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 V Wild Headteacher St Leonard’s C of E Primary School Syerscote Lane Wiggington Tamworth B79 9DX

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education (PE)

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of your staff and pupils, during my visit on 15 December 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; and observation of two lessons.

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education (PE)

The overall effectiveness of PE is good.

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Achievement in PE

 The Early Years Foundation Stage was not observed but the school’s assessments show that the physical development of most children is progressing well. In Key Stage 1, standards are above average. Year 2 pupils demonstrate good ball skills using a range of different equipment. They make good progress when working in pairs and small groups to devise their own competitive games and select suitable skills to practise together. They show confidence when observing others and offer evaluative comments about what they did well and what they could do to improve.  In Key Stage 2, pupils continue to make good progress because they enjoy PE, respond very well to staff and are given extended periods of time to practise and refine their skills. In invasion games, Year 5 and 6 pupils use space effectively to avoid others and show a wide range of sending and receiving skills. Assessment data show that currently, the large majority of

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Achievement in PE

pupils are on track to meet or exceed national expectations by the end of Year 6.  All pupils achieve because they are known well by staff and are given individual support to help them succeed. Almost all pupils can swim at least 25 metres by the end of Year 4; those who do not meet this minimum expectation continue to attend lessons until they can swim. Most pupils show a good understanding of personal fitness and health; they eagerly take part in vigorous warm-ups and readily explain what effect exercise has on their bodies.

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Quality of teaching in PE

 Staff are good role models; they change into sportswear and take an active part in lessons by demonstrating and by supporting individual pupils, particularly less able ones. They make learning enjoyable which motivates pupils to try hard and cooperate with each other. Teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations of pupils. They plan challenging activities in games that encourage them to think for themselves and develop their own ideas.  Teachers make periodic assessments of how well pupils are progressing but this is not shared with pupils, so they have only a limited understanding of how well they are doing or what they need to do to improve their work. Pupils benefit from weekly lessons taught by an external sports coach who also provides specialist coaching after school for pupils who wish to extend their games skills.

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Quality of the curriculum in PE

The quality of the curriculum in PE is good.

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Quality of the curriculum in PE

 A broad and balanced programme incorporates all areas of activity including regular swimming. Dance has a high profile; Year 2 pupils perform well in street-dance and older pupils enthused about a recent dance festival in which all pupils and staff took part. An annual residential experience enables older pupils to enjoy a range of outdoor and adventurous activities.  All pupils receive two hours of PE weekly and the large majority exceed this. A targeted group of pupils receive a daily exercise session to develop their motor skills and balance. Young leaders ensure that playtimes are active by distributing equipment to other pupils. Many pupils choose to participate in active play during ‘golden time’. Strong partnerships with the local sports college and other small schools in the area provide a wealth of sporting festivals and events which enrich the curriculum well and engage the vast majority of pupils.

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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

 PE is currently led jointly between two teachers which strengthens the leadership of the subject and ensures that developments are sustained. PE and sport enjoy a high profile in the school; facilities are used well and pupils’ success is celebrated in assemblies, presenting awards and good wall displays. Self-evaluation is accurate and informs improvement planning. Assessment has rightly been prioritised and plans are under way to improve this across the school.  Subject review and regular lesson monitoring are contributing towards improving the quality of teaching, but do not include the external sports coach. The school has adopted a commercial scheme of work which embraces all of the areas of activity taught in lessons, but the actual activities included in each unit of work are not fully explicit in overall curriculum plans.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 ensuring that new assessment procedures become firmly embedded to illustrate pupils’ progress over time, and sharing this assessment information with pupils so that they can articulate how well they are doing and explain what they need to do to improve their work  highlighting the links between the PE scheme of work and whole-school planning, and extending monitoring procedures to include lessons taught by the external coach.

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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 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. A copy of this letter is also being sent to your local authority.

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