Setting

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 6 March 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, scrutiny of relevant documentation and observation of four part- lessons. I looked at facilities and reviewed 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

 When pupils arrive in school a significant proportion are unable to swim. Almost all make good progress in lessons and are able to swim at least twenty five metres by the end of the Key Stage 2. Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 F 020 7421 6855 www.ofsted.gov.uk 03 May 2007

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Achievement and standards

Mrs Masterson Headteacher St Stephen’s Catholic Primary School Ruskin Avenue Welling Kent DA16 3AQ  Progress is good due to a combination of access to excellent facilities, expert instruction and good quality care from teachers in weekly swimming lessons throughout Years 5 and 6.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy swimming. They cooperate fully with staff and behave very well during the journey to and from the pool, and during lessons.

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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

 Swimming instructors and class teachers work alongside each other to provide more able swimmers with good quality instruction on stroke development and personal survival techniques. Beginners and improvers receive good quality confidence-building activities and lots of encouragement.  A good quality scheme of work includes opportunities to obtain a range of distance certificates and water skills awards.  Pupils’ are taught in small groups and their progress is monitored on a weekly basis by instructors who share this information with the school.  Some lesson monitoring takes place but feedback to teachers is limited and does not clarify what they have to do to improve their teaching.

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Quality of curriculum

 Swimming lessons take place each term throughout Years 5 and 6 as part of a weekly two hour programme of PE. Pupils continue to swim even once they have attained the minimum requirements of National Curriculum swimming, which helps to generate higher standards.  An annual local authority swimming gala provides good enrichment opportunities for more able swimmers.

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Leadership and management of swimming

The quality of leadership and management is good.

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Leadership and management of swimming

 You are fully committed to providing pupils with at least two hours of PE and sport, including regular swimming lessons as an essential part of their physical development and healthy lifestyle.  An effective subject leader has improved the organisation and development of the subject. She is working well with the school sports coordinator to acquire further training and generate further sporting opportunities for pupils.  The school does not make best use of instructors’ expertise to target support towards non-swimmers and beginners in Year 6 so that all pupils can swim at least twenty five metres by the end of the key stage.

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Subject issue -The impact of the PESSCL ‘Top-Up’ programme

The school sports partnership has not yet delivered a top-up intensive swimming scheme.

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Subject issue -The impact of the PESSCL ‘Top-Up’ programme

 Staffing changes have meant that implementation of top-up swimming arranged for last year was postponed and will now operate this year.  The partnership development manager is currently planning to deliver a top-up programme during the summer holiday period to ensure sufficient water time in local authority pools is available.

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Inclusion

 All pupils, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities access regular swimming lessons and achieve well.  A very small proportion of pupils including a few from minority ethnic backgrounds who join the school in Year 6 cannot swim and are unable to meet the minimum requirements for swimming by the end of the key stage. These pupils make progress working with their class teacher, but do not benefit from good quality tuition from instructors.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 maintain accurate records of which pupils are not meeting National Curriculum minimum requirements for swimming in Year 6 and ask swimming instructors to teach them to swim at least twenty five metres by the end of Key Stage 2  continue to monitor the quality of swimming lessons and provide teachers with clear advice on how to improve their teaching  work with the school sports coordinator to ensure that the small number of pupils who cannot swim access the top-up swimming scheme this year.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

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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