Ofsted conducted a remote visit to Stretton St Matthews Church of England Primary School on November 24, 2020, to assess the school's response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The visit was part of a broader initiative to understand how schools are managing the return to full education after an extended period of disruption. The visit was not an inspection, and no graded judgments were made. Instead, it focused on discussions with the headteacher, assistant headteacher, and the leader for welfare and pastoral care, without engaging directly with pupils.
The context of the visit was shaped by the ongoing pandemic, which had necessitated changes in how education was delivered. The school had been preparing to fully reopen to all pupils since September 2020, following government guidelines. During the visit, it was noted that one Year 6 class was self-isolating, and a small number of pupils were working from home. The school had implemented measures to support these pupils, ensuring they could continue their education despite the challenges.
Inspectors found that younger pupils had retained their knowledge of phonics and letter sounds, while some older pupils faced difficulties in comprehension and retrieving information from texts. To address these gaps, the school had put additional support in place to help these students catch up. In mathematics, teachers had assessed what pupils remembered since the previous school closure and were building on that knowledge to enhance problem-solving and reasoning skills.
The curriculum offered at Stretton St Matthews included all subjects from the wider curriculum, with checks in place to identify what pupils had remembered or forgotten. Teachers had adapted their curriculum plans to incorporate essential content that had not been taught during the summer term, ensuring that pupils could cover missed knowledge. The school aimed to return all pupils to the usual curriculum by the summer term of 2021.
For pupils who were self-isolating or learning from home, the school provided online and paper-based resources that reflected the curriculum being taught in school. This included live lessons in various subjects, including phonics, and access to decodable books for younger pupils to support their reading development. Teachers actively monitored pupils' work and provided feedback, while parents were reported to be engaged in supporting their children's remote education.
The visit concluded without any significant concerns being raised about the school's operations or its response to the pandemic. The information gathered during this visit would contribute to Ofsted's national reporting, helping to inform future educational policies. The headteacher expressed gratitude for the opportunity to share insights about the school's practices during this challenging time, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between schools and the education sector in navigating the ongoing impacts of COVID-19. The letter summarizing the visit would be shared with relevant stakeholders, including the governing body and local education authorities, and published on the Ofsted website for public access.
