Hatton Special School

Hatton School and Special Needs Centre Roding Lane South, Woodford Green, IG8 8EU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Teaching is almost always outstanding. Teachers and other adults, through close teamwork and regular training, demonstrate excellent skills in providing for the individual learning needs of pupils.  Adults use communication aids consistently and very successfully. These promote pupils’ understanding. They help overcome barriers to learning experienced by many pupils with complex communication difficulties and autistic spectrum disorders.  Teachers set clear and challenging targets for pupils, both academically and in their personal development. This is underpinned by precisely adapted activities tailored for each pupil. These are rigorously and continuously checked to ensure pupils are making the best progress possible.  Pupils throughout the school, including in the early years, make outstanding progress. The majority of pupils make better progress than that expected of pupils with similar learning difficulties.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils throughout the school make excellent progress in communication, reading, writing and mathematics and in their personal development.  The subjects pupils study are exceptionally well adapted to the abilities and learning needs of each pupil. Leaders of various areas of the school make regular checks on the curriculum and its effectiveness for individuals. This ensures that the pupils are properly supported to develop their skills extremely well.  Adults manage the pupils’ behaviour highly effectively. They know the pupils very well. They use carefully developed and appropriate procedures consistently for each pupil, ensuring they are free from anxiety and can learn without distractions.  Pupils enjoy school and feel safe and secure. They are relaxed and happy, and they attend well because of the high quality of provision.  The experienced headteacher has built outstanding teams of senior and middle leaders. These have

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

been exceptionally effective in building on previous success and in consistently improving the levels of pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching.  Governors provide very strong levels of challenge and support to the school. They have detailed knowledge of the school’s work and have direct influence on the school’s development.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 12 lessons and parts of lessons, the great majority of which were joint observations with senior staff.  Meetings were held with teachers, senior and middle leaders, two governors including the Chair of the Governing Body, and a representative of the local authority. Frequent informal discussions were held with pupils to gain their opinions about the school.  Inspectors took into account the school’s surveys of parents’ opinions and looked at the 13 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. The inspection team also took into account 66 returned staff questionnaires.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including self-evaluation and development planning. Records of pupils’ progress and behaviour since the previous inspection were checked, as well as reports completed by the senior leadership on the quality of teaching and the range of

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Information about this inspection

subjects taught. Pupils’ attendance records were analysed, as well as all aspects of the procedures relating to the safeguarding of the pupils.

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Inspection team

Melvyn Blackband, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school provides for pupils with mild or severe learning difficulties. The great majority of pupils have an additional diagnosis of autistic spectrum conditions and sometimes related complex speech and language difficulties.  There are 19 children in the early years part of the provision.  There are four times as many boys as girls.  A few pupils are White British, while the great majority of pupils are from different ethnic groups, primarily South Asian and Black African. The majority of the pupils speak English as an additional language.  There is an above average proportion of pupils eligible for the additional government funding known as the pupil premium, given for pupils who are eligible for free school meals or who are looked after. The school also receives the additional government funding for primary sport.  The school operates an outreach service for local mainstream primary schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure complete consistency in the use of communication aids such as pictures and symbols.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The strong and confident leadership of the headteacher, ably supported by her deputies, has enabled her to build enthusiastic and very competent teams of middle leaders. Together they continuously check and strive to improve on all aspects of pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching. As a result, the achievement of pupils and the quality of teaching are outstanding. Leadership in the early years is also outstanding and the children make excellent progress.  Teachers and other adults are enthusiastic about their work and fully committed to ensuring their pupils make the best progress that they can. There is high morale throughout the school.  Leaders have a very clear and accurate knowledge of the pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching. Governors are exceptionally well informed of the school’s performance and contribute very effectively to the school’s development.  The local authority maintains a light touch approach to the school and values the work done by the school

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The leadership and management are outstanding

in operating an expanding and successful outreach service to local mainstream primary schools. The work the school does in helping train and mentor staff from other schools is very well received. The school’s leaders make full use of local authority officers to check their own evaluation of the school’s progress.  The detailed knowledge which leaders and teachers have of each pupil’s achievement ensures that every child makes the best progress possible. Should a pupil’s progress fall behind, this triggers detailed investigation. Teaching strategies, curriculum provision or behaviour procedures are updated as appropriate. Each pupil has an equal opportunity to succeed and there is no discrimination.  The work of teachers and the level of their performance are scrutinised rigorously and regularly. The teachers’ performance is closely linked to national standards and clearly linked to levels of pay. Any

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The leadership and management are outstanding

underachievement is quickly identified and the teacher supported through coaching or further training. All staff, for instance, regularly and effectively update their understanding of autism and related speech and language disability. Adults value the support they receive from leaders and take full advantage of the many opportunities to take part in further professional development.  Activities are exceptionally well adapted and personalised to meet the needs of each pupil. Pupils have precise individual targets which are frequently updated, sometimes daily, to take account of each small step achieved in learning. The teaching of communication is a strength of the school and is an integral part of all activities. As a result, pupils with autism, other communication difficulties and those for whom English is an additional language make excellent progress.  The school’s procedures ensure that activities and teaching are carefully adjusted to meet the individual

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The leadership and management are outstanding

needs of each pupil. As a result, all pupils make outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The pupils make excellent progress in developing their skills of independence and in learning to socialise and look after other pupils. This is achieved through tailored programmes to support each child, combined with many opportunities to work and play with others and to share in celebrations of their friends’ effort. In regular assemblies, the pupils are encouraged to reflect on the differences between people, especially in their religions and national customs. They make outstanding progress in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their understanding of how to take their place in modern Britain.  The school has used additional funding successfully. It has extended the role of the parent support adviser who works with families of disadvantaged pupils to promote good home-school liaison and pupils’ better

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The leadership and management are outstanding

attendance. This has helped to secure excellent progress for eligible pupils. Additional government sport funding has been used well to encourage the pupils’ ball skills and enable the pupils to take part in team games more successfully. This supports their physical skills, communication and personal development effectively.  The school enjoys outstanding relations and partnerships with parents and carers. It provides excellent information on their child’s progress and there are regular meetings and information fora for interested parents and carers about aspects of autism, reading and independence training.  Safeguarding arrangements and procedures are well organised and secure. The pupils are very safe and well looked after.  The governance of the school:  Governors are very well informed and have an excellent understanding of information on pupils’ progress, how it compares with similar schools, and the management of teachers’ performance. They

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The leadership and management are outstanding

are knowledgeable about how good performance is rewarded and any underachievement tackled. As a result, they contribute very effectively to the school’s development. They effectively oversee financial control, including the salary arrangements for teaching. They maintain close supervision of additional government funding and regularly check the impact on the pupils’ progress and well-being. Governors are able to challenge school leaders very effectively. They take part in regular training, such as in aspects of child protection and safeguarding and in the use of performance information on pupils’ progress. They ensure that all current statutory requirements are met.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils enjoy their lessons because activities are so well adapted to their stage of learning and always challenge them to make progress. They have excellent levels of concentration, and enthusiastic and positive attitudes to their learning. This has a significant impact on their achievement. Parents and carers confirm the positive changes in their children’s behaviour and progress when their children join the school and have a high regard for the school’s work.  Through outstanding use of communication, using pictures, symbols and carefully structured speech, pupils understand what they are required to do and how to conduct themselves. As a result, classrooms are quiet and industrious. Pupils receive a high level of adult support. This helps them to stay focused on their learning. It avoids frustration and anxiety because adults ensure the pupils know precisely what to

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Behaviour

do in their work.  The pupils are successfully taught over time how to tolerate and accept other members of the class, to work with them at times and to socialise happily. Social occasions, such as lunchtimes, are characterised by relaxed and happy behaviour. Each week, pupils are asked to think about a ‘key word’ such as ‘kind’. This word is incorporated into personal development work and all other activities and plays a successful role in encouraging the pupils in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.  The pupils’ behaviour is managed exceptionally well. Each pupil has a personalised and detailed behaviour plan which is continuously revised to ensure the pupils are free from stress and able to work calmly. Where on occasion a pupil becomes distressed, this is dealt with quietly and professionally and invariably the pupil returns happily to their activities. The school’s exemplary records of incidents confirm that these

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Behaviour

incidents have diminished rapidly since the previous inspection and are rarely seen as behaviour management becomes increasingly effective.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Safeguarding arrangements are very well organised and monitored. The pupils are safe and secure.  Pupils, over time, develop a growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They learn about common dangers in personal, social and health education, sometimes through ‘social stories’ and through regular circle time and assemblies. They are shown how to use the internet safely. The pupils take part in many trips into the local community, such as to the market or to places of worship. They meet different people and learn how to keep themselves safe in these situations. They all learn how to cross the road safely.  The school’s records show an absence of bullying over many years. Pupils state that they are friends ‘with everyone’ and no one is unpleasant to them.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Much of the teaching over time has been outstanding. There has been consistent improvement in standards since the previous inspection, confirmed by the school’s records of detailed checks on teachers’ performance. All adults benefit from high levels of regular training. This training is very effectively directed towards identified priorities as a result of the careful regular checks by senior and middle leaders. This has ensured all groups of pupils make excellent progress.  Teachers have high expectations of the progress pupils are capable of making. Targets are constructed for each individual pupil in exemplary ways that build on each pupil’s learning in small and achievable steps. These steps are, nevertheless, challenging. All pupils, including those with complex difficulties, those from minority ethnic groups, the disadvantaged and those who speak English as an additional language, achieve as well as they are able.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers maintain exceptionally detailed records of the pupils’ progress each lesson. This enables them to adjust each pupil’s activities, lesson by lesson and within lessons, if appropriate, to ensure their interest and progress. Adults constantly check on how well pupils are learning and adapt activities further if necessary. This has a significant impact on the pupils’ outstanding achievement. Pupils are always made clearly aware of what they are to learn and how well they have done and how they can make their work even better.  There is excellent teaching of communication through symbol use and other techniques. Older pupils make good use of computer technology to support their learning. Pupils gradually learn to associate the symbols of letters with sounds and so start the early process of reading. On a very few occasions adults do not use symbols consistently as a means of communication. This can confuse children and sometimes

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

slows down their learning.  Literacy is very well taught across the school. Many of the most able pupils by Year 6 are able to write several sentences with correct spelling and punctuation and to read books with an increasing vocabulary. The school library is well used. Mathematics is very well taught, for instance through repetition of numbers and practical applications of adding and subtracting. Reading, writing and mathematics are consistently built into almost every learning activity. This helps pupils practise skills in a variety of situations and helps them make excellent progress in each subject.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 While the attainment of pupils remains low because of their complex learning needs, their progress is exceptional from their starting points. Almost every pupil makes at least good progress and a majority makes rapid progress above that expected of pupils in similar schools. This proportion has risen consistently since the previous inspection. All groups, including pupils with complex learning needs, pupils in different ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language, achieve well.  Children in the early years provision make excellent progress through carefully adapted programmes and outstanding teaching.  Pupils make outstanding progress towards their individual targets, both academically and in personal development. They make significant improvement in their speaking and listening and in reading and mathematics skills. Over time, they learn how to be more independent, to express their choices and to

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

communicate effectively with others. They apply their skills in reading, writing and mathematics very effectively in a range of subjects. They are well prepared for the next stage in their education.  Disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for additional funding make similarly outstanding progress. There are no gaps in their achievement compared to other pupils. Pupils who speak English as an additional language make excellent progress because of the school’s strengths in teaching communication and literacy.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children make exceptional progress throughout the early years, particularly in their communication and physical development. This leads to outstanding achievement. All groups of children, including the disadvantaged and those who speak English as an additional language, make similarly good progress. There are no gaps in their relative levels of achievement. However, by the time they leave the provision, their attainment is still significantly below that typical for their age because of their complex learning difficulties.  Teaching is based on painstaking and detailed assessment of each child’s stage of development on a lesson by lesson basis and is accompanied by clear personalised targets for their rapid improvement. Teaching is highly responsive to the children’s needs and to any opportunities to challenge the children to make even faster progress.  The teaching of communication is outstanding and prepares the children very well for joining the main

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The early years provision is outstanding

school. Lessons excite the children. They enjoy school life. For instance, one child made outstanding progress in his communication as he had an exciting telephone conversation with his teacher at the other end of the room.  Throughout the day, children are effectively encouraged to develop their social skills and understanding and their ability to work in small groups with an adult. Music and song are used very effectively to add to the children’s communication and to interest and focus children on their activities.  The children’s behaviour is outstanding because of the exceptional support the children are given by adults. As a result of this and a highly motivating range of activities, they are eager to join in, to listen carefully and they are responsive to adults and other children. When a child becomes upset or anxious, adults quickly intervene to calm the child through the effective use of language and visual clues such as

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The early years provision is outstanding

symbols. Positive behaviour is also quickly reinforced and rewarded and matched to the achievement of each individual.  There is an excellent range of indoor and outdoor facilities which are appropriate to the abilities and interests of the children. Resources are made accessible to the children through the use of visual cues. This means children are able to access a wide range of activities without direct adult support and this promotes their independent learning.  The leadership and management of the provision are outstanding. Staff have a commitment to improving outcomes for children continuously. There is very clear and accurate school self-evaluation of the strengths and remaining areas for improvement.  The children are safe. Procedures to ensure their safety are secure. Parents and carers feel welcome in the provision and report that they value the extent to which they are involved in all aspects of their child’s

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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 102881 Local authority Redbridge Inspection number 449462

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 168 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Caroline Ruben Headteacher Sue Blows Date of previous school inspection 17–18 November 2011 Telephone number 020 8551 4131 Fax number 020 8503 9066 Email address admin@hattonspecialschool.co.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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