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 J Headland Headteacher Chiltern Gate School Verney Avenue High Wycombe HP12 3NE

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education (PE)

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of the staff and pupils, during my visit on 21 June 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 you, the subject leader and pupils; scrutiny of documentation; observation of a lesson, two therapy sessions, continuous provision in Early Years Foundation Stage and organised activity at lunchtimes.

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education (PE)

The overall effectiveness of PE is satisfactory.

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Achievement in PE

 Pupils make steady progress in relation to their individual abilities. They enjoy the increasing range of activities on offer at break times. Teaching assistants encourage pupils to be active during break times and most join in with some physical activity.  Pupils develop healthy attitudes and more able pupils understand the importance of healthy eating and exercise.  While progress is steady, the most able pupils do not make the gains they could. The school recognises that attainment could be higher for some pupils, particularly where their special educational need and/or disabilities do not impinge on their physical capabilities. For example, in swimming, pupils rarely reach the 25 metre standard expected for their age.

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Quality of teaching in PE

The quality of teaching in PE is satisfactory.

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Quality of teaching in PE

 Teachers plan busy and active lessons where pupils take part in a variety of tasks and challenges. Little work is differentiated and teaching assistants are not used fully in providing different levels of challenge and support for groups and/or individuals.  Pupils follow teachers’ instructions and enjoy the activities in which they take part. At times, the behaviour of a few gets in the way of others’ learning, both in therapy sessions and in whole-class lessons. Rebound therapy is led very effectively and, in these sessions, pupils’ learning and development accelerates.  The procedures for assessing pupils’ progress in lessons are underdeveloped. As a result, teachers tend to focus on tasks to be completed rather than next steps in pupils’ learning.

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Quality of the curriculum in PE

The quality of the curriculum in PE is satisfactory.

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Quality of the curriculum in PE

 The curriculum meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. All areas are sufficiently covered except for outdoor and adventurous activities.  All pupils are timetabled for two hours of PE and physical activity each week and some exceed three hours of physical activity each week.  Some links are established with organisations that provide activity and sport for disabled pupils and some pupils are take part in additional activities such as horse riding.  A range of activities and games are organised at play times and many pupils take part in these. A recently added bike trail is well appreciated by those who use it.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PE

The effectiveness of leadership and management in PE is satisfactory.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PE

 Leaders are focused on improving provision. You have clear plans for developing the grounds and school facilities to improve opportunities for PE, school sports and physical therapies.  The subject leader is new to the post and is bringing clarity about the purpose of PE and school sport. She recognises where the subject needs to develop and has well-considered plans for increasing teachers’ skills and confidence in meeting the full range of pupils’ needs. However, these ideas are not based firmly on improving the relative weaknesses found in current classroom practice because no formal monitoring of teaching takes place to inform plans.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 developing opportunities for pupils to learn through outdoor and adventurous activities  ensuring that more able pupils are given the opportunity to develop their skills at an appropriate level  considering how the collection of assessment information can help focus teachers on the achievements of individuals so their subsequent plans are suitably challenging  providing opportunities for the subject leader to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum and the quality of teaching so that improvement plans are well focused.

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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.

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