Setting

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

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Jack Sloan Headteacher Hanover Primary School Noel Road London N1 8BD

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Ofsted remote visit to Hanover Primary School

Following my remote visit with Gary Rawlings, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 12 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 Hanover 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 Hanover 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 Hanover Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and members of the senior leadership team, including leaders responsible for safeguarding. 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. 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:

 Two out of 12 classes have had to study at home since the start of term.  Having settled back into school, pupils have been learning all of their usual subjects since the third week of term. In music, pupils are learning more theory than they typically would because singing and some instrumental teaching are not taking place. Leaders are hoping to return to the usual curriculum from January 2021, circumstances permitting.  Using a mixture of tests and assessments in class, teachers have checked pupils’ new starting points in reading. Teachers have identified gaps in pupils’ learning in phonics in Years 1 and 2, while in Years 3 to 6 the development of pupils’ vocabulary is not as far forward as leaders would expect. Teaching has been amended to help pupils catch up in these areas.  In mathematics, teachers have used tests to check for gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Teachers have found that pupils in Years 1 and 2 have fallen

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

behind, in particular. In daily lessons, teaching aims to cover any learning that pupils have missed, with selected pupils also receiving one-to-one tutoring sessions to help them get back on track.  In other subjects, teachers have used pupils’ work in class to identify which areas of the curriculum need to be given greater focus this year. For example, in Nursery, Reception and Year 1, teaching is concentrating on supporting children’s social and physical development, including increasing their independence.  You have provided remote education for pupils, through both online and paper-based work. Pupils who need to study at home have a lesson each day in mathematics, English and one other subject. Paper-based work is available to pupils if they have difficulties accessing remote education digitally.

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

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