Churchill Special Free School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Churchill Special Free School Chalkstone Way, Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 0LB

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Outcome

Churchill Special Free School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of the school is Chris Komodromos. The school is part of Unity Schools Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by a chief executive officer (CEO), Tim Coulson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Christine Quinn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love their school as this is a place where they can be themselves. Pupils build important social skills and make friends. Adults support pupils to celebrate their neurodiversity and recognise the shared similarities they have with others, regardless of background. One pupil echoed many others by saying ‘this is a school that any pupil in the world would want to go to’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All staff know pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) incredibly well. Staff give pupils highly effective speech, language and therapeutic support. This helps pupils to behave well and make exceptional progress.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy an exceptionally wide variety of activities such as coding, garage band, reading club or animal care. The very well-planned enrichment programme gives pupils engaging experiences that help build their confidence and resilience. Additionally, the ‘life skills’ curriculum supports pupils to learn how to be independent, for instance using public transport or buying and cooking food.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get to do things that they previously felt were not possible before joining the school. These include completing an adapted expedition for the Duke of Edinburgh’s 8 and 9 October 2024

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Award or independent work experience. The school provides pupils with the tools and firm foundations for their next step in life.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has accurately evaluated and improved its curriculum to reflect the changing needs of its pupils. The exceptional success of the curriculum is down to the way staff consistently and effectively help pupils to learn. The school and trust ensure staff access relevant professional development. This means staff know the most effective ways to support pupils with their learning. Staff adapt lessons expertly around pupils’ often various complex needs and backgrounds.

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

When pupils begin at the school, high-quality assessment picks up pupils’ varied gaps in knowledge. The school works robustly to bridge these gaps in understanding, such as in reading. This ensures all pupils have the knowledge needed to access the ambitious curriculum. Despite the small size of the school, pupils study a range of subjects to GCSE level and beyond, should they choose to stay in the sixth form. By the time pupils leave the school, they have progressed exceptionally well from their varied starting points. All pupils move on to further study or training.

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

The school’s effective actions to improve the reading curriculum have had a marked effect on pupils’ reading knowledge. Staff spot who is behind and work quickly to ensure these pupils catch. This means pupils can access the range of texts they encounter across the curriculum. They enjoy reading and are proud ‘reading ambassadors’. Working closely with the school’s speech and language team, staff help pupils to learn the meaning of new words. Pupils build their vocabulary well and grow in confidence.

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

All staff understand the school’s excellent approach to supporting pupils to manage their behaviour and feelings. Clear routines in class help pupils feel safe and secure. Pupils treat each other and staff with respect. Staff, and the well-regarded pastoral team effectively ‘step in’ to help pupils take a moment to get back on track with their learning. Older pupils talk openly about how these effective structures and routines have helped them manage their own worries and behaviours increasingly well. Pupils want to be here. Consequently, pupils’ attendance is consistently high.

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

Each aspect of school life is planned and joined together exceptionally well. The personal, social, health and economic curriculum is crafted around what pupils need to prepare them well for adulthood. Topics covering relationships education are sensitively adapted to match pupils’ needs and understanding. Pupils’ learning about democracy was brought to life through voting for the ‘pupil parliament’. High-quality careers advice and work experience enable pupils to aim high and realise their potential. Pupils’ voices are heard and taken seriously in developing the school further.

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

The school and trust’s comprehensive work, supported fully by staff, ensures that standards have been maintained, for the benefit of all pupils. 8 and 9 October 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 outstanding for overall effectiveness in September 2015.

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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’ 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, 8 and 9 October 2024

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 8 and 9 October 2024

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School details

School category Academy special free school

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form

Date of previous inspection 12 June 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Churchill Special Free School is a special school for pupils aged eight to 18 that caters for pupils with SEND related to autism and speech, language and communication needs. Many pupils have faced significant disruption to their education prior to joining the school.  There are currently no sixth-form students at the school.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Year 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 8 and 9 October 2024

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with a range of leaders including the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the trust’s chief executive officer and the executive director for SEND.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector reviewed how the school supports pupils to learn to read.  Inspectors spoke with a range of pupils on both days of the inspection. Inspectors spent time with pupils at lunchtimes and breaktimes to observe behaviour and speak to pupils about school life.  The lead inspector held a meeting with those responsible for governance, including the

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Information about this inspection

chair of the local governing body.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors spoke to a range of staff over both days of the inspection and considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  The lead inspector considered the 13 responses made by parents to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, including free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Damian Loneragan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Joe Creswick Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 October 2024

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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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