Wightwick Hall School

Wightwick Hall School

Address: Tinacre Hill, Compton, Wolverhampton, West Midlands, WV6 8DA Unique reference number (URN): 144209

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders place a sharp emphasis on pupils’ wider personal development and wellbeing. Leaders start with the ‘end in mind’ and, from the very start, prepare pupils for their life after Wightwick Hall School. Leaders provide an excellent programme for personal development that is embedded across the school. Pupils can explain in detail what they are learning. Pupils have high expectations and aspirations for themselves. They speak respectfully to others and visitors. This is consistent across the school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils benefit from a wide range of carefully organised opportunities that help prepare them for adult life and wider participation in society. For example, pupils are taught how to budget, purchase food items at the local shop and prepare meals.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils learn about healthy relationships and keeping themselves safe. This is fine-tuned to their age and stage of development. Staff encourage pupils to voice their opinions. Pupils speak confidently about their opinions being heard. Staff support pupils carefully to express their views, preferences and aspirations through different forms of communication. Staff help pupils develop their understanding of fundamental British values. They learn about different cultures, traditions and beliefs within the school and through regular off-site visits. Pupils learn about democracy and visit the Houses of Parliament.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils receive superb pastoral guidance. Highly effective support is in place for pupils’ mental health, alongside other therapeutic interventions. Staff know the individual needs of pupils very well, including their interests, strengths and what motivates them.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils benefit from an enriching range of wider experiences. These help prepare pupils for adulthood and build key life skills. For example, pupils run the school’s coffee shop enthusiastically, take orders and prepare hot drinks by skilfully using the barista machine.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Careers education and preparation for adulthood are woven thoughtfully through the curriculum and wider provision. Pupils learn about future pathways and the skills they need for adult life in ways that are meaningful and highly relevant to their individual needs.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils are well prepared for their next stages of education, training or adult life. Pupils achieve positively from their individual starting points. Leaders consider achievement to include communication, independence and personal development alongside academic outcomes. This reflects the complexity of pupils’ needs within their education, health and care plans and the differing pathways in the school.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils access a suitable range of accredited courses and qualifications as well as vocational learning opportunities. Pupils with more complex needs are provided with opportunities to celebrate their achievements and successes against their personalised planned targets. Pupils in post-16 provision develop independence through community-based learning and practical life-skills activities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils learn to communicate their needs and ideas. Pupils who require additional support to verbalise their thoughts are supported through a range of communication strategies such as visual aids and symbols.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Attendance remains a priority for leaders. Staff maintain contact with vulnerable pupils and families where attendance is a concern. Leaders understand the contextual factors affecting attendance for some pupils, including medical, emotional and social vulnerabilities. Whole- school attendance and persistent absence for some groups have improved. However, leaders’ analysis of attendance patterns and trends for different groups is not fully embedded.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Behaviour across the school is calm and purposeful. Relationships between staff and pupils are respectful and supportive. Staff understand pupils’ communication and regulation needs. They respond sensitively when pupils require support. Pupils respond positively to routines and established expectations. Staff use structured and nurturing approaches appropriately to support pupils’ engagement and participation in learning. Pupils show dedication to their learning and are eager to share their work with others.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders use behavioural information appropriately to identify patterns and adapt provision where needed. For example, additional lunchtime clubs have been introduced to support pupils during less structured parts of the day. This has contributed to a reduction in behavioural incidents for some pupils. Pupils generally move around the school calmly, and staff support pupils effectively when difficulties arise. Leaders also take appropriate steps to address incidents of bullying or unkind behaviour where these occur.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is planned across 4 pathways. These include the ‘Discoverers', 'Navigators', 'Pathfinders' and post-16 'Pioneers’. Each pathway reflects the right support for pupils’ academic needs and the complexity of specialist needs within this special school context. Pupils access a broad range of experiences across the different pathways, including subject-specific learning, communication development and independent-living activities. Leaders have considered carefully the knowledge, vocabulary and wider skills pupils need to support their next steps and future independence.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teaching approaches generally take account of pupils’ communication and cognition needs. Staff break learning into smaller steps and provide structured support to help pupils engage with learning. Staff typically use routines and consistent approaches appropriately to support pupils’ engagement and readiness to learn. Reading is prioritised appropriately, including through phonics approaches for pupils at earlier stages of reading development. For example, staff model pronunciation and vocabulary carefully during phonics sessions to support pupils’ speaking and reading development. Careful and deliberate decisions are made about what vocabulary pupils will use and learn in different subject areas. Leaders understand how this helps pupils to retain information more effectively. Pupils revisit prior learning and develop knowledge over time. Staff mostly adapt activities appropriately to support participation and independence. However, leaders

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

acknowledge that newer teaching approaches and strategies are not yet implemented consistently across all classrooms and pathways.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Inclusion is central to the school’s work. Leaders and staff accurately understand pupils’ individual barriers to learning and adapt provision to support their individual learning needs effectively. Leaders’ vision that ‘one size fits one’ is reflected increasingly in the way provision is tailored to pupils’ differing needs and starting points.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Provision across the school’s different educational pathways reflects pupils’ communication, sensory, cognitive and social needs. Staff use structured routines and adapted approaches to support pupils’ participation and independence. For example, some pupils with complex communication needs access highly structured communication and visual systems. These help them to engage alongside peers and participate more confidently in learning activities.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate ambition for vulnerable groups, including pupils eligible for pupil premium funding, pupils known to social care and pupils with disrupted educational experiences. Some pupils who have experienced prolonged absence or interrupted education are supported to re-engage with learning through carefully adapted provision and therapeutic support. Staff accurately understand pupils’ emotional and sensory needs. They respond appropriately when pupils require additional support to regulate.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Processes to identify and review pupils’ needs are effective. Leaders work very well with external agencies to support pupils with additional needs and vulnerabilities. However, systems to evaluate the impact of provision for different groups are not fully embedded across the school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders oversee the quality of alternative provision carefully to ensure that pupils are safe and continue to access suitable education.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The headteacher has established a clear vision centred on meeting pupils’ individual needs. This vision is increasingly reflected in the school’s approaches and provision. Leaders understand the complexity of pupils’ needs and have prioritised communication, relationships and preparation for adulthood appropriately.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders demonstrate an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas requiring further development. Staff generally understand the rationale behind these changes, and leaders are beginning to establish more consistent approaches across the school. However, leaders acknowledge that some new approaches to teaching are not embedded consistently across all pathways and classrooms. The school benefits from collaborative support and challenge from the trust. Trust leaders and governors work alongside school leaders effectively to support improvement priorities and the development of provision. This contributes positively to leaders’ capacity to strengthen systems and provision over time. Governors and leaders fulfil their statutory responsibilities appropriately, including those linked to safeguarding and safer recruitment.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff value the relational culture in the school and the support provided through recent changes. Leaders place appropriate emphasis on staff induction, safeguarding training and professional development so that staff understand pupils’ complex needs and vulnerabilities. Leaders also work appropriately with external agencies, families and professionals to support pupils with additional needs and barriers to attendance.

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Post 16 provision Expected standard

The post-16 curriculum prepares students appropriately for adulthood, employment and greater independence. Students access accredited courses and experiences that reflect their aspirations, communication needs and starting points. Leaders have designed the provision to support students’ next steps into further education, supported employment and adult life.

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Post 16 provision Expected standard

Preparation for adulthood is embedded across the curriculum and wider provision. Students access vocational and life skills opportunities that support future aspirations and wider participation in society. For example, students use the school café to develop communication, numeracy and employability skills through practical experiences involving visitors and staff.

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Post 16 provision Expected standard

Careers guidance and transition support help students consider their future pathways and aspirations appropriately. Leaders have developed links with local businesses and community partners to broaden opportunities available to students beyond school.

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Post 16 provision Expected standard

A fundamental part of the curriculum is how pupils are prepared for adulthood. Students get many opportunities to develop both social and academic skills. For example, students access a mock flat. Within this, they access a bedroom and kitchen to develop the skills necessary to live as independently as possible. Pupils are then supported to transfer these skills into the community during weekly community-based learning activities.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Positive relationships are at the heart of the school’s work. Staff know pupils well and understand the complex range of needs within the school community. As a result, pupils feel safe, understood and valued. Pupils learn in a calm environment where supporting pupils’ specific needs is prioritised alongside academic learning.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Leaders’ vision that ‘one size fits one’ is reflected in the way provision is adapted to support pupils’ engagement and participation. This means that pupils’ individual needs are taken seriously and are well understood. Pupils across the different educational pathways benefit from structured routines, consistent approaches and staff who understand how behaviour communicates needs. Staff support pupils sensitively if they become anxious. As a result, pupils generally respond positively to adults and established routines.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils access a broad curriculum that reflects their differing needs and aspirations. Alongside academic learning, pupils develop communication, independence and wider life skills. Pupils benefit from a broad range of opportunities that support preparation for adulthood. This includes vocational learning, community visits and independent-living activities. For example, pupils who work in the school café confidently take orders, prepare drinks and interact appropriately with visitors. Older pupils access careers guidance, accreditation pathways and work-related learning experiences that help prepare them for future education, employment and adult life.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils typically attend school regularly. They enjoy coming to school and participate positively in lessons and wider activities. During lunchtime, pupils enjoy socialising alongside their peers in a range of clubs, such as role-playing games. Pupils move around the school calmly, and social times are orderly. Staff support pupils to resolve difficulties appropriately. Any unkind behaviour, such as bullying, is rare and dealt with quickly and sensitively. Pupils understand who to speak to if they are worried. Older pupils speak positively about their next steps and future aspirations, including employment and further education.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that recently introduced systems for analysing attendance, achievement and other pupil outcomes are embedded and are used consistently to evaluate the impact of provision over time. Leaders should ensure that the revised curriculum and teaching approaches are implemented consistently across all pathways and classrooms so that pupils benefit from a more consistent learning experience.

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About this inspection

This school is part of Endeavour Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Gail Brindley, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Steve Crane.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with pupils, parents, carers, and leaders, such as the headteacher, assistant headteachers and other leaders. Inspectors also spoke with governors, trust leaders, a representative from an alternative provision, the local authority and a representative of a virtual school during the inspection.

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Team inspectors:

Pamela Matty, Ofsted Inspector Amjid Zaman, Ofsted Inspector Richard Winzor, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England. 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.

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What does this mean?

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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What does this mean?

The school currently makes use of 2 alternative provisions, including one that is unregistered.

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What does this mean?

The school caters for pupils with a wide range of needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech, language and communication needs and complex learning difficulties. All pupils have an education, health and care plan.

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What does this mean?

The school has undergone a significant change since the last inspection. The number of pupils has grown significantly, and the school now caters for a broader range of needs.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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What does this mean?

The type of Special Educational Needs provision provided at the school (if applicable).

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Destinations after 16

Percentage of pupils staying in education or employment for at least 2 terms after the end of secondary school (key stage 4).

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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