Turney Primary and Secondary Special School

Age group 4–16 Inspection date(s) 1–2 February 2012 Inspection number 376433 Turney Primary and Secondary Special School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 100643 Local authority Lambeth Inspection number 376433 Inspection dates 1–2 February 2012 Lead inspector Kathleen (Kay) Charlton

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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 special Age range of pupils 4–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 122 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Luke Zander Headteacher Linda Adams Date of previous school inspection 15 October 2008 School address Turney Road Lambeth London SE21 8LX Telephone number 0208 6707220 Fax number 0208 7667588 Email address office@turney.org.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

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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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

Kathleen (Kay) Charlton Additional inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. One inspector spent two days in the school and the other one day . Eighteen lessons were observed with 14 teachers seen. Six lessons were joint observations undertaken with senior staff. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, governors and staff. There were no responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) available to help plan the inspection. Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at documentation, including the school improvement plan and policies, assessment information, pupils’ records and work, statements of special educational needs and annual reviews. Twenty eight parental questionnaires were scrutinised as well as those from all of the pupils and 30 from staff.

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Information about the school

Turney Primary and Secondary School caters for pupils who have a statement of special educational needs generally related to learning difficulties ranging from severe to moderate. Many have speech and language difficulties and over half are on the autistic spectrum. The range and complexity of pupils’ needs have increased significantly since the previous inspection. It is a larger than average special school and most pupils come from the local area, which is socially and culturally very diverse. This mix is reflected in the school community and just over a third of the pupils are at the early stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is high. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in the Reception class. In September 2011 the school joined a soft federation with another nearby special school. The school holds many awards, including Sportsmark, Activemark, ICT mark and the Advanced Healthy Schools

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Information about the school

status. It is accredited by the National Autistic Society. Since the previous inspection the senior team has remained stable but about half of the teaching staff has changed. 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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Key findings

 Turney is a good school. The well-established senior leadership team has high expectations of all pupils and staff. It ensures systematic school improvement with full account taken of the considerable changes in the pupils’ needs and also changes in staffing. Rigorous monitoring and a well-thought-out programme of staff development underpin this improvement.

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Key findings

 Pupils make good progress and achieve well across a broad range of subjects. They achieve particularly well in the development of their skills in speaking and listening, and literacy.

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Key findings

 Teachers provide pupils with activities that engage their interest and keep them on track, and they use information and communication technology (ICT) well to enhance learning. They assess pupils’ work regularly and accurately and ensure that pupils know what they need to do to improve. Occasionally, teachers do not use a sufficiently wide range of approaches to ensure pupils’ learning is of the highest quality in terms of the level of challenge provided.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. For the overwhelming majority this represents a huge improvement compared to when they first start at the school. Pupils feel safe in school at all times and bullying of any kind is almost non-existent. Pupils enjoy school, they support each other very well and attendance levels are well above average.

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Key findings

 The school is well led and managed. The senior team has been very successful in creating an inclusive atmosphere in which all pupils thrive. The highly effective way in which the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a key factor in ensuring they show very good levels of maturity by the time they leave. The use of data to improve pupils’ progress is effective but they are not used to best advantage to check that the school is performing as well as it possibly can against national benchmarks. 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?

 Ensure that, in all lessons, teachers always use a wide range of teaching approaches which provide pupils with high quality and challenging learning experiences.  Ensure that better use is made of the data about pupils’ progress to enable the school to be certain it is doing as well as it possibly can in relation to the national picture.

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Achievement of pupils

Almost all pupils, including those in the Reception class, make good progress. Pupils develop their understanding, knowledge and skills well, although attainment remains low, including in reading at the end of Key Stage 1 and by the time they leave school, because of their special educational needs. Initial assessment is accurate and pupils are set challenging targets so that they achieve equally well, irrespective of their special educational needs and disabilities. Different groups of pupils, including those with the most complex needs, make similarly good progress.

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Achievement of pupils

In Reception, children learn about the letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. They learn to recognise numbers and understand basic number concepts up to five. Across the school, pupils make particularly good progress in developing their skills in speaking and listening. They learn to express their views effectively, often using signs and symbols, including those who speak English as an additional language. By the time pupils move into the secondary department they have the confidence to attempt to read and write for a wide range of purposes using different support systems and prompts. They enjoy working with ICT and use it successfully in a range of different contexts, as seen in a number of lessons where they demonstrated to others how well they had achieved in the lesson. Their developing skills in numeracy are used to advantage as seen in a science lesson where older primary-aged pupils accurately counted parts of a plant.

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Achievement of pupils

Throughout the secondary department, pupils develop good understanding of different subjects, all of which keep a clear focus on the development of literacy, numeracy and ICT. Pupils make best progress in modern foreign languages, physical education, food technology and geography where teaching is excellent. All pupils gain a wide range of national accreditation, including ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network), Entry Level and GCSE qualifications by the time they leave and, as a result, all move on successfully to the next stage of their education. Parents and carers report that they are very pleased with the good progress their children make, and inspectors agree that progress is good. In the pupils’ words, ‘The teachers help you and you learn a lot.’ 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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Quality of teaching

The well-planned curriculum provides a clear structure for all aspects of learning. Teachers carefully assess the learning needs of pupils when they join the school. They quickly build a detailed picture of their pupils’ abilities and use this effectively when planning lessons. All staff have good subject knowledge, relationships are excellent and pupils receive high levels of support. The work of support staff is integral to the success pupils achieve. Staff use praise and rewards very effectively to build pupils’ self-esteem and to give them the confidence to try new things, contributing extremely well to the promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Teachers are successful in improving pupils’ skills in speaking and listening and reading, because of their detailed approach which makes judicious use of the teaching of letter sounds. Across the school in the guided reading

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Quality of teaching

sessions, adults are adept at helping pupils develop independent strategies with which to approach familiar texts, for example, Where the Wild Things Are.

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Quality of teaching

The recently revised records, which include the level at which pupils are working, staff observations and photographs of pupils’ achievements, effectively demonstrate pupils’ good progress over time. Pupils’ work is marked conscientiously and feedback is given so they are clear about how they can improve. In a few cases, where teaching is not of the highest quality, the work seen showed an over-reliance on worksheets, an absence of practical activities and consequently a lack of sufficient challenge.

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Quality of teaching

Across the school there are examples of outstanding teaching where staff set the highest expectations for every pupil and use very imaginative teaching strategies to ensure outstanding outcomes for all. This was exemplified particularly well in a food technology lesson with older pupils. In this lesson, the teacher seized every opportunity to develop pupils’ skills and deepen their understanding by moving very adeptly from one activity to another keeping a clear focus on practical work. Pupils’ learning was exceptionally well supported by the use of pictures, signs and symbols. Teaching of this quality, however, is not consistent in all lessons.

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Quality of teaching

Parents and carers are accurate in their opinions that their children are well taught and their views are typified by comments such as, ‘The expertise of all staff have served my child so well throughout his education’ and ‘Since starting at this school my child has progressed in ways I cannot imagine.’

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ behaviour and safety are outstanding. Parents, carers, staff and pupils agree this is a major strength of the school. Pupils who enter Turney very quickly learn to manage any difficulties they have with behaviour and develop extremely positive attitudes to learning. They are polite, friendly and respectful to adults and each other. Pupils get on very well together so that there is an extremely calm and harmonious working atmosphere throughout. In assemblies, in the dining room and, during breaks where pupils make use of the excellent playground facilities, their 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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Behaviour and safety of pupils

standard of behaviour is exemplary. The same very high standard is evident in classrooms and also in records of pupils’ behaviour over time.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Staff are particularly good at ensuring pupils settle in quickly and adapt to the very clear expectations set. Parents, carers and pupils indicate that any type of bullying is extremely rare. Pupils are keen to support each other and are proud of their school, which is evident in the pride they take in their school uniform. All staff have received extensive training in behaviour management techniques and use the behaviour management system very effectively. They respect pupils as individuals and use praise very effectively to reinforce improvements in behaviour. As a result exclusions are almost non-existent. Staff devote a great deal of time to building pupils’ ability to listen and respond to each other’s feelings. Pupils say they feel extremely safe and are confident staff will listen to them whatever their concerns. They understand what constitutes unsafe situations and the basic principles of how to keep themselves

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

safe. They are particularly clear about the need for internet safety as seen when they gave feedback to the ICT teacher about lessons in that subject. In this situation, pupils showed exceptional confidence, exemplifying the sense of responsibility they have for their own learning.

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Leadership and management

Strong leadership ensures that staff work as a cohesive and effective team. Senior leaders communicate high expectations and ambition. The ways in which they support and develop the staff ensure consistent improvement in classroom practice and an enthusiasm from staff about wanting to improve to meet pupils’ changing needs. Lessons are observed by the senior team and strengths and areas for improvement are accurately identified. These staff lead by example and are often the ones a pupil will turn to if they want a ‘listening ear’. The school has responded very effectively to significant changes over time in the range and complexity of needs of pupils joining the school and has sustained good and sometimes outstanding levels of achievement despite these changes. This record demonstrates the school’s strong capacity to improve further.

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Leadership and management

The good curriculum ensures systematic development of pupils’ basic skills. Increasing use of therapies and sensory experiences is ensuring that it is adapting well to meet the increasing range and complexity of pupils’ needs. The phased introduction of specialist provision to meet the needs of pupils on the autistic spectrum is working well. A very wide range of extra-curricular opportunities, including clubs and out-of-school visits, is provided and these add to pupils’ enjoyment of school. The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding, ensuring that there is an excellent ethos for learning. Pupils from very different backgrounds, many who find socialising difficult, work and play together exceptionally well. The principles of equality of opportunity are at the heart of everything the school does and there is an absence of discrimination. The school ensures through careful monitoring that all groups, including those whose

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Leadership and management

circumstances make them vulnerable, achieve equally well. 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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Leadership and management

Leaders at all levels are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and show clear commitment to future improvement. However, the present system of data analysis makes it difficult for all to gauge how well Turney is performing in relation to other schools. The governing body challenges the school well. It makes certain that the policies to promote equality, tackle discrimination and ensure safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements and have a positive impact on school life. Safeguarding arrangements are extremely robust as evident in the very rigorous risk assessments. Strong partnerships with other schools, including the partner school in the federation, those with other agencies, and also with parents and carers, provide high levels of support, particularly to the promotion of pupils’ personal development. They also have helped the school in its very positive response to changes in its pupil

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Leadership and management

intake which have taken place since the previous inspection.

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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 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data 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. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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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

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and 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 governors and 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.

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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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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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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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8LX

Thank you for your warm welcome and the help you gave us when we came to inspect your school. We judged Turney to be a good school where you make good progress. You gain a wide range of qualifications which prepare you very well for your life once you leave. Many of you told us how much you enjoy your lessons both when we talked to you and, also, through the survey you filled in.

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8LX

Teachers help you to learn well. They check your work regularly so that you know what to do to improve. We could see that you make particularly good progress in speaking and listening, and reading.

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8LX

Your behaviour is outstanding, your attendance is excellent and you try hard in lessons. We were particularly impressed with your behaviour in assemblies, in the dining room and in the playground where you help each other a lot. You feel safe at school at all times and you say there is no bullying. You are clear that any member of staff will help you if you have a problem.

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8LX

Turney is well led and managed and the staff are keen to make it even better. We have asked them to make sure that, in every lesson, your learning is as good as it possibly can be by using lots of different activities, including plenty of the ‘hands on’ practical activities. We have also asked them to make sure the school is doing as well as it possibly can by checking this out with other schools.

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8LX

We are sure you will help by always trying your hardest.

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8LX

Kay Charlton Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available 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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