Oakfield

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Achievement is good. Pupils make good progress in both school and vocational subjects. They are prepared well for the next step in their education or training.  Pupils make good progress in their personal development. They are able to do this because they progress well in the development of their emotional and social skills.  The quality of teaching is good overall. Occasionally it is outstanding. Teachers have good subject knowledge and behaviour management skills. As a result, pupils apply themselves well to and enjoy their learning.  Pupils' behaviour is good. Pupils are usually polite. They say they feel safe in school and are confident that their needs are clearly understood by all staff.  The school is led and managed well by the headteacher. There is now a clear shared vision and high ambition to improve teaching and pursue high standards in all of the school’s work. As a result, the school is continuing to improve rapidly.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The governing body makes a significant contribution to leadership. They now hold leaders to account expertly. They question leaders extensively and rigorously as well as providing effective support to the school. They regularly evaluate the performance of the school, including teaching and achievement. They evaluate safeguarding provision stringently.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Standards in writing are not as high as in reading or mathematics.  The new middle leaders have not had sufficient time yet to drive improvements in their subjects or areas.  Marking does not always provide pupils with precise information about how to improve.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed several lessons and one-to-one sessions with members of staff. Most lessons were observed jointly with the deputy headteacher or senior teacher  The inspectors looked at pupils’ individual learning and behaviour plans.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and senior staff, pupils, four members of the governing body and members of the teaching staff.  The inspectors took into account 18 questionnaires from staff and 18 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View.)  The inspectors looked at a range of documents, including plans for improvement, records of the school’s checks on pupils’ and teachers’ performance, safeguarding and attendance documents, minutes of meetings of the governing body and school policies.

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Inspection team

Pauline Hilling-Smith, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Oakfield is a residential special school which caters for pupils with emotional, social and behavioural difficulties. The residential provision was inspected separately in June 2014. The report of that inspection can be found at www.ofsted.gov.uk.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is above average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority.)  Most pupils start at the school in year 7. However, pupils are admitted to the school at any age, and at any time during the year.  Fifty percent of the pupils access the residential provision for varying lengths of time.  All pupils have a statement of special educational needs.  The school moved to its new site in January 2013.

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Information about this school

 The school uses the following alternative providers: Ferriby Riding for the Disabled, Home from Home, Ashwell and Hull Football Club.  The deputy headteacher was appointed in September 2014.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality and consistency of teaching further, so that achievement is outstanding by: - marking all pupils’ books with clear next steps and giving pupils the time to address them - giving pupils more opportunities to write at length - developing the role of the middle leaders so that they can contribute more to checking and improving the quality and consistency of teaching in their areas and subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher communicates a clear vision and high ambition for the achievement of pupils at the school. She is now ably supported by the new senior leadership team, and teamwork and determination to be the best are strong throughout the school.  Members of the middle leadership team are beginning to contribute effectively to the leadership of the school. However, these leaders are new to role and as such have not yet had time to fully develop their effectiveness.  The monitoring of teaching is effective. Senior leaders now know clearly the strengths and areas in the school which need further development. They use the observation of pupils’ progress in lessons and the evaluation of pupils’ work in books as well as data to set improvement plan priorities and set targets for teachers. These targets contribute to effective performance management procedures.  The recent review of teaching identified the need for more time to be spent evaluating and improving the

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The leadership and management are good

quality and consistency of teaching to identify specific areas for improvement. Training for staff is focused sharply on improving teaching. For example, recent training has focused on questioning to promote learning.  The local authority provides good support through the allocation of a school improvement partner with specialist knowledge of the needs of the pupils. She contributes to the performance management of the headteacher through the support she gives to governors during this process.  The curriculum meets the needs of the pupils well. It is well planned with a focus on basic skills, gaining qualifications and emotional well-being and personal skills. As a result, pupils engage well in their learning and are well prepared for the next step in their education. The curriculum provides a good balance between education and pupils’ counselling needs.  Partnerships with a wide range of mainstream schools, both independent and maintained, contribute

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The leadership and management are good

significantly to achievement as they enable the pupils’ needs to be met in a variety of ways. For example, pupils from the independent school act as mentors to Oakfield pupils, whose aspirations are raised as a result.  Partnerships with alternative providers make a good contribution to the achievement of pupils in vocational subjects. Providers are rigorously checked to ensure that their work with the pupils is of high quality. As a result, some pupils gain apprenticeships when they leave school.  The curriculum is extensively enriched by a wide range of clubs and other activities. These are available during breaks and lunchtimes and after school, often in conjunction with the residential staff. As a result, no time is lost for enjoyment and the development of social skills.  Partnership with parents is strong and parents value the work of the school highly because of the good impact it has on pupils’ well-being. The large majority of parents would recommend the school to another

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The leadership and management are good

parent. Pupils are made fully aware of the options available to them well in advance of leaving the school. As a result, they are able to make the best decisions for future placements.  The governance of the school:  The governing body now makes a very significant contribution to school improvement. Individual governors have a wide range of expert skills that they use in helping the school to move forward. They visit regularly to see how the school is progressing and they talk to pupils and staff to gain their views. They make sure that the school meets the needs of every pupil it accepts and, as such, every pupil is given an equal opportunity to succeed. They have up-to-date knowledge of pupils' achievements and how well pupils succeed in their destinations when they have left the school. Governors have a clear picture of the quality of teaching and provide support and challenge to the school to ensure that rapid

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The leadership and management are good

improvement continues. The governors ensure that financial resources are managed well, including the school's use of additional government funding, such as the pupil premium, to support pupils; governors are aware of the impact these resources have.  Governors are closely involved in setting targets for the headteacher and they are also fully aware that teachers' pay awards are securely linked to the progress that pupils make. They ensure that all safeguarding procedures are stringently met and, as a result, pupils are very safe at school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The school’s success is underpinned by high expectations and strong relationships. These promote a positive learning environment.’  In each lesson pupils earn points for good behaviour and good attitudes to learning. These points can be exchanged for passes out into the community at breaks and lunchtimes. As a result, pupils are keen to live up to the high expectations set for them by staff.  Pupils usually behave well in lessons and during hub and tutor time, when they have the opportunity to discuss and to reflect on a range of issues that promote their understanding of British values.  Pupils increasingly learn to control their own behaviour. This is because staff are well trained in how to manage behaviour. Staff are skilled in reducing anxiety and communicating clear, consistent expectations.  Pupils say that they feel safe. There is little bullying of any sort and pupils say that there is always

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  All policies and procedures for safeguarding meet statutory requirements. They ensure that pupils are safe. Policies are clear, detailed and reviewed regularly.  Safeguarding practice is well understood by all staff. Any concerns which arise are promptly notified to the appropriate agencies.  Pupils are aware of the different risks posed when they use the Internet and benefit from a well-planned programme of e-safety, which gives them a deep insight into the risks of its use.  Records show that incidents of inappropriate behaviour are recorded in detail and monitored carefully, and action is taken as a result.  Leaders are robust in ensuring that full checks on the safety of premises are regularly undertaken and acted upon. Attendance is improving rapidly as a result of extensive procedures to check absence and support families. This includes visiting every absent pupil to ensure that they are safe from harm.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good and occasionally outstanding. It helps pupils learn and achieve well during their time at school. Teachers have expert knowledge of the teaching of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties.  Teachers have excellent subject knowledge. This enables them to answer in depth the many questions posed by the pupils. However, overall pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to write at length and are not usually given the time to improve their work as a result of feedback.  Teachers have high expectations of punctuality as well as the amount of work to be completed by pupils throughout the day and at home. Pupils rise to meet these expectations, because they know that they have gaps in their learning as a result of previous disruption to their education and they want to learn.  A particular strength of the teaching in the school is how well teachers allow pupils to make choices,

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The quality of teaching is good

especially in practical subjects, while at the same time ensuring that pupils achieve. Also, the skill with which staff question and give clear explanations makes a notably positive impact on the quality of the pupils’ learning.  Teachers and all staff are patient and resilient. This means that relationships with pupils are strong. and result in a positive climate for learning in lessons.  The skills of teaching assistants are usually targeted well to support individuals. This personalised approach addresses pupils’ learning needs well.  Verbal feedback is effective. It ensures that all pupils are very clear about what they need to do. However, marking does not always provide pupils with precise information about how to improve.  The most-able pupils are encouraged and challenged to be ambitious to reach the high levels or deepen their knowledge and understanding. They are able to do this as a result of careful assessment and

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The quality of teaching is good

tracking of progress.  Staff constantly reflect on the impact of their teaching, including what has worked well with a particular pupil or class. They share this with other teachers whenever possible. As a result, teaching is improving continuously.

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is good

 When pupils start at the school, usually in year 7, their attainment is generally below that typically expected. This is often because their special educational needs have led to previous disruption to their education. Pupils settle well and increasingly engage with education. They begin to accelerate their achievement so that by the time they leave, most have secured a place in further education or training.  Pupils make good progress in their personal development because their individual needs are identified accurately and they receive good quality counselling and support.  Because of the small numbers of pupils, attainment by the end of Year 11 varies significantly from one year to the next. . School data for 2014 showed that pupils achieved broadly average standards overall, with over fifty percent gaining five or more GCSEs. Inspection evidences shows that this percentage is set to increase in 2015. This represents good progress from pupils’ starting points.

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is good

 In Key Stage 3 2014, data show that pupils made good progress in mathematics and ICT, although it is somewhat slower in writing.  The 2014 Key Stage 4, data show that students made good progress in science and English, where their good levels and skills in reading supported their progress.  Case studies show that the most-able pupils achieve well at GCSE because of teachers’ high expectations. Coursework completed by these pupils is of notably high quality in English and science.  The gap between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium and their peers is closing. This is the result of individual and small-group work in literacy, the impact of which can be seen in a smaller gap in English. However, there are too few pupils to make a meaningful comparison with other pupils both in school and nationally.  The large majority of parents who responded on Parent View agreed that their children make good

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 118140 Local authority Kingston upon Hull City of Inspection number 454513

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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 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 67 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lee Morfitt Headteacher Rachel Davies Date of previous school inspection 4 December 2013 Telephone number 01482 854588 Fax number 01482 855496 Email address admin@oakfield.hull.sch.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 and 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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