Netherside Hall School

Netherside Hall School Inspection report

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121773 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire Local Authority 314094 Inspection number 16 January 2008 Inspection date Kath Halifax Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Special Type of school Community special School category 10 °16 Age range of pupils Boys Gender of pupils Number on roll 23 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Jim Brosnain Chair Doctor Morris Charlton Headteacher 11 October 2004 Date of previous school inspection Threshfield School address Skipton North Yorkshire BD23 5PP 01756 752324 Telephone number 01756 753227 Fax number

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10-16 Age group 16 January 2008 Inspection date 314094 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector. The boarding provision was inspected at the same time by a qualified inspector of residential care.

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Description of the school

Netherside provides education for boys from North Yorkshire and Lancashire. The number of referrals is diminishing other than in Year 10. Of the 23 students on roll, almost one half has behavioural, emotional and social needs and associated learning difficulties. Most of the remainder have specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulties or autism. All have statements of special educational need. All are of White British heritage. One student is under the age of 11 and is educated alongside students in Year 7. Twelve students attend the school as 'day boys'. The school was awarded specialist humanities status in September 2007 and has gained the Healthy Schools Award, the Dyslexia Mark, the Sportsmark and level 4 Inclusion Quality Mark. The school faced closure under the recent local authority review of provision for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Following consultation, from 2009 it may

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Description of the school

become a 365-day school for students with behavioural, emotional and social needs and will include a student referral unit. A report on the boarding provision may be obtained at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherside Hall School, 16 January 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with good boarding provision. It has made excellent progress since the last inspection and has the capacity to continue to do so. Though unit costs are high because of falling numbers, it provides good value for money, not just for the students, but also for the local and wider community. An outstanding example of this was the use of the listed building as 'The Victorian House', when children from five primary schools experienced living as Victorians for a day. The joy and excitement on their faces demonstrated pure enjoyment especially on entering the 'lead mine' in the school's cellar. Equally, students from partner inner city secondary schools gain considerable knowledge and personal development through geography fieldwork and outdoor education alongside Netherside students and staff. It is because of outstanding leadership and management that the school has moved from being

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Grade: 2

barely satisfactory with difficulties in retaining capable staff to a dynamic school. It now has stable, committed, ambitious staff who have vision and high aspirations for their students and themselves. Though standards are below average because of students' learning difficulties and/or disabilities, achievement is good overall. GCSE results are outstanding. Good, and on occasions inspirational teaching, and a good curriculum enable students of all capabilities to make good gains in the knowledge and skills they acquire. While satisfactory, achievement in information and communication technology (ICT) does not match that in other subjects because of limited resources. A strength of teaching is the teamwork between teachers, support and care staff. Individual education and care programmes are designed to best meet the needs and interests of students. Most students are beginning to enjoy their work. They understand how

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Grade: 2

they are progressing, but some are unclear about the levels they have achieved and what they need to do in lessons to achieve more. Self-evaluation is good. Leaders are very clear about what the school does well and what needs to be improved, but are overly positive in their views about how well the school is providing for students' personal development. This is good rather than outstanding. It is evident in the effective provision for students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and is reflected in the improvement students make in their attitudes and behaviour. Attendance is good. Day students in particular who have been out of school for considerable periods make marked improvement. This contributes to sustained progress. Links with other professionals are highly effective and contribute significantly to students' learning and well-being. Parents responding to the inspection questionnaire state the staff and the school are 'fantastic'. Saying for example,

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Grade: 2

'Often for the first time, our sons are achieving.' and commenting, 'School has helped him build his confidence and recover the lost years when he was behind.'

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Grade: 2

The boarding provision is good. It is managed efficiently and all the National Minimum Standards are met. Daily meetings, when residential staff and teachers exchange information about students' needs, are effective. Staff from the boarding provision sometimes join the school staff for training. This has been successful, particularly in managing students' behaviour. Leaders acknowledge that a small number of new staff have yet to be trained fully in physical intervention and this is in hand. The introduction of care plans has improved provision, but these do not record how students' identified needs will be met. Students preparing for GCSE and those taking music, history, geography and mathematics often stay overnight to continue their work. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherside Hall School, 16 January 2008 This contributes to their good progress and achievement. Students say they feel safe and well-cared for. They appreciate the opportunities to keep healthy through an extensive range

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Grade: 2

of physical activities and generous portions of nutritious food. A high percentage of day students frequently stay overnight to join in the activities. Suitable improvement has been made since the last social care inspection in November 2006. Sufficient adults are now on duty to ensure students' health and well-being.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Provide more ICT equipment and ensure this is used to raise students' achievement in ICT to match that of other subjects. ■ Ensure marking and setting of target enables students to understand what they need to do to make further progress. ■ Ensure care plans identify how students' needs will be met.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good and improving through the expectation, challenge and aspirations of staff, students, parents and governors. GCSE results improve year on year. From a handful of students achieving in a few subjects at the time of the last inspection, all the 2007 leavers gained at least five graded passes, with 70% achieving seven or more. Furthermore, the progress made between Years 9 and 11 shows students in the top 5% nationally for the past two years. With the recent introduction of the Certificate of Personal Effectiveness and the Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network, the achievement of lower attaining students is now good. At times in Key Stage 3, some students take longer to settle and this affects their achievement. Nevertheless, the 2007 national test results for Year 9 show students are making good progress. Their progress in reading is very good because of skilled teaching and

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Grade: 2

programmes matched to students' specific learning difficulties. Standards in writing have improved since the last inspection because students are now expected to produce written work in all subjects. The provision for ICT is getting better, but a lack of resources means achievement is not commensurate with other subjects. The school is very successful in giving students the skills necessary for their future life. For the past three years, all students leaving at the age of 16 have gone on successfully to further education, employment or training.

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Grade: 2

On the whole, students respond very well to the school's strategies for managing and improving their behaviour, but some still have difficulties, especially those with medical conditions. Students are mostly tolerant of the sometimes idiosyncratic behaviour of others, but on occasion this disrupts learning. Nevertheless, students make significant gains in their self-esteem through daily routines, sport and work in personal, social and health education. Their contribution to the school, local and wider community is outstanding and gives them a very good grounding in citizenship. Although an all White British population, students are gaining a good insight into the beliefs and traditions of others through links with schools on all continents. Closer to home, older members of the village community enjoyed especially the 'Veterans Day' laid on by the students. Other enterprise initiatives such as the production and sale of craft items,

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Grade: 2

acting as guides at cross country events and working out 'carbon footprints' raises students' 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherside Hall School, 16 January 2008 awareness of their role in society. While students make good improvement in their attendance, the school is working on improving further the punctuality to lessons of a few students.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching has improved considerably since the last inspection. Through very good training for teachers, support and care staff, most are now providing good quality lessons and making a sizeable contribution to students' learning and achievement. Teachers are confident in the subjects they teach. Equally the skills of support staff in catering and rural studies contribute particularly well to students' progress in these subjects. Considerable improvement has been made in the management of inappropriate behaviour, though this still presents problems on a few occasions. Adults know their students well, quickly establishing trusting relationships and thus helping students to grow in confidence through their success and cope when things do not always go as planned. As class numbers are small, marking takes place alongside students. Students are proud of the comments praising their work. While they know

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Grade: 2

they have been told what to do to improve, sometimes they are not reminded as frequently as is needed nor is advice written clearly enough on their work.

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Grade: 2

The good curriculum meets requirements and students' individual needs. Students appreciate especially the introduction of music, with some taking additional tuition, for example, in drumming or guitar. The introduction of food studies is preparing students well for independent living as well as leading to vocational qualifications. The extended range of GCSE has significantly improved standards and achievement. Similarly, the recent introduction of other nationally recognised awards provides better for lower attaining students. Deficiencies in the accommodation have been overcome by, for example, using the facilities at a local secondary school for gymnastics and swimming. The provision for sport is outstanding. The very wide range of sports enables students to acquire considerable skills as well as contributing to their personal development. The work related programme is good. Limited resources for ICT restrict

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Grade: 2

Adults are very aware of the vulnerability of students and follow procedures to safeguard students' health and well-being conscientiously. The assessment of potential risks is excellent in outdoor education, but some subjects such as science and geography, whilst satisfactory, use less specific ones. Staff are readily available to chat with students about things that cause them concern and to support, for instance, those with medical or mental health problems. Recognising that some parents permit their son to smoke, a challenging smoking cessation programme is in place. The twice-daily meetings between education and boarding staff ensure a united and effective approach to supporting students' individual needs. Weekly reports to parents and regular reviews with parents and carers encourage parents to be an important part of their sons' learning. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherside Hall School, 16 January 2008

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Grade: 1

It is the vision, determination and aspirations of the headteacher that is driving the school forward at a remarkable rate. His enthusiasm is infectious. Over the past two years he has honed the skills of both education and care staff and raised morale so they feel able 'to reach for the sky'. Following the acquisition of specialist humanities status, staff are not content to sit on their laurels and have recently become the first special school in the country to take part in the special schools sports partnership. The skill of the deputy headteacher in tracking students' progress is very successful in identifying gaps in learning and in setting challenging targets for students of all capabilities. Subject leadership is rigorous and raising achievement. Many staff work as lead practitioners within the local authority such as in religious education and geography and in providing outdoor education for A level physical education at a local grammar school.

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Grade: 1

Governance is good. Governors are supportive and regular visitors to the school. They take their role seriously, for example, ensuring they are very clear about the quality of students' performance and school finances. Alongside parents they have played a significant role in influencing the local authority in its decision about the school's future. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherside Hall School, 16 January 2008 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherside Hall School, 16 January 2008

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of boarding provision 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 3 The behaviour of learners 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherside Hall School, 16 January 2008

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherside Hall School, 16 January 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

As you all know, I spent a day at school looking at your work and talking to your teachers. Thank you for helping me, especially those of you I had lunch with. These are my findings. Netherside is a good school that prepares you well for your future. These are some of the areas that are particularly successful.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your headteacher and senior teachers have been very successful in making considerable improvement to the school since the last inspection. ■ You do some excellent work with other schools, helping improve their understanding of history, geography and outdoor education. ■ Good teaching and interesting activities help you make good progress.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your achievement is good: GCSE results are outstanding.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Very good links between care staff and teachers ensure you are well supported and given skills to help you achieve out of school. ■ The very wide range of sporting activities contributes significantly to your health, well-being and improved personal development. This is what I have asked your teachers to do to make things even better, I'm sure you will do all you can to help.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Provide more equipment for information and communication technology so that you can achieve better. ■ Make sure you know how you can make even better progress.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I wish you well for the future. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Netherside Hall School, 16 January 2008

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