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 M Whiskerd Headteacher Towers Junior School Windsor Road Hornchurch Essex RM11 1PD

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Physical Education

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 04 December to look at work in physical education (PE).

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Physical Education

As outlined in my initial letter, as well as looking at key areas of the subject, the visit had a particular focus on the continuity of learning between key stages.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Physical 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. 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 – Physical Education

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included: interviews with staff and learners, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ reports, and observation of three lessons and other activities.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Physical Education

The overall effectiveness of PE was judged to be good.

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Achievement and standards

 Pupils come into the school with standards in PE which are at the expected level and most make at least satisfactory progress. Pupils make good progress in some areas of learning such as dance and swimming. They attain above average standards in these aspects by the time they leave in Year 6. Pupils’ achievements in PE are boosted by their involvement in enrichment activities and in sport outside of school.  Progress made by pupils in the lessons observed was mostly good. Pupils acquire, develop and apply their skills well, but less emphasis was placed on evaluating their own and others’ performances. Pupils warm up at the start of lessons but some activities do not raise pulse rates sufficiently.  Pupils’ personal development and well-being are enhanced well by their involvement in PE and sport. Older pupils can talk about the importance of exercise and keeping fit as part of adopting healthy lifestyles. They

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Achievement and standards

appreciate that opportunities in sport enable them to develop teamwork. Teachers place suitable emphasis on pupils exercising safely. A well established junior play leader scheme enables older pupils to take responsibility and lead playground games for younger pupils. The school council makes suggestions for improving playtime resources and activities.

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Quality of teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is good.

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Quality of teaching and learning

 Three lessons were observed during the inspection. Two were good and one was satisfactory with good elements. Each had a suitable lesson structure and clear learning objectives. Teachers’ subject knowledge was good and this enabled them to effectively monitor pupils’ responses and make suggestions for improvement. Teachers used pupils’ demonstrations to illustrate the outcomes they were looking for. Most pupils made good progress but too few opportunities were planned for more able pupils to extend their skills. In one lesson, learning in science was linked well to dance.  Teachers assess pupils during lessons by asking questions and observing and commenting on their performances. Currently, few formal assessments are made and recorded of pupils’ achievements and progress is not tracked from year to year. End of year reports vary in quality, although the best examples give parents a good indication of what their

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Quality of teaching and learning

children have achieved in PE. The school recognises that using Information Communication Technology (ICT) to support teaching and learning, including assessment, requires improvement.

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Quality of the curriculum

 All areas of learning are included in the PE programme, although the school’s curriculum map requires more detail. Pupils have two hours of timetabled PE each week. Swimming is included for Year 5 pupils throughout the year and this enables them to make good progress. There are plans to introduce orienteering activities and Year 6 pupils have the opportunity to take part in outdoor and adventurous activities during a residential visit. Specialist teaching in dance and gymnastics has helped to strengthen provision. Accommodation is good and resources are plentiful and well used; some equipment requires better organisation and easier access.  Sport has a high profile in displays around the school. Pupils have the chance to take part in a good range of club activities and these are well attended. There are also many tournaments and festivals attended by pupils throughout the year and school teams and individuals have been

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Quality of the curriculum

successful in competitions. The school has achieved the Active-mark; it also has Healthy School status for which it is seeking re-accreditation.

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Leadership and management

The quality of leadership and management is satisfactory.

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Leadership and management

 The subject leader is relatively new to the post and is currently attending primary link teacher training. Positive strategic leadership from the senior management team has resulted in good improvements in provision; for example, the appointment of specialists to teach dance and gymnastics. An action plan of improvement priorities has been drawn up. It requires a sharper focus on outcomes for pupils and on the monitoring and evaluation to be undertaken by the subject leader.  Some lesson observations have been completed recently, but few other monitoring and evaluation activities have been undertaken. You keep the governing body well informed about improvements in provision and the events pupils take part in. The school acknowledges that the PE policy document requires revision. Involvement in the PE, school sport and club links partnership (PESSCL) has been used well to improve provision.

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stages

 Good links are established with the partner infant school. For example older pupils help support play activities in Key Stage 1 and the schools have worked together to produce the ‘big dance’ video to share with other local schools. Some clubs introduced at Key Stage 1 are also offered at Key Stage 2, providing continuity and progression. The subject leaders meet periodically to discuss provision.  Positive links have also been made with the local sports partnership secondary school. Junior sports leaders help with primary school festivals and older pupils have the chance to attend tournaments and festivals. The local sports partnerships have recently designed a useful PE transfer record to be completed at primary school and passed to partner secondary schools. The school acknowledges that improvements are required in the way pupils’ achievement is recorded and tracked across key stages.

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Inclusion

 All pupils are included in PE lessons and similar proportions of boys and girls attend after school clubs. The school has improved the participation of pupils in PE lessons and successfully encouraged more girls to attend clubs. Pupils who have sporting talents are identified and the school supports their involvement in challenging activities outside of school. Speed stacking activities have been introduced to sharpen pupils’ coordination skills.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 establishing a suitable system of assessing and recording pupils’ attainment and achievement in PE, including through using ICT in lessons  strengthening subject leadership by devoting more time to monitoring and evaluation. I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop PE 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 the Ofsted website. It will also be available to the team for your next institutional inspection.

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