Setting

Alison Beckett Headteacher Burlington Junior School Marton Road Bridlington East Yorkshire YO16 7AQ

p.1

Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Burlington Junior School

Following my remote inspection with Chris Pearce, 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.

p.1

Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Burlington Junior School

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.

p.1

Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Burlington Junior School

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.

p.1

Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Burlington Junior School

The inspection took place because the school has received three successive judgements of requires improvement. The school’s most recent section 5 inspection took place in January 2018.

p.1

Additional, remote monitoring inspection of Burlington Junior School

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:

p.1

Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

to provide education in the current circumstances. Ofsted

p.1

Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

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

p.1

Context

 Since the last inspection, four teachers have joined the school when four left. Twelve teaching assistants have joined the school. Three governors have resigned from the governing body and two new governors have been appointed.

p.2

Context

 Approximately three quarters of pupils have had to learn from home for a period of time, because of COVID-19, during the autumn term 2020. Pupils in Years 4 and 6 had repeated periods of self-isolation.

p.2

Context

 During this inspection, the school was open to vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers. Almost one quarter of pupils were attending school and three quarters were learning from home. A high proportion of vulnerable pupils are attending school. Approximately a third of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are attending on site.

p.2

Context

 At the time of this inspection, a very small number of staff were absent due to COVID-19.

p.2

Main findings

 The turbulence in changes to staffing is improving. You have a committed team of leaders and staff morale is high. This has helped you, your leaders and governors to be reflective and adaptive to the current challenges you face. You have concentrated on the essential actions you need to take, to provide education to all pupils.

p.2

Main findings

 You are developing your curriculum plans for all subjects. You have recently adapted the curriculum that you have so that pupils can take part in lessons, in school or at home. Leaders are taking effective action to make sure all pupils are receiving education in the current circumstances. Leaders’ long- term curriculum plans are a work in progress. They do not outline precisely enough the skills and knowledge they want pupils to learn and in which order.

p.2

Main findings

 You and your senior leaders have developed a remote learning package. Leaders have provided teachers and teaching assistants with the relevant training. Staff are now more confident to provide education in this way. Teachers plan activities which match the same content in school, where possible. Pupils attending school access their usual lessons. You have made laptops available to pupils who need them to access the curriculum from home. Pupils say they can ask for help and teachers respond, both in school or when working at home.

p.2

Main findings

 You have made sure that staff prioritise reading. You and your staff promote the love of reading across the school. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about their favourite books in English lessons. Any pupil who has fallen behind, or is in the early stages of reading, gets extra support if they attend school. However, extra catch-up sessions are not as accessible for pupils working remotely. The resources that pupils access remotely for phonics are not as well matched to those in school. Only a small number of staff have attended phonics training, over recent years.

p.2

Main findings

 Leaders know pupils with (SEND) well. Teachers carefully adapt work for lessons in school or remote education to meet these pupils’ needs. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) continues to work with various professionals. She makes sure that plans include ways to meet pupils’ social, emotional and physical needs. Parents of pupils with SEND who completed Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire are happy with the support their children receive.

p.3

Main findings

 Governors are checking that leaders are taking appropriate action to ensure that pupils are receiving an education. They are mindful of leaders’ workload, especially during the current circumstances.

p.3

Main findings

 School leaders value the support and challenge provided by their school improvement partner. Training from the local authority on remote learning has helped develop leaders’ expertise. The local authority arranged a link with another primary school to help leaders design their remote education offer. More recently, leaders have been proactive and set up a new link with a different primary school. This has helped leaders to develop ‘live’ streaming of remote sessions.

p.3

Evidence

This inspection was conducted remotely. We held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, two assistant headteachers, SENCo, pupils, staff, three members of the governing body, including the chair and vice chair, and the local authority school improvement partner, to discuss leaders’ actions to provide education to all pupils during a national lockdown.

p.3

Evidence

We also listened to pupils reading to adults in school and looked at pupils’ work via the digital system for remote education. We took account of 25 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.

p.3

Evidence

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for East Riding. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.3