Setting

Ms L Laidler Headteacher Five Elms Primary School Wood Lane Dagenham RM9 5TB

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Club links (PESSCL) strategy on improving the standards of

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 23 January 2007 to look at work in swimming.

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Club links (PESSCL) strategy on improving the standards of

As outlined in my initial letter, the visit had a particular focus on the impact of the PESSCL strategy in improving the standards and quality of provision in swimming.

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Club links (PESSCL) strategy on improving the standards of

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. All feedback letters will be published on the Ofsted website at the end of each half-term.

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Club links (PESSCL) strategy on improving the standards of

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included: interviews with key staff and pupils, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ work and observation of one lesson. I looked at facilities and sampled extra curricular activities.

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Club links (PESSCL) strategy on improving the standards of

The overall effectiveness of swimming provision was judged to be good.

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Achievement and standards

Achievement and standards in swimming are good.

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Achievement and standards

 On entry to the school very few pupils can swim but all make good progress and go on to achieve the minimum recommended distance of Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404045 F 020 7421 6855 www.ofsted.gov.uk twenty five metres by the end of Key Stage 2, which is in line with national expectations. A small proportion of pupils obtain awards for swimming distances up to eight hundred metres.  Pupils make good progress as a result of well organised teaching that gradually introduces different water skills and swimming strokes that give pupils confidence in the water and encourages them to feel safe and try their best.  Pupils enjoy swimming lessons. Walking together to and from the swimming pool encourages them to look after one another and contributes to their personal fitness.

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Quality of teaching and learning of swimming

The quality of teaching and learning is good.

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Quality of teaching and learning of swimming

 Teaching is planned well so that instructors can observe how well individual pupils are doing and can offer them regular advice on how to improve their strokes.  Learning is good because well qualified, experienced swimming instructors foster good relations with pupils, ensure they are safe at all times, record how well pupils are progressing and share this information with class teachers.  Learning is good because swimming instructors use clear explanations and demonstrations to illustrate correct technique to pupils or identify common faults in their swimming actions.  There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to learn by observing other pupils and allowing them to comment on their own and other’s work.

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Quality of curriculum

 A two-week programme of daily swimming in Year 2 promotes pupils’ confidence in the water and prepares them well for structured swimming lessons in Key Stage 2.  All pupils swim in each year throughout Key Stage 2 which helps them to build on what they have learnt previously and develop a range of different strokes and personal survival skills.  There are too few opportunities for more able swimmers, including those identified as gifted and talented to swim regularly and competitively outside of school hours.

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Leadership and management of swimming

The quality of leadership and management is good.  A knowledgeable and committed PE subject leader makes good use of the school sports coordinator programme to enhance overall provision in PE, including swimming.  Pupils benefit greatly from effective partnership working between the school and the local authority to provide regular access to pool time, swimming instruction and a swimming awards scheme.  The school is unaware of which individual pupils spend a minimum of at least two hours each week on high quality PE and sport within and beyond the curriculum.

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unable to swim the record 25 metres

The impact of the top-up swimming scheme is good.

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unable to swim the record 25 metres

 In 2006, eleven pupils who could not swim by the end of Year 6 took part in daily swimming lessons over a nine day period, organised by the school and the local authority. By the end of this intensive programme all pupils could swim the minimum distance of twenty five metres.  The top up scheme was beneficial to a small but significant number of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds who joined the school towards the end of Key Stage 2 and had not accessed swimming lessons prior to their arrival.

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Inclusion

 All pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities access regular swimming lessons and achieve well.  Pupils who attend the school’s hearing impaired unit enjoy swimming lessons and make good progress because of the good individual care, support and encouragement they receive from their ‘communicators’ on the poolside.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 work with the school sports coordinator to investigate ways of providing more able swimmers, including those identified as gifted and talented with opportunities to swim outside of school hours  encourage instructors to include opportunities for pupils to learn by observing other pupils swimming and allowing them to comment on their own and others’ work  collate an accurate record of which pupils spend a minimum of at least two hours each week on high quality PE and sport within and beyond the curriculum. I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop swimming in the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

As I explained in my previous letter, a copy of this letter will be sent to your local authority and will be published on Ofsted’s website. It will also be available to the team for your next institutional inspection.

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