Include Suffolk

Include Suffolk Springvale Court, Hadleigh Road, Ipswich, IP8 3AS

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Overall effectiveness Good 2

Pupils’ achievement Good 2 Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Quality of curriculum Good 2 Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This school is good because

 Leadership and management are good. Leaders across all three sites are ensuring that all aspects of the school’s work are good.  Teaching is good on each site. Teachers use information about pupils’ attainment on entry to plan a variety of interesting lessons which re-engage pupils with learning so that they make good progress.  Activities are matched to pupils’ needs and resources are used well to ensure all pupils make good progress.  Pupils are well prepared for transfer to their primary schools. There is a strong emphasis on literacy, numeracy and personal, social and health education, enabling pupils to make good progress in these areas.  Pupils’ welfare, health and safety are promoted well across each site. This ensures good behaviour, good attendance and good personal development.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Reading and writing are not always promoted well enough across different subjects  Opportunities for pupils to use and apply their phonic (the sounds that letters make) skills in reading and spelling are limited

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 The school meets schedule 1 of The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010, as amended by The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection took place with one day’s notice. The inspector visited all three sites, in Lowestoft, Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds. Five lessons were observed across the three sites, taught by three teachers.  Pupils’ behaviour was observed in lessons and around the school.  The inspector looked at samples of pupils’ work and examined a range of documentation including attendance and admissions registers for each site, policies for safeguarding, and tracking of pupils’ progress.  The inspector took account of questionnaires returned by staff form the three sites. None was returned by the local authority. The inspector held telephone discussions with the proprietor, the local authority representative and a small number of parents.  The inspector held meetings with the Head of Include, the senior manager and the headteacher of Include Suffolk and the project managers of each site. The inspector met a

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Inspection team

Declan McCarthy, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Include Suffolk, which is part of Include, a national charity, is located on three sites within Suffolk, all of which are a long distance from each other. Each site is led by a project manager. Teaching is overseen on all three sites by a headteacher and a senior manager has overall responsibility for the Include provision in Suffolk.  This is the first inspection of this school which caters for day primary aged pupils. It is registered for up to 36 pupils aged 5 to 11 years with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) or autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).  Most pupils have been excluded from their previous schools with histories of disruption and poor attendance. Pupils attend on a full time basis, typically for up to three terms before returning to their mainstream schools. Most are re-integrated into primary schools after two terms.  Teaching is provided by project managers and teaching assistants at each site.

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Information about this school

 There are currently 19 pupils on roll most of whom have a statement of special educational needs. All pupils are funded by the local authority. Nearly all are of White British heritage.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching and raise pupils’ achievements by:  ensuring teachers use every opportunity to develop pupils’ reading and writing skills in different subjects  providing more opportunities for pupils to use their phonic skills for reading and spelling

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Pupils’ achievement is good. They enter school with attainment which is below average because of disruption to their previous education. They make good progress during their time in school because lesson tasks are matched precisely to their individual learning needs. Pupils make good progress towards their literacy and numeracy targets in their individual educational plans (IEPs). Pupils with autistic spectrum disorders make equally good progress as their classmates from their relative starting points. There are no significant differences in the progress of boys and girls or the progress of those who find learning difficult and those who are more able. As a result the gap in their attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is narrowing as staff ensure the barriers to pupils’ learning are overcome. In discussion, parents praised the school for enabling their children to make such good progress in the relatively short time they have been placed there. Nearly all

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Pupils’ achievement Good

pupils transfer successfully to mainstream schools, most within two terms, because staff liaise closely with the schools to support smooth transition. Pupils’ progress in matching letters to sounds (phonics) is adequate because there are a few missed opportunities to enable pupils to use these skills in reading and writing.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

Pupils’ behaviour and personal development are good. Pupils make good progress in improving their behaviour. Those with more challenging behaviour respond well to the consistent management of their behaviour by the effective use of the rewards and sanctions system together with praise and encouragement. Pupils quickly re-engage with learning because staff maintain very good relationships and provide good role models for pupils. Around the school, pupils’ behaviour is good. They are polite and courteous to visitors and most are proud to show what they have achieved. Pupils are developing a clear understanding of the different types of bullying, and there are very few incidents at any of the sites. Parents said that there were marked improvements in their child’s behaviour at the school and confirmed that their children are safe and very keen to attend school. This is reflected in their good attendance.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well across the school. Their good growth in confidence and self-esteem enables them to make good progress in learning and return to mainstream schools successfully. They learn about different world religions and celebrate world festivals such as Chinese New Year where they made lanterns and dragons. Well-planned visits to the local library and museums enable them to learn about public institutions. Pupils learn to respect the law through visits to the police station. They learn to listen and take turns through topic work and circle time. Staff ensure that when topical issues are discussed pupils are provided with alternative opinions to balance their views.

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Quality of teaching Good

The quality of teaching at all three sites is good and this has a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. Teachers and support staff work seamlessly together to provide an interesting range of learning activities, such as taking turns with pupils to make a spider’s web in circle time. This captivates pupils’ imagination and interest in learning. Teachers make good use of the information about pupils’ prior learning to plan sequences of lessons which build on and develop pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding. Staff take full account of the provision specified on each pupil’s statement of special educational needs in developing individual education plans. Every pupil is set a target in literacy, numeracy and personal development; and the progress each pupil makes towards their targets is checked and regularly reviewed with the parents. Teachers incorporate the methods, strategies and resources specified in pupils’ IEPs when planning lessons. As a result of

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Quality of teaching Good

this good planning, all pupils make good progress towards their IEP targets. Teachers accurately record gains in pupils’ attainments using National Curriculum levels, which facilitates smooth transfer to mainstream school. Teachers use questioning skilfully to deepen pupils’ thinking and make good use of resources, such as lap top computers to enable pupils, for example to research characters in Roald Dahl’s story of ‘James and The Giant Peach.’ Teachers ensure that the learning of all pupils is extended sufficiently. For example pupils’ mathematics books show that more able pupils were working on area and perimeter and had a good understanding of ratio and proportion while those who found learning more difficult were working on the properties of flat shapes and simple addition and subtraction. Pupils are given good feedback on their progress in lessons and when their books are marked. They are shown how to improve their work and are provided with

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Quality of teaching Good

regular homework to consolidate their learning.

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Quality of curriculum Good

The curriculum is good and is well matched to pupils’ individual needs. There is a strong emphasis on developing literacy and numeracy as seen in the targets written in IEPs, pupils’ individual timetables and in their work, although there are limited opportunities to develop pupils’ use of phonics for reading and spelling. Pupils follow a range of subjects within the National Curriculum which are adapted to their needs. For example they learn Spanish and compare Spanish schools with English Schools. In history they learn about the Victorians, and they look at different countries such as Kenya and South Africa in geography which promotes good cultural development. They develop their creativity through music, art and drama. The close match of the curriculum to that of mainstream schools ensures a smooth transfer for each pupil to their next school. Good links exist with outside professionals such as the Child and Mental Health Services and educational

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Quality of curriculum Good

psychologists who provide advice and support. This results in adaptations to the curriculum for pupils with particular needs, such as those with ASD, and ensures they access learning to make equally good progress as their classmates. A range of visits to local parks, shops and places of interest provide good opportunities to enrich learning.

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good

There are well-implemented policies and procedures in place across all three sites to ensure pupils’ welfare health and safety are good. All legal requirements to ensure pupils safety and wellbeing are met. Checks on the suitability of staff are implemented rigorously and details are recorded on the required single central register. Staff across the school are trained in child protection, behaviour management, and the use of physical intervention. The senior manager, the headteacher and project managers receive higher level training in safeguarding and liaise closely with the local safeguarding board to ensure they comply with local procedures. The policies and procedures for managing behaviour, including the development of individual behaviour plans, the systematic use of rewards and sanctions, and procedures for dealing with and preventing bullying, are implemented well. As a result pupils make good progress in controlling their own behaviour. All

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good

incidents of inappropriate or challenging behaviour are recorded accurately. The procedures for ensuring fire safety, through regular fire drills and testing of equipment, are thorough. The school ensures the safe use of computers and potential risks to pupils engaging in particular activities in school and on outside activities are regularly assessed. The first aid policy is implemented effectively with all accidental injuries recorded appropriately. Admissions and attendance registers across the school are completed accurately. Pupils stay fit and healthy through regular exercise and healthy eating.

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Leadership and management Good

Good leadership and management across all three sites by the headteacher and project managers, with good support from the senior manager, ensures that provision is good so that all pupils achieve well. Staff training and induction to develop their teaching and the curriculum, and for ensuring pupils are safe, are good. Pupils’ progress is checked regularly through lesson observations by the headteacher and in their books which are checked frequently by project managers. The headteacher and project managers ensure that staff meet regularly to discuss and record pupils’ progress. Staff morale is high, which is reflected in the strongly positive returns in their questionnaires. Parents praise the good communication with the school, particularly through the home school books and good opportunities for them to participate in annual reviews and reviews of IEP targets. They say that they receive good information from the school in the parent’s

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Leadership and management Good

pack and appreciate the good information they receive about their child’s progress in learning and in their behaviour and attendance in the termly reports.

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Leadership and management Good

The headteacher and senior manager have an accurate view of teaching based on regular monitoring of teaching and its impact on learning and progress. They use this information, together with monitoring of the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ learning and the impact of procedures for ensuring pupils’ safety and wellbeing on their behaviour and personal development, to accurately evaluate the school’s work and to set clear priorities for development. They receive good support and challenge from the Head of Include and from the proprietor, to ensure that all independent school standards are met. The school liaises regularly with the local authority to provide them with the required information about the pupils in the school. In discussion, the local authority praised the quality of the school’s work in returning almost all pupils successfully to mainstream schools where they retain their places over time. Good leadership and management

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Leadership and management Good

have therefore ensured the confidence of staff, parents and the local authority in promoting equality of opportunity, enabling all pupils to achieve well and stay safe. The premises and accommodation on each site provide a good standard of decoration and maintenance which ensures a healthy environment for pupils. The school’s complaints policy and procedures meet requirements.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding A school which provides an exceptional quality of education and significantly exceeds minimum requirements. Grade 2 Good A school which provides a high quality of education that exceeds minimum requirements. Grade 3 Adequate A school which meets minimum requirements but needs to improve the quality of education it provides. Grade 4 Inadequate A school where minimum requirements are not met and/or the quality of education has serious weaknesses.

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School details

Unique reference number 138877 Inspection number 422835 DfE registration number 999/1221 This inspection was carried out under section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school. Type of school Day Special School School status Independent School Age range of pupils 5–11 years Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 19 Number of part time pupils none Proprietor Include (a subsidiary charity of CfBT Education Trust) Chair Carol Glover Headteacher Denise Cooper Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Annual fees (day pupils) £18,500 Telephone number 01473 232211 Fax number 01473 232211 Email address ldalgleish@cfbt.com guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If

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School details

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School details

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School details

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School details

inspects to 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

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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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