Setting

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

p.1

Philippa Utting Headteacher Burlington Junior School Burlington Road New Malden Surrey KT3 4LT

p.1

Ofsted visit to Burlington Junior School

Following my visit with Nasim Butt, 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.

p.1

Ofsted visit to Burlington Junior 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.

p.1

Ofsted visit to Burlington Junior 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.

p.1

Ofsted visit to Burlington Junior School

During the visit, we spoke to you, the deputy headteacher and other senior leaders. You are responsible for safeguarding at the school. We did not speak to pupils because of the protective measures in place.

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 (coronavirus) pandemic. In undertaking this focused work, HMI are visiting a broad range of schools. HMI will visit a sample of:

p.1

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:

 Approximately one tenth of all pupils have had to work from home for several days since the start of the autumn term.  Pupils are not currently receiving French lessons because the specialist teacher is not able to teach across ‘bubbles’. Instead, teachers use this time to revisit pupils’ learning in other subjects.  Pupils have not been on trips or been offered the normal range of after-school clubs during the autumn term. Leaders are considering if it is possible to offer these again in the spring and summer terms 2021.  Following the full return of pupils to school in September 2020, teachers checked pupils’ phonics knowledge in Year 3 and undertook reading tests for all pupils in Years 4 to 6. This information has been used to provide additional phonics sessions and one-to-one reading support to specific pupils. As a further consequence, teachers are focusing on developing pupils’ reading fluency across the school.

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

 In September 2020, teachers used tests in mathematics to assess all pupils’ knowledge from the previous school year. Teachers have adapted their lessons to include the content that pupils missed in the spring and summer terms 2020. This includes focusing on pupils’ mental arithmetic, particularly in Year 6.  At the start of the autumn term, teachers gave more time to personal, social, health and economic education. Teachers have allocated more time to physical activities and developing pupils’ fitness. Teachers use the beginning of lessons to check and recap the content that pupils should have learned during the spring and summer terms 2020, for example in history and science.  Teachers deliver remote education using a three-pronged approach, which is shared with parents through the school’s website. Learning activities are shared with pupils and parents through an online learning platform. These

p.2

From this visit, inspectors noted that:

include recorded sessions from online providers, uploaded work and paper- based activities.

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 Kingston upon Thames. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.3