Setting

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

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Jodie Bolter Principal Tudor Grange Academy Redditch Woodrow Drive Redditch Worcestershire B98 7UH

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Ofsted visit to Tudor Grange Academy Redditch

Following my visit with Bianka Zemke, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), 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 Tudor Grange Academy Redditch

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 Tudor Grange Academy Redditch

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 Tudor Grange Academy Redditch

During the visit, we spoke to you and members of the senior and middle leadership teams. 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. 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:

 At the time of the visit, a small number of pupils were learning remotely at home. Since the beginning of the autumn term, over one third of pupils have self-isolated and studied remotely at some point.  Pupils in all years are studying their usual subjects. You explained that you have changed the school day to put protective measures in place while ensuring that pupils are taught in specialist rooms for subjects such as science and design technology.  Pupils in Year 11 and students in Year 13 are studying the same subjects that they were last year. Leaders have adapted the curriculum to incorporate any learning not covered in the summer term into this academic year. In mathematics, for example, data handling in Year 11 will be taught in the spring term. You are confident that pupils will have covered the relevant curriculum content ahead of national assessments.  Pupils in all year groups completed assessments in September 2020, and you

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

explained that leaders have used these to identify pupils’ new starting points. You told us that leaders are redesigning curriculum plans to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Senior leaders are checking the quality of these plans. You expect pupils to return to the school’s usual curriculum by the summer term.  You told us that teachers make more regular checks on what pupils remember and understand in lessons. You described how teachers use short activities such as quizzes to help pupils recall key facts and knowledge. In addition, you are using the COVID-19 catch-up funding to run a tuition programme where some pupils receive small-group or one-to-one support.  You described how you deliver the curriculum remotely to pupils when needed. Individual pupils who are isolating log into lessons from home and teachers share resources electronically. If a ‘bubble’ should need to isolate, you explained that leaders have devised a remote learning timetable that consists

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

of three live online lessons a day with related resources.

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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 board of trustees, and the chief executive officer of the Tudor Grange Academies multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Worcestershire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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