional time and support to pupils to help them to catch up.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 In mathematics, teachers noticed that some pupils were less confident with calculations and place value than they were prior to March 2020. Teachers have amended their plans to allow more opportunities for pupils to practise and consolidate their mathematical knowledge.  You have developed a range of paper-based and online resources for pupils’ remote education. The daily timetable includes mathematics and English. You explained that learning in other subjects also focuses on practical activities for pupils to complete at home.  Teachers provide guidance for parents on how they can support their children with remote education. Teachers give feedback to pupils once their work is submitted.

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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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