Slated Row School

Slated Row School Old Wolverton Road, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, MK12 5NJ

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Excellent leadership and management by the headteacher and senior team, together with the consistent commitment and teamwork of staff and governors, have resulted in Slated Row sustaining, building and improving on its outstanding achievements since its previous inspection.  Teaching is inspirational. Teachers and support staff have an excellent understanding of their pupils’ needs, adapting activities extremely effectively to enable each pupil to make the best possible progress.  Pupils achieve consistently well in all areas of the curriculum. The school provides an excellent range of experiences and does much to support pupils’ outstanding development.  Extra-curricular activities are rich and varied. They include sports and arts, and make an excellent contribution to pupils’ physical and emotional well-being.  Pupils greatly enjoy school and make every effort to attend regularly. Together with staff,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

they have high expectations for themselves and relationships are outstanding. Pupils feel safe and secure which has a very positive impact on their behaviour, which is impeccable.  The sixth form is outstanding. Students make excellent progress in developing independence and a wide range of skills that prepare them very well for life when they leave school.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make outstanding progress in their personal development, and in their language and communication skills.  Governors are very well informed about the progress of pupils and standards of teaching. They are regularly involved in the life of the school and provide excellent support and challenge, based on a very detailed knowledge of the school’s workings.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 24 lessons, 14 of which were undertaken jointly with members of the senior leadership team. An additional learning tour examined the quality of pupils’ work on display across the school.  The inspection team listened to pupils from Key Stage 2 read, focused on the teaching of phonics (letters and sounds) in Key Stage 1 and examined the quality of work in the books of pupils from across the school, discussing their views of their learning and progress.  A meeting was held with a group of pupils from the secondary department and the sixth form to discuss their views on the school and the progress they make.  A meeting was held with the local authority’s School Improvement Partner and a group of governors to discuss school effectiveness.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation including information on the tracking of pupils’ achievement, self-evaluation and school improvement planning, governance, key policies and

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Information about this inspection

procedures, including those for safeguarding.  The 28 online responses on Parent View were taken into account, as were the many letters and notes sent to the school from parents and carers providing feedback and views on their child’s progress and well-being. Inspectors also analysed the 41 staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Lynda Morgan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Peter Lawley Additional Inspector Lynne Thorogood Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Slated Row School makes provision for pupils who have statements of educational needs for moderate learning difficulties with additional complex needs, which include severe learning difficulties; autistic spectrum disorders; behaviour, emotional and social difficulties; and speech, language and communication needs.  The school has an increasing roll. Many pupils have experienced difficulties and disruptions in their education prior to joining the school.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is well above average. The pupil premium is additional funding which, in this school, is for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children that are looked after by the local authority.  The school uses Moulton College and Milton Keynes College to offer vocational courses for older students to enhance provision.  The headteacher is a National Leader of Education and there are three Specialist Leaders in

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Information about this school

Education in the school. Support and training is provided by the school to share best practice to its many partners in both special and mainstream schools, regionally and nationally.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Extend best practice in the school by giving parents more opportunities to support their children’s education through homework.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils start at the school with low attainment and skills which are below and often well below those typically expected for their age due to their disabilities and special educational needs. Without exception, they make outstanding progress in all areas of learning because the activities set are matched extremely closely to their individual needs. Teachers plan lessons which are fun, challenging and capture their imagination and interest. Teachers and support staff consistently encourage and challenge pupils to find out and explore, giving them confidence to believe in themselves.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Expectations from all staff are very high and pupils respond by wanting to learn more and achieve the next level. For example, in a primary numeracy lesson, pupils were challenged on the interactive whiteboard to beat the clock by rolling the dice and adding the numbers. Similarly, in a Key Stage 3 science lesson, all pupils became scientists discovering the properties of liquids in their own experiments.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils supported by pupil premium funding have benefited from carefully allocated spending that has supported them to make excellent progress in their literacy and numeracy skills and across the curriculum. This support has been carefully thought out to match the individual needs of eligible pupils, resulting in closing the gap in English and mathematics so that the attainment of eligible pupils is similar to their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The school uses an excellent range of information to monitor pupils’ progress. Staff set highly challenging targets which are extended further as a result of very close tracking to ensure that all pupils, including the most able, make the best possible progress. Across the school, there is a feeling of ‘can do’ and a quiet confidence as pupils are all prepared to ‘have a go’ no matter what the challenge, and always trying to do their very best.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 As a result of their outstanding progress, many pupils achieve Entry Level and GCSE passes which have included grade C in mathematics and science. They are enthusiastic and keen to talk about their progress and the next steps in their learning. In an art lesson, they were keen to show their portfolio of work and explain how they will select pieces for the GCSE submission. In design and technology, they showed examples of mugs and wood blocks they had designed, showing great skill and understanding in using specific tools and resources.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Students in the sixth form gain passes in a wide range of accredited courses in school and at college, which include functional skills and vocational courses such as horticulture, animal care, construction and food and nutrition. They make excellent progress in developing skills for life. They are keen to talk about their college courses and recognise the importance of independent learning for the future when they leave school. They show a high commitment in lessons, and self-assess and peer-assess accurately and honestly in their endeavour to improve. In an English lesson, they checked each other’s work for creative language used and offered suggested vocabulary to use for further improvement.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The progress made by the small number of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage is outstanding from their very low starting points. Staff record children’s skills in much detail and use this information very effectively in their planning to ensure their systematic development. Outcomes are shared regularly with parents and carers. For example, each term their child’s achievements are recorded on a DVD for them to watch at home. As a result, children soon become confident to communicate with adults and each other, and their progress is rapid.  Outdoor and indoor facilities are used very well to support pupils’ physical well-being. Using the extra primary sports funding for specialist staff has enabled pupils to participate more frequently in a wider range of clubs, both in school and outside.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching has continued to improve since the last inspection. Due to the rigorous monitoring of staff performance, over time the proportion of teaching which is outstanding has continued to increase and is very high. Teaching is never less than good.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers plan lessons which are fun, exciting and challenging for pupils. Pupils respond very well, enjoy the challenge and always try to achieve the next step in their learning. For example, in a Key Stage 3 art lesson, pupils had collected leaves and twigs. They were using them together with other resources available in the classroom to make their own land art sculptures in the style of Richard Shilling, to hang in the school garden. Using examples of the artist’s work for comparison and inspiration, one pupil said, ‘This is my best ever work,’ as he carefully and meticulously concentrated on his weaving.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Lesson planning builds step-by-step on prior learning and teaching, and all staff are highly skilled and successful in assessing pupils’ progress in lessons. They quickly change the pace, modify the activity, resource or support to ensure the very best use of time.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers ensure through their detailed planning and assessment that pupils and all staff involved are very aware of the purpose of each lesson, as well as the individual targets for each pupil. As a result, all staff are very clear about the outcomes for pupils and are highly focused on supporting pupils to achieve their challenging targets.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching in the sixth form is highly effective and planned to ensure that students have real-life experiences that prepare them for life after school. Teaching and support staff work very consistently to help students become as independent as possible through the many areas of responsibility they are given within the school.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is outstanding and designed to support the learning for pupils in Key Stage 1 too. Staff are very knowledgeable and provide a creative, learning environment in which young children experience lots of fun as they explore and learn. Staff begin at this stage of the school to encourage independence and enquiry through the challenges they set. These are highly matched to the level of development and needs of each child.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 All staff contribute their own skills and knowledge offering a large number of clubs and activities during the school day, after school and in the holidays. This gives pupils a wide range of choices to match their interests and needs.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Behaviour in the playground and around the school is impeccable because of the staff’s consistently very high expectations. Pupils arrive cheerful and happy every morning. They say they ‘love coming to school’ and their enjoyment is evident during the day. Staff provide very positive role models, showing respect to each other and pupils. In return, pupils are polite, helpful, respectful, and show consideration and kindness to each other, staff and visitors.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Behaviour in lessons is excellent and pupils have highly positive attitudes to learning. They enjoy opportunities to work together, in pairs or in groups. For some, this is a great achievement, brought about by the carefully planned support from staff matched to individual pupils’ need.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Positive reinforcement supports behaviour well and pupils across the school respond to encouraging comments, stickers, certificates and the school’s positive achievement system. They are excited and thrilled to achieve a red card and talk to adults about their success. They enjoy celebrating success in class with their group and in assembly when they ask to come out to the front to ‘show and tell’. They are happy to perform to larger audiences; for example, in their school production at the theatre.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say they love coming to school and demonstrate this by their high levels of attendance. They enjoy the school reward system and the many outings, visits and extended activities on offer.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say school is a very safe place where ‘staff go the extra mile’ to help and support them. They know who to go to if they have a problem and have huge confidence in the headteacher and senior team. Pupils are very pleased that they can talk problems through with staff to help them move on and learn for the future. One pupil said, ‘Before I came here, people used to make fun of me because of my disability, now I don’t even know I’ve got a problem!’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Bullying is rare because of the atmosphere of mutual respect. There are frequent reminders in school about different forms of bullying and how to report them. Pupils know who to go to and are confident staff will listen to their views and deal with issues quickly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Parents were overwhelmingly positive, both in Parent View, where all parents stated they would recommend the school, and through the school’s own feedback. A large number of letters and cards have been received by the school stating how happy and safe they feel their child is at the school. For example: ‘My son is the happiest we have ever seen him at school’, ‘I am so grateful for the support you have given my child who now can’t wait to get to school in the mornings’ and ‘My son is a different boy due to your care and understanding.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 No fixed-term or permanent exclusions have been recorded. Where behaviour is less than excellent, it is dealt with effectively and positively with minimal disruption to learning.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher is an inspirational and extremely skilled leader who is highly regarded as a National Leader of Education, sharing best practice. Together with her highly skilled and exceptional senior team, she has consistently driven school improvement forward since the last inspection.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The staff team share the headteacher’s passion and commitment to providing improved outcomes for the pupils. The whole staff team work towards shared values and mutual respect in their endeavours to support each pupil, who is highly valued as an individual. There is a firmly established culture of continuous improvement.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Systems for checking each aspect of the school’s work are extremely rigorous and robust. Leaders and managers at all levels are very much involved in checking the effectiveness of their areas of responsibility. As a result, there is a relentless focus on pupils’ progress, assessment and the quality of teaching. This ensures that any underperformance is quickly picked up.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Records show parents’ evenings are very well attended. Parents are extremely happy with the support that the school offers and the progress their children make, although some have requested further opportunities to support their children’s education through homework. Partnerships with parents and carers are very strong. Parents feel well informed about the progress of their children and have high regard for the care and support offered by staff, often in their own time.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The curriculum is outstanding, being very closely matched to pupils’ abilities and interests. It is rich, varied, creative and fun, providing a depth and quality which inspires learning for each and every pupil in the school. There is a wide range of opportunities and extended activities available. As pupils move through the key stages, they are encouraged to make choices to help them prepare for their future lives.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupils are encouraged to prepare for their future lives through lessons which help them to understand the principles of healthy eating. They buy food, collect produce they have grown at school and cook meals discussing what they have planned and how they make this meal at home. They enjoy feeding the school pigs and chickens, collecting the eggs and working in the garden area.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority is highly confident that the school is maintaining and improving standards. The best practice at Slated Row is shared with a number of schools through the highly effective work of the headteacher and the very skilled leadership team.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is highly effective in its role to support and challenge the school. Regular visits are made which mean that governors know the life of the school very well. They make a significant contribution to school improvement planning and monitoring. They scrutinise pupil progress data and monitor the performance management programme, ensuring that teachers’ pay progression is linked to the Teachers’ Standards and to the progress of their pupils. Together with the senior leaders they agree how the pupil premium funding should be spent and request information to ensure that it is used effectively for those eligible.  Governors ensure that statutory requirements are met.  All committees have a robust approach to monitoring and evaluating the impact of the school’s decision-making and actions on pupil outcomes. For example, with regard to the design of the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

new building, governors are looking at the impact on improved mobility for pupils.

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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 110587 Local authority Milton Keynes Inspection number 426565

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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 183 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 44 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Caroline Vant Headteacher Liz Bull Date of previous school inspection 2 December 2008 Telephone number 01908 316017 Fax number 01908 315082 Email address slatedrow@milton-keynes.gov.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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