Setting

Aviation House 125 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0300 123 1231 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Mrs M Duffy Headteacher Blenheim Primary School Lofthouse Place Leeds LS2 9EX

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children’s economic well-being in primary schools

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of the staff and pupils, during my visit on 1 July 2010 to look at work in business education.

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children’s economic well-being in primary schools

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 without their consent.

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children’s economic well-being in primary schools

The evidence used to inform the judgements included: interviews with you and pupils; scrutiny of relevant documentation; a learning walk around the school, including observation of learning activities in all classes and observation of three lessons.

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children’s economic well-being in primary schools

The overall effectiveness of business education, including the development of pupils’ economic and business understanding and financial capability is good.

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Features of good practice

 Pupils develop a good knowledge and understanding, appropriate to their age, of economic, environmental and global issues, and a good awareness of the moral issues surrounding global economic concepts, such as poverty.  Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of maximising sustainability of resources, including, for example, ways of achieving this by recycling, re-using resources and reducing energy costs.  The topic-based curriculum provides a stimulating context in which pupils are able to acquire a basic understanding of economic and business concepts to apply their learning. There are many examples where financial capability and understanding are developed throughout the curriculum.  In some year groups, the planning of opportunities to promote economic well-being and the identification of their specific learning outcomes are outstanding. However, this high standard is not consistent throughout the

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Features of good practice

school. As a result, there is scope to assess pupils’ economic and business understanding and personal financial capability more explicitly.  The curriculum incorporates a strong and consistent international theme, reflecting the multi-cultural background of the pupils. This is successful in developing pupils’ cultural awareness and understanding of life and economic conditions in different countries.  The school provides well-managed opportunities for pupils to use their own initiative and develop organisational and decision-making skills throughout the curriculum, including mini-enterprise and fundraising activities. Pupils develop self-confidence, communication and team- working skills by taking part in these activities.  Good links with businesses and other organisations provide pupils with good opportunities to learn about the world of work, about the different jobs that people do, and encourage their aspirations towards future career

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 spreading existing good practice in the planning for economic and business understanding and personal financial capability throughout every year group  considering how to develop methods of assessing pupils’ progress in acquiring the knowledge, skills and understanding linked to economic well- being, as they move through the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

I hope that these observations are useful as you continue to develop business education in the school.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

As I explained previously, a copy of this letter will be sent to your local authority and will be published on the Ofsted website under the URN for your school. It will also be available to the team for your next institutional inspection.

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