Setting

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

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Mr Davies Headteacher Hollingworth Primary School Market Street Hollingworth Hyde Cheshire SK14 8LP

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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 06 March 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 discussions with you, and with pupils, scrutiny of relevant documentation and two lesson observations.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Physical Education

The overall effectiveness of physical education was judged good.

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Achievement and standards

Pupils’ standards are above average overall, which represents good progress considering they join the school with average skills, knowledge and understanding of PE.

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Achievement and standards

 In excess of 90% of pupils reach level 2 by the end of Key Stage 1, and level 4 by the end of Key Stage 2, which exceeds the national average. Some very able pupils go on to gain county and national recognition in activities such as basketball, gymnastics, and swimming. My lesson observations during the inspection confirm these high standards.  Boys and girls make equally good progress, and they are developing the four strands of PE well. Pupils with learning difficulties make the same good progress as other pupils in the school.  Pupils say they ‘love PE’ in this school. Their behaviour is exemplary and they are eager to learn. Participation rates are high and they relate and cooperate very well with each other and with teachers. They also have good opportunities to develop leadership skills in lessons.

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Quality of teaching and learning of PE

In the small number of lessons seen, good teaching was promoting effective learning.

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Quality of teaching and learning of PE

 A combination of local authority coaches and teachers deliver the programme. Collectively they have good subject knowledge and use it effectively to enhance pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding of PE. Teachers improve their ability to teach the subject by undertaking appropriate professional development.  The emphasis upon enjoyment and achievement is very evident. On occasion, teachers really ‘capture the imagination’ of pupils with their thoughtfully structured and dynamic delivery style. Activities and challenges are well matched to pupils’ differing needs and interests; together with an effective range of learning approaches, and good levels of support and guidance, teaching ensures that all pupils experience a degree of success. Teaching assistants are deployed well to enhance the experience of individually targeted pupils.  Teachers use questioning, observation and analysis techniques to

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Quality of teaching and learning of PE

develop pupils’ evaluative skills effectively. The current assessment system identifies pupils’ progress towards the end of key stage level descriptors, but does not recognise the smaller steps pupils make within levels. Similarly, PE reports to parents do not provide sufficient detail on pupils’ progress and attainment.

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Quality of the PE curriculum

Curriculum provision is excellent. Unusually it enables pupils to experience all activity areas of the PE National Curriculum. The programme makes use of a good range of on-site and off-site facilities to successfully deliver schemes of work, and a variety of additional PE and sport opportunities.

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Quality of the PE curriculum

 Pupils receive in excess of two hours of PE, and benefit from daily ‘take 10’ sessions. In addition there is an annual residential visit, and pupils from all year-groups regularly participate in festivals of sport, ‘virtual’ sports days, and multi-skills activities organised by the local sport partnership. Creative and aesthetic activities such as dance and gymnastics, plus outdoor and adventurous activities, have a high profile and are delivered expertly. For example, the nursery curriculum includes woodland walks and orienteering exercises.  There is good take-up of extra-curricular activities, which offer competitive and leisure-based opportunities. Pupils also experience non-traditional activities such as martial arts. Lunchtime supervisors have undergone training to support pupils’ play at social times, while older pupils help to organise small-sided games for younger pupils. More talented and able pupils access additional provision through good

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Quality of the PE curriculum

school-club links, and the local sport partnership.  Teachers reinforce the literacy strategy through PE. Good links between the PE, science and Personal Social Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) programmes combine to consolidate pupils’ understanding of human anatomy and fair play.

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Leadership and management of PE

 You are very effective in the roles of PE coordinator, gifted and talented PE coordinator and the primary link teacher. You are committed to the subject; through good leadership and efficient management you have constructed a programme that provides pupils with a very broad experience of PE and sport, which is enjoyable and results in pupils reaching high standards. As an area, PE runs smoothly and is well regarded in the school. Good use is made of available resources.  To maintain morale and sustain productivity you organise effective staff healthy living days. In addition you have arranged for teachers to access PE-specific training and this has improved their competence to deliver the subject.  You hold teachers to account for the quality of their work when you scrutinise their planning and informal monitoring of their teaching. Although you monitor the quality of coaches’ delivery, you have not

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Leadership and management of PE

observed school staff teaching PE for a number of years.  Scrutiny of development plans show that you have good awareness of the strengths of existing provision and what needs to improve. There is good capacity for further improvement

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being healthy

 PE provision supports the development of a number of the ECM outcomes, including staying safe, enjoying and achieving and being healthy. This was very evident when pupils handled large apparatus and equipment, used appropriate techniques to warm up and cool down, and in the standards they attain and enthusiasm with which they participate in lessons. The school are working towards the national healthy school accreditation, and have already achieved the PE and social and emotional health strands.  The school have achieved Activemark, in recognition of the large numbers of pupils who participate in high quality PE and extra- curricular activities.  The diverse PE programme enables pupils to take part in numerous curriculum and extra curricular opportunities.

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Inclusion

 Ensuring equality of opportunity and widening participation are key themes in the PE development plan. A broad and balanced curriculum, due regard to support and guidance, utilising a range of learning approaches and providing access to a variety of non-traditional activities, as well as tailoring provision to pupils’ needs and interests are some of the ways in which PE promotes equality and diversity.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 refining assessment procedures to include acknowledgement of the progress pupils make within a level and ensuring reports to parents reflect pupils’ progress and attainment  ensuring regular formal monitoring of the quality of PE lessons.

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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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