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

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John Read Headteacher Lyneham Primary School Preston Lane Lyneham Chippenham Wiltshire SN15 4QJ

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Ofsted remote visit to Lyneham Primary School

Following my remote visit with Lydia Pride, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 26 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 Lyneham 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 Lyneham 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 Lyneham Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and the senior leadership team. 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, a small number of pupils have had to study from home for a short period of time as they were self-isolating.  Pupils are studying their usual subjects. You are not currently teaching the full music curriculum but expect to have this in place by Easter 2021.  In reading, you have assessed pupils’ new starting points. You can see that pupils have forgotten some of their phonics teaching from the previous academic year. You have adapted the curriculum to revisit phonics knowledge. You have identified that reading comprehension is less developed than usual. You have adjusted guided reading sessions accordingly.  You have found that pupils have reduced stamina in writing and have forgotten basic grammar. You are reminding pupils more often about the importance of using capital letters and punctuation in their writing.  In mathematics, teachers’ assessment indicates that number bonds are less

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

secure than you would expect. You have organised the curriculum to include more opportunities for pupils to revisit this aspect of their learning.  You have noticed that children in Reception need more support to develop listening skills and early reading than is usually the case. You have adjusted the curriculum with this in mind.  You are providing additional support for pupils who have fallen behind in mathematics, reading and writing. You have organised time during the school day when staff work with pupils to help them to address gaps in their learning.  In history, you have identified content that pupils missed during the spring and summer terms 2020. You have organised the curriculum to incorporate this knowledge into future learning. In physical education, you are teaching pupils how to regain and retain their physical fitness.  You have planned remote education that is in line with the usual curriculum.

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

As far as it is practical, pupils join their normal lessons remotely if they are learning from home. You have trained staff and taught pupils how to use the online classroom.

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

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