Setting

Peter Bloomfield Executive Principal Great Yarmouth Primary Academy Dickens Avenue Great Yarmouth Norfolk NR30 3DT

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Academy

Following my remote inspection with Wendy Varney, Her Majesty's Inspector (HMI), of your school on 27 and 28 January 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken to provide education to all pupils during the current circumstances.

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Academy

This monitoring inspection was conducted under section 8 (2) of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) and in accordance with Ofsted's published procedures for visiting schools while routine inspections remain temporarily suspended. It was additional to the usual monitoring process for schools that are judged to require special measures.

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Academy

Following changes to government guidance and the imposition of COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown restrictions, this monitoring inspection was carried out remotely. As such, the range of evidence available to inspectors was narrower than would normally be the case during an on-site inspection. As a result, this letter provides a more limited level of assurance than our usual monitoring reports.

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Academy

The inspection took place because the school was judged to require special measures at its previous section 5 inspection. The school’s most recent section 5 inspection took place in November 2018.

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Academy

Having considered all the evidence and taking into account the impact of COVID-19 on the school, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

to provide education in the current circumstances. Ofsted

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

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

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Context

 Since November 2018, there has been a significant turnover of staff. You arrived in January 2019, along with a new vice-principal. Two assistant principals were appointed in the same year.

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Context

 In September 2020, there were changes to the leadership team and the staffing structure. There are new leaders of English, mathematics and the curriculum, and for the professional development of teachers. The interim special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) became a permanent member of staff. Seven new teachers started at the same time, including three newly qualified teachers.

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Context

 No pupil groups or classes were taught remotely during the autumn term 2020.

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Context

 At the time of this inspection, about 90% of all pupils were being educated at home. Approximately around 16% of vulnerable pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are attending the school site.

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Main findings

 Leaders are providing a highly effective education provision for all pupils at this time of national lockdown. With the support of the multi-academy trust, leaders have moved swiftly to ensure that pupils have the right equipment and resources to access education successfully.

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Main findings

 As part of your ongoing work, leaders have focused on developing the curriculum to better match the needs of pupils. Leaders place a high priority on reading. Across subjects, the key language pupils need to know is identified and taught. The curriculum’s content is well sequenced.

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Main findings

 Leaders have thought carefully about their plans for pupils’ learning during this period. There have been no significant changes to the teaching order of the school’s curriculum plans. This is because the pupils working remotely have the resources they need to access their learning. For example, Year 2 pupils have been provided with clock faces to help them learn about time. All pupils, whether at home or in school, receive the same curriculum offer.

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Main findings

 Teachers share a common understanding for checking and assessing pupils' learning and progress. These match the intentions of leaders. Teachers make consistent use of the school’s approaches to meet regularly with pupils. This helps teachers to check that pupils are understanding what they are being taught.

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Main findings

 Leaders know their vulnerable pupils well. Leaders prioritise the needs of vulnerable pupils, ensuring that they have been able to continue with their education either at home or in school. Your leaders make effective use of the systems to ensure vulnerable pupils engage in remote learning daily. There are clear procedures in place for checking the welfare of pupils. Prompt action is taken if pupils do not join the live sessions. This is delivered in the same way.

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Main findings

 Your leaders ensure that the phonics curriculum continues to be taught as planned. Pupils in the early years and key stage 1 receive a daily live phonics lesson. Leaders have purchased more online reading materials to ensure that the books pupils read at home are well matched to the sounds that they know. There is additional teaching, known as 'the bridge', for those pupils who struggle to learn to read. Pupils in key stage 2, who are still in the early stages of reading, continue to receive from regular phonic teaching sessions.

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Main findings

 The SENCo works with teachers and the inclusion team to ensure that pupils with SEND receive a programme of tailored support. Where pupils with SEND remain at home, staff deliver resources and provide regular one-to-one interventions to help meet pupils’ needs.

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Main findings

 The trust’s leaders and members of the governing board hold school leaders to account. They question and challenge school leaders’ actions. This ensures that leaders remain focused on providing education for pupils during this period. The trust acted promptly by providing pupils with enough electronic devices. This has made a significant contribution to the success of pupils’ learning across the school.

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Main findings

 Subject leaders have received valuable support from the trust’s curriculum leaders. They have helped leaders to reflect on their curriculum plans by identifying the most important things pupils need to know. Subject leaders provide effective support for helping teachers to deliver the curriculum during this period.

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Evidence

This inspection was conducted remotely. We held meetings with the principal, a range of leaders, teachers, the SENCo, the trust chief executive officer, the trust standards director, three pupils, and members of the governing board to discuss leaders’ actions to provide education to all pupils during a national lockdown.

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Evidence

We also made visits to online class assemblies, scrutinised school documents, including curriculum information, reviewed examples of pupils’ work, heard pupils read to a member of staff and spoke to six parents via telephone.

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Evidence

I am copying this letter to the chair of the chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the Inspiration multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Norfolk. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely

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