Manor Mead School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Manor Mead School Laleham Road, Shepperton TW17 8EL

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

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Outcome

Manor Mead School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Across both of the school’s sites, pupils are valued as unique individuals. Staff are united in their ambition to deliver the very best provision and education for every child. This begins right from the start in the early years classes and continues throughout the school. The school’s carefully designed curriculum ensures that all pupils flourish and make strong progress from their starting points.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Kindness flows between pupils and adults. The school is very inclusive. It works hard to ensure that pupils and their whole family feel part of the school community. Parents and carers consistently remark on the care and commitment that the school shows to them and their children. Lessons are designed to promote curiosity. Pupils demonstrate great enjoyment and engagement in their learning. Adults support them to develop play skills using the impressive array of sensory equipment and outdoor areas. Pupils’ behaviour shows that they feel safe and at ease.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Attendance is high because pupils love coming to school. Staff get to know and understand pupils’ preferences and special interests. They use these skilfully to motivate them to learn. Staff consistently help pupils to understand their own emotions and help them to develop their own strategies to regulate their behaviour. This means the school environment is calm and purposeful. 19 and 20 November 2024

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

Since the last inspection, leaders have successfully continued to deliver a high standard of education and provision for pupils, while establishing a second site for the school. All pupils across both sites have their varied needs met exceptionally well.

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

The school keeps the curriculum under continuous review to ensure that it is tailored to meet the individual needs of each pupil. Pupils’ education, health and care plan outcomes are integrated into the broader curriculum through pupil’s bespoke, individual learning plans. Therapists and other specialists collaborate with class staff, which means that class teams develop a wealth of specialist knowledge and expertise. As a result, the joined-up approach to meeting pupils’ individual communication, sensory and physical needs is truly exceptional. Pupils achieve well across all curriculum areas. This approach creates a genuinely integrated curriculum and there are no limits on what pupils can achieve.

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

Communication sits at the heart of all the school does. In the early years classes, children eagerly engage with the adults around them. They develop trusting relationships quickly with adults through joyful and supportive interactions. Pupils learn to read or recognise objects, symbols or words successfully, at a level that is appropriate for them. This enables pupils to access the world around them. Teachers and teaching assistants have an impressive level of in-depth knowledge about the different ways in which pupils in their class learn to communicate. Staff adapt teaching activities skilfully, to teach pupils with vastly different learning needs successfully. There is a clear aim to support all pupils to positively engage with texts and stories. This includes sensory stories, symbol supported texts and independent reading. Older pupils enthusiastically demonstrated how they have learned to retell familiar stories with confidence and flair.

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

A predictable daily routine and well-established high expectations help pupils to behave well. Staff take responsibility for understanding the communication that lies within any behaviours that pupils may exhibit. Staff know what motivates and supports pupils to make positive choices. They work thoughtfully with pupils to help them develop their own strategies to regulate their behaviour. Pupils who need more personalised support have their own bespoke emotional engagement support plans. This helps everyone to provide the right support. All pupils are treated with respect, and they are remarkably understanding of one another.

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

A high value is placed on helping pupils to be well prepared and included in life beyond school. As pupils move through the school, they spend increasing amounts of time out in the community. For example, shopping for ingredients for a cookery lesson or posting a letter they have written in an English lesson. Pupils play an active role in local sporting and art competitions. Older pupils are then well prepared to participate in a residential trip. The school goes to great lengths to collaborate with families to share what approaches work best for the children. This helps parents to feel more confident to carry out day-to-day activities, such as visiting the dentist or going to a restaurant.

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

Staff are proud to work here, they feel valued. They work collaboratively with a strong ethos of teamwork and feel they are well supported to manage their workload. Those 19 and 20 November 2024

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responsible for governance work strategically to support leaders to deliver their ambitious plans. This shared determination helps everyone in the school to continuously make a positive difference to the pupils.

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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 February 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 19 and 20 November 2024

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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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Elizabeth Wood-Dow OBE

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School details

Headteacher Mark Bryant (Executive headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 June 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school caters for pupils with autistic spectrum disorder, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties. All pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The school is federated with Walton Leigh School. Both schools share a governing body and an executive headteacher.  Since the last inspection, the school has increased the number of pupils on roll and established a second site in Virginia Water. Each school site is led by a head of school.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 19 and 20 November 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into consideration in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the heads of school for both sites, and other members of the leadership team. Inspectors also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspectors also reviewed a range of documents and spoke to some staff about the curriculum, attendance, safeguarding, personal development and behaviour.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons. They also spoke to pupils in lessons and during playtimes and lunchtimes.

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 The inspectors considered a range of documents including leaders’ evaluations of the school, their school improvement plan, and minutes from governors’ meetings.  The inspectors considered parents responses to Ofsted Parent View.  The inspectors took account of the views of staff through conversations and the responses to the online staff survey.  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.

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Inspection team

Jo Petch, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Christine Bulmer Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 November 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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