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105277
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Strengths
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- Some excellent examples of the effectiveness of the approach were seen during lessons, through the excellent adult-student relationships and the high level of motivation shown by the students. p.13
- The school has excellent procedures and arrangements to evaluate its own work and identify clear, effective action to improve matters whenever the slightest weakness is identified. p.9
- The pupils and students make very good progress as a result of the very good teaching and excellent leadership and management. p.6
- The learning support staff make an excellent contribution to the pupils’ and students’ very good progress. p.10
- The headteacher is an inspirational leader who has successfully created and developed a whole-school commitment to achieving success and constantly striving for improvement. p.9
Concerns
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- These two weaknesses are generally seen in the English, and personal and social development targets. p.13
- Many old, poor quality books have gone and it is now stocked with good quality fiction and non-fiction books. p.13
- However, some deficiencies remain in the number and range of books, equipment and other materials across the curriculum. p.13
Next steps
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- The targets in the pupils’ and students’ Individual Education Plans are not always to a sufficiently high standard. p.5
- There are some deficiencies in the range and quantity of books, equipment and other materials. p.5
- The areas for improvement will form the basis of the action plan prepared by the appropriate authority. p.6
- The school was last inspected in June 1996. p.6
- The report stated that ‘the school community achieves the excellence for which it aims’. p.6
- The quality of education provided by the school, the school’s climate for learning and the management and efficiency of the school were all very good. p.6
- The local education authority responded quickly to the previous report’s serious criticism of the school’s under-funding and, consequently, the school has made significant improvements in staffing and resources. p.6
- However, the funding, compared with similar schools nationally, remains below average. p.6
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- Pages
- 18
- Words of findings
- 5,060
- longer than usual (typical 1049)
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- Flesch 48, typical 45
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- 18 words
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- typical 5
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Full report text
WOODSIDE SENIOR SCHOOL
Dates of inspection: 7 th – 10 th February 2000
p.1
WOODSIDE SENIOR SCHOOL
Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.
p.1
WOODSIDE SENIOR SCHOOL
Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Woodside Senior School - 3
p.2
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
School address: 425 Chorley New Road Bolton Lancashire
p.3
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Date of previous inspection: 10 th – 14 th June 1996 Woodside Senior School - 4
p.3
Team members
Mr J Morris Registered inspector Mr P Mason Lay inspector Mr T Watts Team inspector Mr G Watson Team inspector
p.4
Team members
National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham-on-Sea Somerset TA8 1AN
p.4
Team members
Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:
p.4
Team members
The Registrar Inspection Quality Division
p.4
Team members
Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Woodside Senior School - 5
p.4
PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6
Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school
p.5
WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 9
The leadership, management and ethos are excellent. The quality of teaching is very good at all key stages. Support staff make an excellent contribution to teaching. All pupils and students make very good progress, particularly in their personal and social development. The pupils’ and students’ attitudes to learning and behaviour are very good. The procedures to assess what pupils and students know, understand and can do, and the use of this information, are excellent. The curriculum for students in the sixth form is particularly strong.
p.5
WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 13
The targets in the pupils’ and students’ Individual Education Plans are not always to a sufficiently high standard. There are some deficiencies in the range and quantity of books, equipment and other materials.
p.5
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Woodside Senior School s the only secondary school in the Bolton education authority for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. Most of the pupils move to Woodside Senior from Woodside Junior. An increasing number of pupils are also identified as having emotional and behavioural difficulties, severe learning difficulties or language and communication difficulties. Attainment on entry is very low when compared with national averages. There are 123 pupils on roll between 12 and 19 years old, four of whom are dual registered. All of the pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Needs. Fifty-eight pupils are entitled to free school meals. Twenty-three pupils are supported through funding for minority ethnic pupils and two through funding for travellers.
p.6
INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Its extensive aims and objectives are succinctly summarised by its Mission Statement, ‘Woodside Senior School endeavours to be a Centre of Excellence based on commitment to its students who are encouraged to develop to their full potential’.
p.6
HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS
Woodside Senior School is an outstanding school with a total commitment to achieving success through the well-established very high quality of provision and a continuous process of improvement. The pupils and students make very good progress as a result of the very good teaching and excellent leadership and management. The school is very successful in preparing the pupils and students for their next step in life. It provides excellent value for money.
p.6
What the school does well
• The leadership, management and ethos are excellent. • The quality of teaching is very good at all key stages. Support staff make an excellent contribution to teaching. • All pupils and students make very good progress, particularly in their personal and social development. • The pupils’ and students’ attitudes to learning and behaviour are very good. • The procedures to assess what pupils and students know, understand and can do, and the use of this information, are excellent. • The curriculum for students in the sixth form is particularly strong.
p.6
What could be improved
• The targets in the pupils’ and students’ Individual Education Plans are not always to a sufficiently high standard. • There are some deficiencies in the range and quantity of books, equipment and other materials. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the action plan prepared by the appropriate authority.
p.6
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
The school was last inspected in June 1996. The report stated that ‘the school community achieves the excellence for which it aims’. The quality of education provided by the school, the school’s climate for learning and the management and efficiency of the school were all very good.
p.6
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
The school has made excellent progress. It has maintained and improved its exemplary standards by:
p.6
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
• successfully addressing the key issues for action in the previous report; • assiduously addressing additional minor points in the report or discussed with inspectors; • relentlessly pursuing self-evaluation and identifying its own initiatives for improvement.
p.6
HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION
The local education authority responded quickly to the previous report’s serious criticism of the school’s under-funding and, consequently, the school has made significant improvements in staffing and resources. However, the funding, compared with similar schools nationally, remains below average. Woodside Senior School - 7
p.6
STANDARDS
The table summarises inspectors’ judgements about how well pupils achieve in relation to their individual targets by the time they leave the school.
p.7
16 19
Mathematics A A Unsatisfactory D Personal, social and health education A A Poor E Other personal targets set at annual reviews or in IEPs* A A
p.7
16 19
• IEPs are individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs
p.7
16 19
All pupils and students make very good progress in all subjects, particularly personal and social education. They make significant progress in the key skills of literacy and numeracy and the use of computer skills. The school offers a wide range of courses at Key Stage 4 and in the sixth form and the pupils and students achieve very good standards in relation to their learning difficulties. The school sets ambitious targets for the pupils’ and students in the National Curriculum assessments and accredited courses offered, based on rigorous assessment of what the pupils know, understand and can do and the progress they need to make.
p.7
Aspect Comment
Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils and students clearly enjoy school and work very hard.
p.7
Aspect Comment
Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils know what is expected of them and are keen to be valued members of the school community. Inappropriate or disruptive behaviour is rare.
p.7
Aspect Comment
Personal development and relationships Very good. Extremely positive relationships amongst pupils and between pupils and adults. Pupils willingly take on responsibilities.
p.7
Teaching of pupils: Aged 11-16 Aged over 16
Lessons seen overall Very good Very good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.
p.7
Teaching of pupils: Aged 11-16 Aged over 16
The teaching is consistently to a high standard. There are no significant variations in the quality of teaching between subjects, key stages or year groups. There was no unsatisfactory teaching during the inspection. The quality of the teaching was good or better in 95 per cent of the lessons seen and it was very good or excellent in 42 per cent. Woodside Senior School - 8 The teachers have very good knowledge of the subjects and courses that they teach, and the needs of the pupils. They use different methods and styles very effectively to meet the specific needs of individuals and groups of pupils. The key skills of literacy, numeracy and information technology and personal skills are all taught very well. All pupils and students are keen to learn. They listen to adults carefully and work very hard.
p.7
Aspect Comment
The quality and range of the curriculum Very good at Key Stages 3 and 4. Excellent in the sixth form.
p.8
Aspect Comment
Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good. Specific funding available is used effectively to provide skilled support for these pupils. They make very good progress, which is not significantly different to that made by their peers.
p.8
Aspect Comment
Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good overall and excellent for personal and social development.
p.8
Aspect Comment
How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. The school has extensive procedures to ensure the pupils’ health, safety and well-being.
p.8
Aspect Comment
Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Excellent. The headteacher’s leadership and the support provided by all teachers with key responsibilities are exemplary.
p.8
Aspect Comment
How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities Very good. The school governors are highly involved in the work of the school and, when necessary, ask difficult questions.
p.8
Aspect Comment
The school’s evaluation of its performance Excellent. The school is remarkable in its desire to constantly improve, based on a rigorous, systematic analysis of current practice.
p.8
Aspect Comment
The strategic use of resources Very good. Specific funding is always used for the stated purpose and to very good effect. The principles of best value are applied very well.
p.8
What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved
• The school expects the pupils to work hard and achieve their best. • The school is very approachable when there are questions or problems. • The teaching is very good. • The school helps the pupils to become more mature and responsible. • The school is well led and managed. • The pupils like school. • Some parents would like to see more homework and clearer information on homework. • A few parents would like more out of school activities.
p.8
What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved
The inspection supports the parents’ very positive feelings about the school. The provision of homework is good and the school is carrying out rigorous monitoring to ensure more consistency in the setting of homework and increase parental understanding of what the pupils are being asked to do. The provision of extra-curricular activities is good. Woodside Senior School - 9
p.8
WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL
The leadership, management and ethos are excellent.
p.9
WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL
1. The headteacher is an inspirational leader who has successfully created and developed a whole-school commitment to achieving success and constantly striving for improvement. The school’s aims and objectives are succinctly summarised in its Mission Statement, which states that ‘Woodside Senior School endeavours to be a Centre of Excellence based on commitment to its students who are encouraged to develop to their full potential’. This inspection finds that this is an outstanding school, which fully meets its own stringent criteria of excellence. It is very successfully involved in many local authority and national initiatives, including Investor In People and the Charter Mark Award scheme.
p.9
WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL
2. The school’s aims and objectives are shared and understood by all members of the school staff, school governors, and most of the parents, and they are evident in the everyday life of the school. A particularly strong feature of Woodside Senior School is the uniformity of its policy and practice. This inspection found no aspect of its work to be unsatisfactory and the range of features that are very good or excellent is really remarkable. The leadership and management that is provided by the governors and all teachers with key responsibilities, the quality of teaching and the pupils’ and students’ achievements are inseparable. The school clearly demonstrates a tremendous capacity for even greater improvement in the future, as there is a strong willingness to embrace change in the interests of the pupils.
p.9
WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL
3. The school has excellent procedures and arrangements to evaluate its own work and identify clear, effective action to improve matters whenever the slightest weakness is identified. The school development plan is at the heart of this process and is a highly effective tool for improvement with clear, relevant and carefully costed targets. For example, at the time of the inspection the school had set ambitious targets for the National Curriculum tests at Key Stage 3 and Certificate of Achievement courses at Key Stage 4, which it is likely to meet. The headteacher monitors teaching throughout the school extremely effectively. Attendance is rigorously monitored and analysed and targets are prominently displayed around the school. The school has carried out detailed analysis of incident reports since February 1997 on a wide range of factors including individual staff and pupils, tracking patterns by year groups and noting for
p.9
WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL
example that, within a very positive picture, the behaviour of ethnic minority pupils is better than white pupils. A long-term survey of the use of homework books was started last term and this process was immediately accelerated when the registered inspector reported that some parents were unclear about these arrangements at their pre- inspection meeting.
p.9
The quality of teaching is very good at all key stages. Support staff make an excellent
4. The teaching is consistently very good. During the inspection 43 lessons were observed. Every teacher, every year group and every subject taught was observed at least once. There were no significant variations in the quality of teaching. There was no unsatisfactory teaching during the inspection. The quality of the teaching was good or better in 95 per cent of the lessons seen and it was very good or excellent in 42 per cent. Woodside Senior School - 10 5. The teaching has many strengths. Teachers have very good knowledge of the subjects they teach and the needs of the pupils and students. They plan very well, ensuring there is a clear match between the tasks set and the needs of different groups of pupils and individuals. Some extremely good examples of different work being given to different pupils in the same year group were seen in English and mathematics. Teachers make very effective use of a variety of methods to teach the same point to
p.9
The quality of teaching is very good at all key stages. Support staff make an excellent
different pupils, or to the same pupil who is having difficulty understanding it. Good examples of this were seen in Year 9 and Year 12 literacy sessions. Furthermore, there is a distinct change in teaching style in the sixth form, which very effectively meets the needs of these students.
p.10
The quality of teaching is very good at all key stages. Support staff make an excellent
6. Basic literacy and numeracy skills are taught very well through the separate daily sessions in small groups and conventional lessons in English and mathematics. The school also teaches basic personal and social skills and information technology skills extremely well.
p.10
The quality of teaching is very good at all key stages. Support staff make an excellent
7. There are very high expectations of both work and behaviour, and excellent relationships between the adults and the pupils and students throughout the school. Pupils and students understand what is expected of them and they are always very interested in lessons, work hard and show respect for other people and the classroom materials.
p.10
The quality of teaching is very good at all key stages. Support staff make an excellent
8. The school makes extremely good use of the teachers’ subject expertise and the available support staff. The learning support staff make an excellent contribution to the pupils’ and students’ very good progress. All of the available time in the school day is used to very good effect.
p.10
The quality of teaching is very good at all key stages. Support staff make an excellent
9. The uniformity of this high quality teaching throughout the school is a major factor in the success which the pupils and students achieve in their learning. The very minor weaknesses observed in the teaching were:
p.10
The quality of teaching is very good at all key stages. Support staff make an excellent
• Sometimes the lesson objectives are not shared well with the pupils; • Occasionally there is a lack of accuracy and precision in the teacher’s use of language when talking about facts; • Very occasionally there is a slight mismatch between the pupils’ needs, the tasks set and the resources available.
p.10
All pupils and students make very good progress, particularly in their personal and
10. All of the pupils are very low in their achievements on entry. The nature of their learning difficulties is such that they remain below or well below average by the time they leave school whether this is at 16,17,18 or 19 years of age. However, there is substantial evidence to show that all pupils and students make very good progress at the school. This applies to the targets in their Individual Education Plans and, at Key Stage 4 and in the sixth form, the wide range of courses offered which lead to external certification and accreditation.
p.10
All pupils and students make very good progress, particularly in their personal and
11. All pupils and students make very good progress in personal and social development. Pupils and students have responsibilities around the school and in the vast majority of cases carry these out willingly and with increasing maturity. The structure and organisation of the curriculum and teaching style, particularly in the sixth form, very successfully develop the students’ self-confidence in their learning and relationships, and personal and social skills such as making choices and travelling independently. Students are given accurate, clear information about aspects such as personal hygiene and safety, drugs and sex education. ‘Special mention’ assemblies, extra-curricular Woodside Senior School - 11 clubs (at lunchtime and before and after school), local trips and international educational visits through the Comenius project, all extend and reinforce the basic skills which are successfully taught in the classroom.
p.10
All pupils and students make very good progress, particularly in their personal and
12. All pupils and students make very good progress in English and mathematics. Pupils and students make very good progress in reading and writing as they move through the school. At Key Stage 4 and in the sixth form, in particular, they develop their skills in a wide range of contexts and make real gains in basic literacy skills for everyday life. They learn about different forms of communication such as gestures, books and magazines, teletext, telephones, faxes and the Internet. They learn how to write letters differently to different people, and complete application forms and Curriculum Vitae. Even those students who have the greatest difficulties in their learning, make substantial gains in reading key words and signs in the community, for example at the Hollywood Bowl, and through reading and spelling tasks in the classroom. In mathematics, pupils and students make good progress in relation to their prior
p.11
All pupils and students make very good progress, particularly in their personal and
achievement as they move from year to year. They all make particularly significant gains in their understanding of mathematics in real life. All students in the sixth form, including those who continue to operate at a very early level in terms of numeracy skills, learn to apply their knowledge of number facts well in practical situations. For example, they learn to tell the time accurately and to read bus and train timetables, they calculate shopping lists using two decimal places and they use measures of weight, temperature and volume purposefully in food technology.
p.11
All pupils and students make very good progress, particularly in their personal and
13. Inspection evidence from lessons and pupils’ and students’ work shows that this positive picture of progress is reflected in other subjects also. For example, higher attaining students in the sixth form achieve good standards in information technology in the externally accredited courses. These students have a good understanding of the different uses of modern computers such as word processing, presenting and analysing data in tables and charts and manipulating graphic images. Pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 have a good understanding of scientific testing and in these lessons are developing good skills of decision-making in the context of scientific conventions. Pupils and students with English as an additional language make very similar progress to their peers.
p.11
All pupils and students make very good progress, particularly in their personal and
The pupils’ and students’ attitudes to learning and behaviour are very good.
p.11
All pupils and students make very good progress, particularly in their personal and
14. All pupils and students arrive at school on time and move from one lesson to another quickly and sensibly. They settle to their work quickly and listen carefully to the staff. Pupils and students work very well on individual tasks or in pairs and small groups, for example in science and information technology lessons. They stay on task for long periods of time and some express dissatisfaction when the end of the day arrives because they want to do more. Pupils and students help each other and staff and willingly take on responsibilities, such as working at the school reception desk or clearing up at lunchtime. They hold doors open for people and initiate conversations with visitors.
p.11
All pupils and students make very good progress, particularly in their personal and
15. Behaviour is very good and even those pupils who are identified as having emotional and behavioural difficulties (in their Statements of Special Educational Needs) are so settled and happy at school that no significant challenging behaviour occurred during the inspection. Inspectors recorded numerous examples of positive interactions amongst the pupils and students. There are some very infrequent, minor incidents of inappropriate or disruptive behaviour. For example, on one occasion a small group of pupils responded rather unsympathetically to a girl who stumbled on some steps and two Year 12 students had a personal disagreement in the café at the Bowling Centre during an educational visit there. Although there was no evidence of bullying during the inspection, one pupil (at his annual review meeting) reported that he had been called Woodside Senior School - 12 names and that he had ‘not used a good strategy’ in dealing with it. One boy has been
p.11
All pupils and students make very good progress, particularly in their personal and
excluded on two occasions in the past year.
p.12
The procedures to assess what pupils and students know, understand and can do,
and the use of this information, are excellent.
p.12
The procedures to assess what pupils and students know, understand and can do,
16. All of the pupils and students who attend the school have a Statement of Special Educational Needs. The procedures rigorously follow the national Code of Practice. Reviews are carried out very efficiently involving the headteacher, form tutor, parents, pupil and other relevant agencies, such as the Careers Service. The reports are detailed and, whilst focusing appropriately on the targets in the pupils’ Individual Education Plans, they give a clear, helpful and individualised summary of progress in all subjects and courses. The pupils are invited to make comments on their experiences at school, their view of the progress they have made and what they think they need to do next. Two reviews were observed and these Year 11 pupils spoke with great clarity and confidence. The annual reviews of special educational needs from the age of 14 include excellent transition plans.
p.12
The procedures to assess what pupils and students know, understand and can do,
17. The school has an excellent Staff Handbook for assessment, recording and reporting. Although this document is described as being “designed to give brief details”, it actually contains considerable detail of the procedures used in the school and gives a clear and broad view of what actually happens in each subject department. The pupils’ annual reviews and accompanying report are the focus of the school’s cyclical process. These are informed by a wide range of ongoing teacher assessments and records and formal, standardised tests, including the statutory National Curriculum tasks and tests in English and mathematics. The school makes extensive and very effective use of the ‘P scales’ recommended for use by special schools in the booklet ‘Supporting the Target Setting Process’ published by the Department for Education and Employment. Pupils with English as an additional language are assessed as often as every half-term as part
p.12
The procedures to assess what pupils and students know, understand and can do,
of the process recommended by the local education authority. There is a very good exchange of information between the staff employed through funding specifically provided for the support of these pupils and the school management and other classroom staff. A high profile is given to acknowledging pupils’ and students’ achievements. This happens both on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis and over the school year, for example through the ‘special mention’ assemblies and through the very high status given to the use of records of achievement.
p.12
The procedures to assess what pupils and students know, understand and can do,
18. The school offers a wide range of nationally recognised, accredited vocational courses at Key Stage 4 and in the sixth form. Much of the assessment at Key Stage 4 and in the sixth form is built into these courses and the teachers accurately analyse students’ achievements and progress and predict their final results.
p.12
The procedures to assess what pupils and students know, understand and can do,
19. The school has identified a group of pupils in the current Year 11 and Year 12 as being relatively higher attainers, particularly in English and mathematics. Courses are going to be offered next year in the General Certificate of Education in these and possibly other subjects. This is a very good example of the school modifying its provision to meet particular needs.
p.12
The procedures to assess what pupils and students know, understand and can do,
The curriculum for students in the sixth form is particularly strong.
p.12
The procedures to assess what pupils and students know, understand and can do,
20. The curriculum is very good throughout the school. At Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4, it is broad, balanced and relevant to the pupils’ needs and meets the requirements of the National Curriculum. The emphasis on the key skills, including literacy and numeracy, is central to the pupils’ and students’ progress. There is excellent equality of opportunity. The provision for personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good, and the provision for social development, in Woodside Senior School - 13 particular, is excellent. Excellent support and advice is given for careers education by the two Careers Officers who visit the school and the school staff. There are very good links with the community at large and other schools and colleges, particularly schools in several European countries through the Comenius project. A wide range of courses which lead to nationally recognised accreditation are offered to pupils at Key Stage 4
p.12
The procedures to assess what pupils and students know, understand and can do,
21. The provision in the sixth form, for students aged 16 to 19, is particularly strong. The curriculum in the sixth form is characterised by a very strong emphasis on vocational education. The courses offered lead to nationally recognised accreditation, but the style of delivery is highly individualised and the course units and programmes of study are very effectively modified to meet the particular needs of individual students. Some excellent examples of the effectiveness of the approach were seen during lessons, through the excellent adult-student relationships and the high level of motivation shown by the students. The extensive, very well integrated programme of accredited courses, work experience, college links and careers advice very successfully prepares the students for their experiences after school.
p.13
The targets in the pupils’ and students’ Individual Education Plans are not always to a
22. Every pupil and student in the school has an Individual Education Plan, which arises from their annual review. The targets contained in these plans are relevant to the individual pupil or student and they are reviewed every school half-term. Every pupil has targets for English, mathematics and personal and social development. The targets are written by all of the staff involved in teaching each pupil in each subject. In January this year the school introduced a new system of putting a copy of the targets in the pupils’ and students’ workbooks and folders. The intention is that both pupils and staff should be aware of the targets and that the Individual Education Plan should have a high profile on a day-to-day basis. This is an effective system and it will provide rigour and consistency once it is fully established. The school has already identified that the success of this initiative is dependent on a programme of staff training.
p.13
The targets in the pupils’ and students’ Individual Education Plans are not always to a
23. However, there are some minor weaknesses in the quality of the targets in the Individual Education Plans and the way in which they are produced. The quality of these targets ranges from satisfactory to very good. Sometimes the targets are not sufficiently specific, small steps in learning to allow staff to easily measure the pupil or student’s progress. Sometimes the targets are written in language which is not easily understood by the pupil or student. These two weaknesses are generally seen in the English, and personal and social development targets. Pupils and students are not always sufficiently involved in the process.
p.13
There are some deficiencies in the range and quantity of books, equipment and other
24. The last inspection was highly critical of the funding available to the school and, directly related to this, the number of staff and the adequacy of the accommodation and learning resources. The funding has been substantially increased and the numbers, qualifications and experience of teaching and support staff are now very good. There have been some improvements to the accommodation and this inspection finds it adequate. The school is moving to a new site in September 2001.
p.13
There are some deficiencies in the range and quantity of books, equipment and other
25. The school has improved the learning resources and they are satisfactory overall. There is very good provision for information technology and food technology. The Woodside Senior School - 14 library has been substantially improved. Many old, poor quality books have gone and it is now stocked with good quality fiction and non-fiction books. More books, including an appropriate reading scheme, dictionaries and thesauri, are kept in classrooms. However, some deficiencies remain in the number and range of books, equipment and other materials across the curriculum. For example, when Key Stage 4 pupils were researching different world religions as part of a literacy lesson, there were not enough books for them to choose from. The size of the area currently used as a library restricts the school’s capacity to address this in the short term.
p.13
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
26. The headteacher, classroom staff and governors should:
p.14
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(1) Improve the quality of the three key targets in the pupils’ and students’ individual education plans by:
p.14
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
a) ensuring that all targets are specific, small steps in learning and that progress towards them can be measured;
p.14
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
b) ensuring all targets are understood by the pupil or student and written in the simplest possible language to help them remember what their targets are;
p.14
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
c) involving the pupils and students more in producing the targets.
p.14
WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?
(2) As time and financial conditions allow, extend the range and quality of books, materials and other equipment available for the pupils and students to use for them to develop their own learning. Woodside Senior School - 15
p.14
Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection
Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 33
p.15
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor
p.15
Summary of teaching observed during the inspection
5 37 53 5 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.
p.15
Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils on the school’s roll No of pupils
p.15
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils on the school’s roll 123
p.15
Information about the school’s pupils
Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 58
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Information about the school’s pupils
English as an additional language No of pupils
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Information about the school’s pupils
Number of pupils with English as an additional language 22
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Information about the school’s pupils
Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils
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Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 7
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Information about the school’s pupils
Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 4
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Attendance
School data 10.26 School data 1.11 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Woodside Senior School - 16
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3
Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 3 for the latest reporting year 1999 15 9 23
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3
No pupils achieved National Curriculum Level 5 or above.
p.16
Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4
Number of 15 year olds on roll in January of the latest reporting year 1999 16 10 26
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4
One pupil achieved a grade E in GCSE mathematics.
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4
Vocational qualifications Number % success rate
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4
Number studying for approved vocational qualifications or units and School 38 units 26% the percentage of those pupils who achieved all those they studied National Not known
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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4
12 pupils achieved the Bronze level in the Youth Award Scheme.
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Attainment at the end of the sixth form
Number of students aged 16, 17 and 18 on roll in January of the latest reporting year Year Boys Girls Total who were entered for GCE A-level or AS-level examinations 1999 0 0 0
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Attainment at the end of the sixth form
Vocational qualifications Number % success rate
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Attainment at the end of the sixth form
Number in their final year of studying for approved vocational qualifications or School 76 units 95 units and the percentage of those pupils who achieved all those they studied National Not known
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Attainment at the end of the sixth form
10 students achieved the Bronze level and 2 achieved the Silver level in the Youth Award Scheme. Woodside Senior School - 17
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Black – African heritage Black – African heritage
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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year
Any other minority ethnic group Other minority ethnic groups This table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Qualified teachers and classes: Y8 – Y13
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 17.7 Financial year 1998/99
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Number of pupils per qualified teacher 6.9
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Average class size 10 £ FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 676405
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Education support staff: Y8 – Y13 Total expenditure 693951
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total number of education support staff 10 Expenditure per pupil 5421
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Total aggregate hours worked per week 325 Balance brought forward from previous year 39049
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Teachers and classes Financial information
Balance carried forward to next year 21503 Woodside Senior School - 18
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Percentage of responses in each category
Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know
p.18
Percentage of responses in each category
My child is making good progress in school. 60 33 4 0 3
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Percentage of responses in each category
Behaviour in the school is good. 49 38 5 1 6
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Percentage of responses in each category
My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 33 42 18 3 3
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Percentage of responses in each category
I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 62 29 5 0 4
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Percentage of responses in each category
I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 76 22 1 0 1
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 77 22 0 0 1
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school works closely with parents. 65 29 2 0 4
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school is well led and managed. 67 27 0 0 6
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 71 25 2 0 2
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Percentage of responses in each category
The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 51 26 7 2 14
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