Setting

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

p.1

Mark Brown Headteacher Winifred Holtby Academy Midmere Avenue Leads Road Bransholme Hull HU7 4PW

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to Winifred Holtby Academy

Following my remote visit with Gill Wild, 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.

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to Winifred Holtby Academy

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.

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to Winifred Holtby Academy

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.

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to Winifred Holtby Academy

During the visit, we spoke to you, the senior leadership team and the senior leader responsible for safeguarding. We did not speak to pupils.

p.1

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.

p.1

Context

In undertaking this focused work, HMI are visiting a broad range of schools. HMI will visit a sample of:

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 More than a third of all pupils have been asked to study at home since September 2020. At the time of this visit, you had closed a class ‘bubble’ of Year 7 pupils and half of the Year 9 bubble. There are 31 pupils who have not returned to school at all since September 2020.  Pupils are studying all subjects in the planned curriculum, but you explained that some practical work is not being taught. You have prioritised practical work for pupils in Years 10 and 11, so these pupils have full access to most specialist classrooms now.  Your checks of pupils’ learning have shown that some pupils in Years 7 and 8 have forgotten some of their basic skills in reading and mathematics. You are giving pupils more practice recalling their phonics knowledge and using their multiplication tables.  Teachers met all Year 11 pupils individually to check the progress pupils are making towards preparation for examinations next summer. Pupils in Years 10

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

and 11 are studying practical and vocational subjects, such as art and engineering, in full.  Most pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are working in restricted areas to limit bubbles mixing. You say that pupils with SEND prefer this continuity. You have continued to involve parents and other professionals in meetings to review the education, health and care plan for each pupil with SEND.  Where it is possible, apart from in practical lessons, pupils who are learning remotely follow the same lessons that pupils are studying in school. Some staff work in the ‘home learning team’. When teachers are streaming lessons live from the classroom, members of the SEND team join the lesson to give extra support to pupils with SEND who are learning remotely.

p.2

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.

p.3

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 Consortium Academy Trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Kingston-upon-Hull City Council. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.3