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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Ms Davey Headteacher Trinity St Mary CofE Primary School 6 Balham Park Road London SW12 8DR

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Education (PSHE)

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 09 June 2008 to look at work in PSHE.

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Education (PSHE)

As outlined in my initial letter, as well as looking at key areas of the subject, the visit had a particular focus on:

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Education (PSHE)

 how the PSHE curriculum meets the specific needs of pupils in your local area, and how progress is tracked and assessed; and  the contribution made by PSHE to the future economic well-being of your pupils.

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Education (PSHE)

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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Education (PSHE)

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included interviews with yourself, the PSHE co-ordinator, pupils from a range of age groups, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ work and observation of three lessons.

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Education (PSHE)

The overall effectiveness of PSHE was judged to be good.

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Achievement

Pupils’ overall achievement in PSHE is outstanding.

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Achievement

 Pupils’ personal development is good. They enjoy their work and behave well. Pupils have positive attitudes, are gaining confidence and readily express their views. Pupils empathise with others well and their social skills are good.  In the Reception classes, children are making rapid progress in their personal, social and emotional development, learning how to share, take turns and value others.  Pupils in other years have a good knowledge of how to keep healthy. They can explain the meaning of a balanced diet and the importance of exercise. Older pupils have a good knowledge of the dangers of tobacco and alcohol. They have a good understanding of the changes that occur while growing up.  Older pupils have a secure knowledge of the role of Members of Parliament, democratic elections and global citizenship issues.  All pupils are included and achieve well because they receive good support from a wide range of adults at the school.

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Quality of teaching and learning in PSHE

 Teachers have good subject knowledge and they provide excellent role models. Relationships are outstanding and generally, teachers have high expectations. They plan stimulating activities and use interesting resources.  Teachers manage pupils’ behaviour very well and teaching assistants make a good contribution, helping pupils concentrate on their work.  Occasionally, the pace of work is too slow, or the work is insufficiently challenging for all pupils.  There are not yet enough assessments of pupils’ knowledge and understanding.  Pupils are well supported. They feel safe and know there are adults they can talk to if the need arises.

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Quality of the curriculum

The curriculum is good with outstanding features.

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Quality of the curriculum

 The emotional literacy programme, incorporating SEAL (Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning) is excellent and meets pupils’ differing needs extremely well.  The school has achieved the Healthy Schools award, which has had a positive impact on lunchtimes and playtimes.  The creative approach to planning PSHE, for example, the programme of suspended timetable events, such as World Waste week, has led to more stimulating experiences. This now needs to be supported by more comprehensive planning documents that give enough detail to ensure teachers are clear about what is taught to different classes.  While there are some good opportunities for pupils to develop their economic well-being, for example, involvement in the school council, there are insufficient planned experiences for all pupils.

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Leadership and management of PSHE

The leadership and management of PSHE are good.

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Leadership and management of PSHE

 The co-ordinator is enthusiastic, well-qualified and has a high level of expertise. She is well supported by you and the school places a high priority on PSHE.  All staff are keen and have been trained in the subject.  Monitoring is rigorous, accurate and detailed, but now needs to identify gaps and areas for development.

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well-being?

Pupils’ preparation for adult life is good.

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well-being?

 There is a good range of responsibilities undertaken by pupils, for example being prefects and school councillors.  There is limited work on personal finance and the world of work.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 reviewing planning to show where and how different aspects of PSHE are being taught  providing more work on developing pupils’ economic well-being.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop PSHE 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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