Setting

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

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Judith Knappett Headteacher Hague Primary School Wilmott Street Bethnal Green London E2 0BP

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Ofsted visit to Hague Primary School

Following my visit with Jasper Green, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 9 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 visit to Hague 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.

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Ofsted visit to Hague 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 visit to Hague Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and the deputy headteacher. We did not speak to pupils because of the protective measures in place.

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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 (coronavirus) pandemic. 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, five year-group ‘bubbles’ have had to learn from home on at least one occasion. Some pupils have had to learn from home for several days while isolating. All pupils were at home for four days in November 2020 because the school was closed.  Pupils are studying their usual range of subjects apart from Spanish. Leaders have reorganised the Spanish curriculum so that it will start again in January 2021. Leaders plan for pupils to return fully to the usual curriculum by the summer term 2021.  Teachers’ checks on pupils’ new starting points in English found weaknesses in their phonics knowledge. Pupils are finding comprehension activities more challenging than usual. In all year groups, teachers are providing pupils with additional phonics and reading time to focus on these areas of learning.  Teachers found that pupils’ stamina, particularly for writing, needs to be stronger. They are providing regular opportunities for pupils to edit and

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

improve their written work and to strengthen their handwriting skills.  In mathematics, teachers found that, although pupils have remembered some of what they were taught previously, their problem-solving skills need strengthening. Teachers are using time in lessons to reinforce these skills. They are using additional sessions for individual pupils and small groups.  Leaders allocated additional time to personal, social, health and economic education at the start of term. In other subjects, leaders identified what was not taught during the spring and summer terms and adjusted this year’s curriculum plans to include this content.  So far this term, remote education has been used for year-group bubbles and individual pupils who have had to learn from home while isolating. Teachers deliver a combination of live and pre-recorded lessons and provide a range of online and paper-based activities. They align remote education as closely as

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

possible to what would usually be taking place in the 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 Tower Hamlets. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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