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 Pollard Headteacher Haydock Sports College Clipsley Lane Haydock Merseyside WA11 0JG

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social, health and economic education (PSHE education)

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of the staff and students, during my visit on 10 and 11 January 2012 to look at work in PSHE education.

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social, health and economic education (PSHE education)

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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social, health and economic education (PSHE education)

The evidence used to inform the judgements included: interviews with staff and students; scrutiny of relevant documentation; analysis of students’ work; and observation of seven lessons, including four joint observations and an assembly.

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social, health and economic education (PSHE education)

The overall effectiveness of PSHE education is satisfactory.

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Achievement in PSHE education

Achievement in PSHE education is satisfactory.

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Achievement in PSHE education

 Students enjoy and value their lessons and experiences and understand how to lead a healthy lifestyle. They are aware of the importance of a balanced diet and the role that sport and exercise, including dance, play in maintaining physical health and well-being.  Students are positive about being able to keep themselves safe and feel very well cared for in school. They know that if they have any worries or concerns there are adults in school who will support them, including the school nurse, who holds regular clinics.  Students do not consistently achieve their full potential in PSHE education because they are not always sufficiently challenged and this restricts their progress. Students are not routinely helped to explore more complex issues, appropriate to their age and ability, which would help them to develop deeper learning.  Work-related learning, enterprise, financial capability and careers

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Achievement in PSHE education

education are well regarded by students who can see the potential benefits to their long-term success and so their achievement is good.  Students generally know about different types of bullying, including racist, homophobic and transgendered and actively practice strategies to prevent bullying taking place and resisting peer pressure.  Students have a good understanding of sex and relationships education because the programme is well planned and they receive additional support from the school nurse. Most students understand the risks associated with smoking, drugs and alcohol and know how to access additional, external services.

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Quality of teaching in PSHE education

The quality of teaching in PSHE education is satisfactory.

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Quality of teaching in PSHE education

 Teachers deliver PSHE through citizenship, religious education, ‘crash days’ and through other activities provided by non-specialist teachers who have had limited subject training. Other subjects, such as drama, physical education and food technology, provide opportunities for more active and independent learning of PSHE topics.  Teachers manage lessons well but do not always allow students time to complete tasks or work independently to research and explore new skills or topics. There is limited evidence of teachers using evidence from the assessments of students’ learning to plan lessons to meet their needs.  Questioning rarely provides the challenge that encourages students to explain their thinking in-depth and give extended answers.  Resources are generally appropriate and students confidently use digital cameras to produce their own visual records of their learning and achievements.

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Quality of the curriculum in PSHE education

The quality of the curriculum in PSHE education is satisfactory.

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Quality of the curriculum in PSHE education

 The curriculum continues to develop following the re-organisation of the subject and changes in subject leadership.  A strength of the curriculum is the wide range of external speakers and the use of community resources to broaden the experiences for students that the school could not otherwise provide. Enterprise activities which involve local businesses have proved effective.  Older students benefit from the work-experience and careers programmes and staff work effectively with Connexions to provide support, advice and guidance. A well-managed transition programme supports younger students before they come to the school and similarly supports older students to access college courses and employment.  Designated curriculum time is satisfactory; it involves the use of a carousel arrangement and is complemented by additional cross-curricular contributions, form time and assemblies. The school’s sports specialism

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Quality of the curriculum in PSHE education

offers additional exercise and sports facilities which are popular with increasing demand for dance and drama.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PSHE education

The effectiveness of leadership and management in PSHE education is satisfactory.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PSHE education

 The subject is increasingly valued in the school and its importance in promoting students’ well-being and employability skills is clearly understood. Significant changes have taken place recently to improve coordination and delivery.  Leaders provide vision and drive for the development of PSHE education, drawing on external expertise, community links and good practice in other subjects.  There are some strong features which leaders recognise; other weaker aspects are still to be addressed. The monitoring of teaching and learning, including the assessment of students’ understanding and outcomes, lacks rigour.  There is no subject-specific planned programme for teachers’ professional development to promote improvement.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 ensuring that activities and tasks in lessons are challenging for all students so that they make more progress  sharing the good practice in teaching and learning more widely and improving subject-specific training for teachers  improving the quality of monitoring of teaching and learning, including the assessment of students’ understanding and outcomes.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

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