Penn Fields School

Inspection of Penn Fields School Boundary Way, Penn, Wolverhampton, West Midlands WV4 4NT

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 January 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 17 and 18 January 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Penn Fields School develop trusting and positive relationships with staff and each other. Staff are caring, kind and supportive. They take the time to get to know pupils well. Smiles and warm greetings are commonplace. This helps pupils to enjoy school. They attend regularly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff work alongside parents and carers well from the outset to get to know pupils’ individual learning, physical, sensory and communication needs. Staff use this information carefully to remove barriers to learning and enable pupils to achieve.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want all pupils to achieve their very best. They pay attention to developing pupils’ independence and preparing them for their next stages of their life and education. As part of this work, pupils participate in a range of activities outside of the classroom. These activities include taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, residential trips and running the coffee shop.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Respectful and kind relationships underpin all that is good at Penn Fields. Bullying is rare and staff help pupils to resolve any concerns that may arise. This helps pupils to feel safe. Pupils in most lessons settle quickly to their work. Very little time is wasted.

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better?

Leaders are ambitious for pupils. Leaders, including governors, have taken effective steps to improve the quality of education at the school over recent years. Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the support that school leaders give them. Staff say that leaders care about their well-being and are considerate of their workload.

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better?

Leaders have established a high expectation for what pupils should learn and when they should learn it. They make sure that all pupils learn a broad range of subjects. Most pupils learn these subjects in depth. For example, in art and design, pupils learn about local artists and visit a local art gallery. This helps pupils to develop a love of art and design and to see connections with the world of work.

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better?

Subject leaders make sure that most pupils learn the right things in the right order. For example, in mathematics, teachers make sure that pupils know how to use money before introducing the idea of budgeting. In most subjects, leaders have ensured that teachers know the precise knowledge that pupils need to know and remember. However, this is not the case for some pupils with the most complex needs. Activities are not always well matched to their needs. This slows their learning and stops them from reaching their full potential. For example, in writing, some teachers are not as skilful in teaching the small steps that pupils need to move from mark making to accurate letter formation. 17 and 18 January 2023

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Pupils have a wide range of special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) which can make learning difficult. Teachers work with parents and carers to get an accurate understanding of pupils’ needs. From this, the right provision is put in place to support the communication, learning, sensory or health needs of the pupils. For example, teachers work closely with speech and language therapists to adapt lessons to make them more understandable for pupils.

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Leaders promote reading well. Leaders make regular checks on pupils’ phonics knowledge. They use these checks to identify pupils who are not keeping up with the school’s reading programme. Leaders make sure that these pupils get the help they need from well-trained adults. In addition, pupils get ample practice at reading books that are well matched to their stage of learning. In almost all areas of the school, including social areas, pupils have access to a wide variety of interesting books and texts. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about story time and the books they have read.

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Students in the sixth form gain qualifications in English and mathematics. They also study a wide range of courses which include animal care, mechanics, food technology, carpentry, horticulture, and hair and beauty. Students benefit from quality and timely careers advice. This means that most pupils have a clear idea of what they would like to do in the future. In addition, this support means that students are actively developing the knowledge and skills they need to be successful.

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The school environment is calm and orderly. During break and lunchtimes, pupils socialise together well. For some pupils, their SEND mean that sometimes they find it hard to manage their behaviour. Adults help these pupils well through the delivery of well-thought-out therapeutic approaches. Some pupils, for example, relish the opportunity to care for the school’s chickens. This allows pupils to remain settled and focused throughout the day.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff understand that pupils with SEND often have significant and complex vulnerabilities. As a result, staff receive regular training to keep pupils safe. They ensure that they know their pupils well, so that they can spot when anything may be wrong or is worrying to the pupil.

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Safeguarding

There are good links between the school’s welfare team and the pupils’ families. Staff understand their responsibility to report any concern. Concerns are recorded and followed up with the appropriate agencies when needed. Leaders have appropriate procedures in place to manage any allegations.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about personal safety in the curriculum as well as keeping safe online. 17 and 18 January 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 For some pupils with the most complex needs, teachers are not sufficiently clear about the small steps pupils need to learn. This means that teachers do not consistently provide pupils with the activities and help they need to build their knowledge over time. This limits pupils’ progress. Leaders should ensure that teachers have a clear understanding of the smaller steps of knowledge pupils need to secure, to enable pupils to get the best outcomes from the curriculum.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 17 and 18 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256929 Type of school Special

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sixth form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 27 to 28 March 2019

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Information about this school

 Penn Fields School is a large special school with a sixth form, on the same site as Highfields Secondary School.  All pupils have an education, health and care (EHC) plan, usually for their moderate or severe learning difficulties. Most pupils have additional needs, such as autism spectrum disorder, speech, language and communication needs, and/or sensory and medical needs.  Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes to the leadership of the school. The current headteacher commenced appointment in April 2019. Two deputy headteachers were appointed shortly after, and a new governing body was formed during this period.  The school uses two registered alternative providers.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 7 to 13 with information and 17 and 18 January 2023

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engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading and English, mathematics, art and design and personal, social and health education. 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.  Inspectors also looked at individual pupils’ EHC plans and checked these against the school’s provision.  Inspectors spoke to the leaders of the sixth form and visited the sixth-form area.  Inspectors heard pupils in different year groups read.  Inspectors met with representatives of the governing body and spoke to a representative from the local authority.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed informal times of the day to evaluate pupils’ behaviour.  Inspectors considered a wide variety of school documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and development plan.  Inspectors took note of the responses received on Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, and considered the results of the Ofsted staff and pupil surveys.  Inspectors spoke to the alternative providers to gain an insight into the provision on offer and the quality assurance and safeguarding arrangements that were in place.  Inspectors asked pupils, staff, leaders and governors about safeguarding arrangements. They reviewed records linked to safeguarding and found out about the safety procedures and routines at the school.

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Inspection team

Amjid Zaman, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Russell Hinton Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 January 2023

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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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