Setting

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Mr P Thorne Headteacher Long Lane Primary School Long Lane Tilehurst Reading RG31 6YG Dear Mr Thorne

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education (PE)

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of the staff and pupils, during my visit on 19 May 2010 to look at work in PE.

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education (PE)

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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education (PE)

The evidence used to inform the judgements included interviews with staff and pupils, scrutiny of relevant documentation, analysis of pupils’ reports, and observation of three lessons and extra-curricular activities.

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education (PE)

The overall effectiveness of PE is good.

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Achievement in PE

 Attainment by the end of Key stage 2 is above average although higher attaining pupils are capable of achieving more. All pupils made good progress in the lessons observed and school data indicate good progress from starting points.  Pupils are good at observing and evaluating each other’s work and making suggestions on how to improve because of well-planned opportunities in lessons. They acquire and develop their skills well in a range of activities. They have good understanding of how food and exercise contribute towards a healthy lifestyle but are unclear on the amount of recommended exercise to take each week.  All pupils spoken to say how much they enjoy PE, especially when they can work with and compete against friends. However, many said work was too easy and they would like to be challenged more. Their behaviour in lessons and when playing together in the playground is exemplary. During the lunch break, one pupil said, ‘we all take it in turns to use equipment,

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Achievement in PE

especially if it’s popular’. A few opportunities exist for pupils to take responsibilities in PE and for different roles in lessons although these are not extensive.

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Quality of teaching in PE

 Units of work and lessons are planned thoroughly to ensure pupils make good progress. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ verbal and physical participation in lessons, although higher attaining pupils are not challenged consistently in all lessons. Teachers have good subject knowledge and use this well to observe pupils’ responses and intervene to improve skill levels and the quality of pupils’ performances. The use of questioning to extend pupils’ understanding of the subject is good, especially during evaluation activities. Occasionally, there is too much teacher input or pupils spend too much time on one activity and their progress is hindered as a result. Teaching assistants are deployed extremely well to support individual pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and to ensure they are fully included in lessons.  Pupils have good opportunities to work with external experts during

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Quality of teaching in PE

lessons and in the extra-curricular programme. Pupils were particularly enthusiastic about their work in dance and with tag rugby and netball coaches.  Pupils’ attainment is assessed at the end of each year, although data have yet to be analysed to monitor pupils’ progress in different age groups. Subject leaders have identified the need to moderate teachers’ judgements and to ensure pupils’ achievements in extra-curricular activities contribute fully towards assessments. Reports to parents include good information on their children’s achievements. Although most include a specific area for development, this is not consistent.

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Quality of the curriculum in PE

The quality of the curriculum in PE is good.

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Quality of the curriculum in PE

 All pupils have a minimum of two planned PE lessons each week and most have three, although pupils say the time of these lessons varies between 30 minutes to an hour. As this is not monitored, it is unclear what proportion of pupils receives the Government expectation of two hours of PE and school sport each week.  The curriculum has a good range of activities and is structured to meet National Curriculum requirements. Good use is made of a number of commercial schemes of work to support delivery of the curriculum and teachers adapt these well to the needs of their class. Links are starting to emerge with other subjects. For example, pupils have created Egyptian dances and used West Side Story to explore history topics.  The extra-curricular and enrichment programmes are a strength of provision. Pupils have excellent opportunities to experience a broad range of games, gymnastics and dance genres, canoeing and orienteering

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Quality of the curriculum in PE

courses at a local centre and a residential experience of outdoor and adventurous activities. The cycling club develops pupils’ skills and safety awareness very well. Pupils talk with genuine pleasure of the increased amount of apparatus and resources available at play and lunchtimes which are used extensively.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PE

The effectiveness of leadership and management in PE is satisfactory.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PE

 Coordination of the subject has experienced considerable turbulence in recent years, although staff commitment has ensured this has not had a detrimental impact on pupils’ enjoyment of the subject. You acknowledge that the subject leader’s role is underdeveloped and have taken positive actions to tackle this.  The new subject leader has an understanding of the priorities and is determined to bring about improvement, although this has to be formulated into plan of action. A good start has been made to monitor participation at extra-curricular clubs, implementation of the primary link teacher (PLT) role and in identifying and attending professional development activities. However, opportunities to monitor and evaluate provision and pupils’ achievements are yet to be implemented. Although PE is a regular feature in the school newsletter, few displays in and around the school promote the subject further.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PE

 Involvement in the school sports partnership is a relatively new aspect of the school’s work and is not yet fully functioning. A positive impact has been the increase in pupils’ opportunities to participate in festivals and sporting tournaments. The partnership is experiencing some problems with PLT activities, including late cancellation of events, which are a source of frustration for pupils and staff.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 extending the leadership and management role to:  monitor and evaluate the subject and systematically plan improvements  moderate teachers’ assessments and monitor pupils’ progress  bring about even greater consistency in the quality of teaching

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 increasing the level of challenge, particularly for higher attaining pupils.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

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