Tweendykes School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Tweendykes School Midmere Avenue, Leads Road, Hull, HU7 4PW

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Outcome

Tweendykes School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff are very ambitious for all pupils. They encourage all pupils to aim high. Staff provide pupils with expert support. Pupils try hard and are keen to complete the tasks that teachers give them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff develop close and positive working relationships with pupils. These relationships contribute to pupils’ sense of well-being and also help them learn better. For example, pupils enjoy asking questions of their teachers to find out new knowledge. Parents speak very highly of the care that staff provide for pupils. One parent, echoing the views of others, commented, ‘The staff that look after my child are very caring and compassionate.’ Pupils told inspectors that they felt safe and well looked after in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are respectful towards staff and other pupils. Pupils seldom do or say anything that might be considered unkind. On the rare occasions that they do staff carefully explain why their words or actions were not appropriate. Staff take time to practise classroom routines with pupils. Because staff know each pupil extremely well, they know what is needed to calm them and make them feel better when necessary.

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

The curriculum is ambitious. It includes an impressive range of humanities, scientific, and creative subjects. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum in these subjects enables pupils to build up their knowledge and skills step by step. There is flexibility within the curriculum, which means pupils can re-visit important knowledge. For example, over time older pupils have revisited important knowledge about plants. This means that they can confidently label parts of a flower. Approaches to assessment are effective because they enable teachers to identify any gaps in knowledge and understanding that pupils may have.

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

The curriculum focuses on developing pupils’ knowledge and skills in communication and language. Leaders complete very thorough assessments when pupils join the school. 21 to 22 June 2022

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These assessments provide a detailed overview of the knowledge and skills that pupils have and also indicate aspects for further development. This overview is shared with teachers and teaching assistants. They use it to teach each pupil the specific communication knowledge and skills they need. For instance, as an aid to toilet training some children, staff provide them with a sequenced strip of symbols with words attached to each symbol. The strip helps staff communicate to pupils what they need to do and the order they need to do it in. It also assists pupils in becoming more independent and learning new words.

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Since the previous inspection, leaders have made huge strides in developing pupils’ reading. Leaders have introduced a new phonics programme. It is helping pupils make strong progress in learning the sounds that letters make. Pupils’ reading books closely match pupils’ phonic knowledge. The phonics leader carefully monitors how well teachers implement the programme. As a result, she can rapidly identify any adjustments that need to be made to the way the programme is delivered, so it better meets pupils’ needs.

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Leaders and staff are determined that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the support they need to fulfil their potential. Throughout the school, emphasis is placed on preparing pupils and students for adult life. In the sixth form, students take courses in life-skills, and some go out on work experience. In addition, staff provide highly personalised support for SEND pupils with sensory needs. For example, where appropriate staff provide pupils with tailor-made sensory activities to help them regulate their emotions.

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Across the school staff manage pupils’ behaviour incredibly well. Staff are very skilled at avoiding situations that make pupils become more unsettled. However, if pupils do go into crisis, staff consistently apply agreed procedures. When managing pupils in crisis, staff view pupils’ safety as paramount. Leaders closely supervise the way staff apply agreed approaches for managing behaviour, providing staff with helpful feedback and support.

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Five pupils attend the school on a part-time basis. Leaders have considered the specific circumstances of these pupils carefully, providing each pupil with work that meets their individual needs. For instance, some pupils are in the process of moving to a new placement and need time to make visits. The leader dedicated to supporting families makes regular visits to the homes of the five pupils to check on their well-being and learning. As a result, pupils attending the school part-time engage well in remote education.

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The school’s approach to personal development is suitably ambitious and highly inclusive. All pupils are offered a range of trips and residentials. Pupils attend a wide assortment of lunchtime clubs. They benefit from the chance to socialise with their classmates. Older pupils assist in the running of these clubs. For example, a sixth form student is the ‘caller’ for the pupils’ bingo club. Assisting in running clubs for younger pupils is contributing to post-16 students developing important life skills, such as leading others.

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The multi-academy trust (MAT) supports and oversees the school extremely well. MAT leaders place a strong value on continual improvement. This ethos informs the way in which they support school leaders. Curriculum leaders from the school have attended 21 to 22 June 2022

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trust-wide, subject-specific training. They have used this training when working alongside the school’s overall curriculum leader to design an ambitious curriculum for the subjects they lead.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The designated safeguarding leader (DSL) has a profound knowledge of the safeguarding support that each pupil needs. The DSL oversees extensive staff training. This training includes a deep exploration of the safeguarding issues that may affect pupils with SEND. The DSL also meticulously monitors the local authority’s response when he refers pupils to external support services.

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Safeguarding

The leader designated to working closely with families also plays a pivotal role in keeping pupils safe. She has been persistent in reaching out to families that have been resistant to having contact with school.

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Background

When we have judged 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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to outstanding on 26 April 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 21 to 22 June 2022

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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. 21 to 22 June 2022

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School details

Local authority Kingston Upon Hull City Council

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School details

Inspection number 10199714 Type of school All-through

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School details

School category Academy special sponsor-led

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form

Date of previous inspection 26 April 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Tweendykes School is part of the Humber Education Trust. The school caters for pupils with severe and multiple learning difficulties, including autistic spectrum disorder.  All pupils have education, health, and care plans.  The current headteacher was appointed in January 2022.  Since the previous inspection, the school has expanded and now has a site for younger primary-aged pupils and early years children called ‘Little Stars’.  ‘Little Stars’ shares its location with a primary school that is not in the same trust. 21 to 22 June 2022

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Meetings were held both together and separately with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, who is also the DSL. Inspectors also met with the strategic curriculum lead both separately, and along with the assistant headteachers responsible for primary, secondary and sixth form phases. Inspectors held meetings with the communication and language lead that works across the school. Inspectors visited ‘Little Stars’ with the communication and language lead.  Inspectors met with the chief executive officer of the MAT, the school improvement lead, and the strategic lead for SEND from the MAT. Inspectors also met with the vice- chair of the local governing board and the lead governor for safeguarding.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors spoke with a mixed group of boys and girls, and separately with a group of girls. They also spoke informally with pupils, and with parents collecting pupils from school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in communication and literacy, including the early stages of reading, science, mathematics, and physical development. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors reviewed documentation relating to the school’s curriculum, including the post-16 curriculum, along with the school’s own evaluation and its development plans. Inspectors also sampled education, health, and care plans for pupils, as well as internal plans detailing the individual support these pupils require.  Inspectors reviewed 46 responses to the staff survey and 6 comments from parents on

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Inspection team

Sarah Hubbard, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Annali Crawford Ofsted Inspector 21 to 22 June 2022

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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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