Setting

Aviation House 125 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404040 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mrs M Lever Headteacher Chuckery Primary School Lincoln Road Walsall WS1 2DZ

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social, health and economic (PSHE) education

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 19 November 2009 to look at work in PSHE education.

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social, health and economic (PSHE) education

As outlined in my initial letter, as well as looking at key areas of the PSHE education, the visit had a particular focus on learning to stay safe.

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social, health and economic (PSHE) 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.

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social, health and economic (PSHE) education

The evidence used to inform the judgements included: interviews with staff and discussion with a group of Year 6 pupils; scrutiny of relevant documentation; analysis of pupils’ work; and observation of three lessons; and one assembly .

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social, health and economic (PSHE) education

The overall effectiveness of PSHE education is good.

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Achievement in PSHE education

 Pupils understand the importance of keeping fit and healthy. Participation rates are high for clubs and sporting activities. Pupils enjoy such activities as ‘wake and shake’.  Pupils have a good knowledge of healthy eating and a balanced diet but there are numerous unhealthy snacks in their lunch boxes. The school recognises that some family lifestyles do not support pupils making good choices, but continue to organise school, family and community events to reverse the situation.  Pupils are aware of the dangers of legal and illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco.  Pupils have good levels of knowledge and understanding of staying safe, particularly stranger-danger. They know what strategies to use to keep themselves safe in a number of situations and resist peer-pressure.  They understand the different types of bullying but not all are aware of racist bullying.  Pupils show good knowledge of sex and relationships education.

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Achievement in PSHE education

 Personal development is good. The school has a very caring ethos where all pupils are valued.  Pupils develop good social skills and are able to express their ideas and take part in discussion activities. They build up their confidence during their time at the school.  Pupils have a limited knowledge of money and budgeting.

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Quality of teaching of PSHE education

The quality of teaching of PSHE is good.

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Quality of teaching of PSHE education

 Teachers plan for a good range of activities in lessons.  Good relationships are established in lessons.  There is effective use of questioning techniques to sufficiently challenge pupils and develop answers.  Tasks are planned well in lessons to meet the needs of individual pupils with increasingly appropriate resources for those with English as an additional language.  In lessons, there is a tendency for teachers to talk too long and thus pupils do not have sufficient time to complete or get started on writing tasks.  Planning for PSHE is good but learning objectives for PSHE are not always clear in cross-curricular lessons or schemes of work.  There is an effective range of assessment opportunities however, there is not enough monitoring, recording and reporting of pupils’ progress in PSHE.

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Quality of the curriculum in PSHE education

 The PSHE curriculum is broad and enhances many aspects of the school’s work from discrete lessons to healthy living weeks. This is supplemented by cross-curricular delivery.  The Healthy Schools award has made a beneficial contribution by increasing the number of health-related activities across the school.  Very effective use is made of external agencies and visits to complement the PSHE curriculum.  There has been a positive impact of using the social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) which is improving behaviour and attitudes to learning.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PSHE education

The leadership and management of PSHE is good.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PSHE education

 PSHE is given high priority by senior managers.  Plans to deliver PSHE delivery are set out well and their impact through the curriculum is evaluated. However, insufficient reference is made to the impact of PSHE on measurable outcomes.  The school development plan is rigorous and detailed with clear priorities for PSHE.  PSHE subject leadership has been developed well with effective use of local authority consultants to support school priorities.

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Subject issue: learning to stay safe

 Pupils feel safe at school and know who to turn to and what to do if they have a concern. There are worry boxes and good idea boxes in classrooms.  During lessons, PSHE and SEAL activities encourage pupils to speak openly about their emotions and discuss strategies to manage feelings and situations.  Pupils have a good understanding about how to stay safe during trips out of school and basic hygiene procedures.  Parents confirm that the school nurtures a safe environment. Health and safety policies are robust and risk assessments detailed. During the ongoing building work, safety has been managed well.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 developing a coherent overview of economic well-being across the different year groups  ensuring there is sufficient assessment, recording and reporting of pupil’s progress in PSHE.

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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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