Setting

Emma Zeil Headteacher Wormegay Church of England Primary School Stoke Road Wormegay King’s Lynn Norfolk PE33 0RN

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Primary School

Following my remote inspection of your school on 10 and 11 February 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. 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 improvement. 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

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Primary School

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. The inspection took place because the school has received two successive judgements of requires improvement. The school’s most recent section 5 inspection took place in January 2020. 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 the previous inspection, a new leader of English has been appointed. The local governing body was disbanded in 2020. The trust now directly oversees the work of the school.

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Context

 Across the autumn term 2020, approximately 35% of pupils were educated remotely for a short period of time.

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Context

 At the time of the inspection, approximately 25% of pupils were being educated on site. Nearly half of the pupils identified by the school as being vulnerable were educated on site, as were all pupils with education, health and care plans.

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Context

 The school normally runs provision for children of Reception age. At the time of the inspection, there were no children on roll in Reception because of a lack of demand for places.

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Main findings

 Since the school’s previous inspection, you have developed new curriculum plans in most subjects. You have changed your approach to the teaching of English, so that pupils now study a wider range of texts. Your new curriculum plans for mathematics are helping teachers to ensure that pupils’ new learning builds on and reinforces what they already know. Some aspects of your work have been slowed by the current national lockdown. For instance, the development of the music curriculum is in its early stages. You intend to continue this improvement work when all pupils return to school.

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Main findings

 You have effectively adapted provision for the current circumstances. Pupils are taught much the same content now as they would be if there was no national lockdown. Pupils at home have the same work as those at school. All pupils are mostly taught ‘live’ through videoconferencing, or by recorded lessons. Pupils complete work to follow up on what they are taught.

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Main findings

 You have made some adjustments. Some parents found it difficult to help their children with two different lessons after lunchtime. Consequently, you reduced to one the number of lessons in the afternoon. You altered the way you check on the quality of provision. You routinely supervise the work of pupils in school and regularly attend lessons remotely. This allows you to check that the curriculum is being delivered as you intend it to be.

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Main findings

 Teachers use questions and quizzes during online lessons to check what pupils have learned. Teachers run mathematics ‘surgeries’ for pupils to ask questions. Teachers ask pupils to stay on the call at the end of a lesson if pupils have not grasped the concepts taught. They arrange and teach extra lessons in small groups if pupils need further help. When pupils in school find the work difficult, teaching assistants guide them. These routine assessments and support help pupils to overcome misconceptions swiftly.

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Main findings

 Some aspects of assessment for pupils studying at home do not work as well as you would like. Some pupils do not hand in the written work teachers want to check. Your focus on improving this has increased the amount of work submitted. You have plans to assess what pupils have learned when all pupils return to school. This will inform the extra help you give pupils to make sure they catch up.

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Main findings

 You have improved the way in which phonics is taught. The books pupils read now closely match the sounds they learn. Teachers have been trained in how to use the new phonics scheme. During the current lockdown, pupils follow this scheme through videoconferencing with their usual teacher. If pupils make mistakes, teachers quickly help them to correct these mistakes. This ensures that pupils continue to learn phonics as if they were all in school.

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Main findings

 Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. In school, teaching assistants help pupils, adapting work to suit their needs. For pupils at home, teaching assistants join ‘live’ lessons. They deliver one-to-one sessions using the same technology.

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Main findings

 You work hand in hand with the Diocese of Ely multi-academy trust. Trust leaders now monitor closely the impact of your actions. They have changed the accountability structure for the school so that you report directly to senior leaders of the trust. The trust board regularly reviews the impact of your actions.

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Main findings

 The trust gives you guidance and support. It has arranged training tailored to the context and needs of the school. This includes, for example, leadership training and help with devising and implementing your curriculum plans. The trust’s leaders provide a forum for you to discuss the challenges of the pandemic with leaders of other schools. The trust’s leaders have also reviewed your plans for remote education and fed back on how these could be improved. The work of the trust is integral to your work to effectively provide education at this time.

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Evidence

This inspection was conducted remotely. I spoke to you, other school leaders, school staff, leaders of the trust, members of the trust board and pupils to discuss leaders’ actions to provide education to all pupils during a national lockdown.

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Evidence

I looked at the nine free-text responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, the 12 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey, feedback the school has received from parents about provision at the current time, the headteacher’s reports to the trust, minutes of a trust meeting and the trust’s review of remote education. I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the Diocese of Ely multi-academy trust, the director of education for the Diocese of Ely, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Norfolk. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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