Moorlands View School

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 Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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This school is good because

 The excellent provision to secure pupils’ welfare, health and safety means that they are able to focus well on learning.  Pupils make good academic and personal progress from their individual starting points, and achieve well.  Teachers use their detailed knowledge of pupils’ interests, aptitudes and learning styles to good effect, ensuring that lessons run smoothly and purposefully.  Pupils say that they enjoy school. They behave well, try hard and show respect for other people.  Good quality leadership and management ensure that the school is a vibrant, constantly evolving place in which to learn. The provision to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development has improved since the previous inspection and is now good.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Teachers do not make the best use of planning and the marking of work, to enable pupils to make even better progress.  The school is at an early stage in adapting the provision for information and communication technology (ICT) so that it best suits pupils’ needs.  School development planning does not provide clear, measurable targets that outline the intended impact that actions should have on pupils’ achievement and well-being.

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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 was carried out with one day’s notice.  The inspector observed five lessons taught by three different teachers. She also observed the pupils’ end-of-day review period and spoke informally with pupils. She held meetings with school staff and senior managers representing the proprietor.  The inspector scrutinised pupils’ work and a range of school documents. These included records of pupils’ progress and attainment; schemes of work and teachers’ planning; school self-evaluation and development planning; policies and procedures relating to students’ health, welfare and safety, including safeguarding.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View). The inspector analysed responses to three staff questionnaires.  As part of the inspection, the inspector considered the school’s request for a material change to increase: the registered numbers from 12 to 24 pupils; and the age-range of pupils to

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Inspection team

Sarah Drake, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The school opened in April 1999. In August 2008 it joined Keys Childcare Limited, which owns a number of other schools in England.  It is a small independent special school which is registered for up to 12 pupils, aged from 11 to 16 years, who have significant behavioural, social and emotional difficulties. Some pupils have mental health and associated learning difficulties.  Currently, there are three pupils on roll, all of whom are in Key Stage 4. All the pupils are looked after by local authorities and live in residential provision owned by Keys Childcare Limited. Two pupils have statements of special educational needs.  The school aims ‘to provide a caring and stimulating environment where every child matters’. It has no religious affiliation.  The school was last inspected in May 2010.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In order to improve the quality of teaching to outstanding, provide staff with further training, particularly related to making the most of lesson planning and the marking of pupils’ work to ensure that pupils are clear about their individual learning targets and next steps.  Fully embed the recently implemented accredited course in ICT to enhance pupils’ achievement in this subject.  Improve the school’s development planning so that it provides a clear focus on enhancing the provision and outcomes for pupils.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Pupils achieve well at Moorlands View. This is because the quality of teaching and the curriculum are good, and the high quality provision for welfare, health and safety creates a nurturing environment in which pupils thrive. Achievement is good for all pupils because the provision is equally well adapted to their needs. This includes girls, boys, looked after pupils and those with statements of special educational needs.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Most pupils join the school after significant periods of non-attendance elsewhere and so, typically, they are working at levels well below those achieved nationally by pupils of a similar age. In recent years a good number of pupils have achieved GCSEs in English and mathematics and all those leaving Year 11 have achieved at least Entry Level qualifications in English, mathematics or science. All Year 11 leavers transferred to college or to work placements. This represents good achievement.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Current pupils’ work is almost unfailingly well presented, with generally accurate spelling and use of grammar. Pupils read aloud with reasonable fluency and can break down unknown words, such as ‘igneous’ or ‘distributing’, to ensure accurate pronunciation. They can skim a text competently to extract key messages to support their learning. Pupils can accurately use the four mathematical functions and plot coordinates on a graph. They can word-process and create simple spreadsheets and power-point presentations, using ICT.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

Pupils’ good behaviour and personal development make a positive contribution to both the quality of their learning and their good achievement. All staff are highly skilled at deflecting potential outbursts or non-cooperation on the part of pupils, and also at recapturing the focus of those whose concentration wavers. This creates a positive learning environment. Relationships are good. Pupils treat each other, staff and visitors with respect and clearly want to please their teachers. They increasingly recognise their own flash-points and manage to contain anger. Over the past three years, the number of recorded behaviour incidents has reduced markedly. There have been no exclusions. Attendance has improved significantly this year and is currently good, although pupils are not always punctual in the morning.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

The school’s good promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is threaded throughout its work and underpins the evident improvements in their personal development over time. Pupils enjoy school and are generous fund-raisers for charity. A wealth of visits and visitors, for example to a Hindu centre or to the local animal sanctuary, broadens pupils’ experience of different cultures and the richness of life. Different festivals, such as Chinese New Year and Rosh Hashanah, are celebrated. Displays of pupils’ work, such as working clocks representing ‘time around the world’, or a 3D model and writing about the destruction of New York’s twin towers, demonstrate how the school widens pupils’ horizons. In one lesson pupils vividly expressed their understanding of life in the trenches during the First World War. They also showed their good awareness of the different types of bullying, and their certainty that all types are ‘as bad as each

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

other’. Pupils have a general knowledge of both local and national public services and institutions in England, and have recently used their understanding of consumer rights to obtain a refund from a supermarket for a faulty product.

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Quality of teaching Good

The quality of teaching is consistently good. Teachers’ in-depth understanding of individuals’ preferred ways of learning underpins their skilful management of pupils and leads to their good achievement. Teachers prepare their lessons well, ensuring that resources are to hand and that the variety of activities helps pupils to sustain their concentration. For example, in a citizenship lesson, pupils moved from the classroom to the ICT room in order to research information about local government, providing an opportunity for them to stretch their legs and refocus their attention. Throughout lessons, teachers also capitalise on opportunities to make links between subjects. For example, the text in a lesson about punctuation confirmed the importance of preparing for the future, whereas a geography lesson about rocks led to a lively discussion about the spelling of ‘tor’. Good use of humour, such as a hint about a parrot flying to help pupils’ recall of the word

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Quality of teaching Good

‘polygon’, combined with a good pace, keeps lessons lively and motivates pupils to want to learn.

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Quality of teaching Good

Teachers display the learning objectives and key words for each lesson on the whiteboard so that pupils are clear about its purpose. They also use whiteboards well to, for example, record important points or demonstrate mathematical concepts, thereby extending pupils’ understanding of general learning skills such as the use of bullet points and spider charts. In a badminton lesson, the teacher used his strong subject knowledge well to provide precise, technical input and to increase the level of challenge for the pupil who, consequently, worked hard and achieved well. Teachers’ lesson planning identifies the broad learning objectives and outcomes, with individualised behavioural targets for pupils, but it does not always identify individualised learning outcomes and these are not shared with pupils. Teachers monitor pupils’ work well throughout lessons, to ensure that they are working purposefully and accurately, and they mark it regularly.

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Quality of teaching Good

However, they do not yet use either planning or marking to the very best effect in order to identify precisely pupils’ strengths in different subjects and the next areas on which they should concentrate.

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Quality of curriculum Good

The well-planned curriculum has a good impact on pupils’ learning and achievement. This is because it places a good emphasis on developing pupils’ basic literacy, communication and numeracy skills as well as their personal, social, health and citizenship education. It is enhanced by visits and visitors and provides good opportunities for practical learning through a good range of different areas of design technology. It clearly outlines opportunities for pupils to build on their previous learning and enables them to gain accreditations whenever internal assessments of their progress indicate that they are ready. The curriculum caters well for those who have statements of special educational needs. It provides comprehensive careers advice and opportunities for work experience. The school is at an early stage of implementing, and providing relevant staff training for, a new course in ICT which is designed to better suit pupils’ needs and provide them with more

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Quality of curriculum Good

comprehensive skills in this area to support their future lives.

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Quality of curriculum Good

The provision to support pupils’ personal development is particularly strong. Much attention is paid to broadening pupils’ understanding of how to keep themselves safe in a wide range of situations, such as when using electronic communications or when encountering drugs and alcohol. As well as discrete lessons, education about how to develop good, safe relationships permeates many discussions and is promoted by displays throughout the building. Review sessions at the end of each day confirm the school’s expectations, help pupils to recall what they have learnt and also provide useful opportunities for them to reflect on what they have done well or could do better.

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Outstanding

High quality action to ensure pupils’ welfare, health and safety provides the cornerstone on which the school’s success lies. All staff are exceptionally skilled at balancing empathy for pupils’ vulnerabilities with the provision of a clear structure of expectations, rewards and sanctions. Meticulous attention to the identification and eradication of health and safety risks, including fire safety, drills and appliance checks, ensures that the school is a safe place in which to learn. The completion of checks to determine the suitability of staff to work with children is first class and clearly recorded. Staff supervise pupils at all times, without seeming to be oppressive or distrusting. They are trained to appropriate levels in child protection and safeguarding, as well as in other areas such as first aid and food hygiene, and they put the training into highly effective daily practice. Bullying is non-existent in the school and pupils are adamant that they feel safe

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Outstanding

there. The words of a past pupil vividly demonstrate the quality of the school’s strengths in this area. ‘From a nasty person, I became a successful young adult, thriving in the world. I now have a job, my own home and can cope with everyday tasks.’

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Leadership and management Good

Good quality leadership and management by a stable leadership team has ensured that the school continues to enable pupils to achieve well both academically and personally. The quality of both the curriculum and of pupils’ welfare, health and safety has improved since the previous inspection. Leaders regularly observe teaching and provide clear guidance for improvement, together with well-directed praise. However, staff have too few opportunities for training designed to increase the effectiveness of their teaching skills. This is particularly important in a school with few teaching staff.

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Leadership and management Good

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaker areas and are very open and responsive to constructive discussion. However, the school development plan does not focus with sufficient precision on the intended impact that actions should have on improving outcomes for pupils. The proprietor provides strong advice, back-up and administrative support for the school, and its representatives are judicious about unnecessary interference.

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Leadership and management Good

The proprietor has successfully ensured that all statutory regulations are met. The premises are well maintained and suitable to accommodate the numbers of pupils and the teaching of the full range of subjects. The school makes sure that all the required information is available for carers, and provides a useful, user-friendly booklet to help with pupils’ transition into the school. The policy and procedures for handling complaints meet requirements.

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Leadership and management Good

As part of the inspection, the inspector gained evidence to evaluate the request for a material change to the numbers and age range of pupils for which the school is registered. The evidence confirms that the material change should be recommended. The school is suitable in all respects to be registered to take up to a maximum of 24 pupils; provide education for pupils aged between seven and 16 years.

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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 132079 Inspection number 420340 DfE registration number 888/6046 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 Special School status Independent School Age range of pupils 11–16 years Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 3 Number of part time pupils 0 Proprietor Keys Childcare Limited Headteacher Wayne Carradice Date of previous school inspection 19 May 2010 guidance 'Complaining about inspections', 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.

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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

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

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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