Setting

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

p.1

Tracy Cooke Interim Head of School St. George’s Infant School and Nursery Barrington Road Colchester Essex CO2 7RW

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to St. George’s Infant School and Nursery

Following my remote visit with Fyfe Johnston, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 10 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.

p.1

Ofsted remote visit to St. George’s Infant School and Nursery

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 St. George’s Infant School and Nursery

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 St. George’s Infant School and Nursery

During the visit, we spoke to the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and the early years leader. 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:

 No year group ‘bubbles’ were isolating at the time of this visit. A few pupils are self-isolating. These pupils are learning at home.  Pupils are being taught the normal range of subjects. During the autumn term, teachers are spending more time focusing on English and mathematics. Leaders are aiming for the usual planned content, in all subjects, to be taught by the end of summer 2021.  Leaders have increased opportunities for pupils’ personal, social and emotional development. Teachers have moved singing lessons and other similar practical activities to be taught later in the school year.  In September, teachers carried out checks of what pupils remember in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers are using this information to plan learning. Some important content that pupils need to know, to learn more, is being revisited in smaller groups to help pupils catch up.  Some of the younger children had less chance to talk and listen to others

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

before they started school. Leaders have increased the opportunities early years children have to be able to talk and listen to each other.  Leaders have introduced new reading programmes. Staff have received training about how to use these in their teaching.  In Years 1 and 2, teachers are providing additional support to help pupils remember the sounds they have forgotten. Teachers are also spending time revisiting basic punctuation to remind pupils how to use it accurately in their writing.  Teachers are repeating the teaching of some areas of mathematics, such as number and place value. Extra help is being given to pupils to support them to use these skills to help them calculate accurately.  In other subjects, teachers are considering different ways of providing pupils with what they would normally learn. Currently, there are no visitors to school and trips are not taking place. Leaders are using the outdoor environment

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

more frequently.  Leaders have planned both online and paper-based learning that is the same as pupils would learn in school. This is currently being used by a few pupils and is also readily available for pupils if there is a need for them to learn at home in the future.

p.3

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 governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Essex. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.3