Setting

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mrs C Grafton Headteacher Simmondley Primary School Pennine Road Simmondley Glossop Derbyshire SK13 6NN

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Religious Education (RE)

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 3 October 2007 to look at work in RE.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Religious Education (RE)

As outlined in my initial letter, as well as looking at key areas of the subject, the visit had a particular focus on the way the subject contributes to the promotion of community cohesion.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Religious Education (RE)

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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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Religious Education (RE)

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included: interviews with staff and pupils, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ work and observation of a lesson which was timetabled on the day of the visit.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Religious Education (RE)

The overall effectiveness of RE was judged to be satisfactory.

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Achievement and standards

Pupils' achievement in RE is satisfactory.

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Achievement and standards

 Overall, pupils make at least satisfactory progress to reach the standards expected for their age. A secure grounding in the Foundation Stage is sufficiently well built upon, so that by the end of Year 2, pupils use religious words and phrases to identify some features of religion that they have studied. By Year 6, pupils demonstrate a reasonable understanding of a range of religious beliefs and practices and describe the impact of beliefs on people’s lives. More able pupils can talk about how learning about religions has, and can, influence their own lives.  The contribution of RE to pupils' personal development is good. Pupils appreciate the importance of showing respect for religious and cultural diversity.  Pupils behave well in lessons and they have very positive attitudes to RE. They particularly value opportunities to express their own views about religion.

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Quality of teaching and learning of RE

The quality of teaching and learning in RE is satisfactory.

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Quality of teaching and learning of RE

 Lessons are structured so that there is a range of learning activities, including the use of information and communication technology. The use of talk in lessons sustains pupils' interest, often using topical events to generate discussions.  Recently purchased resources are helping to enliven the learning.  Assessment is underdeveloped. Teachers are aware of the agreed syllabus level descriptors, but the use of these to inform planning and to track pupils’ progress in learning, is at a very early stage of implementation.

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Quality of the curriculum

The quality of the curriculum in RE is satisfactory.

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Quality of the curriculum

 The schemes of work are generally matched to the Derbyshire agreed syllabus requirements. The provision has sufficient continuity, breadth and balance so that pupils’ prior learning and achievements are built on and extended across the key stages.  The Derbyshire agreed syllabus is being reviewed and expected to be published in 2008. The school recognises that schemes of work will need to be thoroughly reviewed in the light of this publication.

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Leadership and management of RE

Leadership and management are satisfactory.

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Leadership and management of RE

 Subject coordination is shared by two members of staff who have recently audited provision and identified strengths and weaknesses accurately.  Commitment to secure further improvement is good, including that from senior leaders.

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The promotion of community cohesion

RE makes a positive contribution to the promotion of community cohesion. There are strong links with the local community and a range of representatives make a valuable contribution to pupils' learning. There are some trips to Christian places of worship and there are plans to extend these to other religions. The school is keen to develop links with other schools to enable pupils to meet with members of different ethnic communities.

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Inclusion

The provision for inclusion is good. All pupils are encouraged to participate in lessons and pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make at least satisfactory progress. The school carefully analyses the achievement of all groups of pupils and barriers to learning are tackled well.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 developing assessment procedures so that they help to inform teachers’ planning and further improve pupils' progress  making sure that schemes of work of work fully meet the agreed syllabus requirements when it is published.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop RE 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 SACRE and will be published on the Ofsted website. It will also be available to the team for your next institutional inspection.

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