Setting

Mr D Harper Headteacher Heronsgate School Lichfield Down Walnut Tree Milton Keynes MK7 7BW

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financial capability

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 04 March 2008 to look at work in promoting pupils’ economic well- being and financial capability.

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financial capability

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 schools 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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financial capability

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.

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financial capability

The overall effectiveness of the school’s work to promote pupils’ economic well-being and financial capability is satisfactory with some good features.

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Achievement and standards

Given their starting point, pupils’ progress in developing economic well-being and financial capability is satisfactory.

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Achievement and standards

 By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils have a sound overall understanding of aspects of personal finance and basic economic issues, appropriate to their age range. They have a good understanding of budgeting, the differences between jobs and careers and issues relating to world poverty.  The personal development of pupils is good.  Pupils feel very confident in using Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.go.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Achievement and standards

20 March 2008  Pupils, in particular members of the school council, respond well and show good initiative in tackling environmental issues and in supporting charities, including playing a leading role in deciding how funds should be raised and used.

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Quality of teaching and learning

Teaching and learning to develop pupils’ economic well-being and financial capability are satisfactory.

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Quality of teaching and learning

 Lessons are generally well planned.  Teachers in subjects such as mathematics and geography make effective use of practical and real life situations to promote learning.  In the two lessons observed, the rate of pupils’ progress towards developing economic well-being and financial capability was rather slow.  Pupils’ behaviour and relations between staff and pupils are very good.

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Quality of the curriculum

The quality of the curriculum to promote pupils’ economic well-being and financial capability is good.

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Quality of the curriculum

 Economic well-being has recently been given a higher profile in the personal, social and health education programme (PSHE), which provides good opportunities for pupils to debate ethical issues linked to economic development. Good links are made with healthy eating.  Pupils learn about a wide range of jobs and careers, for example, through visits by local employers and employees.  Learners have few opportunities to develop enterprise skills. However, when these are provided they are both innovative and effective.  English, mathematics, geography, history, design technology and ICT are contributing positively to promoting pupils’ economic well-being and financial capability.  The ‘Nrich’ programme enables gifted and talented pupils to participate in competitions and to explore various occupations in greater depth.  After school clubs, residential visits and design technology projects ensure pupils have good additional opportunities for personal and social

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Quality of the curriculum

development, including the promotion of team skills.

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Leadership and management

Leadership and management of the school’s work to develop pupils’ economic well-being and financial capability are satisfactory with some good features.

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Leadership and management

 Developing pupils’ economic well-being has recently been given a sharper focus in the PSHE programme and is a priority in the 2008-9 school development plan.  The particular skills and competences which pupils are expected to acquire in developing economic well-being and financial capability, as they move through the school, are not currently specified and there is no system in place for tracking and reporting the outcomes they achieve individually. Opportunities for pupils to develop their economic well-being and financial capability are not yet explicitly identified in subject schemes of work.  The suitability of teaching resources to support the development of economic well-being and financial capability is currently being investigated and materials recently acquired are being trialled .  The co-ordinator for PSHE has attended training on developing pupils’ economic well-being and financial capability. However, there have been

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Leadership and management

few opportunities for other teachers to explore these aspects.  The school has a strong partnership with a local secondary school with specialist business and enterprise status.  The school has good links with the local education business partnership.

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Inclusion

 Good support is provided for pupils with learning difficulties and pupils who have English as an additional language, including the effective use of support staff and paired working between pupils.  The school has a strong focus on improving pupils’ basic skills.  All pupils have access to activities designed to promote economic well- being and financial capability.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 improve opportunities for pupils to develop and demonstrate their enterprise capability  identify the knowledge, skills and other attributes which pupils are expected to acquire in developing economic well-being and financial capability as they move through the school  ensure that opportunities for pupils to develop economic well-being and financial capability are identified in schemes of work across the school  ensure that staff engaged in promoting pupils’ economic well-being and financial capability have adequate opportunities for professional development and planning.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop the school’s work to promote pupils’ economic well-being and financial capability. 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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