Setting

Amy Parrott Headteacher Priory Lane Community School Priory Lane Scunthorpe Lincolnshire DN17 1HE

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School

Following my remote inspection with Zoe Lightfoot, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), 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.

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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.

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School

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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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 October 2019.

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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:

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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 Leaders and those responsible for governance should take further action to:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 ensure that priority is given to supporting pupils to become fluent and confident readers, as quickly as possible

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 review curriculum plans so that teachers are clear about the specific subject knowledge that should be taught in each year group and how this builds on pupils’ prior learning.

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Context

 The executive headteacher retired in July 2020. Since that time, you have led the school as interim headteacher, supported by an interim deputy headteacher. There are plans to make permanent appointments to the headteacher and deputy headteacher roles from September 2021. Since the last inspection, five new governors have joined the governing body, including the two co-chairs of the governing body.

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Context

 Approximately four out of every 10 pupils had to access education remotely at some point during the autumn term 2020.

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Context

 At the time of this inspection, approximately one third of pupils were attending school. Approximately three quarters of vulnerable pupils and almost all pupils with an education, health and care plan were accessing education in school.

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Main findings

 Leaders have made sure that pupils have the devices and technical support they need to access remote education. Pupils are provided with instructional videos or ‘live’ lessons to help them with their work. Some pupils have also been provided with paper packs and additional resources, such as maps, to support them to access education remotely. Staff have had appropriate training to help them deliver education to pupils working at home.

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Main findings

 Pupils in school are studying the full range of subjects that make up the school’s usual curriculum. Those pupils working from home do not have access to the curriculum for music and computing. Leaders have not made arrangements to deliver these subjects remotely. This means that gaps in pupils’ subject knowledge in music and computing will widen while they are educated remotely.

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Main findings

 Pupils in school are taking part in their usual reading lessons. Pupils who are educated remotely can access frequent ‘live’ or recorded lessons to support their learning in reading. Leaders have also made sure that these pupils have appropriate books to support their reading. Leaders have ensured that all pupils are able to enjoy a book ‘together’. Pupils at home and those in school regularly participate in story times together, with pupils at home joining in through a video call.

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Main findings

 While leaders have made phonics teaching available to all pupils at the current time, some aspects of the school’s provision have not supported pupils to become fluent and confident readers as quickly as possible. Children require a swift start to phonics teaching at the start of their Reception Year. However, in September 2020, leaders delayed the start of their chosen phonics programme at the beginning of the Reception Year for all children. At the present time, around half of children in the Reception Year are not meeting the school’s curriculum expectations for phonics. While additional support is available to those pupils who find reading difficult who are working in school, there is currently no extra help for pupils who are being educated remotely. As a result, these pupils are not getting the support they need to catch up quickly.

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Main findings

 All pupils are provided with a daily mathematics lesson. Leaders have designed the curriculum for mathematics so that pupils regularly revisit content they have already learned to help them remember it. Teachers ensure that pupils understand how they can apply their prior knowledge to new subject content. Teachers provide clear explanations, through ‘live’ lessons and recorded videos, of new learning in mathematics to those pupils who are learning remotely.

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Main findings

 In some subjects, such as geography and physical education, curriculum plans do not provide clarity about the key subject knowledge that should be taught within each year group. Teachers are unclear about how pupils’ knowledge is developed over time to build on their prior learning. Leaders have plans to work with a school improvement adviser to support subject leaders to ensure that content is coherently planned and sequenced across the school.

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Main findings

 Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who are in school receive the support they need to help them with their learning. Teachers plan carefully to make work accessible for pupils with SEND who are working at home. For example, mathematics work is broken down into small steps. Leaders have made sure that those pupils supported by speech and language or occupational therapists continue to receive this help remotely.

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Main findings

 There has been considerable change in the governing body since the last inspection. Many governors are new to the school. Governors have made it a priority to establish positive relationships with staff and leaders and to make checks on the well-being of staff. Governors have identified, correctly, that they need to have greater oversight of leaders’ work to develop the curriculum. There are plans in place for governors to link with subject leaders to achieve this. Governors have increased the frequency of their meetings with leaders to help to develop their understanding of the curriculum which pupils are receiving in the current circumstances.  Prior to national restrictions in March 2020, local authority advisers supported the school to evaluate and improve the science curriculum. Since March 2020, they have offered remote support to leaders to help them to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Evidence

This inspection was conducted remotely. We spoke to you and other senior leaders, a group of teachers and the two co-chairs of the governing body. We spoke to a representative of the local authority to discuss leaders’ actions to provide education to all pupils during the period of national restrictions.

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Evidence

We also looked at documents, visited a reading catch-up session and reviewed some of the work that pupils have completed remotely. We looked at responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including 14 free-text responses, and 31 staff questionnaires.

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Evidence

I am copying this letter to the co-chairs of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for North Lincolnshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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