Setting

06 February 2007 Mr R Simpkins Headteacher Harby C of E Primary School School Lane Harby Leicestershire LE14 4BZ

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Development (ESD)

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

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Development (ESD)

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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Development (ESD)

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included: discussions with pupils and teachers; scrutiny of relevant documentation; an analysis of some pupils’ work, including a display of ESD-related activities.

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Development (ESD)

The overall effectiveness of ESD was judged to be outstanding.

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Achievement and standards

Pupils’ standards and achievement in ESD are outstanding.

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Achievement and standards

All pupils have an excellent understanding, relevant to their age, of the following aspects of ESD:

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Achievement and standards

 the need to reduce/re-use/recycle materials – all pupils are able to discuss examples in the school, including the collection of waste water for watering the plants they grow, composting, recycling paper and cans, and reducing energy and water consumption in the school  the use of renewable energy to generate electricity and the links to global warming; older pupils are able discuss differing points of view regarding Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404045 F 020 7421 6855 www.ofsted.gov.uk windfarms and relate this to the local area, and the possible use of small- scale wind turbines and solar power in the school itself  ‘needs and wants’ – pupils used the example of fruit and vegetables out of season to discuss the concept of ‘food miles’; older pupils discussed the need to balance the negative effects with the fact that it supported the economy in developing counties; even younger pupils could relate this to

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Achievement and standards

how their decisions, and those of their parents and others, could have an impact on other people  all pupils show extremely high levels of care – for themselves, for others in the school, for the school’s environment; they can talk about how this relates to the wider environment and community  pupils also have high levels in the skills that underpin ESD such as decision making, recognising the need to balance different points of view when making decisions, communication skills and independence  pupils are already well on the way to becoming ‘informed and active citizens’.

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Quality of teaching and learning

No overall judgement is made on the overall quality of teaching and learning as no observation of teaching took place. The scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils contributed to the judgement on their understanding of ESD issues.

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Quality of curriculum

The quality of the curriculum is outstanding.

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Quality of curriculum

 The curriculum covers many aspects of ESD and curriculum plans make clear the links between these through well-planned topics. Opportunities to develop pupils’ understanding are exploited fully. ESD-linked projects are built into the plans for each class, with common themes such as rights and responsibilities, needs and wants, caring for others, recognising the impact of their decisions on others, and how decisions are made permeating this work, which is co-ordinated well.  Particularly good use is made of ESD themes to provide interesting and motivating contexts for developing pupils’ skills in literacy, for example through persuasive writing. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ achievements. There are also some strong links with numeracy which are being further developed.  Excellent use is made of the school grounds and buildings to help pupils learn about ESD. Particularly good examples include: reducing electricity

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Quality of curriculum

consumption by turning off lights and electrical equipment when not in use; conserving water; monitoring electricity use by checking meters; composting all food waste and using this in the raised beds to grow vegetables; using water butts to collect water from roofs.  The school makes excellent use of visits to broaden and enhance pupils’ experience and understanding of ESD. Pupils talk about these with great enthusiasm.

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Leadership and management of ESD

Leadership and management are outstanding.

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Leadership and management of ESD

The school places significant emphasis on ESD, although not explicitly labelled as such. This is demonstrated through:

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Leadership and management of ESD

 the school’s Eco School status; the school has achieved bronze level and is working towards the next level; the school is working towards a Healthy Schools Award  the focus on ESD issues in the school strategic plan, indicating the central place of ESD in the school ethos and culture  the annual development plan indicates the priorities for the year; these include several ESD actions such as moving to the next stage of Eco School accreditation, improvements to buildings and facilities to demonstrate the ESD approach, expanding the focus on ‘global learning’, links to the local village plan to ensure that every child has a positive impact on the community, and increasing the use of the school grounds and buildings as a ‘context for learning’  the school’s ethical purchasing policy  the school’s ESD principles are realised through very strong leadership and management to ensure that the strategy is put into practice in every

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Leadership and management of ESD

classroom and all aspects of school life; there is a clear whole-school commitment to this  the School Council is involved in decision making in the school; other pupils are clear about the role of the School Council and how this has helped them understand about consultation and how decisions are made; pupils are also consulted through very good use of pupil attitude surveys  the school’s Eco Council and ‘eco-warriors’ are energetic and enthusiastic; they have a strong presence in the school through their display board, posters and leaflets; in reality, all pupils in the school are eco-warriors.

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Inclusion

 The attention, care and support for individual pupils and the care shown by pupils for each other are outstanding.  The school recognises that ethnic and cultural diversity in the school is very limited and that they need to provide pupils with greater breadth of experience.

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Areas for Improvement

Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include the need to:

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Areas for Improvement

 identify a set of indicators to monitor pupils’ progress and achievements in ESD.

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Areas for Improvement

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop ESD in the school.

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Areas for Improvement

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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