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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Mr R Mason Headteacher Milking Bank Primary School Aintree Way Dudley West Midlands DY1 2SL

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social and health education (PSHE)

Thank you for your hospitality and cooperation, and that of the staff and pupils, during my visit on 20 September 2010 to look at work in PSHE.

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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 without their consent.

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social and health education (PSHE)

The evidence used to inform the judgements included: interviews with staff and pupils; scrutiny of relevant documentation; analysis of pupils’ work; and observation of six lessons and an assembly.

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social and health education (PSHE)

The overall effectiveness of PSHE is outstanding.

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Achievement in PSHE

 Pupils have an outstanding understanding of how to live a healthy and safe life. They know what makes a healthy diet and understand the importance of exercise and keeping fit. Pupils enjoy taking part in a broad range of sporting activities.  Pupils have a good understanding of the dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco and the effects of the misuse of these substances on the body and other people.  Pupils can recognise mental health problems, such as anxiety and stress, and have a number of strategies that they have used to good effect.  Pupils have excellent levels of knowledge and understanding of staying safe, particularly e-safety and how to be safe on a trip to London.  Pupils’ knowledge about sex and relationships education is good.  Pupils have a very good knowledge of how to manage money. They have opportunities to work in teams and manage a budget for a theme park. Some pupils can explain interest rates and the benefits of savings.

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Achievement in PSHE

 Pupils’ personal development is outstanding. They are confident, caring and thoughtful. Their behaviour is excellent and they have positive attitudes and enjoy their learning; this reflects the caring ethos and values of the school. Pupils are able to readily express their ideas and feelings. They respect the views of others.

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Quality of teaching of PSHE

The quality of teaching of PSHE is outstanding.

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Quality of teaching of PSHE

 Teachers demonstrate excellent subject knowledge and use a range of activities in lessons to engage and motivate pupils and make learning purposeful.  Outstanding relationships are established in lessons. Teachers are encouraging and manage behaviour well so that all pupils enjoy learning. Teachers deal confidently with sensitive issues.  In a small minority of PHSE lessons work is not always matched sufficiently well to pupils of varied abilities; some need more support, while others need more challenge.  Information and communication technology is used very effectively.  A good range of assessment activities is used to assess pupils’ progress. However, there is not always a coherent overview against the end of key stage statements. Progress is reported well to parents in Year 6. Reports in other years make little or no reference to progress in PSHE.

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Quality of the curriculum in PSHE

The quality of the curriculum in PSHE is outstanding.

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Quality of the curriculum in PSHE

 The PSHE curriculum is broad and coverage is well balanced between discrete lessons, cross-curricular themes, assemblies and themed days. Curriculum provision is innovative with a number of exciting initiatives.  The Healthy Schools Award has made a beneficial contribution by increasing the number of health-related activities across the school.  Outstanding use is made of a range of visiting speakers, theatre groups, visitors and events to support PSHE learning.  Using the social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) material has had a significant impact which is reflected in the pupils’ positive attitudes to learning and improved emotional development.  The curriculum meets the needs of pupils from potentially vulnerable circumstances well through targeted activities such as social skills groups, ‘busy kids’ and ‘get moving’.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PSHE

The leadership and management of PSHE are outstanding.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management in PSHE

 Subject leadership is excellent and this ensures that PSHE is a fundamental part of the school’s ethos. There is a strong vision.  The PSHE policy is coherent and detailed with clear links to other policies.  You have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. The PSHE actions in the school development plan reflect the school’s need to review current practice and embed new initiatives.  The role of the subject leadership in monitoring and evaluating PSHE is strong.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

 strengthening the reporting of PSHE across year groups, using the examples of best practice in Year 6  formally implementing the monitoring sheets to record and assess pupils’ progress in PSHE based on the end of key stage statements.

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Areas for improvement, which we discussed, include:

I hope that 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 previously, a copy of this letter will be published on the Ofsted website. It may be used to inform decisions about any future inspection. Except in the case of academies, a copy of this letter is also being sent to your local authority.

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