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 K Baines Headteacher Durley Church of England Controlled Primary School Durley Brook Road Southampton SO32 2AR

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social and health education (PSHE)

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of your staff, during my visit on 11 November 2009 to look at work in PSHE.

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social and health education (PSHE)

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

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social and health 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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social and health education (PSHE)

The evidence used to inform the judgements included: interviews with staff and pupils as well as a discussion with a parent governor, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ work and joint observation of two lessons with senior leaders.

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social and health education (PSHE)

The overall effectiveness of PSHE is outstanding.

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Achievement in PSHE

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress in developing their personal and social skills because they are engaged purposefully in well-planned activities.  By the end of Year 6, pupils have made at least good progress in nearly all aspects of PSHE and their achievement in some areas, such as the extent to which they adopt healthy lifestyles, know how to keep themselves safe and their sense of social justice, is outstanding.  Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve as well as their peers because they are provided with effective levels of support.  Pupils speak confidently about different food groups and the importance of eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly.  Pupils are particularly good at communicating feelings and complex issues constructively. They know that their actions affect others and demonstrate an excellent understanding of rights and responsibilities.

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Achievement in PSHE

 Although pupils demonstrate a good understanding of other cultures and faiths, their understanding of multicultural Britain is less secure.

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Quality of teaching of PSHE

The quality of teaching of PSHE is good.

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Quality of teaching of PSHE

 Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge and use a range of practical activities to engage and motivate pupils, and to make learning meaningful and purposeful. A good example is their use of information and communication technology to help bring the outside world into the classroom.  Teaching assistants are very skilled at supporting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, these pupils are able to contribute fully to lessons, working collaboratively with peers.  Lesson planning is satisfactory but does not always include challenging activities for more able pupils, particularly in the first part of lessons.  Teachers make very good use of questions to assess pupils’ progress and understanding. Pupils are encouraged to articulate what they are learning and this helps them to focus well on the skills they are developing.

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Quality of the curriculum in PSHE

 The curriculum provision for PSHE is planned extremely well and provides very good opportunities for pupils to learn about PSHE and citizenship within other subjects as well as within discrete units of work.  Curriculum provision enables pupils to leave school as well-informed and well-rounded young people.  The curriculum is enhanced greatly by links with external agencies and the many extra-curricular activities, as well as visitors to the school and visits to places of interest and residential stays.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PSHE

The leadership and management of PSHE are good.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PSHE

 Subject leadership is good and supported well by the senior leadership of the school and the governing body. This helps to ensure that PSHE is an integral part of the school’s ethos and that all relevant policies and guidance documents are in place.  Subject leadership has a generally accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for further improvement. However, the quality of self- evaluation and subsequent action planning, at times, lacks rigour and is not always focused sharply enough on the intended outcomes for different groups of pupils.

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Subject issue: learning to stay safe

 Pupils have an extremely good understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe.  There are many opportunities for pupils to practise skills that will help to keep them safe both in and outside of school. This includes their participation in simulated activities, such as what to do in the event of a fire or being in a room filled with smoke.  Pupils know how to be safe from bullying and are developing a good understanding about safety-related issues when using new technologies.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 developing the role of the new PSHE manager to include;

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 having a greater impact on the quality of teaching and learning and lesson planning  ensuring that improvement planning is more sharply focused on outcomes for different groups of pupils.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

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, include:

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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