Setting

CONTENTS

How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils or students?

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CONTENTS

How well does the school care for its pupils?

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CONTENTS

How well does the school work in partnership with parents?

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CONTENTS

What should the school do to improve further?

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Basic information about the school

Name of school: Prior's Court Address of school: Hermitage Thatcham West Berkshire RG18 9NU Type of school: Special, catering for pupils on the autistic spectrum who also have moderate or severe learning difficluties and may present challenging behaviours Status: Independent Age range of pupils: 5 -19 Gender of pupils: Mixed Annual fees: Day: £42,540 - £61,200* Residential: Weekly: £75,650 - £84,950* Termly: £94,550 - £106,170* * depending upon level of support required. Telephone number: 01635 - 247202 Fax number: 01635 - 247203 Principal/Chief Executive: Robert Hubbard Proprietor: Prior's Court Foundation Chair of governing body: John Kinder DfES Number: 869/6014 Reporting inspector: David A Gardiner HMI Dates of inspection: 26-28 November 2002

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Scope and purpose of the report

1. This inspection was carried out at the request of the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, who has asked for reporting inspections to be undertaken of non-approved independent schools that educate and care for pupils with special educational needs. The purpose of the inspection was to advise the Secretary of State about the quality of the school's provision under the Education Act 1996. The report concentrates on those aspects of the school relevant to that purpose.

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Information about the school

2. Prior's Court School is an independent co-educational residential school catering for pupils aged 5 to 19 who are diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum and have moderate to severe learning difficulties. The school opened in 1998 and received final registration by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in August 2001. There are currently 52 pupils on roll of whom six are day pupils and 46 are residential. There are nine girls and 43 boys. Forty nine of the pupils have a statement of special educational need. The pupils come from a wide area of the country and abroad. Forty eight pupils are placed at the school by their local education authority (LEA). Though these pupils may be subject to joint funding arrangements between the LEA and the Social Services Department or the Health Authority, the school is not aware of this, as it has a policy of only dealing with the LEA as the placing authority. Four pupils are placed privately by their parents.

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How good the school is

3. In the relatively short period since it opened, Prior's Court School has become a good school and laid the foundations for further improvement. It provides a very good standard of care and has very good accommodation and facilities. The school has successfully identified and combined elements from a number of approaches to the teaching of pupils with autism to establish its own philosophy and methodology. While the educational programme meets the needs of the younger pupils well, this now requires further development, particularly in the light of the planned extension to include post-16 pupils.

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What the school does well

• The school provides very good quality of care for the pupils. • Leadership and management, including the contribution by the governing body, are good and have enabled the school to develop well in a relatively short period. • The quality of teaching is good in most lessons and is supported by effective teamwork by teaching assistants and residential care staff working in the classrooms. • Pupils make good progress in communication skills and personal development. • The school fosters good attitudes to learning, very good relationships between pupils and adults and the development of socially acceptable behaviour. • The school provides very good quality accommodation and facilities. • There is good partnership with parents.

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What could be improved

• The curriculum, to ensure that it fully matches the needs of current and future pupils and ensures continuity and progression and the development of opportunities for accreditation of learning. • The monitoring of pupils' progress and learning and the quality of planning and teaching, building upon existing good practice and ensuring consistency across the school. • The use and deployment of existing staffing, accommodation and resources.

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What could be improved

The areas for improvement will form the basis of the school's action plan.

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The school's results and achievements

4. In view of the nature of the pupils in the school it is not appropriate to judge the pupils' achievements in relation to those expected nationally for pupils of their ages. Judgements about the pupils' achievements and progress are made in relation to their statements of special educational need, their attainment prior to admission and to the progress reported in annual reviews and against the targets set in their individual education plans.

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The school's results and achievements

5. All pupils at Prior's Court School are on the autistic spectrum; most have severe learning difficulties and many have highly challenging behaviour. They make satisfactory progress across the range of subjects, with good progress in communication skills and personal and social development. Generally pupils in Key Stage 2 and those older pupils who have been at the school for over a year make good progress.

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The school's results and achievements

6. The age range of current pupils is 7 to 16 years, and the ability profile in English ranges from P level 4 to National Curriculum level 1 across that age range. In writing, pupils make marks on paper hand-over-hand or independently. Most pupils are over-writing and/or under-writing single letters or words and some are beginning to free-write single words or their names. Where appropriate, pupils are encouraged to use symbols to help them to create sentences. In reading, pupils enjoy books, listening to stories read by adults, and following initial letter sounds and key words with the teacher, for example in books, on wall displays and on the magnetic whiteboard. Most pupils are able to recognise their own name on their trays and books, and in various settings around the room, some being able to recognise the names of other pupils also. Some pupils are beginning to read short sentences with adult support. Most pupils communicate using signs, symbols, body gestures and

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The school's results and achievements

sound utterances, and many are beginning to sound out single words. In circle time each day pupils listen carefully to adults and follow simple instructions, for example "stand up", "bring me", or "come". A small minority of pupils at Key Stages 3 and 4 are able to speak clearly and are beginning to use simple sentences in meaningful contexts.

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The school's results and achievements

7. In mathematics the ability profile ranges from P level 4 to National Curriculum level 1 across the age range. Pupils experience a good range of mathematical activities which help to develop their skills. They make satisfactory progress over time, and in some cases there is evidence of good progress. Pupils are learning about the passage of time, for example they regularly review their timetables during the day to understand `before', `now', and `later', and they understand that an activity has finished. They are also learning event sequences through practical activities and photographs, for example the growth of a plant from seed. Most pupils are beginning to recognise basic shapes, with some able to draw shapes fairly accurately. They recognise and match numerals by shape and name and count 1 to 5, or for some, 1 to 30. A few older pupils are able to add and subtract in single figures on paper. Some pupils in all key stages are able to use numbers in

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The school's results and achievements

everyday situations, for example in snack time, they will ask for 2 items, or will ask for "more". Pupils are beginning to measure height and size using objects, for example, in measuring their own height using coloured blocks, and then transferring this data to a wall chart. At Key Stage 4 a few pupils are able to interpret pictorial data on a bar chart and draw conclusions about the results. Younger pupils are learning to recognise coins, for example in sorting 50p, 2p and 5p. Older pupils are using money in community settings, such as buying a drink in a café.

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The school's results and achievements

8. Pupils explore and investigate objects and materials in a range of settings including the multi- sensory room where they are able to experience changing light and colours, and some pupils are able to operate switches to bring about changes such as sound and movement. In technology pupils create circuits to switch lights on and off. At Key Stage 3 pupils make parachutes to experiment with gravity. Food technology skills are developed from an early age, through both the school and residential settings. Pupils in Key Stage 4 can use, with adult support, a range of equipment in food preparation, such as whisks, graters, and knives. Younger pupils can participate in a group activity such as mixing dough for shortbread to eat at snack time. In science, pupils learn about their bodies and are able to name the main parts of the body or place pictures of clothing on the appropriate parts of the body. They experiment with different smells, tastes and textures.

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The school's results and achievements

9. Pupils use information and communication technology (ICT) resources to support their learning and their confidence is growing. Pupils in Key Stage 2 confidently use a touch screen and draw shapes and patterns. Pupils in Key Stage 3 have progressed over a six month period from needing adult support to independently using a mouse and selecting `file/print' to carry out a printing task. With adult support, pupils in Key Stages 3 and 4 use the computer to create a bar chart from information which they have collected, for example the number of different coloured cars in the car park. Pupils across the age range use technology in the homes, such as playing video tapes or music CDs.

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The school's results and achievements

10. Pupils enjoy music and play a range of simple percussion instruments such as chime bars and maracas. They listen to sounds of instruments being played professionally on CD and a small number of older pupils are beginning to name instruments from photographs, for example flute, violin and cello.

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The school's results and achievements

11. Pupils explore their local environment as part of their history, geography and science studies. They have taken part in a range of educational visits, such as Donington Castle, Bracknell Centre, and to canals and rivers. Following a visit to a Roman mosaic they used ICT to re-create the patterns and shapes in artwork back at school. There is evidence of good quality pupils' artwork around the school.

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The school's results and achievements

12. Pupils enjoy physical education and swimming and make good progress in these areas. Pupils at Key Stage 2 are able to tolerate water splashed on their faces, are learning to use floats, and some pupils are beginning to kick their legs to propel themselves across the pool. Some older pupils are able to swim independently in the school's own pool, with minimal adult support.

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The school's results and achievements

13. Pupils at Key Stages 3 and 4 are learning to use community facilities, such as the public library. There is not yet any formal accreditation for pupils' work at Key Stage 4, though the school is now considering this as part of the ongoing review and development of the curriculum.

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Pupils' attitudes, values and personal development

14. Pupils make very good progress in personal and social development, despite the severe difficulties they face as a result of their autism. They have a positive attitude to their learning and clearly enjoy life at Prior's Court.

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Pupils' attitudes, values and personal development

15. Each pupil has an effective individual behaviour plan, including agreed individual rewards, which is implemented and monitored carefully. Staff adopt a consistent and non-confrontational approach to behaviour management throughout the school and residential settings and this contributes significantly to the pupils' ability to manage their own behaviour, which in turn enables them to concentrate on their learning. Pupils are given time to think about what is expected of them and to respond appropriately, and this works very well. When pupils are having difficulties, staff quickly take appropriate action to support them, where necessary taking them out of the situation if this is part of the agreed individual plan.

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Pupils' attitudes, values and personal development

16. Relationships throughout the school are very good. Pupils listen carefully and follow instructions. They are co-operative and demonstrate their willingness to learn, for example in daily circle time pupils patiently wait their turn and carry out tasks asked of them, where appropriate with adult support. In the classroom pupils make good progress in their study skills; they follow a structured approach to tasks set for them in individual work stations, and demonstrate their ability to work independently for varying lengths of time.

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Pupils' attitudes, values and personal development

17. The school provides a safe environment in which pupils are encouraged to develop independence from an early age, for example in the residential setting younger pupils are encouraged to sort their washing into whites and coloureds, and by the age of 14 they are washing their own clothes. They know and follow daily routines both in the school and residential settings. On the daily `Jobs Today' board in each classroom, pupils are reminded of their responsibilities, including for example, going to reception to collect the register. Older, more able pupils make their way independently from their `home' to the school buildings.

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Attendance

18. Attendance is very good. Attendance for the last reporting year (January 2001 - January 2002) was 96.2%. There was no unauthorised absence. The school maintains attendance records which generally meet requirements. The school needs to ensure that attendance and absence figures are totalled and recorded daily and that attendance register pages are completed consecutively.

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Attendance

19. Most pupils live at Prior's Court on a weekly or termly basis and there is close liaison between school and residential staff teams, including a carefully planned hand-over at the start and end of each school day. This is very good.

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Attendance

20. An admissions register is kept which records required information concerning each pupil. There have been no exclusions from the school since it opened just over three years ago.

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How well are pupils or students taught?

21. In the 36 lessons seen, the quality of teaching was satisfactory or better in almost nine out of ten lessons. It was good or better in almost seven out of ten lessons.

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How well are pupils or students taught?

22. In the better lessons the teaching is well planned, with clear learning objectives which are linked to the individual targets set for the pupils in their individual education plans. This occurs most often in literacy work and in the individual work set for the pupils, but also occurs in swimming lessons. The pace of these lessons is brisk, with the pupils interested, concentrating well and working hard. Good use is made of effective and appropriate resources to stimulate and interest the pupils. Effective use is made of alternative means of communication such as signing and symbols to support the pupil's understanding and learning.

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How well are pupils or students taught?

23. In such lessons, teachers have high but realistic expectations of the pupils and demonstrate good knowledge of the progress made by individual pupils. The work set is matched well to the individual needs of the pupils. This enables the relatively more able pupils to extend their learning. The pupils are keen to succeed and to please and respond well to praise and encouragement, which is used appropriately. Effective use is made of teaching assistants and residential staff working in the classrooms. These adults have a clear role, are aware of what is expected of each pupil and work well to support pupils individually.

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How well are pupils or students taught?

24. In the small number of lessons where the quality of teaching was unsatisfactory, this was because of the lack of lesson planning with clearly specified learning objectives and the lack of sufficiently detailed medium- or longer-term planning of the curriculum to support the teaching. Though teachers work hard in these lessons, the lack of a clear focus means that learning and progress are not maximised. The school is aware of these issues. There is existing good practice in lesson planning which, if adopted consistently throughout all lessons and supported by clearer curriculum planning, would improve matters and improve the quality of teaching in such lessons.

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How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils or students?

25. The current curriculum meets the needs of the younger pupils well, but not those of pupils in Key stages 3 and 4. The school is aware of this and is involved in a review of the curriculum, particularly in the light of the impending opening of post-16 provision. There are aspects of the current curriculum that are good, such as personal and social education, and provision of the curriculum outside the classroom. Over the last three years the curriculum has been developed to match the changing needs of the population, and provides a broad and relevant curriculum, which is very relevant to the needs of the pupils in Years 3 to 6. However, the population of the school has expanded rapidly but the development of the curriculum has not kept up with these changes. The curriculum does not provide areas of study in each subject for pupils in Years 7 to 11 that are based on different opportunities than those being followed by pupils lower down the school. As yet, there is

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How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils or students?

no distinction between the curriculum for pupils at Key Stage 3 and older pupils at Key Stage 4.

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How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils or students?

26. The policy relating to the overall curriculum is satisfactory, although there are some discrepancies between policy and practice, such as for the provision for modern foreign languages. For example, the policy, through its reference to the overall learning objectives in this subject, shows that it is an intended part of the curriculum, but in fact the school does not teach the subject. There is a need for the overall policy to be regularly reviewed in the light of changes so that it accurately reflects the practice. Individual subject policies vary in quality, and some, such as policies for communication, literacy and numeracy are well developed and reflect the work of the school. However, detailed policies for other subjects are not in place yet. The proposed provision for students at post-16 is in draft form, and as this is a likely area of expansion for the school, the management are rightly giving it consideration. However, because the curriculum at Key Stage 4 is

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How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils or students?

not yet developed it does not have a firm base on which to build and ensure that students work towards accredited courses.

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How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils or students?

27. The curriculum that is being used as a framework for teachers to plan lessons appropriately covers the subjects of the National Curriculum, including religious education, and is therefore broad. It includes an appropriate emphasis on communication, literacy and numeracy. At present there is a two-year rolling programme of topics based on themes linked to science and humanities. This programme is appropriate for Years 3 to 6 but does not provide whole school long-term planning. Because this aspect of planning is missing, the medium term planning of areas of study within subjects, especially for pupils of secondary age is not in place. The curriculum across the school and within subjects is therefore not balanced and does not provide a secure framework for teachers to plan individual lessons. This impacts on the quality of teaching and learning especially for teachers who are less experienced or who are developing expertise in ensuring that their teaching

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How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils or students?

strategies match the needs of the pupils.

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How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils or students?

28. The medium-term planning, which is currently being used, and continuing to be developed, contains learning objectives and related activities, but there are examples of confusion between these two. There are no references to what teachers expect pupils to attain by the end of a lesson or the end of an area of study, and especially for pupils of different attainment levels. In some lessons this leads to all pupils completing the same work regardless of prior learning and does not extend the higher attaining pupils. Planning for different attainment levels assessed on prior learning is better in communication, literacy, numeracy and physical education as these are supported by the targets set in individual educational plans.

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How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils or students?

29. The linking of the curriculum to the residential provision and to times when pupils are outside the classroom situation, is developing well. This new development is being supported by all staff, is ongoing, and links very well with the personal development of pupils. It provides good opportunities to support pupils' learning in all areas of the curriculum. It also links well with the school's good provision for personal, social and health education which is firmly embedded in all aspects of the school's work and given high priority. The impact of this can be seen in the good levels of personal development pupils achieve and the improvement in their socially acceptable behaviour. The policy for the teaching of sex education has been agreed, and is beginning to be included in the school's curriculum.

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How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils or students?

30. There are opportunities for pupils to develop spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. Overall, this aspect of the school's work is good. The ethos of the school promotes social development very well and this is achieved through pupils' experiences in the residential setting, through their many educational visits and their contact with a variety of different people. While there are good opportunities for pupils to have cultural experiences, the opportunities for promoting spiritual awareness are satisfactory. The school has yet to produce a policy on this aspect of the curriculum and staff have not yet had the opportunity to consider ways in which support could be given through different areas of the curriculum. As a result, opportunities are sometimes missed to enhance pupils' development, and there is no identification within the medium - or short-term planning where opportunities might arise.

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How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils or students?

31. Pupils are given a clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong. Adults are good role models, and consistently make use of opportunities throughout the day to reinforce the attitudes that the school promotes. There is a reward system that reinforces good behaviour. When pupils display unacceptable behaviour, they are made aware of how this may have affected others. Relationships within the school are very good, and pupils are treated with dignity and respect. They are all provided with opportunities to develop responsibility by taking registers to the office, helping to clear away after sessions, and by getting snacks prepared.

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How well does the school care for its pupils?

32. The school has very good arrangements for ensuring its pupils' welfare. All staff have a very good understanding of pupils' needs and respond quickly to any problems. Staff manage pupils' behaviour well. They are familiar with individual difficulties and work hard with pupils to help them to develop greater self-control. There is particularly good management of pupils in communal areas, such as the dining room and sitting rooms, where they are encouraged to be more sociable and establish a regular dialogue with adults and with each other.

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How well does the school care for its pupils?

33. There is an orderly atmosphere throughout the residential areas and good levels of staffing ensure that pupils are well supervised. Staff are skilled in managing occasional outbursts from pupils. They handle situations sympathetically, provide clear instructions and are careful to use minimal physical intervention in line with the school's policies. Good use is made of the ample space in the residential areas to allow pupils to calm down without having an adverse effect on other pupils. The variety of activities which take place in the evenings and at weekends is well managed, with good assessment of any risks which may be involved.

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How well does the school care for its pupils?

34. Staff have a good knowledge of the personal and social targets in pupils' individual education plans and many very good examples of staff helping pupils to work towards these targets were observed. Care staff are meticulous in their recording of pupils' welfare, making regular written comments about significant events and pupils' daily routines. Handovers between education and care staff, and to night staff are well conducted. Staff keep each other well informed about the welfare of pupils, which helps them to respond well to any changes in pupils' attitudes. Keyworkers are very knowledgeable about individuals and form a central point of contact for discussions about pupils' progress.

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How well does the school care for its pupils?

35. The school has reliable health and safety arrangements. Procedures ensure that pupils can be evacuated safely in the event of fire. There are good arrangements to provide safe access between buildings and the school's internal doors and gates system works well. Pupils' movements are well supervised with regular checks taking place at all times, including during the night. The arrangements for checking the backgrounds of new staff are thorough and follow national recommendations. Staff show a good knowledge of child protection procedures and the arrangements for reporting any problems are reliable, although on occasions the response to significant incidents is reported in more detail in pupils' files than in the official central incident book.

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How well does the school care for its pupils?

36. Pupils' progress in lessons is recorded in a number of documents. These include daily records and information from one-to-one sessions, which contain regular information about pupils' progress towards the targets in their individual education plans. Pupils' progress in communication, social and personal development is well recorded, and there is reliable information about their attitudes and behaviour. Much less information is available about pupils' progress towards the specific learning objectives in subjects. The school has attempted to address this by developing a `waking day curriculum', which contains clearer learning objectives. Assessment towards these objectives is `patchy' and teachers place too great a reliance on vague, informal knowledge of the level of development of pupils' subject skills. As a result, they often have insufficient information on which to base their lesson planning and some more able pupils repeat tasks which they have already

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How well does the school work in partnership with parents?

37. The vast majority of parents are very happy with the education and care provided by the school. They are particularly appreciative of the efforts made by staff to create an atmosphere in which their children can flourish. Responses to questionnaires contain examples of the positive impact staff have had on pupils' development.

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How well does the school work in partnership with parents?

38. The school works hard to maintain good links with parents. Keyworkers and senior staff can be contacted regularly by telephone and they are keen to reassure parents who may have concerns. Some parents live a considerable distance from the school and for many pupils, it is their first residential experience. This regular telephone contact is of substantial benefit for these parents. On occasions, staff carry out home visits to strengthen the contact with parents. There are plans to strengthen this liaison in the future and to develop greater consistency in approach between school and home. Partly because of the distance involved, few parents are regularly involved in the life of the school and only a small number contribute to the Friends organisation.

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How well does the school work in partnership with parents?

39. There is a good range of information about the school. The prospectus is clearly written and the recently improved parents' pack is informative but concise. Parents also have access to the school's web-site and a satisfactory number of newsletters keep parents informed about significant events in the life of the school.

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How well does the school work in partnership with parents?

40. Annual review arrangements are good. A wide range of reports, including educational, care, medical and therapy, are prepared which contribute to a good level of discussion about the targets in pupils' individual education plans. Parents are kept well informed about pupils' progress towards these targets, especially when there are significant improvements in their personal development. Annual reports provide a good sense of pupils' attitudes to learning and their behaviour, but there is much less clear information about the standards pupils are reaching in subjects. Many comments are too general to be helpful to parents and the emphasis on positive points sometimes means that weaknesses in pupils' learning are hardly mentioned. The school has started to make improvements to the information about subject progress in reports, such as including information about P-levels.

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How well does the school work in partnership with parents?

41. The school responds well to parents' concerns and complaints. Staff are often able to provide an immediate response which helps parents to understand the situation. When they are not satisfied, the school has a reliable complaints procedure, which allows for a fair hearing of parents' views. The school has grown in size quite rapidly, and the principal is no longer able to maintain personal contact with each parent. However, he is justifiably proud of his `open door' policy, which enables parents to raise issues directly with him. When parents complaints are justified, there is evidence to show that the school has changed its procedures to avoid similar situations.

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How well is the school led and managed?

42. The principal/chief executive provides very good leadership and management of the school. There is a clear vision which has enabled the school to develop effectively in a relatively short time and to plan for further developments including the setting up of post-16 provision. The principal is supported well by the other members of the senior management team, who have clearly delegated responsibilities, and together they ensure that the school is run effectively. Much of their effort to date has been devoted to establishing the school and setting it on a secure financial footing, which has now been achieved.

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How well is the school led and managed?

43. There is very good support and oversight of the school by the governing body. This includes members with wide experience in education, business and commerce and personnel matters. There is an effective system of committees which enables the governors to take a keen and detailed interest in the development and overall management of the school. There are good links between the governing body and the trustees who originally established the school but now operate at a greater distance from the direct management of the school. The Shirley Foundation continues to lease the premises to the school for a nominal annual payment.

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How well is the school led and managed?

44. There are good arrangements for monitoring and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Through these the school has identified areas which require review and further development, such as the curriculum and the further development of the assessment and recording of the pupils' learning and progress. Such review has begun to take place and this needs to be completed in order that the revised arrangements contribute to further improvements in the progress and learning of pupils and the overall quality of teaching.

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How well is the school led and managed?

45. The school makes good strategic use of the resources available. Targets for future development are clearly identified and priorities for future spending set in a clear business plan which has been approved by the governing body.

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How well is the school led and managed?

46. The school has good levels of staffing, accommodation and facilities for the present number of pupils. Now that the school has grown to the intended size and with the planned introduction of post-16 pupils, it is timely to review the use and deployment of staffing, accommodation and resources to support learning.

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How well is the school led and managed?

47. More effective use could be made of the skills and experience of teachers in developing areas of the curriculum and supporting other teachers, as has been successfully done in physical education. The school could review the existing subject specialist skills of staff and identify deficits which could be taken into account in the recruitment of future staff. Interesting initiatives have been taken to ensure that the school has sufficient residential care staff in an area where such staff are difficult to recruit. The school has attracted staff with good experience and training. There are effective systems to induct, monitor and support residential staff. The process of inducting and supporting new education staff is less well established and requires further development within the context of monitoring the quality of teaching.

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How well is the school led and managed?

48. The classrooms for the primary-aged groups are too small for the number of pupils and adults who work in them. A review of existing teaching accommodation could identify alternative spaces which would be more suitable or determine that the class groups could be smaller. Accommodation for the planned extension of the school to cater for post-16 pupils has already been provided, ready for September 2003. The development of the curriculum for post-16 pupils could usefully include consideration of a curriculum across the 14 -19 age range which reflects the growing maturity and progress of the younger pupils as they move through the school and affords opportunities for them to gain a range of external accreditation of their learning and progress. Such an arrangement might include pupils in Key Stage 4 being based in the block currently intended for post-16 pupils, which would release other teaching accommodation in the main education block.

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How well is the school led and managed?

49. There are very good resources for information and communication technology as well as good book and other resources to support learning. As part of the ongoing review of resources to support learning, the school needs to ensure that there are age-appropriate resources for these older pupils, particularly as the proportion of older pupils has increased and will in future include post-16 pupils.

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What should the school do to improve further?

50. In order to improve the quality of education provided, the school should

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What should the school do to improve further?

o continue to review the curriculum to ensure that it fully matches the needs of current and future pupils and ensures continuity and progression and opportunities for accreditation of their learning; o further develop the monitoring of pupils' progress and the link with planning and teaching, building upon existing good practice and ensuring consistency across the school; o review the use of existing staffing, accommodation and resources to support learning.

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 36 Total number of hours 20.8 Number of discussions with staff, other adults and pupils 15

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Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

5.5 11 53 19 11 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Year Boys Girls Total

3 2 0 2 4 5 2 7 5 7 1 8 6 2 1 3 7 8 1 9 8 10 1 11 9 4 1 5 10 2 0 2 11 3 2 5

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Permanent

Black Caribbean heritage 1 Black Caribbean heritage 0 0 Black African heritage 1 Black African heritage 0 0 Black other 0 Black other 0 0 Indian 1 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 0 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0 White 49 White 0 0 Other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic group 0 0 This table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. This table gives the number of exclusions of pupils of compulsory school age, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Pupil mobility in the last school year No. of pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 25 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 1

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Total %

Authorised absence 3.8 Unauthorised absence 0

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Total %

Percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Teachers and classes

Number of qualified teachers (FTE*) 9 Number of unqualified teachers (FTE*) 2 Number of pupils per teacher 4.9 Average class size 6

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Deployment of teachers

Percentage of time teachers spend in contact with classes 90%

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Average teaching group size

Nursery 0 Key Stage 1 0 Key Stage 2 6 Key Stage 3 7 Key Stage 4 7 Post-16 0

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Teaching assistants

Total number of teaching assistants 19 Total aggregate hours worked per week 665

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Care staff*

Total number of care staff 116 Total aggregate hours worked per week 3,708

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Private/LEA/Social Services Department No of pupils

Private 4 Barnet LEA 1 Birmingham LEA 1 Bracknell Forest LEA 1 Brent LEA 1 Buckinghamshire LEA 2 Cambridgeshire LEA 1 Camden LEA 1 Coventry LEA 1 Croydon LEA 2 Enfield LEA 1 Essex LEA 1 Hampshire LEA 1 Haringey LEA 1 Kingston LEA 3 Medway LEA 1 Merton LEA 1 Milton Keynes LEA 1 Northamptonshire LEA 1 Oxfordshire LEA 1 Pembrokeshire LEA 1 Peterborough LEA 1 Redbridge LEA 2 Richmond LEA 2 Slough LEA 3 Surrey LEA 6 Sutton LEA 2 West Berkshire LEA 2 West Sussex LEA 3 Wiltshire LEA 3

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(£)

Basic budget 3,266,747 4,568,925 Grants 0 0 Income from facilities and services 45,830 39,585

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(£)

Donations/private funds 462,662 0 Other income 23,712 38,051 Total income 3,798,951 4,646,561 Income per pupil 79,145 86,047

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Fees

Day: £42,540 to £61,200 (Depending upon level of support required).

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Fees

Residential: Weekly: £75,650 to £94,550 (depending upon level of support required).

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Fees

Termly: £84,950 to £106,170 (depending upon level of support required).

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Questionnaire return rate

Number of questionnaires sent out 54 Number of questionnaires returned 38

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Agree Disagree

I am happy with the school my child attends. 37 1 I think this school meets my child's special educational needs. 37 1 I believe that the school helps me to understand what my child is taught. 35 2*

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Agree Disagree

I think that the school keeps me well informed about my child's progress. 31 6*

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Agree Disagree

I am happy with the standards of behaviour at this school. 37 1 I believe that this school helps my child have positive attitudes to school work. 37 0*

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Agree Disagree

I believe that this school helps my child to mix well with other children. 36 2

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Agree Disagree

I believe that this school promotes the personal and social development of my child. 36 1*

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Agree Disagree

I think that this school prepares my child for the next stage of education and training. 34 1*

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Agree Disagree

I feel supported by the school. 36 2 I feel that my child is safe at this school. 37 1 I believe my child likes this school. 38 0

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Summary of responses

* in the table above indicates that one or more responses indicated neither agreement or disagreement.

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Summary of responses

In addition to the questionnaires, one parent also telephoned the reporting inspector to express their views.

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Summary of responses

The vast majority of parents expressed support and satisfaction with the aspects of the school listed in the questionnaire. In addition, many commented favorably on their experience of the school compared to other schools their child had attended previously. Several responses commented that this was the first time that their child had enjoyed attending school.

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Issues that concerned parents

The main area which concerned six of the respondents and was indicated in a number of other comments was regarding clear information about the progress that their child was making. It was clear that a number of parents would welcome more detailed information about the progress made. The inspectors felt that the school did provide information on progress but that the consistent implementation of a more detailed system of assessment and recording of the pupils' learning and progress would enable the school to address the concerns expressed by these parents. Some parents, particularly those of younger pupils, felt unable to respond to the question about preparation for the next stage of education or training, as they were unsure at this stage of what this might be.

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Issues that concerned parents

A small number of responses made a plea for their child to be offered some opportunities for inclusion with pupils in a mainstream school, even if only for social contact. The inspectors are aware that this is an area which the school would like to encourage and develop, but so far there has been very limited response to the school's approaches from the local education authority, though some individual schools are willing to establish links.

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Issues that concerned parents

commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Inspection reports are available on the Ofsted web site (www.ofsted.gov.uk).

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