Setting

Ofsted survey inspection programme – Physical Education

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 24 September to look at work in physical education (PE). 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. 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. The evidence used to inform the judgements made included: interviews with staff and learners, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ work and observation of two lessons. I also met with the School Sports Coordinator and the Partnership Development manager.

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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’ achievement is good when set against their starting points, which is below average on entry into the nursery.

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Achievement and standards

 Scrutiny of the Foundation Stage Profile and teacher assessment records for Key Stages 1 and 2, reveal that the majority of pupils reach standards that are broadly average. Some pupils go on to reach exceptional standards, gaining regional and national representative honours. Standards and achievement observed in dance were 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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Achievement and standards

Mr Woodhead Headteacher St Peter’s Church of England Primary School Cromwell Street Leeds West Yorkshire LS9 7SG excellent. There were no marked distinctions in the achievement of different groups of pupils, or in their achievement in the four strands.  The school effectively promote pupils’ personal development through PE. Staff boost pupils’ self esteem and confidence, by developing their leadership potential and enhancing their team working skills. Pupils’ good personal development was reflected in; high participation rates and the good behaviour of the vast majority of pupils; excellent attitudes to learning; pupils’ improving awareness of the benefits of adopting healthy lifestyles and their sheer enjoyment of the subject.

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Quality of teaching and learning of PE

In the small number of lessons seen the quality of teaching and learning was good overall, and this is reflected in the effective progress pupils make as they move through the school.

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Quality of teaching and learning of PE

 Pupils receive good quality teaching from a specialist teacher of PE; a dance specialist and a group of enthusiastic staff, who have enhanced their ability to teach PE by attending training courses. Staff use their good subject knowledge to successfully develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of PE.  Teaching is confident, challenging and supportive. Pupils respond well to the opportunities they are given to take ownership of their learning, through open-ended tasks, and self assessment. Planning is meticulous and provision is made for the full spectrum of learners in the group.  Good use is made of information and communication technology (ICT) to inform the planning and evaluation of pupils’ performance. Effective promotion of speaking and listening skills, and regular feedback to pupils on their progress during lessons was a common feature.  Assessment practice is less well developed. Although staff keep a

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Quality of teaching and learning of PE

formative record of pupils’ progress against key stage expectations, they do not formally record levels of attainment.  Less successful aspects of teaching include some ineffective behaviour management and slow transfer between learning activities on occasion.

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Quality of the curriculum

 During their time at the school pupils get experience of all six activity areas of the National Curriculum. All pupils have access to at least two hours of PE, in addition to whole school health and sports days.  A feature of effective provision is the thematic approach adopted: during one lesson observation, PE was used effectively as a vehicle to develop pupils’ understanding and knowledge of art, history, ICT, geography and music.  The school’s link with the local sport partnership has enriched curriculum provision. Pupils attend sports festivals, multi-skills events, and are building links with local clubs to provide talented performers with exit routes for further progression.  Pupils benefit from a good range of out of hours learning opportunities, which are well attended. The emphasis is upon participation and inclusion, rather than a purely competitive, or team based approach.

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Leadership and management of PE

Leadership and management of PE are good.

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Leadership and management of PE

 The subject leader is a good role model and works effectively to raise learners’ achievement through modelling best practice. Her self- evaluation is accurate and she is aware of major strengths and weaknesses in current provision. A suitable action plan is in place to tackle these weaknesses. An annual report detailing progress against targets and the quality of provision is produced.  The subject leader provides good direction to her colleagues: good quality schemes of work, curriculum mapping, and relevant PE policies are in place.  Good use is made of the available resources and staff benefit from a number of professional development opportunities. The subject leader undertakes a monitoring and evaluation role, though this is underdeveloped at present.  The subject leader is proactive, and has improved provision by enhancing the effective movement between key stages, re-structuring assessment procedures and developing a creative curriculum.

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Leadership and management of PE

 As senior managers, you give the subject leader good support, and are equally committed to improving the effectiveness of PE provision. For this reason I believe the capacity for further improvement is good.

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Subject issue- continuity of learning between key stages

 Staff throughout the school work effectively together, to ensure that planning of pupils’ work is explicitly linked to their stage of development, which is in turn informed by regular assessment and the sharing of information.  Effective collaboration between the Primary Link Teacher and the School Sport Coordinator has resulted in some good practice, including the development of a pack, which will provide a range of PE specific data on individual children joining the secondary schools from St Peter’s. This is in addition to the transition days that already exist.

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Inclusion

 The school’s commitment to inclusive practice is reflected in its broad curriculum design; the range of teaching strategies staff adopt, and the use of learning mentors and teaching assistants to support the needs of all pupils, including the most and least able.  Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are integrated into mainstream provision, which boosts their self-esteem. Suitable use is made of adapted equipment to give these pupils access to learning.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 boosting the progress of pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2  formal recording of pupils’ levels of attainment  using the expertise of the specialist PE teacher to monitor and disseminate best teaching practice.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop Physical Education 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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