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

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Ken Vernon Headteacher The City of Leicester College Downing Drive Leicester Leicestershire LE5 6LN

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Ofsted remote visit to The City of Leicester College

Following my remote visit with Shaheen Hussain, Seconded Inspector, to your school on 17 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 The City of Leicester College

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 The City of Leicester College

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 The City of Leicester College

During the visit, we spoke to you, other senior leaders, four heads of department and members of the pastoral team with responsibility for pupils’ safeguarding, attendance and welfare. 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 the school year, about a third of all pupils have self-isolated at home, due to COVID-19. For some pupils, this has meant working from home on two or more occasions. At the time of the visit, groups of pupils from Years 10, 11 and 12 were self-isolating.  Pupils in Years 7 to 9 are following the school’s usual range of subjects. Pupils in Years 10 to 13 are studying all of their examination courses.  Teachers are checking what pupils know and remember in all subjects. Year 7 pupils have completed formal tests. Staff are using this information to adapt their curriculum plans.  Leaders have changed the curriculum plans for some subjects. For example, in geography, Year 10 pupils are revisiting their previous learning about the water and carbon cycles.  Leaders have prioritised some areas of learning. For example, in the personal development curriculum, there has been a greater focus on pupils’ emotional

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

well-being than previously.  Teachers are providing students in Years 12 and 13 with a mixture of face-to- face learning and online lessons.  Leaders have plans in place to return to the school’s usual curriculum by summer 2021.  Leaders are continuing to develop ways of delivering the curriculum to pupils who are not able to attend school because of COVID-19. Pupils who are self- isolating follow the same curriculum as their peers in school.

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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 Leicester City. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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