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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Mrs L Austen Headteacher Seven Stars Primary School Peacock Hall Road Leyland Lancashire PR25 1TD

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education in primary schools

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of the staff and pupils, during my visit on 28 June 2011 to look at work in enterprise education.

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education in primary schools

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 in primary schools

The evidence used to inform the judgements included: interviews with staff and pupils; scrutiny of relevant documentation; analysis of pupils’ work; observation of six lessons; and brief visits to other lessons and activities.

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education in primary schools

The overall effectiveness of enterprise education in promoting pupils’ economic and business understanding and enterprise and financial capability is outstanding.

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Achievement in enterprise education

Achievement in enterprise education is outstanding.

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Achievement in enterprise education

 Pupils have an excellent understanding of roles and responsibilities in the world of work. They develop this from a very young age. For example, in the Early Years Foundation Stage, children begin to talk clearly about the jobs people do and the tools they use in a very well-planned project involving a local garage.  Pupils are given outstanding opportunities to carry out key roles and responsibilities as part of teams. The allocation of ‘ministerial’ responsibilities to each member of the School Council, for example, leads to each pupil taking direct responsibility for an area of work and acquiring an excellent grasp of his or her ‘portfolio’.  Pupils engage in extensive enterprise activity during business-themed weeks during which they successfully raise funds to subsidise the half- termly field-trip programme.  Pupils develop a very good understanding of the characteristics and functions of money because of a well-planned programme for financial

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Achievement in enterprise education

awareness which runs through the curriculum. By Years 4 and 5, they are able to clearly articulate views on a range of economic issues in class; for example, on the development of the Euro and on the economic impact of tourist development.

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Quality of teaching in enterprise education

The quality of teaching in enterprise education is good.

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Quality of teaching in enterprise education

 The large majority of teaching in this subject is good and some is outstanding. Although teachers are not subject experts, they are very committed to the school’s vision of the importance of the subject in raising pupils’ aspirations.  Teachers use resources and methodology very imaginatively. Regular fieldwork, and the use of information and communication technology, brings learning alive for pupils by setting their learning in relevant contexts and promoting their independent and collaborative skills. This is in line with the school’s teaching and learning policy which notes: ‘Tell me and I’ll forget it, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand.’  Teachers’ planning is good. Expected learning outcomes are assessed against specific criteria at the end of each unit to ensure that teaching and learning are well focused. Each lesson, therefore, has clear learning objectives and success criteria. However, occasionally, lessons attempt to

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Quality of teaching in enterprise education

cover too much ground and sacrifice depth of understanding for breadth of coverage. Likewise teachers’ questioning of pupils, while good in eliciting detailed responses, occasionally gets sidetracked and loses focus on the key matters.

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Quality of the curriculum in enterprise education

The quality of the curriculum in enterprise education is outstanding.

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Quality of the curriculum in enterprise education

 An excellent, coherent programme for financial, economic and business awareness runs through a very well-structured programme of personal, social and health education. From the Early Years Foundation Stage onwards, pupils develop their skills and understanding progressively in enterprise education, and outcomes are tracked to assure quality.  Learning about the world of work permeates subjects across the whole curriculum. Pupils are, for example, sharply aware of the contrasts between work now and in Victorian times because of a recent history project and visit.  Pupils have many opportunities to learn about work, business and enterprise through direct contact with people and organisations in the local community. For example, the Year 6 careers day has input from local professions and public services. The programme of visits and visitors introduces pupils to a broad range of workplaces and occupations,

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Quality of the curriculum in enterprise education

although links with commercial organisations, such as factories, shops and restaurants, feature relatively less prominently than other sectors.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in enterprise education

The effectiveness of leadership and management in enterprise education is outstanding.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in enterprise education

 Enterprise education is at the heart of the school’s provision to ensure that pupils are well prepared for later life.  Provision for the subject benefits from excellent leadership and coordination. Teachers work together very effectively to ensure highly coherent planning of the curriculum. Outcomes are assessed and recorded against clear levels of attainment, ensuring that pupils’ progress is closely monitored and provision is adapted where necessary.  While there has been relatively little external training for staff in this subject, leadership ensures that teachers have a very good flow of high- quality, up-to-date resources from specialist organisations to keep learning relevant and topical.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 ensuring that pupils always gain a real depth of understanding by keeping learning well focused on key topics in lessons  extending the range of commercial organisations involved in the school’s links with business.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

I hope that these observations are useful as you continue to develop enterprise 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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