Setting

Aviation House 125 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0300 123 1231 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mr M Scully Headteacher The John Fisher School Peaks Hill Purley Surrey CR8 3YP

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social, health and economic (PSHE) education

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of the staff and students, during my visit on 18 and 19 October 2010 to look at work in PSHE education.

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social, health and economic (PSHE) education

The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions but individual institutions will not be identified in the main text without their consent.

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social, health and economic (PSHE) education

The evidence used to inform the judgements included: interviews with staff and students; scrutiny of relevant documentation; analysis of students’ work and observation of seven lessons and an assembly.

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social, health and economic (PSHE) education

The overall effectiveness of PSHE education is outstanding.

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Achievement in PSHE education

Achievement in PSHE education is outstanding.

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Achievement in PSHE education

 Students are extremely confident and caring. They understand the importance of shared values within school, and they relate to each other and adults in a mature and purposeful way. Students are very reflective when discussing important issues and creative when faced with decisions or problems.  Students’ emotional development is very good and they are able to discuss feelings openly. They understand how to recognise and deal with stress in themselves and in others very well. They have a very clear understanding of difference and they respect the diversity in the school and the local community extremely well.  Students have a very good understanding of how to stay healthy and particularly the need for exercise. Participation in sports is a very high priority for students and staff.  Students have a very good understanding of the effects and dangers of drugs, including alcohol and tobacco. They know how to stay safe, both in

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Achievement in PSHE education

school and outside.  Students are making good progress in learning how to manage their money and they have developed their enterprise skills extremely well. However, a few older students have missed opportunities to learn about managing their personal finances. Throughout the school, students are prepared extremely well for the next stage of their education and their future adult life.  Students’ awareness of sex and relationships education is very good and they have developed mature, responsible and sensitive attitudes to the subject.

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Quality of teaching of PSHE education

The quality of teaching of PSHE education is good.

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Quality of teaching of PSHE education

 Relationships between teachers and students are positive and purposeful. The care, guidance and support for students are very good and contribute significantly to their achievement.  Teachers are well organised and they manage their students’ behaviour well. They use information and communication technology (ICT) and other resources well so that lessons are more interesting. For example, in a Year 11 lesson, the teacher used a PowerPoint presentation, using diagrams to help students understand how tax is calculated.  In most lessons, students are encouraged to take an active part, so they are interested and learn more. For example, in a Year 9 lesson students were working together in a game to decide the future of the Amazon Basin.  In a few lessons, tasks or activities do not provide enough challenge for more able students, so the pace of their learning slows.  Teachers have made a good start to assessment, which is beginning to

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Quality of the curriculum in PSHE education

 The recently introduced programme is planned thoroughly and has taken good account of students’ and staff views. It has brought coherence and progression to the subject, so students are very enthusiastic and interested, and are already feeling the benefits of learning about issues that are important and relevant to them.  The curriculum is enriched by an exceptionally wide range of lunchtime and after-school clubs, particularly sporting activities and music which are supported very well. A wide range of visitors and outside agencies is used very effectively, in areas such as mental health, crime and road safety.  Enterprise and careers education make a very good contribution to students’ economic well-being and their future opportunities in later life.  A good programme to develop students’ financial capability is beginning to help them learn about managing their personal finances.  The sixth form students benefit from a broad and varied programme that

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Quality of the curriculum in PSHE education

meets their needs extremely well. For example, students benefit from studying such topics as cooking at university, drug awareness and a leadership training programme.  The sports specialism has a significant impact on the subject and students’ achievement.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PSHE education

The leadership and management of PSHE education are outstanding.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PSHE education

 The vision for the subject is very well informed and the understanding of how to make the teaching of PSHE education more effective is very good. Monitoring is thorough, accurate and clearly informs planning.  Staff have been deployed according to their expertise, so they are far more confident and their subject knowledge is secure. This has been supported very well by a broad range of training and a very good plan of action to improve the subject.  PSHE education has a high priority within the curriculum, with a strong emphasis on ensuring that all students are included and succeed. The school makes extremely good use of partnerships, other agencies and resources.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 developing more assessment tasks to help show how well students are progressing.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

I hope that these observations are useful as you continue to develop PSHE education in the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

As I explained previously, a copy of this letter will be published on the Ofsted website. It may be used to inform decisions about any future inspection. Except in the case of academies, a copy of this letter is also being sent to your local authority.

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