This is a summary of an experience of an OFSTED ‘visit’ during October 2020 from one of our HeadsUp4HT’s members who is an Executive Headteacher in an infant school in the UK.
In sharing this, we hope to give you a transparent reflection of the items discussed during the inspection. This may support you, help prepare you or build your confidence and understanding of the process. Many thanks to our contributor.
Infant School Monitoring Visit
Telephone Call:
10 am start
10:15-10:45 Context
11:00- 11:45 Safeguarding
12:00- 12:30 Attendance
12:45 -1:45 Curriculum
2-2:30 Behaviour
The call lasted approximately 30 mins.
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1. How effective are leaders in returning children to the school and implementing the curriculum?
▪ our plans in the lead up to lockdown
▪ our experience during lockdown
▪ our actions since lockdown and full return to school
They also continually asked if anything positive or negative has emerged as a result of the above areas, actions etc They went on to ask about our reflections in terms of what we might do differently next time and the learning that we have taken from everything that has happened and what we have actioned moving forward because of this.
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Context of our school lockdown
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We feel that what we did during lockdown has impacted on the full return of staff and pupils in September 2020: o Utilised the lockdown opportunity for CPD to tackle areas that clearly needed addressing (my evaluation of current provision)
– Safeguarding
– Online Safety
– Google Classroom
– Purple Mash
– Mindfullness and Wellbeing
– Reading: RWI, Daily Supported Reading, Destination Reader (KS2)
– Writing: The Write Stuff
– Maths: Inspire
– Environments- clear out
o Recovery Curriculum –The Big Think approach for PSHE underpins all our learning now and is accurately aligned to our Christian ethos and values. That is the only change. Expectations are high so all the children are in receipt of a broad, inclusive curriculum. The timetables have not changed and this was the case from the word go. There have been additional outdoor PE sessions and music, singing etc have continued.
o Weekly calls and transition meetings at the end of the summer term, helped identify families who were anxious about coming back.
o Having Reception and Year 6 come back allowed time for staff who were absent to stagger their return and take part in CPD ready for the new term
o Risk Assessments
o Accountability document to delegate new and clarify expectations of roles and areas of accoutability
o SPAH Ways (non- negotiables)
o Communication to staff and children
o Rigour of home learning – high expectations – further enhanced by Google Classroom (and training) Purple Mash (safeguarding keeping safe online)
o Extra INSET days to allow for full preparation and teacher training -safeguarding addendum to include Covid info and Behaviour policy addendum
o Main barrier: No internet access at home (40%) and only mobile phones
Training for staff o Mostly online training of staff e.g: already mentioned
o Oracy and effective communication, emotional inteligence
o Ongoing training for staff; also accessed training via Tom Sherrington, Mary Myatt, Ed Tech and Reach Team, Curriculum HEP, Bereavement Training, Mental Health First-Aid (Rebecca), SSS online. National Online safety.
Wellbeing of staff & relationships o Updated staffing structure (Roles and accountability) – thought about where relationships were best, particularly for our most vulnerable children given Covid and absence from school
o Communication and checking in with staff
o SLT – line management structure supported others
o Signposting staff to external courses, including stress management courses – help lines provided on school website
School’s priorities and changes in priority o Focus on Emotional strength through The Big Think and working closely with councellors
o Inclusive SPAH curriculum
o Sustainable & remote/blended learning offer
o Governor involvement re: Safeguarding, H&S
o More of a focus on oracy and language rich environments
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Recruitment Attendance Behaviour
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Recruitment o 1 new member started during lockdown
o All new staff were included in all meetings and training opportunities then 3 more in infants and a music teacher
Attendance Attendance during lockdown o Reported daily to DfE
o LAT (LDBS London) Weekly State of play
Attendance now o 96/ 97% overall
Removals from roll since September 8 children left as a result of Covid in total A concern are the number of children leaving this week (infants only) due to circumstances out of our Eg. N-1 chid (left the country) R -1 child homeless and rehoused out of borough Y1 -1 child homeless rehoused out of borough Y2 -1 child deported Barriers to children returning (Google Forms survey and follow up calls) Y6 first then Reception o Travelling to school via public transport for those out of borough
o Parental anxieties
o Quarantining children/self-isolating
Attendance Policy changes o None – no fining of parents being brought in
Actions to make sure children are attending o Parent Support Worker
o First day calling
o Calling parents and reassuring them
o Ongoing weekly communication via letters/newsletters and website updates/ Twitter/ phone calls/ visits
o Presence on the gate each day
o Working with EWO
o Home visits where necessary
Behaviour: How are children adapting to the return to school o All good – very calm; staggering/timetabling has supported children’s behaviour
What actions have we put in place to ensure smooth return? o Transition sessions
o The Big Think- mindfulness and wellbeing
o Videos of school on website – new class tours
o Zoom professional Meetings
o Transition information packs for children with 1-1 support or for children who needed it
o Meet the Teacher Meetings remotely – video and phone calls
o Very small school with a Christian ethos, familiar staff (transition not an issue)
Barriers to pupils’ behaviour/ attitudes- no issues o Lack of routine for some children but thus far, no significant cases of this (quickly remedied)
o Some anxiety about new procedures e.g: children’s families with autism
Changes in routines for staff and pupils o Risk assessment- shared all staff
o Bubbles, staggering, timetables, one-way systems, hand-washing, spacing, lack of visitors, visits,
Policy changes o Reviewed Positive Behaviour Policy and addendum to reflect hand, face, space and new expectations – posters around school
o How we communicate and engage parents
Actions to support SEND children and @ risk children o As above
o Weekly phone calls
o Regular communication with parents
o Individual risk assessments
o Inclusion Manager meetings earlier this term
Any poor behaviours or surprising changes in behaviours of children o None – no behaviour incidents have been logged thus far
Exclusions – what have we done? What will we do? o No exclusions to report
Use of external agencies to support behaviour – how has this changed during lockdown and now? o Specialist behaviour support to support one vulnerable child who has yet to return (Supply Reception- high ratio of adults)
o N/A as not needed for others
Use of funding to support children’s behaviour o Other than with one children, not applicable as not required
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Safeguarding:
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What are the changes to our safeguarding practices?
o TAF, CP & CIN meetings all undertaken remotely.
o EHCP pupils had individual risk assessments completed that were annotated as and when necessary (phone calls each week).
o Any struggling were referred to external agencies: Trailblazer, EWO, EP
and counsellors available for families and staff
o Recording concerns and following up – this is the same CPOMs.
o Guidance provided to staff about indicators of concern (training).
o Follow-up during lockdown on children not accessing work
o Home visits undertaken to monitor particular concerns and deliver food, check on wellbeing of the families we called
o Teachers completed weekly calls logs- where necessary SLT / DSLs followed up with any necessary safeguarding
o Used own knowledge of families to offer places to other vulnerable groups
How are we ensuring ongoing safeguarding for staff during remote education? o Remote Learning Policy and handbook that are supported by risk assessments
o Meetings – inviting all staff to meetings and if didn’t attend, follow this up (meetings also recorded and available where necessary to support follow up)
o Weekly support staff meetings
o Free sessions from MIND and regular signposting to support agencies/training
o Offered Zoom staff meetings (NHS)
o Flexible with timetable if others for example, have not been in school
o Phoning staff
o Regular and clear communication to all staff
o Being open, honest and reassuring
o Code of conduct for remote teaching implemented as well as Remote Learning Policy and Contingency Plans
How have we identified new vulnerabilities? o Same systems as before
o Know families who are vulnerable and providing support as required e.g: use of PSA worker
o home visits
o Risk Assessments including all BAME staff, pregnant staff members and those who arec most vulnerable
o Identifying indicators of new mental health needs and staff understanding its link to safeguarding; this was referred to on during INSET days re: KCSiE
How do we make sure the children get specific help? o Referrals to relevant agencies
o supporting – food and clothes (books, pencils and packs)
o Resources available in school
o Weekly Inclusion meeting meetings focused on wellbeing and how well children have settled back in school (Team Time, additional time for support staff to meet with class teachers after school)
o Open channel of communication for parents via emails
o School nursing service
o Vulnerable children during lockdown re: FSM vouchers and local foodbank
o Providing individual support to parents who are self-isolating
How are we managing safer recruitment? o Policy being updated to reflect changes
o Supply staff – checking of DBS and all necessary procedures (usual procedures in place)
o Recruitment would be undertaken remotely
o No volunteers or work experience students
o All specialist teachers, SALT etc when on site adhere to school’s protocols and procedures which have been shared with them e.g: Risk Assessment
How are we managing allegations against adults? There aren’t any but if there were: o Report to ExHT / HoS and would refer to LADO
o If about ExHT to Chair of Governors
o Would be done through social distancing and risk assessing each meeting
Any challenges in maintaining the SCR? o None – all up to date
Concerns raised since lockdown – how have we managed them? o Managed via email, phone-calls and PPE
o Safeguarding concerns logged on CPOMs
o Children not returning to school via HoS and EWO (only one but has since left to return to their country of birth)
o Parents called within the first day and then every day if necessary
o More details are now required when parents call in about child being sick
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Curriculum:
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What is our trajectory to be delivering our full and usual curriculum? o In place with rigour
o Immediate return – Transition, well-being, mental health, routine, relationships with peers and adults alongside assessments entered as Summer 2 after 2 weeks in
o Phonics and reading
o The teaching of subject-specific vocabulary, key knowledge or skills will continue to be a focus.
What barriers will we be facing to get this in place by the summer term? o Class/staff absence and return to remote learning – see Remote Learning Policy
o Reading/writing stamina
o Readjusting to learning routines and behaviours
o Mental health issues
o Interpreting government guidelines
o Gaps as and when summative tests have been analysed – these have started re: tests
o Access to resources – bid in for additional resources re: GT, New Wave, Tottenham Grammar
o Volume of curriculum to cover between now and the end of the academic year
What is the breadth of the curriculum now? Is there anything we are not teaching? o All subjects are being taught, though in more limited depth in some areas re: content
o Content which is chronologically important will be taught; teaching of required skills is non-negotiable
o RSE catch-up from summer term and prior to statutory requirement for April 2021
o Currently no swimming or external trips/visitors
Is there a difference between the offer each year group is getting? o No, although each group will adjust according to need
How are we prioritising the content of our curriculum? o Core areas in the morning to catch up with teaching of core skills where there are gaps
What priorities do we have in each year group? Already mentioned What are our assessment practices? What is the initial assessment revealing? o Referred to week 2 data- early indicators are that outcomes are low.
Reading – are we changing the books we are reading because of COVID? o Children take books home and quarantine when they come back
o Daily cleaning increased significantly
What is the nature of the support we are offering children to catch up? What strategies are we using? o QFT – linked to all new training undertaken
o Online resources
o Interventions
o National Tutoring Programme sign up and engagement with EEF resources
o In house training re: high expectations
Are we doing anything to support specific gaps in knowledge? o Pedagogy of teachers through CPD to determine gaps and plug them
o PLR – Professional Learning Journeys (Flip model of monitoring)
Remote learning – our journey to now. What are we offering currently? o Purple Mash
o Google Classroom
o Online resources: Oak Academy, Oxford Owl, Learning Village for EAL children, Rock Star Tables etcetc
o Specific resources/work adapted for SEN children
o Packs provided for children as required
Is remote learning aligned to our curriculum? o It was during lockdown; blended learning opportunities are being developed further via CPD
o Expectation currently to set one piece of online homework and give feedback after half term that has increased
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Another Lockdown/ School closure/ Bubbles or Year groups isolating
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What might the school do in case of further lockdown? o See Remote Learning Policy
o Will continue to keep in regular contact with parents
How are we using funding? How much is it? o National Tutoring Programme, drawing on best practice from EEF
o Additional resources to be used at home
o Separate bid re: Grieg Trust , New Wave
o Embed funding strategy into Pupil Premium Strategy
o School Home Support
Has remote learning and the lockdown brought any positives? For any specific groups? o Upskilled staff and children re: remote learning
o Routines and procedures are working better
o Community of staff have gelled better
o Parents more appreciative of what the school is offering – much positive feedback
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What is the role of the parent in remote learning? o Continually reviewing our parental engagement processes and practices
o Encouraging staff to attend parental engagement training
o Maintaining communication with harder to reach parents (AHT for inclusion)
o Tailoring the expectations of parents to the ages of the children
o Ensuring communication is delivered through a range of means (text, email, website or face-to-face)where necessary in order to make accessible to all
o Asking parents for suggestions of how they can help
o Target and communicate with clarity so all understand (consider language needs, translators)
o Home visits
o To ensure that pupils are safe when accessing online work – this was shared with parents
o Parents need to be present during Zoom meetings with councellors or any others that are necessary
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