The Michael Tippett School

The Michael Tippett School Heron Road, Lambeth, London, SE24 0HZ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Students, including those in the sixth form, achieve well. This is especially so with their communication skills. Signing and symbols are used well to assist those students with no or limited verbal skills. Those with the potential to read are given good support to do so.  Teaching is effective because teachers use their specialist skills very effectively to meet the complex needs of each student.  Teachers, with the good support of assistants, successfully engage students in a wide range of learning activities. High-quality lesson planning ensures that work matches the individual needs of each student very well.  Robust behaviour management systems ensure that students’ behaviour and safety are monitored extremely carefully. Students develop increased independence in the management of their lives.  Effective leadership and management have not only tackled the weaknesses identified in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the previous inspection but have considerably improved teaching and students’ achievement. The governing body provides invaluable support and encouragement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The sixth form is good but the activities and courses offered mean that achievement and teaching are not quite as effective as elsewhere in the school. It does not always provide a full range of learning opportunities for these students.  Insufficient attention has been given to how students’ physical development could be advanced further. Staff and students do not always change for physical education lessons and playground equipment is minimal.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in eight lessons taught by eight teachers and undertook two learning walks where they sampled teaching and learning in a number of classes.  They held meetings with a group of pupils and members of staff. Meetings were also held with the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors looked at pupils’ work, teachers’ lesson plans and tracking data showing pupils’ progress.  School policies were sampled and the minutes of recent governing body meetings were reviewed.  The inspectors took account of responses from parents in a recent school survey of their views, but there were insufficient parental comments to activate the online Parent View survey.

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Inspection team

Charles Hackett, Lead inspector Additional inspector Kate Robertson Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The Michael Tippett School caters for students with a range of disabilities and special educational needs. There are students with profound and multiple learning difficulties and severe learning difficulties, including about 40 per cent who are also on the autistic spectrum. A third of students are recognised as having challenging behaviour.  An above average number of students are known to be eligible for free school meals and the pupil premium.  A much higher than average number of students come from minority ethnic groups.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Within the next financial year, increase the emphasis placed on supporting students’ physical development by: – ensuring that staff and students, where possible, dress appropriately for all physical education activities – increasing the range of physical equipment available in the playground, including providing more facilities that students using wheelchairs can access.  Over the current academic year improve the leadership and curriculum of the sixth form through:  extending the courses and activities offered to ensure that they give students increased opportunities to develop their skills for independent living  increasing the opportunities students have to take different forms of external accreditation.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students make good progress in lessons because of the excellent focus teachers put on linking the activities to the known ability levels of each student. Often students build up their skills in small steps in a sequence of lessons. This was seen in English where students with severe learning difficulties were beginning to understand the basis of a story.  Students with profound and multiple learning difficulties make good progress in becoming more aware of the environment around them, showing how they can respond to a range of different sounds, smells and pictures.  Students on the autistic spectrum are making good progress in interacting with each other. This was seen in lessons and at break times when some students chose either to pass or kick a ball to each other.  The school tracks students’ progress very carefully. The data collated from this show, that all students, including those in receipt of the pupil premium and from minority ethnic

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The achievement of pupils is good

groups, consistently make good progress. Where any start to falter, appropriate interventions are put in place. These have proved to be effective because last year almost all students made expected progress from their various starting points.  Progress is good in the sixth form, where students benefit from the consistently high quality of teaching in the school. The school, though, recognises that more could be done to provide a wider range of activities to develop students’ independence, as well as increasing opportunities to achieve external accreditation.  Not all students have the capacity to begin to read. However, many show an ability to recognise sounds and words through the consistent use of symbols throughout the school. Those students with the capacity to read are making good progress in reading short sentences and other students are developing their enjoyment of looking at books.  Students enjoy physical activities in lessons and at breaktimes. However, their progress is

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The achievement of pupils is good

reduced a little by the limited equipment, especially for those in wheelchairs, available on the playground.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Throughout the school the quality of teaching is good and there are examples of outstanding practice. All teachers have high expectations for all groups of students to achieve. In the sixth form, teaching does not always focus sufficiently on preparing students for independent living.  The teaching of physical education is less effective because staff, and students who are capable, do not dress appropriately. These are key reasons teaching is not outstanding overall.  A key factor in the success of teaching is the excellent planning of lessons. This ensures that activities are based around the individual needs of each student. The use of assessment strategies during lessons means that teachers are regularly checking on the progress of students.  Teachers use specialist skills and strategies very effectively to engage students in learning activities. For example, for those students with profound and multiple learning difficulties,

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The quality of teaching is good

an excellent sensory approach is taken to help them interact with the environment around them.  Students with very complex needs often require one-to-one teaching that is carefully matched to their previously recorded responses. In an example observed, the teacher, in a very calm and assured manner, used simple clear language and symbols to successfully guide a student to match labels to boxes containing different objects.  In all lessons, teachers and assistants put a very strong focus on communication. All students have communication passports and signing is used regularly and effectively to communicate with many students. Students themselves often make use of signing to make known their needs.  Teachers and teaching assistants work very effectively together. They benefit from a detailed knowledge of each student. Many examples were observed during the inspection of teaching assistants working very effectively with individuals or small groups of students.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The Michael Tippett School is a very safe environment. Behaviour and safety are exemplary because of the highly effective work and skills of its dedicated staff team.  Staff and pupils all have positive views about behaviour and safety in the school. Parents in a recent school survey reported that they had no concerns about behaviour and safety. There is no evidence of bullying and no reported incidents.  Students themselves have very positive attitudes to being in the school and taking part in learning in lessons. They clearly enjoy positive relationships with staff and relate extremely well to each other.  Students show an excellent understanding of the differing needs of others. This ensures that they are able to play inside and outside in a safe and secure environment. Those students diagnosed with challenging behaviour increasingly become more settled and fully engaged in activities.  Students enjoy taking on responsibilities which fully support their social and moral

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

development. A few students are given the role of prefect. Those spoken to stress that this means they are a helper for others. One student showed she understood this by escorting the inspector back to the headteacher’s office.  Staff use their considerable expertise to manage the complex needs of students, including those with the potential for challenging behaviour, extremely well. The leadership of this aspect of the school’s work is exemplary.  Behaviour management systems have been thought out extremely carefully. Risk assessments are made through monitoring each student very carefully, and individual behaviour and positive handling plans, when needed, are agreed with parents.  The attendance of students is very good and there are excellent arrangements to escort them in and out of school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Under its aspirational headteacher, the school has increased its effectiveness considerably since its previous inspection. Its aim is to be outstanding and the fact that it is almost there is a clear indication that leadership and management have had a very positive impact. Much has been done to develop the quality of teaching and learning. A rigorous performance management system has identified where staff need additional support. Weekly best practice workshops have been introduced and this has led to the consistent high standards across the school. The whole school approach to signing is an example of the effectiveness of this process.  Leadership within the school is distributed extremely effectively. This means that all staff have opportunities to contribute on working parties to different aspects of the school’s work.  Data collected on students’ achievements is used well to put in interventions where required

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The leadership and management are good

and contribute to the thorough ongoing self-evaluation processes. These are used well to establish clear priorities for further development.  The school gives high priority to safeguarding. Policies are appropriately reviewed regularly and the recruitment of staff is given very careful consideration.  The curriculum in the main school is well organised to address the varying needs of individuals and groups of students within the school and is well supported by enrichment activities, such as the opportunity students have to care for horses at a local stable. The curriculum in the sixth form, although having a good focus on developing students’ literacy and numeracy, has limited opportunities for extending students’ independence skills.  There is an excellent focus on students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, many opportunities exist for students to engage in aspects of the creative

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The leadership and management are good

arts. These include involvement in the London schools’ Shakespeare festival and whole school art projects that have created murals and sculptures.  Financial management is given very careful attention. Additional money provided through the pupil premium is being used well to purchase mobile computer tablets to support students’ communication and learning needs.  The local authority has provided the school with good support in monitoring and moderating their views on teaching and learning.  The governance of the school:  contributes positively to the aspirational vision the school has for its work  challenges and holds the school to account very effectively  ensures that finance is managed well and their all statutory duties are carried out well.

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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

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Grade Judgement Description

is 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 133442 Local authority Lambeth Inspection number 402576

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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 Community special Age range of pupils 11–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 64 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 23 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Helen Bembridge Headteacher Jan Stogdon Date of previous school inspection 9–10 February 2012 Telephone number 020 73265898 Fax number 020 73265899 Email address contact@tmts.lambeth.sch.uk 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,

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School details

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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School details

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

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