Hebden Green Community School

Hebden Green Community School Inspection report

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111505 Unique Reference Number Cheshire Local Authority 288978 Inspection number 11 °12 June 2007 Inspection dates Henry Moreton 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 2 °19 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 91 School 21 6th form

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr P Gaskell Chair Mr Andrew Farren Headteacher 8 May 2001 Date of previous school inspection Woodford Lane West School address Winsford Cheshire CW7 4EJ

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01606 594221 Telephone number 01606 861459 Fax number

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2 °19 Age group 11 °12 June 2007 Inspection dates 288978 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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Hebden Green, a school for learners with physical disabilities and associated medical and sensory needs, is sited on a small campus of educational and health provision. All learners have statements of special educational need. The attainment of the majority of learners when they enter the school is below or well below the standards achieved by learners of the same age nationally. This is because of their special educational needs. Some learners have profound sensory and communication needs. Most learners are White British, and about 25% are eligible for free school meals. Learners are admitted from a number of local authorities and seven are looked after by their local authority. The boarding provision caters only for those aged from 11 years. Different groups stay overnight each weekday evening. The maximum staying on any one night is 12 learners. The school has National Healthy Schools status, ArtsMark Gold award, Silver Eco Schools award,

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Description of the school

Inclusion Quality Mark, Sports 'ACTIVE' award and Safer Recruitment assessment (grade A).

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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: Hebden Green Community School, 11 °12 June 2007

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Grade: 1

Hebden Green is an outstanding school in all respects. The comment that 'this school sees the potential in every child, nurtures and cares for them above and beyond the call of duty' is typical of the views of parents. The first-class leadership of the school has improved the quality and standard of provision reported at the last inspection. Learners' achievements in music and in design and technology are significantly improved, and in art the progress many learners make is remarkable. Teaching is consistently of a very high quality across the school. Excellent use is made of a range of teaching strategies to promote communication skills. While the use of information and communication technology (ICT) is embedded throughout the school, opportunities to use the school website and the virtual learning environment are not taken by all staff. The climate for learning is calm and purposeful in all classes and around the extensive site.

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Grade: 1

Learners achieve extremely well and make significant progress from the time they arrive at the school. They achieve success in a range of nationally accredited basic life skills courses and make huge strides in their personal development. This is characterised by the great enjoyment they gain from being at school and by their good attendance, impeccable behaviour and caring relationships. The older learners speak highly of the many benefits they get from staying over on one night each week. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent and is well promoted through the programme for personal, social and health education. Throughout the school the excellent curriculum provides access to an enriching range of relevant and specially tailored activities to suit individual learning requirements. Learners have a keen awareness of the need to keep themselves safe and healthy. A typical comment is that 'we know we are safe here, they [the staff] keep us safe'. With their parents,

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Grade: 1

learners make a very strong commitment to the school community and are unfailingly helpful towards one another. There is an active school council and learners feel that they are listened to by staff. They have many contacts with the local and wider community and are highly successful in their work outside of the school, becoming involved in a range of activities both locally and nationally. These, together with good vocational and careers work, prepare them extremely well for transition to adult life. There is excellent care, guidance and support. The school has robust policies and procedures for safeguarding its learners. The youngest children are well prepared for school by staff. Support for parents is exceptional, and highly valued by them. Another typical comment from parents is that 'whenever we phone school they are always pleased to hear from us, which is lovely'. School governors are very closely involved in supporting staff and learners. They challenge the

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Grade: 1

senior leadership group and ensure that they implement very effective monitoring and self-evaluation. Their focused visits are welcomed by staff. The school demonstrates outstanding capacity to improve, with high morale among a staff that represents many professions. It is securely placed to move forward as part of the local authority's plans for the local community, and provides excellent value for money.

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Grade: 1

Learners make excellent progress. There is outstanding teaching with a wide range of courses and activities. Learners have access to work experience and adult environments. This helps to 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Hebden Green Community School, 11 °12 June 2007 promote outstanding personal development. Learners receive the guidance and support they need and are very well prepared for adult life. Leadership of the sixth form, which is part of the secondary department, is as effective as it is in the rest of the school.

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Grade for sixth form: 1

The report by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) in January 2007 judged provision for boarders to be excellent. The school has addressed the few areas for improvement raised in that report. The boarders are looked after extremely well by staff. Parents view the school as very receptive to their needs and as offering a high quality service. Learners who stay overnight have full access to school resources to support their learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the use of the school's virtual learning environment and website.

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Grade for sixth form: 1

Almost without exception, learners make excellent progress from the time they enter school. This is most marked in their personal development. School assessments and records, which are detailed, show that learners make steady gains in their overall achievements in all subjects because of the highly personalised curriculum, including for learners with profound difficulties. Learners in Years 10 to 14 achieve very well in nationally accredited courses such as the Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN) assessments and GCSE. Learners' records of achievement show their continuous success in learning across a wide range of school and other activities.

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Grade for sixth form: 1

Parents' and learners' views, and evidence in lessons, show that learners are very enthusiastic and get a huge amount of enjoyment from school. They work hard and behaviour is exemplary. They have caring relationships with one another and with staff, and this extends into the boarding provision. Attendance is good, with only a small amount of unauthorised absence. There is significant growth in learners' self- confidence, self-esteem and independence. Learners are safe and take advantage of the many activities to be healthy such as in their work in physical education with the sports coaches and in the physiotherapy and hydrotherapy sessions. There are many examples of learners helping one another, and the girls, whose numbers are relatively few, say they are treated with respect. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Hebden Green Community School, 11 °12 June 2007

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Grade for sixth form: 1

Learning is fun in this school. Teachers look to improve all the time. Activities are very well planned to match the individual needs of learners and to cater for the diverse range of abilities, learning difficulties and personalities. The younger learners get off to a flying start. Staff have a very secure understanding of the learning and social needs of learners and respond to these very well in their teaching. Teachers and support staff work together well and are good role models. Lessons are lively and interesting and hold learners' attention throughout. Effective use is made of ICT in lessons by teachers and learners, and assessment is also used effectively in every subject.

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Grade for sixth form: 1

There is an extensive range of activities which very effectively meet the very diverse needs of the learners. There is a well balanced timetable, covering all nationally required subjects. A flexible approach meets the needs of learners with sensory needs. A range of school trips, together with visitors to school, provides variety and interest as well as the very necessary practical and sensory experiences. Links with other schools provide further enrichment. Classroom displays, especially of learners' artwork, reflect the high expectations throughout the school. Developments to the accommodation, such as the outside play areas and swimming pool, are also improving provision.

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Grade for sixth form: 1

Staff provide excellent welfare and pastoral care, both in the classrooms and in the boarding accommodation. There are clear procedures and systems for staffing checks, with a single central record in place. There are robust risk assessments for class-based activities, all journeys and visits. Appropriate staff are trained in first aid and the safe administration of medicine. Diligent assessments and records are made of learners' academic performance, social skills and medical needs. Individual learning plans are reviewed regularly and annual reviews are carried out effectively. There are extensive links and liaison with other agencies and professionals, many of whom are part of the school community.

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Grade for sixth form: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. Ably led by the headteacher, and based upon very effective school self-evaluation, senior leaders respond creatively to the needs of learners. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Hebden Green Community School, 11 °12 June 2007 Very effective systems are in place for training and supporting staff, including those new to working with learners with difficulties and/or disabilities. Staff with management responsibilities contribute extremely well to monitoring the school's effectiveness. The school's many external awards are a reflection of the attention to detail that is apparent in all that it does. Lesson observations focus on how well learners achieve, and their findings are accurate, though at times modest. Governors make a significant contribution. They have an accurate understanding of the school's work and, led by an experienced chair and vice-chair, are decisive in their

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Grade for sixth form: 1

decision-making. School leaders have created a climate of trust and mutual support. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Hebden Green Community School, 11 °12 June 2007 .

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Grade for sixth form: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Hebden Green Community School, 11 °12 June 2007

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Inspection judgements

16-19 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

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

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Achievement and standards

1 1 How well do learners achieve? 4 4 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

1 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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well-being of the learners?

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

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range of needs and interests of learners?

1 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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range of needs 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: Hebden Green Community School, 11 °12 June 2007

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achievement and supporting all learners?

1 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 1 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets 1 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can 1 1 How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money 1 1 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes 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: Hebden Green Community School, 11 °12 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Hebden Green Community School, Winsford, CW7 4EJ. Thank you for making us so welcome when Mrs Shields and I visited your school. I am writing to let you know what we found out. You can access a copy of our report on www.ofsted.gov.uk. If you get time, try to look it up. We hope you will find it interesting. It is based on what you and your parents told us as well as what we saw for ourselves in the school and in the boarding provision. Yours is an outstanding school. The teachers and staff care for you extremely well and they work closely with therapists and people from other agencies to find the best ways of helping you. You do really well in gaining confidence and self-esteem because you listen to each other so well and you support each other in a very caring way. You make excellent progress with your school work because of your hard work and the skills of your teachers and the many staff who

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

support you and them. The school provides many opportunities for you to take part in exciting activities and we like the way that you have so many chances to gain qualifications that will help you when you leave. For secondary learners, being able to stay overnight for one evening each week is helping you to develop your friendships as well as your independence. It is hard for us to see how the headteacher, his staff and the governors could do more. Even so, we have asked them to make the school even better by using computers to set out the work in all subjects so that you can learn even on those days you are not able to get to school. This will include improving the school website and we think that with your brilliant ICT skills you could help the teachers with this. We wish you all the best for the future. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Hebden Green Community School, 11 °12 June 2007

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