Sherwood Foundation School

Sherwood Park School Streeters Lane, Wallington, Surrey, SM6 7NP

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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.  From their low entry points on admission to the school, pupils make good progress so that by the time they are ready to leave, they are very well prepared for the next phase of their lives and education.  Students in the sixth form achieve well and make good progress.  Teaching is usually good and some is outstanding. A small amount of teaching requires improvement including teaching in a class for the youngest children.  In the majority of lessons, teachers' planning is closely matched to the needs of their pupils and they regularly check on how well each one is doing.  School leaders have developed robust systems which provide them with good information about their school’s strengths and weaknesses. They produce effective plans for improvement based on their observations  Governors are very knowledgeable about the school because they monitor its work regularly by means of visits, linking with classes and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

hearing reports from senior leaders and other staff.  In school and when out on visits, pupils behave very well. They say that they feel safe at school and they are respectful of each other's needs and polite to visitors.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers and their assistants do not always use signing and visual prompts to the very best effect to ensure that pupils always understand what they are being asked to do.  In a very few lessons, teachers do not organise their support and questioning of pupils so as to get the very best from everyone. In these lessons, pupils are not consistently given enough opportunities to learn independently.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 13 lessons taught by 13 teachers three of whom are newly qualified teachers. This amounted to five hours spent in classrooms Senior leaders joined inspectors on four occasions to carry out joint observations. Inspectors sat with pupils at lunchtime to talk with them about their school, and spent time in the playground during morning break.  Discussions were held with two members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and with school leaders. The views of the 61 members of staff who completed questionnaires were evaluated.  The views of the 11 parents who completed the on-line Parent View questionnaire were scrutinised, as well as evidence about the views of parents gathered by the school. Two parents visited the school to meet an inspector, one of whom is a parent governor.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ workbooks and files. A meeting was held with pupils to discuss their

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Information about this inspection

achievements. Inspectors listened to pupils read in class and in the school library.  A number of school documents were looked at, including those relating to pupils’ safety and well-being and records of how the school checks its own performance and makes plans for improvement.

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Inspection team

Bob Pugh, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Debby McCarthy Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school provides for pupils whose learning difficulties range from severe to profound and multiple. A number of pupils have physical disabilities and a growing proportion have complex medical conditions. All have a statement of special educational needs.  Almost all pupils come to school from the London Borough of Sutton, with a very few travelling in each day from surrounding districts.  Nearly half of all pupils on roll are entitled to receive the pupil premium, which provides additional support for those in the care of the local authority, those with families in the services or those who are known to be entitled to free school meals. This is much higher than the national average.  Just over one third of pupils come from backgrounds which are other than White British. A slightly lower proportion do not have English as their first language at home.  There is a comprehensive range of clubs and activities available to pupils at lunchtime and after

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Information about this school

school. Some of these are led by specialist coaches and instructors.  The school links up with local further education colleges and employers to provide community- based learning activities for its sixth form students.  There are also well-established links with other schools in the area and overseas.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Drive up the standard of teaching so that it is never less than good and a higher proportion is outstanding by  ensuring that teachers and their assistants are more consistent in their use of sign and visual prompts so that all pupils always understand exactly what is required of them in every lesson  making sure that in all lessons, teachers plan so that resources are well organised in order that all pupils, including the very youngest children, always have the best opportunities for achieving as much as possible.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good gains from their starting points on admission to the school. During the time they are at the school, they do at least as well as those with similar needs in other schools, they reach challenging targets and in some cases they exceed national expectations.  There are no differences in rates of progress amongst different groups at the school. Pupils who are entitled to receive the pupil premium make similar gains over time in class and when they participate in the activities made available in lunchtime and after-school clubs. Specialist resources and additional teaching time have been purchased to help these pupils to do as well as they can.  Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and speaking and listening is good. Every pupil who attended the highly effective additional daily literacy and numeracy sessions met or exceeded their learning target last year.  Pupils work hard to achieve the goals set out in their personal learning plans, which are agreed

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The achievement of pupils is good

by teachers, parents and, in as many cases as possible, by the pupils themselves. During a very effective mathematics lesson, pupils concentrated well on individual learning tasks, asked very sensible questions about how to do better, and, in their very small teaching groups, used excellent strategies such as finger counting and mental calculation to work out the right answer to a problem. As a result, they made excellent progress.  By the time they reach the sixth form, students have begun to follow programmes which will lead to nationally recognised awards such as Entry Level and ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) and Equals Moving On. As a result, they are very well prepared for the move to college, where many students gain further qualifications.  Pupils are particularly proud of their achievements in sport, arts and crafts and in music and performance. They are keen participants in the well-organised clubs and activities and often

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The achievement of pupils is good

compete with great success against other schools in sports tournaments such as the Panathlon Challenge. Visiting artists inspire them to work hard to produce interesting art work, some of which is regularly displayed at local galleries.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching at the school is good and sometimes it is outstanding. A small amount of teaching requires improvement, especially in the class for the very young children and for those who have the most profound learning difficulties. In the best lessons, teachers realise their high expectations that everyone will work hard and produce their very best.  In an excellent science lesson, pupils were able to use a variety of light sources, including everyday objects as well as the interactive whiteboard, to produce shadows of different shapes and sizes. Everyone demonstrated real delight when they succeeded in making patterns. They were confident about what they had to do because the teacher had planned the lesson so well and prepared lots of stimulating examples which captured pupils’ imaginations. The amount of support needed and the resources to be used were perfectly matched to the learning needs of

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The quality of teaching is good

each individual.  Teaching is less effective when there is too much emphasis on whole-class learning. In these lessons, time is not so well used and resources and support are not organised in such a way as to expand upon pupils’ good ideas.  Good teaching in the sixth form means that students are very well prepared for the next phase of their lives. For example, students learn how to use public transport safely, which means that they have more opportunities for being independent and making their own choices.  In almost all lessons, teachers record pupils’ achievements regularly and accurately, by asking questions and shaping the next part of the learning according to their responses. Teachers ensure that there is good information about how much has been learned and what remains to be done, in well-organised personal files.  Whilst signing and visual prompts are very often used to improve pupils’ understanding, there is

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The quality of teaching is good

a lack of consistency within lessons and activities. For example, in a whole-school assembly, some teachers used sign to ensure that each pupil had the best chance of understanding what was being said. However, there were missed opportunities for including everyone because other teachers relied totally on verbal communication.  On a very few occasions, too much is done for pupils. In these lessons, they do not have sufficient opportunities for making choices and learning from their successes and mistakes.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are keen to learn in almost all lessons and this has a good impact on the progress they make. Because they are so positive, they work very well in small groups and as independent learners. They answer questions and respond quickly to the requests made of them and the advice they are given.  The school site is safe and secure and there is a very positive atmosphere at all times. Everyone is polite and friendly and lessons are very rarely disrupted by difficult behaviour. Bullying of any kind is virtually unheard of and pupils say they feel very safe at school. Parents agree that staff work hard to keep everyone as safe as possible.  In ICT (information and communication technology) lessons, pupils learn to be alert to dangers when using the internet. In ‘skills for living’ lessons, they are encouraged to discuss any concerns about their own safety.  Students in the sixth form behave exceptionally well in school and at the various community-

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

based facilities and colleges which they attend. As a result, there are very positive relations between the school and local community organisations.  The good behaviour seen in lessons is also apparent in the playground and in the dining room. Pupils play well together and they help each other at lunchtime. They show a keen interest in visitors and are eager to talk about the things they have done during the day.  Pupils are positive about the achievements of others. During an assembly, they looked at work completed by different classes, applauding and cheering as other pupils showed off what they had produced.  Pupils who require a great deal of support to behave well when they first arrive at school often learn to manage more independently as they get older. This is because highly personalised planning by staff captures their interest and attention, and they want to participate in everything on offer.

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The leadership and management are good

 There is a strong sense of ambition amongst leaders and managers at all levels, including governors. Their skill at recognising the strengths of their school has led to effective teachers being appropriately rewarded and promoted. They have acted quickly and productively whenever they have detected that an area of the school needs to do better.  A good example of this can be seen in the current improvement programmes which school leaders are implementing to strengthen teaching in classes for younger children.  Teachers are full of praise for school leaders’ attention to detail when improvement targets are set for them in the effective performance management programmes. All staff speak highly of the opportunities provided for improving their skills through the focused professional development programmes.  School leaders have worked hard to improve the curriculum so that it closely matches the current and future living needs of all pupils. Every pupil has an equal opportunity to use all the

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The leadership and management are good

available resources to do well. The breadth of learning activities available during the school day and beyond means that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is particularly well addressed.  Parents and carers express a high level of trust in the school. One described it as an ‘absolute godsend’. They correctly believe that school leaders do all that they can to ensure that their children are as safe as they can be and that their children are prepared well for the future. All statutory requirements for keeping pupils safe are in place.  The local authority now provides ‘light touch’ support for the school.  The governance of the school:  Governance is strong because governors have improved their own systems for measuring how well pupils are doing. They challenge school leaders by asking searching questions, following their visits to the school or when they have heard reports from staff. They have used to great

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The leadership and management are good

effect the additional funding made available to improve the performance of younger pupils in physical education by purchasing specialist sports coaching time. They have an accurate understanding of the positive impact of pupil premium expenditure on standards for those entitled to receive it.

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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 103025 Local authority Sutton Inspection number 425485

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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 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 79 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 18 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Mavis Peart OBE Headteacher Mrs Ann Nanasi Date of previous school inspection 12−13 October 2010 Telephone number 020 8773 9930 Fax number 020 8773 7340 Email address sherwoodpark@suttonlea.org 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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