Parayhouse School

Parayhouse School New Kings School Annex, New Kings Road, London, SW6 4LY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Achievement and teaching require improvement because there is not yet enough consistently good teaching to ensure that achievement is good or better for all pupils.  Teachers do not always use the wealth of assessment information collected on individuals to plan activities which accurately match the needs and abilities of all pupils.  All teachers do not consistently check learning during lessons to enable pupils to learn well.  Reading records do not clearly show the skills and strategies pupils are focusing on to improve their reading. Not all pupils have reading diaries containing their reading targets which they can work on at home.  Teachers’ marking does not always effectively identify what pupils need to do to improve their work.  Leadership and management require improvement. The system in place to monitor the quality of teaching does not clearly identify what teachers need to do to improve their

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

teaching. Leaders and managers do not effectively document whether or not improvements have taken place.  Serious incidents of uncharacteristically poor behaviour are not recorded as meticulously as they should be.  The quality of support which is given to pupils who display severe behavioural difficulties is not monitored effectively.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher and staff are committed to raising pupils’ achievement and are clear about how to do it.  There is secure evidence to show that each year more pupils are making better progress than previously.  The curriculum effectively supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and enables them to achieve well in their personal development.  Good teaching and learning were seen at Key Stage 3, and in some lessons at Key Stage 4.  Relationships are generally good. Pupils say they feel safe in school and like learning. They particularly say they enjoy meeting up with their friends at school and for reading.  Behaviour is typically good during lessons, outside and when pupils move around the school.  The governing body is effectively involved in the work of the school. It is well informed and better able to challenge and support the school where necessary. This is an improvement since

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out with half a day’s notice and took place over two days.  The inspector observed ten parts of lessons taught by seven teachers and a speech and language therapist.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, senior leaders and managers and the staff along with a members of the governing body.  The inspector took account of the four responses to the online Parent View, the school’s own recent analysis of parents’ views and analysed 18 questionnaires completed by staff.  The work of the school was observed and the inspector looked at a range of documents including those related to self-evaluation, the school’s most recent data on pupils’ progress and procedures and records relating to safeguarding and behaviour.

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Inspection team

Nina Bee, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Parayhouse is smaller than most special schools and is situated in the premises of a local primary school. It is a non-maintained special school.  The school is a registered charity which is overseen by a board of trustees. A govening body is responsible for the day-to-day running of the school. The Chair of the Governing Body is also a member on the board of trustees.  Pupils on roll are from a number of London boroughs and all of these pupils are in possession of a statement of special educational needs. In addition, the school admits privately-funded pupils. The large majority of pupils have moderate or severe learning difficulties or speech, language and communication difficulties. The school does not link with one particular London borough.  A small minority of pupils come from White British backgrounds with the remainder coming from a wide range of minority ethnic groups.  The school’s status makes it exempt from receipt of the pupil premium. The school is not directly

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Information about this school

under the control of the local authority.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching, particularly in English and mathematics, so that all lessons are consistently good or better by ensuring that teachers:  use assessment information and resources which enthuse the pupils to plan lessons that suit their abilities and needs  check learning regularly during lessons so that all pupils’ learning is at least good  improve the way teachers mark pupils’ work by informing pupils more effectively of what they need to do to improve and reach their targets  monitor lessons ensuring there is a sharper focus on the quality of pupils’ learning by giving all teachers clear points for improvement and then checking, at a later date, how successful the process has been.  Improve pupils’ reading skills and the quality of their reading records by:  identifying what each pupil needs to do to improve their reading  using reading diaries more widely to show the skills and strategies that each pupil is focusing

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

on and sharing this information with parents and carers so that they too can be involved more in their child’s progress in reading.  Improve leadership and management at all levels, particularly the management of teaching and the way incidents of poor behaviour are documented. Monitor, more closely, the quality of the support given to pupils who display severe behavioural difficulties so that effective additional intervention can be put in place.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement, throughout the school, is too variable because the quality of teaching ranges from inadequate to good. Good teaching was evident in half of lessons seen.  Attainment is low because of the nature and severity of the pupils’ special educational needs.  School data show that pupils generally make expected progress over time in English and mathematics. The percentage of pupils who make good progress is improving and is higher in personal and social education than in English and mathematics.  In personal and social education, school data show that approximately two thirds of pupils achieve well. This is due to the development of personal and social skills being a high focus within the curriculum. In everything the pupils do there are high expectations regarding behaviour, taking turns and the importance of being considerate and respectful towards others.  The most recent assessment information shows that the proportion of pupils who make good

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

progress in mathematics is too low and this has been identified as an area where improvement is needed.  In English, just over half of the pupils achieve well. Teachers, learning support assistants, the speech and language therapists and the occupational therapist are all involved in improving pupils’ knowledge of letters and sounds and developing basic reading and writing skills. Reading is well focused on in many lessons. It was very apparent when pupils were observed listening to The Frog Prince that they adore listening to, and taking part in, stories they are told. During discussions, pupils of all ages said they loved reading and even the youngest pupils identified their favourite book. There is, however, no consistent system which shows that pupils take home reading books and have identified reading targets which they can work on in school and reinforce at home with their parents and carers.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Results show that the most recent Year 11 leavers achieved Entry Levels or Functional Skills accreditation in a range of subjects such as English, mathematics and design and technology. A small minority achieved Functional Skills in information and communication technology. A large majority achieved Entry Level physical education. All achieved places in either sixth forms or colleges.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 While there are some examples of good teaching, this is not yet a consistent feature of the school’s work and this lack of consistency is the reason why teaching requires improvement.  When teachers do not use assessment information accurately enough, learning is not good. At times, resources are not exciting and do not enthuse the pupils and this slows learning down. At other times, learning is not good because adults do not interact effectively with pupils by showing them what they need to do to improve their work.  Sometimes inappropriate resources are used and then learning is not good. For example, pupils were observed having great difficulty writing with pens that were too thin for them, whilst others needed their pencils sharpening. Resources used to reinforce and develop learning, for example in mathematics, do not always excite or enthuse the pupils.  The way adults manage challenging behaviour in lessons is usually good, but occasionally this is

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

not so and learning is disrupted. Pupils generally want to learn and were seen to be upset when poor behaviour interfered with their learning.  There are some good examples of teachers’ marking which informs pupils what they need to do to improve, but this is very inconsistent. Pupils have targets but these are rarely linked with any comments teachers make when they mark pupils’ work. The best teaching ensures that pupils learn well. The teacher regularly checks learning during the lesson and pupils are all actively involved in their learning. In a good literacy lesson, effective planning enabled a group of older boys to work well in mixed ability groups, focusing effectively on developing speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. Adults interacted sensitively to reinforce and extend learning. The boys spoke sensibly and with good understanding of what they were doing and, as a result, learning was good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaving appropriately is a high focus in all that the pupils do. Pupils generally respond well to the high expectations, from all staff, regarding behaviour. Procedures regarding behaviour are clearly understood by both adults and pupils. As a result, the school is generally a calm place to work and play.  Staff and the governing body work hard to ensure that the school is a safe place to be. Pupils are adamant that they feel safe and that adults would always help them if they had a problem. Older pupils know about different types of bullying and say they know they should always be kind towards each other. Pupils say that there is no bullying in this school and the lack of recorded incidents confirms this.  The few incidents of poor behaviour are always documented, but some lack detail and not all are recorded in the central incident book. Racist incidents are very rare because pupils are taught

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

effectively how to work and play together. Consequently, pupils from many different backgrounds get on well with each other.  Pupils who are known to have severe behavioural difficulties are usually well supported at all times. However, one or two incidents regarding physical attacks have occurred recently and the support for these pupils is not effectively monitored or good enough for their needs.  Pupils say they enjoy school and show good attitudes to learning. This is reflected in their good attendance.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Since the previous inspection, the headteacher, her senior leaders, staff and governors have worked closely and effectively to address the weaknesses identified. They have implemented some tighter monitoring systems to enable teachers to track the progress of pupils in their classes more securely and have encouraged strong expectations for the achievement pupils make.  Staff morale is high. There is a shared vision in this school and all staff are working together as an effective team to make the improvements needed. The school, because of its status, is not subject to local authority support.  Leadership and management require improvement. Although the focus on the management and monitoring of teaching and learning has resulted in some improvements in its quality, school data and inspection evidence clearly show that there is not enough good teaching within classes or across subject areas. Too much teaching requires improvement. There is no evidence of any

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The leadership and management requires improvement

outstanding teaching. The provision does not allow all pupils to make good progress, particularly in English and mathematics.  Staff have individual development plans. They are offered many opportunities to attend professional development courses run by the school and external courses and conferences. The new performance management cycle is not firmly in place yet but there are meetings planned with the governing body to get this organised this term.  The curriculum offers pupils many good experiences and promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively. All pupils have weekly sessions from specialists which focus on many areas such as speech and language, reading and writing, mathematics and art and design. The pupils, from a range of different backgrounds, are valued and cherished by staff. Different cultures are well focused on and all cultures are celebrated. The school strives to

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The leadership and management requires improvement

ensure there is no discrimination of any kind. All pupils begin to learn from an early age that they should try and get along with everyone. As a result, the learning environment is generally a calm environment conducive to learning.  Pupils have many opportunities to prepare them for life when they leave school. During lessons there is a good focus on developing life skills, for example in lessons such as Maths4Life. Older pupils have good opportunities to have a taster at work experience out in the local community. All Year 11 pupils have opportunities to take accredited courses in a range of subject areas to further their learning.  Many extra-curricular activities, including sporting activities, are offered which pupils say they really enjoy. Visits out to interesting places, such as museums, are arranged and pupils have good opportunities to learn to live alongside others during residential visits. Pupils speak with

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The leadership and management requires improvement

great enthusiasm about these. Pupils and parents are extremely positive about all aspects of the school’s work.  The governance of the school:  there have been many improvements in this area since the previous inspection. Key members of the governing body are now gaining more first hand information so are more able to inform decision making and develop their monitoring role  the governors have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, particularly in relation to how well pupils are achieving and the quality of teaching within the school. They know that more pupils are making better progress than previously and that the quality of teaching is far too variable  the governing body is well involved with school development planning and is now able to ask questions and support and challenge the school effectively because it has an accurate picture of the work of the school  safeguarding responsibilities are taken seriously, a risk register has been developed and

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The leadership and management requires improvement

statutory requirements are met ensuring that pupils work and play in a safe environment.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 135175 Local authority Hammersmith and Fulham Inspection number 406591

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Special School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 7-16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 46 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Randall Peterson Headteacher Sarah Jackson Date of previous school inspection 22-23 June 2011 Telephone number 020 77510914 Fax number 020 77510914 Email address s.jackson@parayhouse.com guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

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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School details

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

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