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

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Ian Brierly Headteacher Paget High School 203 Burton Road Branston Burton-on-Trent Staffordshire DE14 3DR

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Ofsted remote visit to Paget High School

Following my remote visit with Nicola Harwood, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 1 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 remote visit to Paget High 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 Paget High 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 Paget High School

During the visit, we spoke to you and members of the senior leadership team, including the senior 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:

 Just under two thirds of pupils have had to study from home at some point since the start of this term. The sixth form have been sent home twice and about half of Year 11 pupils were sent home three times. At the time of the remote visit, a number of individual pupils in different year groups were self- isolating.  Pupils are studying their usual range of subjects except in Years 7, 8 and 9. In these year groups, pupils are receiving additional support with their English. They are not studying music at present. You are hoping to provide music from the new year.  Pupils are studying their usual examination courses in Years 10 and 11 and in the sixth form, with the usual time allocated for each subject. However, you anticipate that pupils may not have sufficient time to cover the full curriculum content across their courses before examinations in summer 2021.  You told us that you have carried out baseline assessments in each subject to

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

identify where pupils have gaps in their learning. You have also identified common gaps in pupils’ experiences, for example programming in computing, which had been scheduled for all year groups in the summer term 2020, and art, where pupils had access to a narrower range of resources at home. You are seeking to incorporate common gaps into the curriculum for this year. Some subjects continue to be affected where pupils cannot access specialist facilities such as art and computer rooms.  You have been providing remote education both to whole-year ‘bubbles’ as well as individuals who are self-isolating. This has been a blend of digital and paper-based resources. You have said that it is more challenging to support individuals who are self-isolating as staff are still teaching the rest of the year group in school. Where a whole year group is isolating, staff have been able to deliver something you regard as closer to a regular timetable, with live video

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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 Staffordshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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