Swalcliffe Park School CIO

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Swalcliffe Park School CIO Swalcliffe, Banbury, Oxfordshire OX15 5EP

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

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Outcome

Swalcliffe Park School CIO 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?

Pupils thrive and regularly attend this ambitious school. The ‘quality of life framework’ approach is intertwined with the nurturing ethos of the school. Pupils benefit from this approach, which is focused on the personal and social aspects of their life that need support and development. This includes recognising and putting in place the help each family needs to support their child to be ready for the next stage of their life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Assessments from clinical psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists rapidly identify pupils’ needs. This means that from day one of their placement, pupils receive highly individualised and specialist support. Pupils value their positive relationships with staff, especially their key workers. They know that staff will understand them and keep them safe. Every aspect of pupils’ needs is considered and planned for extremely well. Therefore, very few incidents occur in school. When they do, well-trained staff respond to them skilfully and sensitively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The ambition and expectation for all pupils are exceptionally high. Pupils recognise and appreciate this and strive to achieve their best. They are given the right support and guidance to identify their own goals and ambitions, and they work hard to achieve them.

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

The curriculum here is matched well to pupils’ individual needs. Regular and accurate checks provide information about how well pupils have secured knowledge. The school uses this information to make sure that pupils’ individual learning pathways are ambitious and appropriate. The school adeptly sequences the knowledge that pupils will learn. This 19 and 20 November 2024

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includes learning that takes place in the school’s ‘independence’ curriculum. Through this, pupils secure vital skills and knowledge to be ready for their next stage. Due to this, students in the sixth form are independent and self-motivated learners. They build secure knowledge that prepares them for their future learning and produce high-quality work.

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Staff are experts in the subjects they teach. They skilfully make changes to the curriculum to precisely meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They use their excellent knowledge of their pupils to plan high-quality and effective learning activities. The ‘integrated therapeutic’ approach means that learning is accessible for all. All pupils achieve exceptionally well.

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Pupils are fluent and enthusiastic readers. The school has carefully selected a range of ambitious texts to motivate pupils to read. The school regularly checks how well pupils can read. It spots when a pupil may have gaps in their phonics knowledge. Well-trained staff deliver a suitable phonics programme. This ensures all pupils are able to read well.

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A sense of respect and care pervades the school. Social time environments are joyful. During lunchtimes, the school puts in place engaging activities that match the talents and interests of pupils. A therapeutic approach is deeply embedded to support pupils with their self-regulation. This is expertly applied by staff and is highly effective. Consequently, every part of the school is calm and purposeful. Pupils, including students in the sixth form, consistently demonstrate highly positive attitudes to learning.

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The personal development provision for pupils is exemplary. The ‘quality of life survey’ enables staff to understand what pupils need to be ready for their next steps. Well- informed weekly key-worker sessions are planned to meet these needs precisely. A well- constructed careers programme is taught to all pupils. Those in key stages 4 and 5 benefit from a range of work experience opportunities.

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Personal development is intricately woven through all aspects of school life. Subsequently, pupils develop a secure sense of themselves and their beliefs. They can talk about those beliefs as well as listen respectfully to the thoughts and opinions of others, even if different to their own. For many of these pupils, community participation is extremely challenging. The ‘independence’ curriculum provides pupils with the social skills needed for different contexts. It teaches them about the wide range of cultural influences and how to be respectful of difference. Therefore, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Staff are extremely proud to work at this school. They are motivated by the school’s ethos, which underpins their daily practice. They feel listened to and that they make a valuable contribution to what the school offers. Those at all levels of leadership in the school, including governors and the executive team, are highly reflective. They constantly evaluate their actions and make effective improvements. In doing so, they provide pupils with an extremely high-quality educational experience. Parents and carers feel valued and involved. They appreciate the positive impact the school has on their and their children’s lives. As one parent said, ‘This school has transformed my autistic child’s life and, by extension, ours as a family.’ 19 and 20 November 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 May 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, 19 and 20 November 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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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form

Chair of governing body Paula Protherough

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form

Date of previous inspection 3 July 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Swalcliffe Park School is part of Swalcliffe Park School CIO, which is a registered charity.  Swalcliffe Park School caters for pupils with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). All pupils have education, health and care plans.  The school currently makes use of three registered providers of alternative provision.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 19 and 20 November 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.  The lead inspector met with the principal and other members of the leadership team.  The lead inspector met with the chair and vice-chair of the governing body. They also met with the chief executive officer of the charity trust.  The lead inspector met with a representative from one of the placing local authorities.  The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons. They also spoke to pupils in lessons and during play times and lunchtimes.

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Information about this inspection

 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’ and carers’ 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.  The inspectors only inspected the education provision at this school.

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Inspection team

Nina Marabese, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tash Hurtado 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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