Corbets Tey School

Age group 4–16 Inspection date(s) 19–20 October 2011 Inspection number 376705 Corbets Tey School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 102362 Local Authority Havering Inspection number 376705 Inspection dates 19–20 October 2011 Reporting inspector David Smith

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Special School category Community Age range of pupils 4–16 Gender of pupils Mixed

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Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr John Parker Headteacher Mr Colin Arthey Date of previous school inspection 8 July 2009 School address Harwood Hall Lane Upminster

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RM14 2YQ Telephone number 01708 225888 Fax number 10708 220430 Email address office@corbetstey.havering.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. Twelve lessons were observed and 10 teachers were seen. Meetings were held with senior leaders, a range of staff including subject leaders, pupils, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at safeguarding documents and a range of other documentation as well as pupils’ work and teachers’ records. They scrutinised questionnaire returns from pupils and staff as well as from 46 parents and carers.

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Introduction

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school’s work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.

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Introduction

 The effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding.  Leadership and management at all levels across the school including the contribution of subject leaders to school improvement.  The relevance of the curriculum and the level of challenge provided to meet the pupils’ wide range of learning needs.  The promotion of literacy and numeracy in all lessons.

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Information about the school

Corbets Tey School caters for the needs of pupils that have moderate learning difficulties and severe learning difficulties. In addition approximately half of the pupils have autistic spectrum disorders. All of the pupils have a statement of special educational needs and a quarter of the pupils on roll are girls. A fifth of the pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals. Most of the pupils are of White British heritage and the remainder are from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. There are very few pupils under the care of the local authority. The school offers outreach support for pupils in mainstream schools. It works in partnership with a local college to educate a small number of sixth form students with special educational needs. The school is a member of a local trust with a range of partners, including a local university. The school has specialist status for Communication and Interaction. It

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Information about the school

also has a range of awards including Investors in People and has Healthy Schools status. The current deputy headteacher has been appointed as the new headteacher of the school from January 2012.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main findings

In accordance with section 13 (3) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement, because it is performing significantly less well than in all the circumstances it could reasonably be expected to perform. The school is therefore given a notice to improve. Significant improvement is required in relation to safeguarding.

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Main findings

The school has a satisfactory capacity to improve. Self-evaluation is accurate and leads to effective development planning. Staff work together well; the staff team has been involved in innovative work with a wide range of partners which has promoted many positive initiatives. However, not all roles and responsibilities for senior leaders and subject leaders are clearly defined, and as a result not all leaders are fully involved in monitoring. The governing body carries out most duties effectively, but it has not ensured that the school meets safeguarding regulations and duties and therefore governance is inadequate.

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Main findings

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory, as is pupils’ achievement. In the best lessons, pupils are challenged by the learning activities and they make good and occasionally outstanding progress. In these lessons teaching is enthusiastic and the pace of learning is brisk. However, the planning in some lessons is too vague and provides too little direction for the contribution of the teaching assistants. In these lessons the pace of learning is significantly slower. The satisfactory curriculum is enriched by a wide range of activities and visits. There is a good focus on promoting the pupils’ communication skills to ensure that they can access learning. Teaching and learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage is adequate and, as a result, the children’s’ achievement is satisfactory.

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Main findings

Staff look after pupils well on a day-to-day basis but care, guidance and support are inadequate because there are significant shortcomings in the management of safeguarding policies and procedures. Nevertheless, pupils feel safe and have a good understanding of how to stay safe and healthy. Relationships are positive and pupils’ behaviour is good, which contributes to the cohesive and harmonious school community. Pupils make a strong contribution to the school and the local community. The school’s partnerships are also good. These include the positive work with parents and carers and other agencies to promote good opportunities for the pupils.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Meet safeguarding regulations and duties by ensuring that:  arrangements and policies for safeguarding are in line with government requirements and are systematically reviewed  the governing body fulfils its statutory duties regarding its overview of safeguarding policies and procedures  all staff are provided with appropriate safeguarding training and their attendance on the courses is recorded.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning so that more is good or better by:  improving teachers’ planning for learning, including the development of precise and measurable learning objectives  ensuring that teaching assistants are effectively deployed to support and challenge pupils’ learning  raising the pace of learning to fully engage pupils throughout their lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management at all levels by:  extending the role of subject leaders to include rigorous self-review and the effective monitoring of provision and outcomes for their subject  defining clear roles and responsibilities for all of the school leaders to ensure that every aspect of school management is fully covered.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils make satisfactory progress in their learning irrespective of their individual special educational needs and/or disabilities, their gender or their ethnicity. Those pupils who are in public care, made good progress during the last academic year. Pupils’ targets are matched to their individual needs and provide adequate challenge. Learning is satisfactory in lessons, with some examples of good and better progress. In a lesson observed during the inspection younger pupils made outstanding progress in the recently completed outdoor ‘interactive zone’. Social interaction was excellent as the pupils worked together on a range of tasks. In another lesson the consistent use of signing and technology ensured that younger pupils could identify the characters and events from a story. Younger pupils also thoroughly enjoyed a very active session in the hall and made good progress in developing the coordination of their movement. Older pupils take on increased responsibility for their

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

own learning. Pupils in Year 11 made satisfactory progress in their ability to describe themselves in Spanish and in Year 9, pupils enjoyed measuring a range of shapes in a mathematics lesson. In a very few lessons, the pace of learning slows when pupils are not engaged actively enough and their concentration ebbs, for example when introductions to lessons are too long.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils enjoy attending school and form positive friendships. Attendance is average;

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

the vast majority of non-attendance is linked to medical issues. By the time the pupils leave the school they have made marked progress in their personal development and are prepared for the next stage of their education. Pupils’ behaviour in class and around the school is good. The majority of pupils adopt healthy lifestyles and are aware of the benefits of a healthy diet. They enjoy taking part in a wide range of physical activities. They make a good contribution to the school and local community through, for example, their success in fund raising. The school council plays a prominent role, for example, when helping to appoint new staff.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. School assemblies reflect the high level of respect that pupils have for each other and staff, and this contributes to the positive relationships across the school. The pupils take a full and active part in assemblies and celebrate each other’s achievements. Their singing is impressive and this helps to boost their confidence. They are very proud of their school and this is reflected in their overwhelmingly positive responses in the survey of their views.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for pupils’ outcomes

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Pupils’ achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning

Taking into account: Pupils’ attainment 1 The quality of pupils’ learning and their progress The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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contribute to their future economic well-being

Taking into account: Pupils’ attendance 1

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How effective is the provision?

Teaching and learning are consistently satisfactory or better. Pupils make good and occasionally outstanding progress when teaching is enthusiastic and activities are

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How effective is the provision?

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4 is low * In some special schools inspectors do not make a judgement about attainment in relation to expectations of the pupils' age.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

concisely planned to meet pupils’ individual needs. Where teaching is satisfactory, teacher’s planning is less precise with vague learning objectives and so parts of the lesson can lack focus; as a result, progress is adequate rather than good. The contribution of the teaching assistants to pupils’ learning is adequate overall, but varies between lessons. This is because, in some lessons, plans contain too little information about the management of the teaching assistants’ time and do not provide details of the explicit strategies used to support and challenge the pupils to make good progress. As a result teaching assistants’ skills are not put to best use.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The satisfactory curriculum is designed to meet the complex needs of individuals and groups of students, and to provide them with appropriate challenge. This is particularly effective in the groups that have a strong focus on developing the communication skills of pupils with autism. Clear structures are provided for the pupils but staff also ensure that the curriculum is stimulating; this good provision reflects the positive impact of the school’s specialism and partnerships. The curriculum in some lessons is not so finely tailored to meet the pupils’ individual needs, which leads to satisfactory rather than good progress. There is an adequate focus on developing students’ literacy and numeracy skills but there is too little use of information and communication technology in many of the subjects. Higher ability pupils are able to access accredited courses when they are in the senior part of the school. The views of parents and carers were taken into account when planning the

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The staff place a high priority on keeping pupils safe in their day-to-day activities. They have a caring ethos and place the needs of the pupils at the heart of their work. Members of staff know the pupils well and work hard to include them in activities. A wide range of professionals are integrated into the work of the school to ensure that pupils’ needs are met. Challenging behaviour is managed with confidence and sensitivity by the staff. The overwhelming majority of parents and carers are confident that the school helps to support their children’s learning.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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The quality of teaching

Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning

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How effective are leadership and management?

Senior leaders, staff and governors, generally work well together to help drive and embed improvements in the school. Their shared vision for example, helped to successfully tackle the area for improvement identified in their previous inspection. There is a satisfactory focus on improving teaching and learning, but monitoring is

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

largely carried out by senior leaders, with very limited involvement of those with responsibility for subjects. School leaders place the needs of the pupils at the heart of their work but there are gaps in the definitions of their roles and responsibilities. These have contributed to the shortcomings in the management of the safeguarding paperwork and training. As a result, statutory requirements are not met. Policies are not systematically reviewed and evidence of staff safeguarding training is not recorded and therefore unavailable for scrutiny. Governance meets other requirements. Members of the governing body know the school well and provide appropriate challenge.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

There are good links with a wide range of partners, including a local trust; this helps to extend pupils’ learning opportunities. The school is involved in a pilot project for a group of sixth form students that are on the roll of a local college. The age appropriate setting for students provides them with, for example, a wide range of opportunities to extend their independence skills. The links developed with parents and carers are good. Parents and carers greatly appreciate the positive impact the school has on their children’s education and well-being.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination effectively. A s a result, pupils thoroughly enjoy attending school and being part of this cohesive and harmonious community. Pupils are provided with equality of opportunities, where appropriate, to learn alongside their mainstream peers.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

The school makes a strong contribution to promoting community cohesion. Local mainstream schools value the support provided by staff to help them meet the needs of pupils with autism. The school has effective plans to promote engagement with the community further afield.

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

These are the grades for leadership and management

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driving improvement

Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning

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Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Children make satisfactory progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage due to adequate teaching and learning. Children work with increasing levels of independence and become active learners in readiness for the next stage of their education. They make choices about activities and show enjoyment in their learning. The children are cooperative and readily take turns, but some learning time is lost when the children have to wait too long for their turn to be involved in some activities. Occasionally opportunities to fine-tune the level of the children’s work are missed, so some activities lack challenge and progress slows. This is because adults do not always make sufficient use of the data they have about children’s progress. Staff ensure that the environment is secure and the children are safe. Relationships are positive and help to build the children’s confidence. The satisfactory curriculum is taught using a variety of strategies with a good focus on the promotion of

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Early Years Foundation Stage

communication skills. Links with parents and carers are particularly good and this is reflected in the parents’ and carers’ positive comments in the inspection questionnaires.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage

Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

A high percentage of parents and carers returned the questionnaires. The overwhelming majority of parents and carers gave positive responses to almost all of the sections of the questionnaires. Typical comments from parents and carers include, ‘My son has done extremely well at Corbets Tey’ and ‘The school is an exceptionally warm and friendly place to be.’ The inspectors found that the pupils’ achievement is satisfactory.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Corbet Tey School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school. The inspection team received 46 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 106 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 38 83 6 13 1 2 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 39 85 7 15 0 0 0 0 The school informs me about my child’s progress 32 70 11 24 3 7 0 0 My child is making enough progress at this school 30 65 14 30 1 2 1 2 The teaching is good at this school 37 80 8 17 1 2 0 0 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 30 65 13 28 2 4 0 0 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 29 63 16 35 0 0 0 0 The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 24 52 16 35 0 0 1 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child’s particular needs 33 72 11 24 1 2 1 2 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 33 72 9 20 2 4 0 0 The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 29 63 12 26 2 4 1 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 35 76 10 22 1 2 0 0 Overall, I am happy with my child’s experience at this school 38 83 6 13 1 2 1 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 43 47 10 0 Primary schools 6 46 42 6 Secondary schools 14 36 41 9

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Sixth forms 15 42 41 3 Special schools 30 48 19 3 Pupil referral units 14 50 31 5

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 08 April 2011 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.  The school’s capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils’ needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Corbets Tey School, Upminster RM14 2YQ

We enjoyed our visit to your school and spending time looking at your work. Thank you for giving us views about your activities and the school. You are a credit to the school and we particularly enjoyed listening to your singing in the assemblies. Also, you play together well during your breaks and ensure that you get plenty of exercise.

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Inspection of Corbets Tey School, Upminster RM14 2YQ

It is clear that you enjoy your time in the school, make good friends and feel safe. The responses you gave in the survey of your views were overwhelmingly positive. You have a satisfactory curriculum which is supported by a wide range of enjoyable activities. The school works well with your parents and carers and has good links with a wide range of people in the area. Satisfactory teaching ensures that you make sound progress in your learning.

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Inspection of Corbets Tey School, Upminster RM14 2YQ

However, the documents required to ensure that you are kept safe need more careful attention. We have therefore given the centre a notice to improve. An inspector will visit again to check on the progress that has been made. We have asked the headteacher, senior management team, staff and governors to work together to improve your school. We want them to ensure that all of your activities in class are well planned, including the time spent by the support staff helping you to make progress. We are keen to ensure that no time is wasted and you get to doing things quickly, not just listening. Also, it is important that the teachers in charge of your subjects are fully involved in making your education even better.

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Inspection of Corbets Tey School, Upminster RM14 2YQ

Thank you for being so helpful to us on the inspection. You can also help by continuing to attend the school whenever you can and working hard for all of your time in lessons.

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from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy

of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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