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 Smith Headteacher Welford Primary School Welford Road Birmingham B20 2BL

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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 22 January 2008 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 assessing the PE contribution to the outcomes of Every Child Matters (ECM) particularly being healthy.

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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 pupils, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ reports and observations of three lessons.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Physical Education

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

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Achievement and standards

 When children come in to the school in the Foundation Stage, their physical skills are below expected levels. They make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes. The latest profile assessments show that most children attain the expected level in physical development before they start Year 1. By the time pupils leave the school in Year 6 they achieve at least average standards, with some pupils working above the expected level.  Progress in swimming is particularly good with almost all pupils managing to swim 25 metres before they leave the school.  Pupils’ achievements in PE are enhanced by having the chance to take part in additional sports activities in school and in the community.  Pupils really enjoy PE and sport. In lessons, they participate with enthusiasm, display very positive attitudes and behave very well. Pupils are able to explain what happens to their bodies when they exercise and

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Achievement and standards

why it is necessary to warm up. They know that keeping fit is an important contributor to leading a healthy lifestyle. Pupils work together well in pairs and in groups. They are proud of their own personal, and the school’s collective, sporting achievements.  Currently, older pupils do not have the opportunity to take responsibility and lead sports activities for others.

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Quality of teaching and learning

 The overall quality of teaching and learning observed during the inspection was good. Three lessons were observed, one of which was outstanding. There were a number of strengths in the lessons. All four strands in the PE teaching programme were included in teachers’ very detailed planning. Teachers managed their classes very well and teaching assistants provided good support. Demonstrations were used effectively to support teachers’ explanations and pupils were encouraged to evaluate their responses and identify improvements they could make. One lesson was less effective because the pace of learning was too slow with pupils sitting for too long listening to the teacher.  Teachers assess pupils’ learning in lessons through careful observation and pertinent questioning. Currently, the school is trialling a more formal assessment programme which involves assessing and recording pupils’ achievement after completing a unit of work. Teachers are not formally

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Quality of teaching and learning

recording or tracking pupils’ progress in PE after they leave the Foundation Stage. We discussed how Information and Communication Technology could be used more to support teaching and learning, including for assessment.

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Quality of the curriculum

 The curriculum for PE is good with all the areas of learning included in a balanced annual programme. Pupils have up to two hours of PE weekly with older pupils receiving additional time. Accommodation is adequate with good indoor space but limited outdoor facilities. The school makes good use of the local secondary school sports hall to compensate for having limited playground space. Improving the outdoor play environment is a priority. Opportunities for outdoor learning in physical development are good for Nursery children and developments are underway to upgrade the facilities available for Reception children.  A very good range of extra-curricular sports activities is provided for all pupils. Participation rates are high especially in Years 5 and 6 and more activities are to be provided for Key Stage 1 pupils. The programme of outdoor and adventurous activities has been an important feature of the

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Quality of the curriculum

school’s physical activity programme, although orienteering challenges are not yet available on the school site. PE and sport enjoy a very high profile in displays around the school and in assemblies. Pupils take part in many inter-school tournaments, with recent successes in city and district athletics and football competitions.

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Leadership and management

 Leadership and management of PE are outstanding. The subject leader is knowledgeable, well organised and very committed to ensuring that pupils experience high quality PE provision. She has a good understanding of the strengths in the subject and what requires further improvement; this is recorded annually in an evaluation report. The views of pupils and staff have been used well to identify priorities for improvement and these are clearly set out in the subject action plans. The subject leader has used the school’s involvement in the local sports partnership to improve her teaching skills and those of her colleagues.  Positive support from the headteacher ensures PE and sport have a very prominent profile. A link governor keeps the governing body informed about ongoing developments and pupils’ achievements. New approaches and activities have been introduced to improve provision, such as piloting improved systems for assessing and recording pupils’ achievements. The

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Leadership and management

subject leader acknowledges that she should devote more of her primary link teacher time to evaluating the quality of teaching and learning.

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Matters particularly being healthy

 Provision in PE and sport makes a significant contribution to the ECM outcomes, particularly being healthy. Regular participation in physical activities in the curriculum and in extracurricular activities helps to keep pupils fit. Learning to swim is given a suitably prominent focus; almost all pupils who start as non swimmers leave the school able to swim 25 metres. ‘Wake–up and shake-up’ sessions run before school each day and the pupils in Year 6 are involved in a sport-on-the-move initiative to counter becoming overweight. Involvement in many competitions against other schools promotes good sporting attitudes. The school has renewed its Active Mark accreditation and is developing a new portfolio of evidence to update its Healthy School Status award.

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Inclusion

 The school’s promotion of inclusion is outstanding. All pupils are included in lessons including those with physical disabilities. Effective support from teaching assistants in PE lessons helps pupils with additional needs to participate fully. The subject leader promotes activities for pupils who may be less inclined to attend clubs, for example by organising ‘girls only’ sessions. Good communication with parents has also helped to encourage Muslim girls to attend swimming lessons. Those pupils who are talented at sport are recognised and encouraged to develop their skills outside of school in local and regional sports clubs.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 establishing a suitable system for assessing and recording pupils’ attainment and progress in PE  making more use of ICT to support teaching and learning, including assessment  using the primary link teacher non-contact time to undertake more monitoring of teaching and learning.

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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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