Warmley Park School

Warmley Park School Tower Road North, Warmley, Bristol, BS30 8XL

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  All groups of pupils achieve well during their time at the school. Their achievement in communication, reading, numeracy and in their personal development is good.  Sixth-form pupils make good progress and achieve well on their accredited courses.  Teaching is good, which means that most pupils make at least the progress expected of them. Where teaching is most effective, pupils are challenged so that they work quickly and extend their skills.  Parents and carers rightly say that the school keeps their children safe. Behaviour is good and pupils say that there is no bullying at the school. Attendance has improved over the past three years.  Pupils receive good-quality care and support, benefiting from effective integrated therapies which support their health and well-being.  A good range of experiences for all groups of pupils promotes their strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

enjoyment of learning.  The new headteacher has made an effective start to her role and has a clear vision for the future. Senior managers have an accurate view of the school’s performance and good outcomes have been maintained since the last inspection.  Efficient planning by the governing body means money is spent well for the benefit of all groups of pupils, including those who are known to be eligible for premium funding.  Good-quality training shows that there is a strong focus on managing and improving the performance of all staff.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding because of inconsistencies in the use of communication aids for pupils with profound learning difficulties and because the pace of learning in a few lessons is too slow.  The sixth-form pupils do not have enough opportunities to socialise with each other or develop their independence skills because of the lack of appropriate provision.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 16 lessons, most jointly with the senior leaders. In addition, the inspectors made a few shorter visits to observe pupils’ learning, and listened to some pupils read.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders and managers, other staff, members of the governing body, a local authority representative, and a parent. Inspectors also spoke to different groups of students.  The inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information about pupils’ progress, planning and monitoring documents, safeguarding information and pupils’ books and files.  Inspectors took account of the 23 responses to the online survey (Parent View). Inspectors also took account of 47 responses to the staff inspection questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Denise Morris, Lead inspector Clive Robson

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Information about this school

 This is an all-age special school for pupils with severe or profound and multiple learning difficulties. About a third of pupils have additional autism spectrum disorders. A few also have hearing or visual impairments or physical disabilities. All pupils have a statement of educational needs.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding for those known to be eligible for free school meals, those looked after by the local authority and those from service families) is high. A few students are in the care of the local authority.  Almost all pupils are White British and none speaks English as an additional language. There are far more boys than girls.  The headteacher and the deputy headteacher are new to their roles this term.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the pace of learning further for all groups of pupils by:  ensuring that teachers plan sufficient tasks to engage pupils in learning for the whole lesson  making sure that those who use alternative forms of communication have these aids with them at all times so that they can always make choices, let their needs be known and communicate with others.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve classroom accommodation in the sixth form so that pupils have more opportunities to socialise with each other and develop their independence skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good, resulting in the vast majority of pupils making at least the progress expected of them in their communication, literacy and numeracy skills and in their personal development.  Just occasionally, in a few lessons the pace of pupils’ learning is too slow because not enough tasks are provided during their lesson.  Progress in reading for the higher-ability pupils is good. They showed this by eagerly reading to the inspectors. Their good use of a phonics (letters and sounds) approach ensured that they could identify and read new words accurately and understand what they were reading.  Most pupils achieve well in numeracy because of the practical tasks that they very much enjoy. For example, they regularly use toys or real objects such as fruit to count to five or ten and benefit from daily opportunities to count different objects and solve simple problems.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage get off to a good start to their education with their

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The achievement of pupils is good

older peers in Years 1 and 2. They benefit from good-quality outdoor play areas, including access to ‘forest school’ which enables them to explore their surroundings and develop their social and physical abilities well.  Pupils in Years 10 and 11 achieve well on their ‘Transition Challenge’ course that prepares them well for life in the sixth form.  Older pupils in the sixth form attain good accreditation on their Award Scheme Development Accreditation Network (ASDAN) courses. They have some exciting opportunities to engage in local work-related experiences such as in libraries, nurseries, school kitchens and offices. Their school accommodation is limited, however, and does not provide them with a common room or sufficient space to socialise with each other and improve their independence.  The effective use of visual timetables and structured tasks for pupils with autism spectrum disorders ensures that they make good gains in their learning and know what is expected of

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The achievement of pupils is good

them. As a result, they are able to take part fully in learning.  Those with profound and multiple learning difficulties make similarly good progress in lessons and most benefit from high-quality interaction through their communication aids. Just occasionally a few of these pupils do not have their communication aids in classrooms or when they are moving around the school or outside. This results in them being unable to respond to a question and limits the quality of their learning.  There are no differences in the school’s own data about the achievements of different groups of pupils. This data has been externally moderated and shows that all groups achieve equally well.  Those known to be eligible for additional funding (known as the pupil premium) achieve as well as other pupils because the extra funding is used to provide additional resources and activities and to employ additional support to meet these pupils’ needs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Parents and carers are rightly very pleased with their children’s progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers know pupils well and relationships are extremely positive. Lessons are mostly well planned and the good use of signs and/or symbols in lessons ensures that the majority of pupils understand what is expected.  Reading is taught well to the higher-attaining pupils and shows that staff have been well trained in the teaching of phonics. As a result, pupils who read to the inspectors were able to recognise and name letter sounds accurately as they looked through their books.  Pupils in Years 4 to 6 benefitted from some outstanding teaching in mathematics which extended their knowledge of numbers and enabled them to work things out for themselves. Because of high levels of challenge they showed that they could quickly make a tower using 20 cubes and could find numbers up to 35 because individual work cards ensured that each pupil achieved at their own level.  Teachers make use of many different approaches to enable the best possible outcomes for

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils. In a younger class for pupils with severe or profound learning difficulties, effective tactile approaches, including the use of spaghetti, were used to enable pupils to feel the shape of different letters so that several could recognise their own letter name.  Questioning is used well to encourage communication but occasionally there is too much teacher-talk and not enough opportunity for pupils to respond or talk to each other. At these times the pace of pupils’ learning dips and they do not complete enough tasks in the time allowed.  Teachers challenge pupils well and provide good-quality feedback which helps pupils to know what they need to do next and to build on their skills. This was evident in the sixth form, where students were learning how to ask for help. They were highly motivated by role-play activities and really enjoyed their chance to ‘be the teacher’ in a question-and-answer session.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Frequent assessment of pupils’ skills enables older pupils in particular to be involved in planning their next steps.  Teaching assistants make a positive contribution to pupils’ learning because they encourage communication, support reading, promote interaction and show pupils how to do tasks or record outcomes of their learning.  Teachers are skilled in the use of a wide range of communication aids but they do not all ensure that these are always available to pupils, especially outside the classrooms. This limits some pupils’ opportunities to join in with conversations.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have positive attitudes to school and really enjoy coming. This is clearly evident in their rising attendance and their trust in staff. In discussion with an inspector pupils said they knew who to talk to if they had a problem.  Behaviour across the school is good. All groups of pupils do their best to behave well. They know and understand the school rules and know what is expected of them. No evidence of learning being disrupted by the poor behaviour of pupils was observed, although a few become restless when they do not have enough tasks to keep them interested. There are some examples of marked improvement over time by a few pupils with particular behaviour needs because of consistent monitoring and support and close links with external services. Effective behaviour management training for staff has resulted in a calm atmosphere and few exclusions.  No bullying was seen during the inspection and older pupils say that there is no bullying at the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

school. Records confirm this and parents agree.  In discussion pupils told inspectors that they feel safe at school and that there is always someone to help them. Older pupils are aware of how to keep themselves safe.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well promoted through the strong curriculum. Trips into the local community, involvement in local activities, residential experiences, taking part in national challenges such as ‘Ten Tors’ and working in local businesses all help to prepare pupils well for their futures.  Good opportunities to undertake ‘taster courses’ at local colleges help those in the sixth form to make decisions about their futures and extend their awareness of the wider world.

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The leadership and management are good

 The new headteacher, with the support of other senior managers and the governing body, has got off to a quick start and has high aspirations for the future of the school.  Leaders have successfully made use of the national ‘Teachers’ Standards’ to maintain good teaching, and have provided high-quality training for all staff so that they can progress and seek promotion.  There are clear examples at the school of how staff have been promoted because of the effective training that they have received. Teaching assistants, for example, have become qualified teachers.  Performance is well monitored and this has resulted in a clear view by senior staff and governors of how well the school is doing. It has also ensured that most pupils make at least the progress expected of them, and many make better-than-expected progress  There is a positive partnership between the school and the local authority. Effective support is

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The leadership and management are good

provided to the school and this ensures that there is specific help in identifying what is working well and what needs improving and in providing training for staff.  Sixth-form leaders recognise that there are weaknesses in the provision which impact on students’ social skills and they are working closely with the local authority to plan improvements to the building.  There is effective leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage, resulting in the good use of data and some high-quality learning records that show many successes in pupils’ achievements.  The school promotes positive relationships with parents, local schools, support agencies and a range of work-related providers. Links with other similar schools have enabled leaders to more accurately measure progress over the past few years.  Leaders make sure that all pupils have equal opportunities, as demonstrated by the high proportion of pupils who benefit from individual support so that they are all able to make equally

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The leadership and management are good

good progress.  Safeguarding procedures fully meet requirements.  The governance of the school:  The governing body provides good direction to the school, promoting a positive climate in which pupils thrive. Governors regularly check the school’s strengths and weaknesses through their regular visits and updates and through discussions with leaders. They know about the quality of teaching and achievement and fully recognise the issues from this report. Governors understand their role in managing the performance of staff and they make sure that there are sufficient funds to provide the training needed to ensure that teaching continues to improve. They manage the school’s finances well and make sure that money allocated to support pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is used effectively for the benefit of those pupils. Governors make sure that good teachers and staff are rewarded through the school’s performance

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The leadership and management are good

management structure and that any underperformance is improved through additional support and training.

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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 109403 Local authority South Gloucestershire Inspection number 426707

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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 4–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 121 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 27 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Daniel Wood Headteacher Lisa Parker Date of previous school inspection November 2010 Telephone number 01454 867272

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School details

Email address school@warmleyparkschool.org.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, 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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