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

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Mark Phillips Headteacher Deptford Green School Edward Street New Cross London SE14 6AN

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Ofsted remote visit to Deptford Green School

Following my remote visit with Brian Oppenheim, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 19 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 Deptford Green 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 Deptford Green 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 Deptford Green School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the senior leadership team and staff responsible for safeguarding and pastoral support. 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:

 The Year 7 ‘bubble’ was isolating at the time of the visit. Just over half of all pupils at the school have had to learn from home since the start of term.  Nearly all pupils have returned to their usual timetable. Teachers have adjusted their Year 7 curriculum plans to cover key knowledge that pupils may have missed prior to joining the school. You are planning for all pupils to return to the full curriculum by the summer term 2021.  In all year groups and in all subjects, teachers have used assessments to check pupils’ new starting points. Leaders have used these initial assessments to organise pupils into new teaching groups. Assessment information from pupils in each group is used to plan learning and support pupils who may have missed key content from the previous term.  In Years 7 to 9, teachers have given all pupils a reading test. Those pupils who have fallen furthest behind in their reading in Years 7 and 8 receive

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

extra literacy support.  In Years 10 to 11, pupils have returned to their usual timetables. However, teachers have rearranged subject content following any adjustments made by the examination boards.  Lessons taught by teachers are uploaded online. Pupils who are self-isolating have access to a mixture of live and recorded teaching, and those in class can independently revisit the lessons. A blended approach to remote education is in place for some families who need access to paper-based materials.  Leaders’ expectation is that pupils isolating, either individually or as part of a bubble, register online and engage daily with the five hours of remote education provided. The systems in place alert staff to pupils who have not registered online, triggering a follow-up phone call.

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

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