Chatsworth High School and Community College

Inspection of an outstanding school: Chatsworth High School and Community College Chatsworth Road, Eccles, Salford, Greater Manchester M30 9DY

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Outcome

Chatsworth High School and Community College continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Chatsworth High School and Community College is a very happy place to be. Pupils come to school with smiles on their faces, ready to learn. Staff welcome pupils into exciting and engaging classrooms.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults are excellent at making sure that every pupil achieves all that they can. For example, they help pupils to learn to communicate very well. Teachers plan activities that are just right for each individual pupil. Pupils say that they love their lessons and add, ‘Activities are often fun and exciting.’ Adults give pupils adequate space to express their needs and feelings.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave extremely well in school. Adults effectively support pupils who struggle to control their own behaviour. They do this with great expertise. Bullying is unheard of in the school. Pupils said that if it did happen, adults would sort it out straight away.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told me that they feel very safe because adults know them well, look after them and are always there to help.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is fantastic at involving all pupils in lots of fun activities in and out of school. All pupils take part in planning, organising and running an annual music festival. Pupils enjoy and take part in many extra-curricular activities.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have thought very carefully about what pupils should learn. They have high expectations about the skills, knowledge and understanding that pupils need to help them to be successful in their future adult life. Leaders work with staff, governors, parents, carers and pupils to create an excellent curriculum. 11–12 September 2019

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A wide range of subjects are taught at the school. These include communication and language, personal, social and emotional development and the creative arts. Staff teach these subjects to all pupils, whatever their ability. Teachers meet the range of pupils’ needs extremely well, and pupils achieve their best.

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We saw that teachers and support staff know each pupil in detail. They know precisely what to teach. Teachers plan interesting activities for each individual pupil. Adults skilfully help pupils in exactly the right way. Sometimes they show pupils what to do and encourage them to copy. Other pupils are encouraged to think and try out their skills and knowledge for themselves. For example, adults might show a pupil how they can say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ using picture symbols. Other pupils might write a short sentence on their own, using capital letters and full stops. We heard pupils say how much they enjoy school and the activities that they do. They are keen to join in. If a pupil struggles with their behaviour, adults are quick to calm them, so that they do not spoil the lesson or upset other pupils.

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Many pupils at the school find learning difficult and struggle to remember information. We saw that adults are very skilful at helping pupils to overcome this. They get pupils to practise their skills many times and in many different ways. For example, a pupil might use the word ‘stop’ and ‘more’ when counting, when choosing a biscuit at breaktime or when walking down the corridor to go to lunch. Staff give pupils who are able lots of practice at reading.

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Pupils have excellent opportunities to enjoy a wide range of extra activities at school. For example, they learn to be healthy by getting involved in sport, team-building activities, mindfulness and cooking healthy meals. Each year, the whole school is involved in its own music festival, ‘Chatsfest’. Pupils have fun at workshops. This year, activities included making bandanas, graffiti art, Bollywood dancing and even learning to play the didgeridoo.

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Staff in the sixth form help students to feel more independent. Students can choose to wear their own clothes instead of the school uniform. They achieve qualifications for their future, particularly in number, writing and reading. All students go on to further education. Teachers support students to learn skills and knowledge that will help them to be independent in the community or at work. For example, adults teach students to travel independently on the bus. All students, whatever their ability, are involved in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. They work together to organise events, many take a leading role.

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Leaders are sensitive to the amount of work that staff do. Staff feel that leaders listen to them. They appreciate the importance that leaders give to their well-being.

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Leaders have worked hard to improve how they share information with parents. They have successfully changed the way that they tell them about how well their child is doing at school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 11–12 September 2019

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Safeguarding is a strength. The safeguarding and protection of pupils is extremely important to adults in the school. Staff are exceptional at caring for very vulnerable pupils and take their responsibility very seriously. Leaders make sure that all the school policies and procedures are clear and that all staff know them in detail. Adults make sure that pupils and their families are well looked after and supported.

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Background

When we have judged a special school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, also called Chatsworth High School and Community College, to be outstanding on 1 October 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘ disadvantaged pupils ’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 11–12 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110967 Type of school Special

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Chair of governing body Louise Hutchinson

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Headteacher Helen Birkinhead (headteacher) Dr Martin Hanbury (executive headteacher) Website www.chatsworth.salford.sch.uk

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Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Chatsworth High School and Community College opened as an academy in October 2016. The predecessor school was also known as Chatsworth High School and Community College. This is the first inspection since becoming an academy.  The school provides education for pupils with a significant degree of complex learning difficulty, many of whom have severe or profound and multiple learning difficulties. Some pupils have autistic spectrum condition. All pupils have an education, health and care plan.  Over half of all the pupils on roll are identified as disadvantaged.  Chatsworth High School and Community College is one of two educational establishments that make up Chatsworth Multi Academy Trust. The other is Chatsworth Futures Specialist College. There is an executive headteacher who oversees both provisions. The trust has a board of trustees. The school also has a local governing 11–12 September 2019

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body. The newly appointed headteacher oversees the school’s day-to-day operation.  Most pupils attend Chatsworth Futures Specialist College when they leave the school’s sixth form.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, we spoke with pupils, both formally and informally, about their work and school life. I spoke with members of the local governing body, trustees, the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and members of staff. I also spoke to a representative of the local authority on the telephone.  We reviewed a range of documentation, including about school development, safeguarding and checks undertaken on newly-appointed staff.  I considered 13 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and 40 responses to the online staff survey. There were no responses to the pupils’ survey.  We focused on communication and language, personal, social and emotional development and creative arts. This entailed discussions with subject leaders, visits to lessons, looking at examples of pupils’ work, discussions with teachers and discussions with pupils.

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Inspection team

Sue Eastwood, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Bernard Robinson Ofsted Inspector 11–12 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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