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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Mr Jonathan Dennison Headteacher Silloth Primary School Liddel Street Wigton Cumbria CA7 4DR

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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 Monday 08 October 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, observation of two lessons, learning in Foundation Stage and all pupils at lunchtime.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Physical Education

The overall effectiveness of physical education was judged to be satisfactory.

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Achievement and standards

Achievement is satisfactory and standards are broadly average.

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Achievement and standards

 Children in Foundation Stage make good progress and, over the past two years, most have exceeded the levels of physical development typical for their age.  Most pupils make satisfactory progress and reach the standards expected for their age by Year 2 and Year 6. By Year 6 the vast majority of pupils reach the standards expected in swimming.  School teams perform well and achieve success in local and county competitions in football, cross country running, cricket and tennis.  Key Stage 1 pupils show a good awareness of how to keep safe in lessons. They recognise how their bodies change when they exercise and the importance of warming up and cooling. They can identify some features of good performance. They pass and catch balls with control over small distances but more able pupils are capable of more challenging activities in lessons.  Key Stage 2 pupils are aware of the importance of exercise in keeping

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Achievement and standards

healthy and know what type of activities can help. They are less sure about how much exercise should be taken each week.  Year 5 and 6 pupils plan and perform aerobic sequences with increasing confidence. They evaluate performance and identify some strengths and areas to improve. They are less aware of how to improve the overall quality of their actions.  PE makes a good contribution to pupils’ personal development. Pupils enjoy having fun and working in pairs and groups in lessons. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons is very good.  A good proportion of Year 5 and 6 pupils are regularly involved in activities out of school hours and many show good levels of commitment to sports teams. Fewer younger pupils are involved and plans are in place to provide more for them.  Older pupils take on the role of play ‘buddies’ to younger pupils at playtimes and around twelve Year 5 and 6 pupils have gained the Play Leader Award.

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Quality of teaching and learning

 Relationships between teachers and pupils and between pupils are very good. Teachers’ expectations of behaviour are high and classes are well managed and run smoothly.  Lesson planning follows a common format and includes learning intentions and success criteria across all the strands of the National Curriculum. These criteria and teachers’ clear demonstrations ensure that pupils know what is expected in each lesson.  Planning does not always identify what more is expected of higher attaining pupils and so they are not always fully challenged.  Pupils are given plenty of opportunities to carry out evaluation of their own and other’s performance. Sometimes not enough guidance is given by teachers on how to improve the quality of performance.  In some lessons opportunities to practise and improve skills are limited.  Pupils’ progress is assessed after each unit of work against the strands of the National Curriculum. However, pupils are not yet fully aware of

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Quality of teaching and learning

the progression that can be expected of them over time.  Key words that will be used in lessons are identified in lessons plans but these words are not always explained, used or spelled out well enough for pupils in lessons.

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Quality of the curriculum

 The school has received Active Mark and The Football Association Charter Standard in recognition of the quality of the curriculum.  Pupils experience at least two hours of high quality PE or sport each week. There are plans to increase this further.  Children in the Nursery and Reception classes benefit from regular access to outdoor play and well structured learning both indoors and outdoors.  The use of coaches, organised through the local school sport partnership, enhances pupils’ experiences.  All Key Stage 2 pupils experience a residential visit each year, taking part in many outdoor activities.  A good range of extra-curricular activities is provided for older pupils and includes plenty of opportunity for competition in sports and dance festivals. The school recognises the need to provide more of these opportunities for younger pupils.  The curriculum makes a good contribution to pupils’ understanding of

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Quality of the curriculum

how to stay healthy and safe. The school is working towards the Healthy Schools Award and is in the process of developing a Travel Plan for pupils.  Good links are established with a small number of local sports clubs, particularly for tennis and football. These provide good opportunities for pupils to develop their interests and talents. Geographical location of this small town poses some restrictions on the number of sports clubs with which the school can realistically work.

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Leadership and management

Leadership and management of PE are satisfactory.

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Leadership and management

 The school’s strong commitment to physical education and sport is evident in the recent improvements made to the outdoor play areas and improved equipment.  The subject is led with enthusiasm and a strong commitment to pupils’ achievement.  Good liaison with the local school sport partnership is helping to improve provision for pupils and confidence in leading the subject. Recent improvements within the subject include the development of a progressive scheme of work and the introduction of assessment systems.  Good attention is paid to assuring pupils’ health and safety and risk assessment of working areas has been carried out.  The school has an accurate view of its overall performance. Systems to monitor pupils’ performance and provision are developing and helping to identify strengths and areas for improvement. They are not yet fully linked to identifying professional development needs.  Professional development opportunities, organised though the local

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Leadership and management

sports partnership, and the coaches deployed to work with pupils have given school staff extra confidence in teaching PE.

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Subject issue

The arrangements to support continuity of learning between key stages are satisfactory.

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Subject issue

 Teachers of Year 1 pupils are provided with good information on the progress and achievement of pupils in their physical development at the end of their time in Foundation Stage.  A curriculum based on QCA units of work provides the basis for progression between Key Stages 1 to 2.  Teachers are beginning to use information on pupils’ progress in Key Stage 1 when they move into Key Stage 2.  Pupils are well prepared for the move to secondary school because older pupils often take part in sporting events held there and they meet the secondary school teachers. Year 10 pupils from the local secondary school work with pupils as part of their leadership work.  A booklet for each pupil identifying their interest and achievements in PE and sport is helpful to the secondary school. Information on the progress pupils make within the National Curriculum is not available.

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Inclusion

The school’s approach to inclusion in PE and sport is satisfactory.

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Inclusion

 Pupils with learning difficulties are included in lessons and make similar progress to other pupils. There are no pupils with physical disabilities.  Working with the local school sport partnership, the school is in the process of identifying more able and talented pupils in order to develop their potential further.  A small number of pupils achieve outstanding standards in tennis, football and athletics.  Girls and boys achieve as well as each other in PE and sport.  Tasks in lessons are not always challenging enough for the most able pupils.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 ensure that more able pupils are fully challenged in lessons  give pupils plenty of opportunity to practise and improve their skills in lessons  provide more guidance in lessons on how to improve the quality of performance and emphasise key words that are used to describe performance  ensure that a greater number of younger pupils take part in out of school hours activities in PE and sport  strengthen systems of self-evaluation in PE and sport so that they lead to further improvement in provision and outcomes for pupils. 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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