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 Morley Headteacher Kirkby-on-Bain Church of England Primary School Wharf Lane Kirkby-on-Bain Woodhall Spa LN10 6YW

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education (PE)

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of the staff and pupils, during my visit on 8 and 9 March 2011 to look at work in PE.

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education (PE)

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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education (PE)

The evidence used to inform the judgements included: interviews with staff and pupils; scrutiny of relevant documentation; analysis of pupils’ reports; and observation of three lessons.

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education (PE)

The overall effectiveness of PE is good.

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Achievement in PE

 Pupils make good progress in all key stages, especially in acquiring new skills. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make similar progress to others in the school because of the support they receive from skilled teaching assistants and modification of activities and resources in lessons. Children start the Early Years Foundation Stage with physical skills which are typical for their age. By the time they leave at the end of Year 6, their attainment is above average and most pupils can swim the expected 25 metres.  Pupils’ personal development through PE is outstanding. They thoroughly enjoy lessons, sports competitions and the after-school sports activities. Pupils show exceptionally positive attitudes to all aspects of the subject. They work with others in a mature and sensible way and willingly offer help when necessary. Pupils who act as PE monitors, mini-leaders and play leaders develop a strong sense of social responsibility and take their roles

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Achievement in PE

of managing PE resources and working with other children seriously. Pupils are enthusiastic to write in a special assembly book about their sporting experiences and proudly talk in front of the whole school about their achievements. In lessons, pupils show a strong awareness of their own and others’ safety. They know about the advantages of a warm-up and cool-down, and have a good understanding of how to lead healthy active lifestyles through eating a balanced diet and taking exercise.

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Quality of teaching in PE

 Teaching is good and occasionally outstanding. The longstanding school tradition of high-quality PE and sport enables all teachers to have a clear understanding of the value of PE and school sport to pupils’ all-round development. Teachers’ enthusiasm for PE is communicated very well to pupils. Lessons are calm and orderly and the excellent relationships between teachers and pupils ensure a positive climate for learning in lessons. In all lessons observed, good emphasis was given to developing pupils’ levels of fitness. In the outstanding lesson, pupils learnt and practised games skills through a variety of motivating activities and developed their leadership skills through organising and coaching groups. More able pupils are given opportunities to extend their skills through after-school clubs, school tournaments and links with local specialist clubs, however, they are not always challenged fully in lessons.

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Quality of teaching in PE

 All teachers are beginning to use information and communication technology (ICT) to promote learning as a means of motivating pupils, exemplifying skills and techniques and, occasionally, as a means of assessment. However, it is not sufficiently developed to have a major impact on raising pupils’ achievement.

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Quality of the curriculum in PE

The quality of the PE curriculum is good.

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Quality of the curriculum in PE

 The curriculum is broad and balanced and includes all areas of learning. The schemes of work provide teachers with a clear progression of learning in all strands of the PE National Curriculum. All pupils have two hours of PE each week, one additional swimming lesson in the summer term and fifteen minutes of ‘Activate’ each day. Approximately three quarters of pupils take part in extra-curricular sports clubs. A number of trophies and awards are used to recognise success in sport and the ‘Peter Douglas’ Cup, presented for fair-play and sportsmanship, is valued highly by staff and pupils. The school’s provision for pupils with social and emotional difficulties is good. Targeted support and encouragement help these pupils gain confidence, develop social skills and improve their self-esteem.  A residential visit for older pupils provides good opportunities to take part in outdoor and adventurous activities. Strong links between the school and

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Quality of the curriculum in PE

external coaches add significantly to the quality of provision. Pupils have many opportunities to take part in inter-school competitions and tournaments, especially in Key Stage 2. However, very few competitions are organised with other schools and within the school for pupils in Key Stage 1. Provision for swimming is strong. Pupils in all classes attend weekly swimming lessons for one term each year.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PE

The effectiveness of leadership and management in PE is good.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PE

 The subject leader has strong subject knowledge and is using it very well to build on previous good practice and innovation. Despite being only recently appointed to the role, she has a good understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement and has already begun to make improvements. The current assessment system enables teachers and leaders to evaluate pupils’ attainment at the end of each school year. However, the information is not being used effectively enough to monitor the progress of different groups of pupils or to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives in improving pupils’ outcomes.  Your enthusiasm for PE and school sport is ensuring that they continue to have a high profile. Displays around the school and many opportunities in assemblies to promote success and endeavour help raise pupils’ awareness of PE in school and sport in the community. Links with the school sport partnership are promoted well and make a significant

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PE

contribution to pupils’ development.  Although the school does not have a hall and the sports field is a short walk away, teachers make the best use of current facilities. Some of the school’s work is carried out in the village hall and many of the gymnastics and dance lessons take place on the school’s playground. The Early Years Foundation Stage staff make good use of the covered, sheltered outdoor area to support children’s physical development.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 ensuring that more able pupils receive sufficient challenge in all lessons  ensuring that ICT is used more effectively to promote pupils’ learning and raise attainment further  using assessment information more effectively to monitor the progress of different groups of pupils and to evaluate the effectiveness of initiatives in improving pupils’ outcomes.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

I hope that these observations are useful as you continue to develop PE 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. Yours sincerely

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