Setting

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

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Amanda Szewczyk-Radley Headteacher Clerkenwell Parochial C of E Primary School Amwell St Islington London EC1R 1UN

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Ofsted remote visit to Clerkenwell Parochial C of E Primary School

Following my remote visit with Lisa Strong, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 26 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 Clerkenwell Parochial C of E 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 Clerkenwell Parochial C of E 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 Clerkenwell Parochial C of E Primary School

During the visit, we spoke to you and the senior leadership team, including the senior leader 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.

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Context

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:

 The school had to close for two weeks in November 2020 because of a high number of COVID-19 infections.  Pupils are studying the usual curriculum subjects. Some subject content has been adapted to include learning missed in the spring and summer term of 2020. Leaders plan to return pupils to their usual curriculum by the summer term 2021.  In September 2020, teachers tested all pupils in reading and Years 1 and 2 in phonics. They found some pupils had difficulty reading longer texts with understanding. Some younger pupils had gaps in their knowledge of phonics. Teachers have organised extra lessons in phonics for these pupils. They are concentrating on giving pupils the chance to practise reading longer texts in reading lessons.  Teachers have also checked pupils’ mathematical knowledge. They found that some pupils do not always easily recall number facts. Some find it difficult to carry out calculations swiftly and accurately. Teachers have arranged extra

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

lessons with each class to practise these areas. A few pupils are having individual help with mathematics.  In other subjects, leaders are concerned that pupils’ fitness and stamina have declined. They have timetabled extra physical education sessions each week to build pupils’ fitness back up again. In music, teachers have changed arrangements for singing.  Leaders have delivered remote education for individuals and whole classes working at home. Each pupil has had access daily to an English activity, a reading activity, a mathematics activity and an activity in one other subject.  Some pupils found it difficult to engage with remote education. Teachers contacted families who did not engage, or were not confident, and explained ways to support their child.

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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 board of trustees, and the chief executive officer of the LDBS multi-academy trust, the director of education for the Diocese of London, 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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