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

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Rachael Williams Executive Headteacher Cheswardine Primary and Nursery School Glebe Close Market Drayton Shropshire TF9 2RU

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Ofsted remote visit to insert name of school

Following my remote visit with Bianka Zemke, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 1 December, 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 insert name of 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 insert name of 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 insert name of school

During the visit, we spoke to you and your English, computing and art leaders. 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 term, approximately a quarter of pupils have been absent from school at some point as a result of COVID-19.  You explained that pupils are following their normal curriculum. At the start of this term, you changed the order of the topics you teach to cover some of the missed learning from the first period of national restrictions. You also provided additional outdoor learning opportunities in art at the start of the term.  You checked pupils’ learning in reading at the start of the term. Based on this information, you are providing key stage 2 pupils with additional time to work on their reading comprehension skills. Some pupils in key stage 1 are having additional support in phonics.  In mathematics, you have identified that pupils in Years 3 and 4 need to practise basic skills such as times tables. You have provided additional time in the mornings for pupils to do this. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are having additional

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

teaching to develop their problem-solving and reasoning skills in mathematics.  You told us about how you developed your remote learning plan. The plan sets out the expectations of staff, parents and pupils for remote learning. In school, you are teaching pupils how to access their remote learning when they are at home, for example how to use hyperlinks, open and respond to emails and use the online software. Staff have videoed some lessons, such as phonics, with the aim of helping parents to support their child’s reading. 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 Shropshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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