Uplands School

Inspection of Uplands School The Learning Campus, Tadpole Lane, Swindon, Wiltshire SN25 2NB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is David Stevens. This school is part of the Brunel Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Jackie Fieldwick, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by William Wyldbore-Smith.

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Ofsted has not previously inspected Uplands School as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005, as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. However, the academy received an ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Act on 29 and 30 November 2022. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school. 2 and 3 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Care and kindness are at the heart of Uplands School. Pupils’ mental and physical health needs are prioritised. The school focuses on preparing pupils for the next step of their education and adulthood. However, further work remains to ensure that all pupils get the most from their time here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s new curriculum is designed to help its pupils with severe, profound and complex special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) become independent and resilient young people. Pupils learn how to be safe in the home and online. The curriculum is raising expectations of what pupils can achieve. Students in the sixth form are well supported to secure new knowledge, skills and vocabulary.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most older pupils are aspirational about the next stages of their lives. Pupils value the careers advice, work experience and travel training experiences organised by the school. Pupils’ talents and interests are nurtured at Uplands. Pupils enjoy a wide range of trips and visits. They contribute to school life. For example, the school council recently reinstated the school’s cafe. Such opportunities positively reinforce pupils’ learning in real-life experiences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in class and staff provide appropriate support when needed. Pupils learn about different cultures and the importance of tolerance and respect.

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better?

Staff are proud to work at Uplands. Since the previous inspection, the school has developed its curriculum and assessment. New subject leaders increasingly support staff to know and understand their subject’s curriculum. There are pockets of strong practice in the school. Sixth-form students are enthused and challenged by most subject curriculums. They want to achieve well. For example, students enjoy carefully planned practical mathematics lessons. Mock interviews, work experience and enterprise projects help students to practise knowledge and skills that develop independence.

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better?

Nevertheless, significant staff changes have hindered the effective implementation of the curriculum. For pupils in Years 7 to 11, there is too much variation in the quality of education they receive. The school uses pupils’ education, health and care (EHC) plans and curriculum to set appropriate next steps for pupils’ learning. However, in many cases, lessons are focused on completing activities rather than learning the intended curriculum.

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better?

The trust has not ensured that staff know the curriculum’s essential knowledge well enough to know what has come before and what pupils need to know next. This does not help pupils to recall prior knowledge and secure new knowledge. Pupils’ work shows that they sometimes repeat knowledge they have secured. Or, they are asked to complete learning activities that do not match what they can do. It is intended that pupil progress be captured through the ‘learning ladders’, but this 2 and 3 July 2024

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method is not used consistently well in all classes. Pupils’ misconceptions are not always rectified. This leads to mistakes being repeated. Connections between important curriculum concepts are not made within and between subjects. For example, pupils learn about healthy and unhealthy foods in different subjects. However, their prior knowledge is not considered when planning related learning activities.

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Checks by leaders on the teaching and learning of phonics are used to support and ensure that staff have secure phonics knowledge. Pupils’ reading books match their phonics knowledge. Pupils progress through the phonics curriculum. Nevertheless, the depth of pupils’ phonics knowledge is sometimes shallow as the phonics curriculum is not implemented as intended. The school has recently developed a curriculum and assessment to identify and meet pupils’ early reading starting points. This work is in its infancy.

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Pupils complete ‘functional’ reading sessions to help them to read print in the wider world such as signs. To engage pupils and their parents and carers in reading, the school has created a ‘100-top-read’ selection of high-quality texts. Pupils enjoy reading books from their class library or sharing box. Parents attend coffee mornings to find out how phonics is taught.

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The school has improved how it analyses and spots attendance and behaviour trends. For example, monitoring pupil attendance and the subsequent support for families is improving pupils’ attendance. Pupils have safe, well-managed spaces for break times. As a result, pupils are happy and enjoy social time. Some pupils choose to play together. Others have learned to wait their turn to use equipment.

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A comprehensive personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum is in place. As with other subject areas, pupils’ knowledge of PSHE topics can vary. Nevertheless, pupils can recall important concepts such as healthy relationships and different faiths. They learn about fundamental British values such as democracy through a mock election.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has recently developed its curriculum. It is in the early stages of implementation. As a result, staff do not have secure knowledge of the content and expectations of the new curriculum. The trust needs to ensure that staff develop their knowledge of the curriculum so that they accurately identify and close gaps in pupils’ knowledge. 2 and 3 July 2024

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 In some curriculum subjects, pupils do not have a secure knowledge of important curriculum concepts. Consequently, pupils cannot make connections between the curriculum’s important content to build on prior learning. The school needs to ensure that pupils secure their curriculum content knowledge to recall and connect important concepts.

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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 ’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 2 and 3 July 2024

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School details

School category Academy special converter

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sixth form

Dates of previous inspection 29 and 30 November 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Uplands school is part of the Brunel Academies Trust.  Uplands is a special school located within a learning campus in Swindon. A few sixth-form students are located at the school’s second site, which is within Horizons College in Royal Wootton Bassett.  The school is for pupils with severe or profound and multiple learning difficulties and/or an autistic spectrum condition. Pupils will often have additional complex needs.  All pupils, aged 11 to 19 years, have EHC plans.  Swindon, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire local authorities commission places at Uplands school. 2 and 3 July 2024

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 The school does not use alternative provision.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, senior leaders including the trust’s director of education, staff, pupils and chair of the governing body. Inspectors also met with trust leaders including the chair of the board of trustees and the CEO.  The lead inspector met with a representative from Swindon local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading and communication, mathematics, PSHE and personal development, and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning, looked at samples of pupils’

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Information about this inspection

work, and looked at EHC plans and access to learning plans.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a known adult.  The inspectors also discussed the school’s curriculum, use of assessment information and provision with leaders.  An inspector visited the sixth-form provision at Horizons College.  The inspectors observed pupils during social times and spoke with pupils and leaders about opportunities for pupils’ personal development.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and additional communication with Ofsted. She also took into consideration the responses to the survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Marie Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Smith Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 July 2024

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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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