Setting

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

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Nawal Mirza Headteacher Deepdale Community Primary School St Stephens Road Preston Lancashire PR1 6TD

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Ofsted visit to Deepdale Community Primary School

Following my visit with John Tomlinson, 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 Deepdale Community 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 Deepdale Community 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 Deepdale Community Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the senior leadership team, the pupil support leader, the pastoral leader and the learning mentor. 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:

 At the time of the visit, pupils in one Year 4 and one Year 6 ‘bubble’ were self- isolating due to COVID-19. Approximately two thirds of the pupils in the school have had to learn from home for short periods since the start of term. Pupils in all three of the Year 4 classes have had to learn from home on two separate occasions.  Pupils are studying the usual range of subjects. However, teachers are reducing the time spent on some subjects to fit in English and mathematics catch-up sessions. You aim to return to the school’s usual curriculum in the summer term 2021.  Teachers have checked pupils’ knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics to establish their new starting points. In reading, teachers identified that pupils’ comprehension skills were not as strong as they were prior to March 2020. Staff are supporting pupils to better understand the texts they read.  In writing, teachers have recognised that pupils have forgotten some of their

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

spelling knowledge and key vocabulary. Staff are providing extra support to help pupils to write with accuracy.  In mathematics, pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 have forgotten some number facts, such as number bonds. In the early years, teachers have noticed that children do not recognise some numbers. You have employed extra staff to give children and pupils more support to develop their mathematical knowledge.  In the wider curriculum, teachers have identified the core knowledge that pupils did not learn in the spring and summer terms. Teachers are incorporating these areas into their planning to help pupils make up for lost ground in subjects such as design technology and religious education.  The remote learning offer includes online and paper-based learning packs. You told us that the teacher is available to support pupils when whole-class bubbles are learning from home.

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

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