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

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Jane Marson Headteacher Christopher Pickering Primary School The Compass 1 Burnham Road Hull HU4 7EB

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Ofsted remote visit to Christopher Pickering Primary School

Following my remote visit with Marcus Newby, 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 Christopher Pickering Primary 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 Christopher Pickering Primary 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 Christopher Pickering Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher and other senior leaders, including those 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:

 At the time of our visit, two ‘bubbles’ were isolating: Year 1 pupils and pupils based in the hearing-impaired unit. You told us that this is the only time you have needed to send bubbles home. However, almost half of your pupils have needed to learn remotely from home on at least one occasion since the start of term.  All pupils are studying their usual range of subjects, although you have made some adaptations to the curriculum. You explained that catch-up work is being done and you are spending slightly more time on English and mathematics than usual. You intend to return to your usual curriculum by summer 2021.  You tested pupils in September 2020 to establish their new starting points in phonics and reading. You told us that these checks showed that some pupils have forgotten some of their phonics knowledge and have lost their reading fluency. You are addressing this in lessons, with bespoke catch-up sessions

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

and through regular reading with an adult.  You have also tested pupils in mathematics. These checks have told you that pupils had lost fluency in basic skills such as number bonds and times tables. You have worked to address this and are now making sure that you are going through the things that pupils were not taught in the summer term due to the school’s partial closure, alongside this term’s learning.  You have not formally assessed pupils in subjects in the wider curriculum. You explained that teachers are aware of the things that pupils were not taught in the summer term. You have adapted your curriculum plans in each subject to make sure that pupils have the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to access future learning.  Each pupil has taken a two-week project pack home in preparation for possible bubble closures, which will mean learning from home. This includes paper- based learning and details of online work that they can access. If bubbles are

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

sent home, pupils can access two live lessons each day.  If an individual pupil needs to learn from home, you have a different approach. These pupils are set work that mirrors the work going on in their class 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 board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the Humber Education multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Kingston Upon Hull. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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