Beverley School

Inspection of a good school: Beverley School Saltersgill Avenue, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS4 3JS

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2022

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Outcome

Beverley School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure Beverley School helps pupils learn to be ‘ready, respectful and safe’. From the early years to sixth form, leaders provide pupils with a curriculum that meets both their academic and individual special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers care about the well-being of pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Preparation for adulthood is an important part of the school’s curriculum. It can be seen all around the school. Pupils experience lessons that prepare them for their next steps and future life. This begins in the early years and increases as pupils progress towards sixth form. Pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. Leaders have ensured pupils experience a rich curriculum that includes support for healthy lifestyles and positive mental health. Pupils develop the independence and skills they need to be a successful part of the community. This includes working in the school café and participating in the Duke of Edinburgh award.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is calm and orderly. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive. This means most pupils feel safe and happy at school. Pupils say bullying is not an issue. They know staff would support them well if it were.

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. They have designed a curriculum to meet the academic needs of pupils with SEND. The curriculum is new and is mostly well planned and sequenced. Teachers are knowledgeable about pupils and their subjects. Teachers present subject matter in an accessible way. Lessons are engaging. Teachers adapt their approaches to meet the SEND needs of pupils. Classroom environments focus on the needs of pupils. Staff use resources well to support learning.

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

Leaders ensure children in the early years receive effective care and support that meets their needs. Staff support children to develop the routines of learning to help them participate in lessons. Children engage well in lessons. The classroom environment is well- 18 and 19 October 2022

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equipped with clearly defined outdoor play areas. The early years curriculum is carefully sequenced and helps to prepare children for the next steps in their learning and development.

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Leaders have designed the primary and secondary curriculums well. Leaders prioritise reading and communication. Those pupils who need support to improve their reading receive regular phonics teaching. Leaders ensure there is effective support for pupils to develop communication and phonics skills. Staff deliver the chosen reading scheme consistently well. Curriculum planning is detailed and includes academic milestones. Leaders make sure these milestones help pupils to meet the targets in their education, health and care (EHC) plans. This prepares pupils for next steps in their education well.

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Post-16 students experience a curriculum leading to appropriate qualifications based upon their academic ability and SEND. The curriculum supports the development of personal, social and employability skills. Students in sixth form run the school café and further develop their independence through residential visits. However, some parts of the curriculum are less developed and embedded than others. Curriculum planning is not consistently strong in all subject areas.

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Adults provide effective support for pupils to prepare them for adulthood and the world of work. This develops as pupils move through the school. Pupils receive independent careers education, information, advice and guidance. The school measures itself against the Gatsby benchmarks to ensure pupils receive high-quality careers advice. Pupils receive guidance that meets the Baker clause for technical qualifications. This ensures all pupils transition to positive destinations post-16 or post-19.

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Leaders have planned the provision to support pupils’ personal development carefully. There is an effective personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum in place. Pupils learn about life in modern Britain and about people who are different to them. Dedicated physical education lessons and specialist teachers support pupils to develop active lifestyles. Leaders have developed an effective relationships and sex education curriculum that is age appropriate and sensitive to pupils’ SEND developmental needs.

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Leaders ensure staff meet pupils’ SEND needs effectively. Staff design the learning provision well to support pupils’ progression towards EHC plan targets. This includes dedicated lessons for EHC plan work. There are a range of external agencies that support pupils in school. Leaders manage this support well.

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Governors know the school well. They understand the school’s strengths and areas that need further development. However, leaders’ reports to governors are not always precise. This means that governors cannot evaluate some aspects of the school’s work in detail. As a result, governors are not fully informed about the performance of the school and do not hold leaders to account effectively in all areas.

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Staff are positive about the support leaders provide to help them manage their workload effectively. This includes new systems of assessment and ways to communicate with parents that make their work more efficient. Leaders train staff to meet the academic and 18 and 19 October 2022

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care needs of pupils effectively. They understand the increased risks pupils with SEND face in the community and online.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured there is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. The systems used to record safeguarding actions are secure. Checks on adults prior to their employment are rigorous. Leaders provide effective safeguarding training to all staff, including early career teachers. Staff understand the risks that pupils face in the community. Safeguarding leaders always act in the best interests of children. They are prepared to challenge decision making that does not meet children’s needs. The family liaison officer provides effective outreach support to families. This includes support to ensure pupils are safe while online at home.

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Safeguarding

Most pupils feel safe in school. Pupils know they can rely on adults to support them if needed.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some aspects of the curriculum need further development. The quality of curriculum planning is not consistently strong in all subject areas. This means some pupils experience a curriculum that is not fully sequenced and can be disconnected. Leaders should ensure that all curriculum planning and sequencing matches the quality of the strongest subjects and curriculum areas.  Leaders reports to governors are not precise. This means governors do not have an informed understanding about the performance of the school. Leaders should ensure that governors receive clear information that strengthens their understanding of all areas of school development. Governors should use this information to hold leaders to account effectively.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately. 18 and 19 October 2022

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good on 19 and 20 March 2013.

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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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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. 18 and 19 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241666 Type of school Special

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form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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form

Date of previous inspection 14 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Beverley School is a special school for pupils aged between 3 and 19 years. All pupils have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The school makes provision for pupils with autism spectrum disorder.  Beverley School is located on the same site as Hollis Academy.  The school provides staff for an unregistered resource provision called Beverley Park at Hemlington Initiative Centre. This is for 18 reception age pupils that are registered at other mainstream settings. 18 and 19 October 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher, members of the senior leadership team, subject leaders, teachers and some non-teaching staff.  The lead inspector met with members of the school’s governing body and spoke by telephone with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and PSHE. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The provision for teaching communication was also closely scrutinised.  The lead inspector met with each school’s designated safeguarding leader. The inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding records, relevant policies and other safeguarding documentation. The inspector reviewed the processes leaders use to identify and help pupils who need support. In addition, the inspector scrutinised the

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Information about this inspection

school’s records of checks carried out on adults who work at the school.  Inspectors visited lessons across the school, as well as activities at lunchtime.  The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors spoke to pupils formally and informally, including pupils who receive support to improve their reading.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and development plans.  The inspection team spoke to staff about their workload and pupils’ behaviour in the school.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils, staff and parents.

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Inspection team

David Mills, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Christina Jones Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 October 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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