Hadrian School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Hadrian School Bertram Crescent, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE15 6PY

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Outcome

Hadrian School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a kind and caring school, where pupils flourish. Pupils develop strong relationships with staff and form positive friendships with each other. All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils achieve exceptionally well because staff are highly attuned to, understand and address every individual pupil’s specific needs. Leaders are determined that all pupils will develop the skills they need. They prioritise the school’s approach to ‘preparation for life’ for every pupil. Therefore, pupils are well prepared for the future.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and secure, and they love coming to school and learning. Staff notice the achievement, talent or interest of every pupil. They then create opportunities to develop, showcase and nurture them. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and describe it as ‘an amazing school’. Many views were reflected in one comment, saying, ‘This school helps children meet milestones we as parents never thought we would see.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well and are aware of the high expectations for their behaviour. Highly effective, caring staff consistently use thoughtful approaches to help pupils understand how to communicate their needs and wishes effectively. Pupils say that bullying is not a problem, but if it ever did occur, they are confident that staff would act very quickly to stop it.

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

Leaders know their pupils well. They are acutely aware that pupils have a wide range of specific needs. Some pupils need a highly specialised curriculum. As such, school leaders work closely with a range of health professionals, therapists and their own specialist support workers to work with individual pupils. The work of these experienced staff is 28 and 29 March 2023

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woven into the school day to offer pupils and families support well beyond the academic curriculum.

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The curriculum is highly ambitious for all pupils. Leaders have ensured that the school’s curriculum makes it clear what individual pupils must know and be able to do. Leaders have thought carefully about the important knowledge that pupils need to learn and the ways that this can be made accessible to pupils with complex needs. Adults design lessons that are matched to individual needs. Teachers assess the progress made by pupils and track even the smallest steps.

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Where appropriate for pupils, there is a carefully planned reading approach, which helps them to progress from the earliest stages of reading to being able to read more fluently.

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Adults working with children in the early years have a detailed understanding of every child and their detailed support plans. They have created a stimulating environment, with very carefully selected equipment and resources, to provide children with every opportunity to experience sensory stimulation or to engage with the environment around them.

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Leaders and staff promote pupils’ personal development highly effectively. Pupils enjoy the enrichment activities offered to them. For instance, pupils from four classes shared how excited they were to be taking part in the National Shakespeare in Schools Festival, performing Othello at Northern Stage on the day of inspection.

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Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the support they receive for their workload and well-being. Governors know the school extremely well. They offer high levels of support while also providing effective challenge to leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff undertake extensive training to ensure that they can identify and respond to any concerns about pupils. Staff are vigilant and report concerns promptly. Leaders work with a wide range of external agencies to provide support for pupils and their families. Governors make regular visits to review the school’s safeguarding procedures. Leaders make robust checks to ensure that adults are safe to work with pupils. Where appropriate for the pupils, they learn about keeping themselves healthy and safe.

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Background

When we have judged a 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 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 28 and 29 March 2023

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evidence that a school would now receive a 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.

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in 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. 28 and 29 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255921 Type of school Special

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The pupils are grouped into pathways reflecting the level of their special educational needs. Pupils are able to move between the pathways on their journey through the school.  The school does not use alternative education providers.

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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.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the business manager and other senior and middle leaders. The inspectors also met with a number of the governors and the local authority representative.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and preparation for life. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, 28 and 29 March 2023

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looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at evidence for learning.  Inspectors visited pupils across the school, including children in the early years.  Inspectors met with the school’s designated safeguarding lead. The inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s single central record, which includes recruitment checks made on staff.  The responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, were also taken into account. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey, but inspectors spoke to pupils in school.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beard, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jill Bowe Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 March 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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