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 S Arnold Headteacher Radcliffe-on-Trent Junior School Cropwell Road Radcliffe-on-Trent Nottinghamshire NG12 2FS

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Ofsted 2009–10 subject survey inspection programme: citizenship

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of the staff and pupils during my visit on 2 December 2010 to look at work in citizenship.

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Ofsted 2009–10 subject survey inspection programme: citizenship

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.

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Ofsted 2009–10 subject survey inspection programme: citizenship

The evidence used to inform the judgements included: interviews with staff, pupils and a governor; scrutiny of relevant documentation; analysis of pupils’ work; and observation of three lessons and several other related activities.

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Ofsted 2009–10 subject survey inspection programme: citizenship

The overall effectiveness of citizenship is outstanding.

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Achievement and enjoyment of learning in citizenship

Achievement and enjoyment of learning in citizenship are outstanding.

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Achievement and enjoyment of learning in citizenship

 Pupils have an excellent understanding of the subject’s key aspects. This arises from a school ethos that strongly endorses and values positive pupil action, an imaginative curriculum and consistently good teaching.  Pupils are particularly knowledgeable about rights and responsibilities, care for the environment and issues around sustainability. Following the school’s last full inspection, the school has worked hard to develop pupils’ understanding of identity and diversity. Pupils respect diversity and difference and show sensitive awareness of the needs of others. The school’s strong links with schools in Kenya and Uganda support this well; these links successfully challenge any stereotypical views and prompt pupils to reflect on the similarities and differences compared with their own lives and experiences.  The pupil voice is strong and used very well; there is a variety of roles where pupils lead others and take suitable responsibility, for example on

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Achievement and enjoyment of learning in citizenship

the various councils and as play leaders and buddies to younger pupils. Pupils are proud of their school council which they organise; they take responsibility well and confidently make decisions to improve their school.

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Quality of teaching in citizenship

The quality of teaching in citizenship is good.

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Quality of teaching in citizenship

 Lessons are lively and interesting. Pupils are eager contributors, and demonstrate much enjoyment in their learning.  Teachers explore potentially sensitive issues with confidence, allowing pupils to share their views and reach informed conclusions. For example, in an interesting Year 5 lesson where pupils were considering the issues facing the children of Kabul, they discussed whether children should have weapons to help them feel safer while living in a war zone.  From Year 3 upwards, pupils’ communication skills are developed well; they are encouraged to discuss their ideas, find solutions to issues and work through any difficulties that might arise. This develops appropriate critical thinking skills and supports good learning in citizenship. Consequently, pupils are confident and skilled in discussion work, readily exploring their ideas and challenging each other’s views with respect.  Inclusion is a real strength of the school’s work. Careful attention is paid

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Quality of teaching in citizenship

to supporting pupils with social or emotional needs so that they can build the self-esteem and confidence necessary to participate successfully in lessons.  The assessment of pupils’ learning in the subject is not as detailed as for other aspects of the curriculum and does not provide pupils with sufficient guidance on how they are progressing, particularly by Year 6, when many pupils have excellent skills and understanding.

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Quality of the curriculum in citizenship

The quality of the citizenship curriculum is outstanding.

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Quality of the curriculum in citizenship

 Aspects of citizenship are woven seamlessly across the curriculum. There are several notable features: the work undertaken through the SEAL programme; the ‘Captain Planet’ curriculum initiative to explore issues around sustainability; and the ‘Window on the World’ initiative. These have contributed to pupils’ commitment to fair trade produce and the importance of securing food from sustainable sources.  Topical events are used well to enrich the curriculum. The ‘Window on the World’ curriculum initiative is an excellent example of the school’s use of world affairs to further pupils’ knowledge and understanding of current world events. The element of choice provided for pupils concerning the content to be studied is adding to their interest and motivation to find out more about the world that they live in.  A range of activities, which includes the school’s gardening and eco clubs and the local ‘Greening Project’, fosters pupils’ knowledge and

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Quality of the curriculum in citizenship

understanding of the environment and issues around the sustainability of resources.  Citizenship themes are reflected in resources and materials in classrooms; displays around school reinforce aspects of the curriculum well, for example the election displays and newspaper headlines from pupils’ election campaigns.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in citizenship

The leadership and management of citizenship are outstanding.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in citizenship

 Excellent support for the subject and its centrality to the work and life of the school is evident from you, your senior team and your governors.  Citizenship is central to the ethos and wider life of the school. A whole- school commitment is evident to help pupils to make a positive contribution in their school and beyond. There is much enthusiasm across the staff team which enthuses and motivates pupils to be suitably critical in reflecting on issues in the world around them.  Citizenship learning makes a strong contribution to community cohesion, both within the school community and beyond, particularly through the excellent work of the extended schools network. This helps pupils to develop links with a variety of local community groups, widens their horizons and furthers their understanding of life beyond school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 developing assessment in order to track pupils’ progress in the subject throughout the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

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

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

As I explained in my previous letter, a copy of this letter will be sent to your local authority and will be published on the Ofsted website. It will also be available to the team for your next institutional inspection.

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