Haughton School

Haughton School Queen Street, Madeley, Telford, TF7 4BW

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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 pupils regardless of their backgrounds make good progress from very low starting points.  The school has a sharp focus on developing pupils’ language and communication skills and their personal and social development.  Progress in literacy and mathematics is good.  Teaching is good and an increasing amount is outstanding.  Senior leaders and managers have high expectations. There is a shared vision for improvement and they manage staff performance well.  Behaviour is good and pupils have a good understanding of the various forms of bullying, which they say rarely happens in the school.  Safety is good as the senior leaders and managers make sure the school is fully secure and all safeguarding procedures meet requirements.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe and healthy and have a good awareness of e-safety and say they feel safe in school.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

social and cultural development extremely well.  Although relatively new, the governing body challenges and supports the school effectively and uses further training to make sure it can do this well.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The amount of outstanding teaching is not yet high enough to raise pupils’ achievement further.  The quality of phonics teaching (the sounds that letters make) varies too much, especially among teaching assistants.  Not all teachers are involved in the assessment, tracking and checking of pupil groups in the school, which hinders their ability to plan future learning accurately.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 15 lessons, including learning taking place within the behaviour unit. Fourteen of these observations were carried out jointly with the senior leadership team.  A number of pupils from Years 1 and 6 were heard reading as well as observing lessons on the teaching of phonics, which is the reading of letters and the sounds they make.  Inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at a range of school documentation on pupils’ progress, attendance, school self-evaluation and development and a range of policies and procedures relating to the safety of pupils.  Inspectors scrutinised the work of pupils in their work books and around the school.  The 22 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View were considered alongside a recent school questionnaire for parents, as were the 49 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Meetings were held with senior leaders and managers of the school, the Chair of the Governing

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Information about this inspection

Body, a group of pupils and with a representative of the local authority.

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Inspection team

Ronald Hall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Christine Bray Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Haughton School is a primary special school which caters for pupils with moderate learning difficulties and complex needs. These are becoming increasingly more complex and many pupils also have behavioural difficulties.  The school has an Early Years Foundation Stage, seven mixed aged classes and one class in the behavioural unit.  The majority of pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils entitled to support from the pupil premium (which provides extra funding to the school for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children from other groups, such as those being looked after) is well above average.  All pupils have statements of special educational needs.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs in the form of a behavioural unit for up to six pupils.  The numbers of pupils entering and leaving the school at times other than those normally

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Information about this school

expected is very high with some year groups experiencing a 75% change between Early Years Foundation Stage and Year 6.  The headteacher is also the headteacher of a local assessment unit, which did not form part of this inspection.  The school is on the same site as a primary school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the proportion of outstanding teaching further by:  improving the skills of both teachers and the other adults who support learning in the teaching of phonics  making sure that teachers effectively use the other adults who support learning by making them fully aware of the role they are to play in lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement by making sure that all teachers are fully involved in the school’s tracking and assessment systems and so allow them to plan more accurately for the various pupil groups they have in their classes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement for all groups of pupils regardless of their background is good. Pupils join the school with skills that are well below age expected levels. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make outstanding progress, especially in their social skills. Through Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils make good and for some outstanding progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 School information supported by local authority and other external documentation shows that achievement has improved over several years and has been consistently good despite the increasingly more complex needs of the pupils and the high mobility within the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement in both English and mathematics is good, with mathematics being the slightly stronger subject due to a recent focus on improving this area.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement in reading is also good across the school. However, the teaching of phonics is a little inconsistent as staff do not always pronounce letters and sounds correctly, which in turn means that when pupils write these letters and sounds they add extra letters.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils in the behavioural unit make good progress in their general achievement, but make outstanding progress in managing their behaviour. This results in many of them having placements in the primary school which shares the same site, which in turn is increasingly leading to these pupils returning to mainstream settings full time.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are encouraged to look at books and explore their contents. This was shown in an outstanding Year 1/2 session, where pupils were studying the various parts of a book. Adults used excellent questioning as well as good use of the interactive whiteboard to provide a visual stimulus which fully motivated the pupils and focused their thinking regarding titles, characters, settings and feelings. This work was then imaginatively linked to the creation of their own books.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Those pupils who have additional support through the pupil premium make progress at least in line with that of their peers in school. School information shows that by the time these pupils reach the end of Year 6 they are at most, only half a term behind their peers in school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Teachers and the other adults who support learning develop pupils’ achievement in language and communication skills in all lessons. They encourage pupils to use a range of both verbal and sign/symbolic methods. Adults corrected misconceptions quickly and praised success at all times.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ development of personal and social skills is excellent. They learn to manage challenging situations effectively and this is a major contribution to their achievement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Excellent links with specialist agencies means that pupils make excellent progress in overcoming physical disabilities.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the school is good with an increasing amount that is outstanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have a good understanding of the individuals in their classes and this means that pupils’ individual needs are effectively met. This was shown well in an individualised sensory session. The excellent understanding the teacher had of the pupil allowed them to work for an extended period of time covering a wide range of sensory stimulation. Throughout, thoughtful reassurance, showing expected behaviour and types of movements, allowed the pupil to make outstanding progress in their language and communication, physical and behavioural development.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All adults provide very good role models in how to behave towards others and in their approach to the well-being of everyone in the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Generally there are good partnerships between all the adults who support pupils’ learning and the development of their physical and behavioural needs. However, in a few lessons teachers do not make sure that the other adults who support learning are fully aware of their role in the pupils’ learning. This results in them not being able to support pupils effectively and so progress for some pupils slows.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of reading across the school is good, which is clearly shown by the progress pupils make. However, in the early stages of reading a few teachers and other adults are not always consistent in the pronunciation of letters and the sounds they make. This leads to pupils hearing extra sounds, which they then incorrectly use in their written work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers generally set challenging targets for the pupils in their classes and this supports the good progress across the school. However, all teachers are not currently involved in the assessment and tracking of groups of pupils and so do not always have the necessary information to plan accurately for pupils’ future learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The best teaching is typified by excellent adult questioning, which both challenges pupils’ thinking and allows them to understand much more clearly what they are learning and why. For example, in a phonics lesson that was taught outstandingly well, all the adults constantly questioned the pupils about the words they were learning, how they might be used, the feelings they evoked and what the pupils thought about them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage teaching over time is consistently good with much that is outstanding and this has created the excellent foundation on which the pupils in the school start their learning. In a typical lesson seen, children were engaged in a wide range of activities, from simple reading and mark making, to number development as well as social and personal skills development. Both the indoor and outdoor areas were used effectively and the wide range of appropriate resources both engaged and challenged all the children.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the behavioural unit is good and staff teach the pupils both individually and within groups in the main school classes. For some further support is given in mainstream classes within the on-site primary school, with which there are excellent links. Pupils are supported well in overcoming their issues, provided with excellent role models on how to behave and staff have high expectations.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Despite their wide range of barriers to learning, including those pupils with behavioural difficulties, pupils have positive attitudes to learning, leading to good behaviour both in and outside of the classrooms.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show respect for each other and all adults, which was clearly shown by their reaction to the inspectors at all times. Pupils often asked how team members were, opened doors and were very polite at all times. During lessons pupils were often seen supporting each other’s learning, giving encouragement and working together in pairs or groups without any problems.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Where teaching was at its best pupils were highly motivated and fully on task at all times. However, where teaching was not so good a small number of pupils lost concentration and/or became compliant and not engaged in learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils and parents rightly feel the school deals with any behavioural or bullying incidents quickly and effectively and so feel behaviour in school is good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of the various forms of bullying and say that although it does happen, this is very rare and that staff do not tolerate this and so act swiftly to resolve issues.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s behaviour logs show a marked fall in behavioural incidents, physical restraints and exclusions. In fact behaviour has improved so much that a number of pupils have returned to mainstream settings.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel safe in school as they say, ‘Teachers are always there to look after us.’ Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and the security of the building and site in general is paramount for both the governing body and the senior leadership team.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe and healthy and were eager to tell inspectors how much they knew about e-safety, stranger danger and road safety for instance. They also know about healthy lifestyles and which drugs are helpful and those which are harmful.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is above average for a school of this type. Pupils enjoy being at school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has been maintained and improved since the last inspection. This is even though the needs of pupils entering the school have become far more complex, the school has developed a behavioural unit within the school to cater for pupils across the local authority and the headteacher has recently taken over the headship of the local authority assessment unit.

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The leadership and management are good

 All leaders and managers in the school have high expectations and a clear vision for improvement, which is shared by all staff and the governing body.

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The leadership and management are good

 The senior leadership team has a good understanding of the quality of teaching and what good teaching looks like. They act quickly and robustly if any poor teaching occurs and use performance management systems well to make sure that staff performance is closely linked to pay progression and professional development.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good with good and often outstanding teaching. Monitoring and recording of children’s progress is effective and all staff take part in assessment procedures.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership and management of the behavioural unit are good. Careful monitoring of all aspects of the pupils in their care means they are able to effectively meet all the needs of their pupils.  Pupil-premium funding and the primary sports funding are both used effectively to improve achievement. Those pupils supported by pupil-premium funding make at least good progress due to the one–to-one and group support they receive from staff who have been trained in their specific needs. The sports funding has been used to bring in specialist sports coaches to work alongside and train teachers and other staff. Pupils happily state that this has led to a greater range of sporting activities being available and teachers being better at teaching them.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has good links with a range of local schools and especially so the primary school with which it shares its site. This allows the school to effectively have its work externally moderated, provide wider training opportunities for staff and learning opportunities for the pupils. The on- site primary school provides excellent links, which allows a number of pupils to be taught in a mainstream setting, many of whom then return full time. In turn Haughton School provides special school expertise on how to support pupils with complex needs in mainstream settings.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s partnership with the local authority is a good one, with the school using its resources for training purposes and support, especially for the new aspects of the school. The local authority rightly feels the school is a good one and have no concerns and so generally provide a light touch approach.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders and managers have a clear and accurate view of the school based on sound evidence. This makes planning for future improvements robust and successful.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders and managers are making good progress towards the new primary curriculum, with a range of staff training for senior and middle leaders to allow them to prepare their subject areas. Further training is also planned for all staff later this year.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development extremely well, resulting in this being an outstanding feature of the school. Pupils have a really strong sense of right and wrong and use this in their daily lives. They have an understanding of other religions and cultures as well as a deep respect for the views and beliefs of others.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents, staff and pupils are all highly positive about the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Although the governing body has undergone many changes, it has made sure all its statutory duties have been fully met. All safeguarding procedures meet requirements. Governors carefully check the various funding the school receives, such as sport funding and the pupil premium. The expenditure is carefully linked to results and pupils’ progress across the whole school. Governors monitor the school well and have a good understanding of the performance of teachers and carefully link this to teachers’ pay and progression through the management of teachers’ performance. Governors use further training to make sure they can carry out their duties effectively and are fully aware of new initiatives. This means they challenge and support the school well.

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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 123629 Local authority Telford and Wrekin Inspection number 431152

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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 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 104 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tracey Picken Headteacher Gillian Knox Date of previous school inspection 28 June 2011 Telephone number 01952 387540 Fax number 01952 387553 Email address h7001@telford.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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