Manor Green School

Inspection of a good school: Manor Green School Elizabeth Hawkes Way, Windsor & Maidenhead, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 3EQ

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Outcome

Manor Green School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a vibrant and happy school where pupils are valued as unique individuals. Pupils have a wide range of special educational needs and/or disabilities. They thrive because adults know them exceptionally well. Staff care deeply about pupils’ well-being. Consequently, pupils are happy and feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations for pupils to engage with learning are high. Well-established classroom routines help pupils to concentrate. Teachers aim to make lessons fun and active, and everyone is expected to try their best. Great use is made of the space on offer, which means learning happens both within and outside of the classrooms. Reading, counting and sensory activities can be seen taking place across the school site.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. They use consistent language and thoughtful approaches to support pupils. For example, pupils are taught to identify their emotional state, and develop strategies to manage their own behaviour effectively. As a result, there is a calm atmosphere around the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to come to Manor Green. Older pupils talk about how their time here has enabled them to grow in confidence. Many parents agree and say their child has flourished.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum to meet the diverse needs of their pupils. Following careful assessment on completion of their time in the ‘first school’, pupils join one of three pathways. Staff build a very clear picture of what each pupil needs. Within the pathway, provision is personalised to include targets linked with the pupil’s education, health and care plan. Pupils benefit from a tailored curriculum that meets their needs.

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

Lessons are active and engaging. Teachers carefully assess what should be learned next. This means that, across the curriculum, pupils develop their learning in a methodical, 19 and 20 April 2023

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step-by-step way. Most learning takes place through interesting topic, themed or project work. Leaders monitor this to ensure that pupils benefit from learning across a broad range of subjects.

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In the early years, children are immersed in a secure and happy environment. Adults know them well and provide high levels of care. Children enjoy stories, songs and rhymes, and become familiar with Makaton signing and communication symbols. This sets them up well to learn to read and enjoy books.

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Prioritising communication is at the heart of all school life. Classroom staff work closely with therapists. Together they teach pupils to recognise or use important symbols and words. This helps pupils to develop functional communication. Highly skilled staff expertly facilitate purposeful use of eye gaze, communication books, signing and other aids. This empowers pupils to have and to use their ‘voice’.

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Leaders aspire for pupils to learn to read. While many older pupils can read independently, this is not the case for all. Leaders have rightly recognised that a more consistent approach is needed so that all pupils can achieve everything they are capable of. Leaders have recently implemented a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. This is a central feature of the school’s new reading strategy.

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Everyone carries responsibility for preparing pupils for a successful future. This is a real strength. The enterprise curriculum inspires pupils to discover their interests and explore possibilities. The upper school curriculum provides a clear pathway for pupils to achieve qualifications or accreditations. These represent their capabilities and interests, and their readiness for their next steps. Older pupils, including those who are post-16, learn ‘hands- on’ skills. For example, some pupils run a popular in-school café and gain qualifications in food and hygiene. This equips them to apply for paid employment or pursue further training to work in catering or hospitality.

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A nurturing approach underpins the way in which staff think about behaviour. Leaders are thoughtful about how space is used across the site. Both the classroom and the outdoor area are organised to support pupils’ needs. Staff sensitively manage instances where pupils exhibit more challenging behaviours. Careful recording helps leaders to identify and respond to any emerging patterns that indicate when pupils need even greater levels of support.

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Leaders acknowledge that too many pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This means that they miss out on important learning. Leaders do closely track attendance and are employing strategies to increase the amount of time pupils are in school. This includes providing bespoke support for pupils with complex medical needs, ensuring they attend as much as they can. Leaders know it is vital to continue this work.

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Pupils’ personal development is well catered for. The enhanced curriculum provides a range of interesting and exciting experiences. In assemblies, pupils’ achievements are recognised and ‘house captains’ lead team celebrations. Leaders are outward looking. They have built strong links with the local community. An example was the recent ‘You’re 19 and 20 April 2023

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Hired’ day when nine local business leaders spent the day in school conducting mock interviews. This helped pupils to prepare for real-life interviews.

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Leaders and governors collaborate and innovate to provide the very best for the pupils. Staff work hard because they care about the pupils. They appreciate the opportunities they have to develop their expertise in order to ensure that pupils receive the support they need.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding embedded across the school. Regular training means that everyone in the school community knows what to do if they have concerns. Staff are vigilant and aware of the vulnerabilities of pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Leaders follow up concerns diligently. They work sensitively with other agencies to ensure that pupils get the help they need. Leaders carry out thorough checks on staff working at the school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum, for example through showing that they give consent to participate in interactive stories and activities.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Too many pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This means that they miss out on vital learning and opportunities to develop their communication and confidence. Leaders should continue to work with these pupils and their families to improve attendance.  Leaders have only recently implemented a consistent school-wide approach to the teaching of phonics and reading. This means that not all pupils are able to use phonic knowledge to read. Leaders should continue to train staff to teach pupils to read in line with their new reading policy, so that all pupils who are able to read independently are well supported to achieve this. 19 and 20 April 2023

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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.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good 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. 19 and 20 April 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10278055 Type of school Special

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form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection 2 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Manor Green School provides education for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, severe learning difficulty and profound and multiple learning difficulties. All pupils attending the school have an education, health and care plan.  The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 7 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school makes use of one unregistered provider of alternative education. 19 and 20 April 2023

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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 met with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, teachers and teaching assistants.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the governing body, including the chair.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and personal, social and health education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors looked at curriculum planning in a range of subjects.  Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and outside during social times.  Inspectors reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising safeguarding

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Information about this inspection

records and policies, speaking to staff and trustees, and discussing this with pupils.  Inspectors considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View. They gathered the views of pupils and staff through surveys and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  Inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including school improvement documentation and governing body minutes.

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Inspection team

Jo Petch, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Louise Ling Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 April 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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