Setting

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

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Tash Hurtado Headteacher The Harefield Academy Northwood Way Harefield Uxbridge UB9 6ET

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Ofsted remote visit to The Harefield Academy

Following my remote visit with Mark Phillips, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), to your school on 25 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 The Harefield Academy

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 The Harefield Academy

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 The Harefield Academy

During the visit, we spoke to you, members of your senior leadership team and a pastoral leader. 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:

 No class- or year-group ‘bubbles’ were self-isolating at the time of the visit. Since September 2020, a small number of pupils have needed to study from home while isolating.  Pupils are studying the usual range of subjects offered by the school. In Years 7 to 9, your normal rotation system for some subjects has been adapted to allow for additional teaching in oracy and local history to catch up with missed learning from last term. This means that music will not be taught until next term. There have been no other changes in the way that you deliver the curriculum for these pupils.  Teachers have assessed pupils’ new starting points in all subjects. You have found that pupils in Year 7 need to develop their extended writing skills in English and their source skills in history. Leaders have re-planned their schemes of learning to prioritise key learning for Years 7 to 9.  Leaders have removed the curriculum time for personal, social and health

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From this visit, inspectors noted that:

education (PSHE) in Year 11 to allow for additional literacy interventions for all pupils. The missed PSHE material is now being delivered in Year 11 form-time activities.  Students in Years 12 and 13 are completing all their exam subjects. Teachers have been teaching missed content from the Year 12 courses. Year 13 students have also been attending Year 12 lessons alongside their normal lessons to help them to catch up.  Leaders provide digital access to remote education for all pupils who are self- isolating at home. Teachers upload work when individual pupils are isolating, and they will teach live lessons if a bubble must be sent home. In both circumstances, pupils will always follow their normal school timetable.

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

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