Setting

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Ms C Lodge Headteacher Long Row Primary School Long Row Belper Derbyshire DE56 1DR

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Religious Education (RE)

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of your staff, during my visit, on 24 September 2009, to look at work in RE.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Religious Education (RE)

As outlined in my initial letter, as well as looking at key areas of RE, the visit had a particular focus on how far pupils are becoming effective learners in RE.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Religious Education (RE)

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 – Religious Education (RE)

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included interviews with staff and pupils, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ work and observation of two lessons.

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Ofsted survey inspection programme – Religious Education (RE)

The overall effectiveness of RE is good.

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Achievement in RE

 The standards reached by pupils are at least in line with the expectations of the Derbyshire agreed syllabus. By the end of Year 6, pupils draw together their learning about religions, to understand the connections between belief and practice. They are also able to express their views well.  The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ personal development. Pupils are keen to explain why it is important to learn about different religions in contemporary society and how such study benefits them as responsible citizens. Pupils’ behaviour, in the lessons observed, was very good.

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Quality of teaching of RE

 The teaching of RE has a number of good features. Lessons are planned well. Their impact on pupils’ learning is carefully evaluated and subsequently adjusted where necessary. Much of the questioning is effective and there are good opportunities for pupils to share their ideas, for example in structured group tasks.  Planned activities build suitably on previous work. There is generally a good progression in pupils’ learning, reflecting the flexibility in teaching. Teachers know the pupils very well and cater for different learning needs.  There are systems in place to assess how well pupils are learning and the rate of their progress. However, these lack sufficient rigour to provide a reliable picture about pupils’ levels of achievement.

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Quality of the curriculum in RE

The quality of the curriculum in RE is good.

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Quality of the curriculum in RE

 The curriculum has been adjusted to take full account of the reviewed Derbyshire agreed syllabus. Schemes of work are detailed and evaluated periodically. Planning meets the needs of pupils well.  Judicious use is made of other published material to support the school’s own resources and this contributes to the creation of a lively curriculum.  Local places of worship and visiting speakers enrich pupils’ learning, as does the increasing use of information and communication technology in the subject.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in RE

Leadership and management in RE are good.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in RE

 The subject leader provides good leadership. She is dedicated and enthusiastic about RE. Provision and its impact on learning are routinely evaluated and the right priorities for improvement are identified.  Teachers are supported well with resources and feedback from monitoring activities, such as pupil discussions and the scrutiny of planning. This ensures continuous improvement.

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How far pupils are becoming effective learners in RE

There are good opportunities for pupils to reflect on their learning and the school is keen to promote more creative approaches to the subject. There is some evidence of pupils being given chances to plan their work, to improve their thinking skills and to evaluate their work. However, self-assessment in the subject has yet to be fully established across the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

 ensuring greater rigour in the quality of assessment by using the levels of achievement specified in the agreed syllabus and moderating judgements made across the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, included:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop RE 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 SACRE 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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