St Andrew's School

Derby

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.

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Derby

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. St Andrews Special - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Special – Day and Residential

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: St. Andrew’s View Breadsall Hilltop Derby

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs. L. Stancliffe

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 4 th November 1996 St Andrews Special - 4

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Mike Whitaker Registered inspector Physical education, Special educational needs What sort of school is it? How high are standards? How well are pupils or students taught? How well is the school led and managed? What should the school do to improve further? Michael McCarthy Lay inspector Equal opportunities How high are standards? How well does the school care for its pupils or students? How well does the school work in partnership with parents? Mary Henderson Team inspector English, Design and technology Alan Tattersall Team inspector Maths, Computer technology Valerie du Plergny Team inspector Art, Modern language Music Diane Pearson Team inspector Science, Religious Education, Areas of learning for children in the foundation stage Elizabeth Mildner Team inspector Geography, History, English as an additional language How good are the curricular and other opportunities?

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Capital Inspections Chaucer Building Canterbury Road Morden Surrey SM4 6PX

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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:

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House, 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE St Andrews Special - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6-9

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10

The school’s results and achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

St. Andrew’s is a day and residential special school for boys and girls aged between 2 and 19 years with severe learning difficulties. In addition the school has an integrated nursery for children, some of whom have learning difficulties. At present there is a total of 85 pupils, on the roll, of whom 16 are part-time nursery children. A total of 30 children attend the nursery, 14 on a full-time basis. There are 18 students of post compulsory school age, 22 pupils or students are resident either on a full-time of part-time basis. Twenty-seven pupils are eligible for free school meals and there are six pupils for whom English is an additional language. The attainment of pupils on entering the main school is well below levels expected of pupils of their age because of their special educational needs. Children entering the nursery either attain at nationally expected levels or have special educational needs. Pupils come from a wide area and most travel on

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

transport provided by local education authorities. The profile of the school has changed in recent years with fewer younger pupils being referred.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

St. Andrew’s is an effective school where most children, pupils and students achieve well. This is largely the result of good leadership and management, particularly from the headteacher and senior staff and the consistently good quality of teaching and care. As a result students are well prepared to leave school and have developed good levels of independence. Governors are supportive of the school and staff work hard to identify areas for improvement to develop the school further. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• Promotes very positive attitudes to learning and good behaviour with pupils and students showing respect for the values and feeling of others. Social development is very good. • Teaching is predominantly good and often very good because teachers manage the pupils well. Teamwork between teachers and Education Care Officers is particularly effective. • The literacy and numeracy strategies have been effectively introduced in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 and, as a result, more effective learning and greater progress is taking place. • Residential provision makes a very positive contribution to the personal and social development of pupils and students. • The headteacher and senior staff have managed the development of the school well since the last inspection. • Links with parents are very effective. They receive very good quality information and this has a positive effect on children’s learning.

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What could be improved

• The senior management team and co-ordinators do not monitor the quality of teaching or evaluate its impact on learning in a systematic way. • The governing body does not have a full complement and does not have systems for monitoring and evaluating curriculum development or teaching. • Elements of the provision for Post-16 students lack cohesion. • There is only a limited range of accredited courses for pupils in Key Stage 4. • There is a lack of clarity about the relationship between religious education and acts of collective worship. • Accommodation for art restricts some opportunities.

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What could be improved

The areas for improvement will form the basis of the action plan prepared by the appropriate authority.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made good improvements since the last inspection. Progress has been made in relation to all of the key issues identified and there have been other significant developments. The appointment of a permanent headteacher has led to the development of a clear senior management structure. This has improved the overall leadership and management of the school. The role of subject co-ordinator has developed and whole school schemes of work for all subjects are now in place improving the potential for pupils to build on their work as they move through the school. Planning is monitored but there is no systematic monitoring of teaching. The school development plan now includes clear targets, time scales and criteria for evaluating the impact of improvements on pupils learning. The residential provision is now monitored externally. The national literacy and numeracy strategies have been successfully introduced

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

and a range of accredited courses have been introduced for students. More specialist teaching has been introduced in the senior school with a positive effect on the achievements of pupils and students. St Andrews Special - 7

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STANDARDS

The table summarises inspectors’ judgements about how well pupils achieve in relation to their individual targets by the time they leave the school.

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5 11 16 19

Speaking and listening B B B B very good A

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5 11 16 19

Mathematics B A B B unsatisfactory D Personal, social and health education B B B B poor E other personal targets set at annual reviews or in IEPs* B B B B

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5 11 16 19

* IEPs are individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs.

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5 11 16 19

Overall pupils and students achieve well in English, mathematics and science. In mathematics achievement is particularly good in Key Stages 1 and 2 where the numeracy strategy has been particularly effective. In English achievement is good overall and the literacy strategy has also been effective. Achievement in writing is less successful though still satisfactory. In other subjects achievement is very good in art and music throughout the school and in physical education in Key Stages 3 and 4 and for Post 16 students. Achievement in French is only just satisfactory in Key Stage 4. In religious education there was insufficient evidence to make a secure judgement.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Children, pupils and students have very positive attitudes to school. They are enthusiastic, interested and become very involved in the planned activities.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is good. Inappropriate behaviour associated with special educational needs is effectively managed with minimal impact on others.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Relationships are good. Pupils respect the views and beliefs of others and have a developing understanding of the effect of their actions on others within the constraints of their special educational needs.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is good and there is a low level of unauthorised absence.

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Aspect Comment

The pupils’ and students’ very positive and enthusiastic approach to school is a significant factor in the progress they are able to make. The school has a very positive ethos which successfully encourages them to behave well, develop good relationships and respect each other. As a result relationships are good, pupils and students want to come to school and a good climate for learning has been created. St Andrews Special - 8

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Teaching of pupils: Aged up to 5 aged 5-11 aged 11-16 aged over 16

Lessons seen overall Good Very Good Good Good

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Teaching of pupils: Aged up to 5 aged 5-11 aged 11-16 aged over 16

The quality of teaching is good overall. It is frequently very good. During the inspection 97.5 per cent of teaching was satisfactory or better, with 42.5 per cent being good and 34 per cent being very good or better only 2.5 per cent was unsatisfactory. Teaching is particularly good in Key Stage 2 and where there is specialist teaching in art and music in the senior school. Teachers’ management of pupils and students is particularly effective and support and residential staff make a significant contribution to learning. Teaching in English, mathematics and science is good overall and is particularly effective in numeracy and literacy. The teaching of personal, social and health education is good throughout the school.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good overall. It is very good in Key Stage 2 and for lower attaining students in Post-16. Some aspects of the post 16 curriculum for higher attaining students lacks coherence.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Provision for pupils with English as an additional language is sound.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall. It is particularly good for social development. This is considerably enhanced for some pupils and students by their residential experience. Spiritual development is promoted well through a range of subjects.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The school cares well for its pupils. Provision for monitoring and promoting personal development is particularly good and residential provision contributes considerably to this.

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Aspect Comment

The school provides a very good curriculum in Key Stage 2, which has been particularly enhanced by the introduction of the literacy and numeracy strategies. Provision in the nursery successfully meets the needs of children who sometimes have severe learning difficulties alongside mainstream nursery children. The curriculum for Post-16 students with more severe learning difficulties is very good although provision for higher attaining student, whilst having some positive elements lacks coherence and is fragmented. The residential provision contributes well to the personal development of pupils and students. The whole school promotes this aspect of their development, alongside their social development, particularly well.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher and other key staff provide very good leadership and management. The senior management team and subject co-ordinators do not yet monitor the quality of teaching in a systematic way.

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Aspect Comment

How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities The governing body fulfils its statutory responsibilities but it does not have clear procedures for monitoring the development of the curriculum or the standards achieved.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Sound. The school is currently developing these systems by setting reviewing and moderating targets.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. Particularly good use is made of education care officers to support learning. St Andrews Special - 9 The headteacher has provided very good leadership and has been well supported by members of the senior management team. This has led to the creation of a positive climate for learning where pupils and students achieve well. Systems for monitoring and evaluating curriculum development and teaching have not yet been established. Resources, including staff are used effectively, with education care officers making a significant contribution. Staffing levels are adequate and resources are good. Some aspects of accommodation, notably those for art, restrict some opportunities for pupils. Finances are used effectively and principles of best value are followed.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The leadership of the school. • Very welcoming and able staff. • Partnership with parents. • Very good behaviour strategies. • The awareness of the needs of others promoted by the school. • Planning for transition involving all agencies.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The findings of the inspection team agree with the largely positive views of the parents. They also found that there is inconsistency in the involvement of agencies in planning for the future for pupils and students. St Andrews Special - 10

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The school’s results and achievements

1. It is inappropriate to compare the attainment of pupils and students attending this school with national averages or expectations because of their special educational needs. Overall, the achievements of the school has improved since the last inspection.

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The school’s results and achievements

2. Overall pupils achieve well in English, mathematics and science never making less than satisfactory progress in relation to their prior learning. Achievements in English are particularly good in Key Stages 2 and 3 and in aspects of the post 16 curriculum. In mathematics their achievements are good in Key Stages 1 to 4 but only satisfactory in post 16. In science achievements are good in Key Stages 1 and 2 and satisfactory in Key Stages 3 and 4. Post 16 students make satisfactory progress in science.

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The school’s results and achievements

3. Children under five years old often attain at levels in line with that which would be expected for pupils of their age. The majority make good progress during their time in the nursery towards the desirable learning outcomes. Children with special educational needs all make good progress in relation to their prior learning and the targets set for them. Higher attaining children talk in sentences listen carefully and ask and answer sentences in context. They can also describe characteristics of plants and animals. Children with complex learning difficulties begin to respond appropriately to signed requests from adults. Higher attaining children begin to show an interest in books and make appropriate progress with the development of emergent writing skills. The children with additional special needs begin to respond to pictures and symbols at a level appropriate to their needs.

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The school’s results and achievements

4. The children enjoy singing mathematical action songs and all begin to make progress in their ability to recognise numbers, to play and transfer water and sand extending their knowledge, skills and understanding of capacity. Higher attaining children demonstrate basic computing skills when using the space bar and curser keys when using appropriate software.

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The school’s results and achievements

5. Children make good progress developing an understanding of the world around them. They enjoy studying frogs, are aware of life cycles and realise that their miniature gardens will only survive if watered regularly. They are successful when modelling with clay and make good progress in learning to control media when painting daffodils. The higher attaining children can name primary colours accurately and are beginning to develop an understanding of what happens when colours are mixed.

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The school’s results and achievements

6. All of the children develop confidence and skills in their physical developments, in physical education lessons and during outdoor play session. The higher attaining children can throw and catch balls, aiming at targets with increasing accuracy. Staff can demonstrate that all children make progress in developing their skills over time. Children confidently push and pull carts and propel bicycles and wheeled toys. Children with the most complex learning needs demonstrate personal awareness when they experience physical movement whilst being carefully supported by experienced adults.

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The school’s results and achievements

7. All children enjoy a range of musical experiences and make satisfactory progress in percussion lessons and when joining in with action songs. Some play percussion instruments and can maintain a rhythm and keep time with a regular beat. Overall, their creative development is good.

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The school’s results and achievements

8. Whilst pupils enter the school with significantly low levels of competence in English they settle quickly into the good learning environment and begin to make progress. At Key Stage 1 even where achievements are satisfactory overall most pupils make good gains in developing their knowledge understanding and skills in developing and using their communication skills. Some develop better eye contact and a more consistent use of gesture to express their level of understanding, during the signing of songs during the welcome sessions. Higher attaining pupils demonstrate good progress in developing their speaking and listening skills, when responding to the consistent use of signing by adults, when recognising their names and the names of the days of the week. Progress in reading is sound and pupils develop an understanding of the purpose of books and the sequence of stories. Progress in developing emergent writing skills is satisfactory. The pupils continue to make good progress

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The school’s results and achievements

and achieve well in Key Stage 2. Higher attaining pupils participate well in discussion groups both as speakers and listeners and develop their confidence, willingly volunteering information and answering questions. Progress in reading is good and a few pupils read, with support from published reading scheme books. Progress in writing is good and some pupils are beginning to form letters with increased accuracy. Three pupils, for whom English is a second language are making satisfactory progress overall. St Andrews Special - 11 9. By the end of Key Stage 3 progress in English is good overall. Pupils listen carefully to stories, and are able to answer questions about the story accurately recalling and naming characters and the sequence of events. Reading skills continue to develop well and higher attaining pupils, when using published reading scheme books, can predict outcomes, talk about the sequence of events and a few are beginning to read with expression as a

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The school’s results and achievements

result of good teaching. Writing skills continue to develop at a satisfactory level, they spell simple words accurately and are beginning to be aware of the purpose of punctuation, using capital letters correctly. A few can write simple sentences unaided. Progress is good for the pupils with the most complex learning difficulties who achieve well. They develop a recognition of common symbols, read safety signs and make good attempts to communicate their needs through the more consistent use of sign and gestures.

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The school’s results and achievements

10. By the end of Key Stage 4 the levels of achievement are satisfactory in speaking and listening, reading and writing. Pupils continue to extend their level of knowledge, skills and understanding contributing well in role-play, group discussions and in school assemblies. In one drama lesson some pupils demonstrated insight when they used persuasive arguments in a variety of imaginary situations. Achievements in writing show improvement particularly when pupils are writing their personal diaries, which demonstrate an understanding of past and present events by the correct use of tenses.

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The school’s results and achievements

11. Post 16 students make good progress in developing their command of English. They speak confidently in a variety of settings, but particularly well when operating the coffee bar, taking orders, serving customers and explaining the costs of items to visitors. They continue to develop their reading skills and use them well in a range of social setting in the coffee bar and when visiting the supermarket.

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The school’s results and achievements

12. Their writing skills continue to improve and they write for an increasing range of purposes, including letters and book reviews. The pupils also make good progress in using their word processing skills to enhance the presentation of their written work.

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The school’s results and achievements

13. In all key stages pupils extend their knowledge understanding and enjoyment of literature and poetry by listening to stories with the teachers and through their own reading of published texts. The newly developed library is already beginning to have a noticeable impact on this aspect of the learning of the pupils.

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The school’s results and achievements

14. In mathematics the pupils achieve well in relation to their prior attainment in all key stages.

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The school’s results and achievements

15. In Key Stage 1 pupils make good progress developing counting skills up to five digits. They recognise circles and pointed shapes. This good progress continues and in Key Stage 2 higher attaining pupils can count to thirty in single digits and in multiples of 5. The pupils begin to develop a concept of the passage of time and the higher attaining pupils use their improving reading skills to deepen their understanding of the history of time by researching a range of published books from the library. The good level of progress continues in Key Stages 3 and 4. By the end of Key Stage 4 many have made very good progress and some have a good understanding of the relationships between numbers, counting in two’s, five’s and ten’s. Higher attaining pupils can explain their calculations when working with coins in practical mathematical lessons.

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The school’s results and achievements

16. Post-16 students build effectively on their earlier learning using their number skills often independently when organising the “coffee shop” and when visiting the supermarket to purchase food items as a part of the independent living programme.

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The school’s results and achievements

17. Pupils from all key stages demonstrate their growing confidence and competence in numeracy in many other curriculum areas. This is particularly effective in music lessons when beating time, in environmental studies lesson which focus on the recycling process when pupils collect, collate and analyse data. They then used graphs, prepared on computers in order to illustrate their findings.

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The school’s results and achievements

18. In science pupils and students overall achieve well in Key Stages 1, 2 and 3, particularly in practical aspects. They, for example, demonstrate good gains in the knowledge, skills and understanding of cause and effect when constructing simple circuits with wires, bulbs, batteries and switches. Some are then able to use their knowledge and skills to build working models of windmills. In design lessons they extend this understanding designing, constructing and modifying paper windmills. They develop an understanding of the names and functions of the main parts of the body with an increased awareness of the sensory organs. Good teaching in Key Stage 3 has a positive impact made by the pupils in developing and understanding of the process of the life cycle. In Key Stage 4 and in Post-16 they achieve appropriately. By the end of Key Stage 4 pupils demonstrate an increased level of understanding of both science and information technology when they interrogate compact discs to learn about

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The school’s results and achievements

the digestive process. Some high attainers can explain the attributes of healthy eating. St Andrews Special - 12 19. Post 16 students continue to make at least good progress for example making choices when studying the scientific changes which take place when baking cakes.

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The school’s results and achievements

20. Overall pupils become increasingly aware of scientific events and the ways they impact on our lives. They become aware of hot, wet and cold days and the need to dress accordingly, they observe patterns of nature, see plants grow and recognise patterns of sound.

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The school’s results and achievements

21. In art and music pupils of all ages make very good progress and achieve very well largely as a result of the quality of the specialist teaching. Achievement in physical education is very good in Key Stages 3 and 4 and for post 16 whilst in Key stage 2 it is good and satisfactory in Key Stage 1. In history and geography (humanities) pupils achieve well in Key Stages 2 and 3 and satisfactorily in Key Stages 1 and 4.

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The school’s results and achievements

22. Achievement in information technology is satisfactory throughout the school. In some lessons progress is good but inconsistent planning across the school means that progress overall is only satisfactory. In design and technology achievement is good in Key Stages 2,3 and 4 satisfactory in Key Stage 1 and for post 16 students.

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The school’s results and achievements

23. Achievement in French is satisfactory overall but is better in Key Stage 3 than in Key Stage 4. Insufficient evidence was available to make a secure judgement about achievement in religious education although there was some evidence of work covered indicating that pupils do make satisfactory progress.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

24. Pupils display an obvious eagerness to attend school. The views of parents expressed at the pre-inspection meeting, their response to the questionnaire and other observations made by them during the inspection support this position. There is a tangible sense of pride by pupils in belonging to the extended family community that the school fosters. They overwhelmingly participate with enthusiasm and co-operation in lessons and the wide range of social and curriculum based activities that the school provides. Parents with children in both the school’s nursery department and the special needs unit were unstinting in their praise for the academic and personal progress that they had made during their time at the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

25. There are very sound and successful links between the school and home. Good communication, both verbal and written provides parents with a secure understanding of their child’s needs and expect them to meet the school’s aspirations for its pupils. The social links enables parents with similar family circumstances to mix in a comfortable and mutually reassuring environment. Pupils’ achievements are recognised and celebrated on many occasions. Each Friday the school awards certificates for attendance, good work and behaviour. Additionally, pupils whose work is considered note worthy by the class teacher, are sent to the headteacher to show their work and receive an ‘instant’ merit badge. An annual award ceremony fittingly recognises pupils who have demonstrated consistency in their work, attendance, behaviour or have performed some individual act worthy of recognition. Many instances of collaborative behaviour and mutual celebration of others success were observed during the

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

26. Pupils behave well both in and out of school and despite their difficulties they show concern for each other and awareness of others disabilities. There are good relationships between the staff and pupils with modelling by staff members underpinning the suitable behavioural patterns observed. There have been two fixed term exclusions this year.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

27. The school’s emphasis on the development of independence by incremental steps is based on a secure and established practice of encouragement, praise and reward. Whilst a bullying policy is in place, it is regularly monitored to ensure the absence of bullying, sexism and racism. Overall behaviour is good and where behaviour is occasionally distorted because of the distinct nature of individual pupils, it is well managed. The movement of pupils around the school is orderly and lunchtime particularly, reflects clearly the composed character of the school.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

28. Within the context of the school, opportunities for pupils to undertake responsibilities and show initiative are good. The prompt collection and return of the attendance registers, duty in the Coffee Bar, increasing personal responsibility for their own money and equipment, carrying bags for events are just some of the duties aimed at developing their independence and initiative. St Andrews Special - 13 29. A visit to the career’s centre in Derby by a number of senior pupils was a model of good behaviour with thoughtful questions being put by pupils regarding their future employment aspirations. Similarly, an outing to a local sports centre was yet another example of how well pupils conduct themselves with minimal staff involvement.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

30. The school’s attendance rate is good and had improved slightly since the last inspection. The rate of unauthorised absence is minimal. Pupils enjoy coming to school and their parents are aware of this and largely endeavour to endorse regular attendance.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

31. Overall behaviour, personal relationships and attendance of pupils are good and in respect of their attitudes to the school they are very good.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

32. The quality of teaching is good overall and very good in Key Stages 1 and 2. It is rarely unsatisfactory. During the inspection teaching was good or better in 76 per cent of lessons and satisfactory or better in 97.5 per cent. It was only unsatisfactory in 2 lessons. The high standard of teaching has been maintained since the last inspection.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

33. The quality of teaching for children under five overall is good with the staff working well as a team. Comprehensive reports are forwarded to the next educational placement of each child. Sensitive introduction and support are given to children who have special educational needs. The school continues to make effective provision for mainstream children and those with special educational needs in its nursery.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

34. In all key stages teachers have a good knowledge and understanding of the subjects they teach and of the needs of the pupils and students. The exception is in French where subject knowledge is only just satisfactory. Teachers use their subject knowledge effectively to ensure that pupils and students understand the knowledge and skills being taught. This is particularly effective in Key Stages 3 and 4 where the use of subject specialists with excellent or very good knowledge of the subject, for example in music and art leads to high levels of achievement and progress. Teachers in Key Stage 1 and 2 have gained much knowledge through the introduction of national strategies which they use effectively in literacy and numeracy. In the nursery teachers have good knowledge of the desirable learning outcomes which they use effectively to plan work to enable children to build on their learning. Basic skills are very well taught in the nursery and throughout Key Stages 1 and 2. Very good

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

subject knowledge is used in humanities lessons, for example when pupils learn about different life styles in Kenya and Japan.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

35. Teacher’s planning is sound overall. Where it is good or very good better progress and higher achievement results. For example, the National Literacy Strategy structure has provided very structured planning to these areas of the curriculum in Key Stages 1 and 2 and as a result learning is more effective. This is being extended into Key Stages 3 and 4. Humanities lessons are well planned and imaginative, when for example, visiting a local mill. Planning is thorough in design and technology. Careful planning in some aspects of the post 16 curriculum where targets are matched to students needs will lead to good progress. For example when handling money in the Coffee Bar, students were effectively learning about prices and giving change.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

36. The effective management of pupils and students with a wide range of special educational needs is a real strength of the teaching throughout the school and throughout the subjects. In English in Year 7 for example the very good organisation and management of a role-play and drama session enabled pupils to enact a safari scene making good gains in their confidence and use of speaking and listening skills. Good organisation and management also enables teachers to make effective use of the community, for example during nature walks for the nursery, trips to old mills in humanities and the use of community leisure facilities in physical education.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

37. Good use is made of resources, accommodation and staffing. The education care officers and residential staff contribute significantly to the learning of students and pupils. They have clear roles and responsibilities in lessons and are used very effectively to support individuals or groups. In physical education for example the skilled use of very experienced support staff enables all pupils to be involved in a wide range of throwing and catching activities. Careful planning and good organisation of the use of the staff meant that all pupils were actively engaged in the lesson throughout enabling good progress to be made. Although the accommodation for art is unsatisfactory careful grouping and skilled teaching has reduced the impact of this and pupils achieve well.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

38. A wide range of teaching methods is used in most subjects to ensure the involvement of all pupils. This includes the very targeted use of support staff for individuals as well as good whole group or class teaching during the literacy and numeracy sessions. Assessment is used appropriately to match the work to the known levels of St Andrews Special - 14 attainment of pupils. Homework, for example, reading or supported work in the residential area supports learning effectively.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

39. As a result of the good teaching pupils and students learn well and progressively develop their knowledge, skills and understanding throughout the curriculum. They respond very well to the teaching putting in a great deal of effort, sustaining their interest and concentration and developing independence at an appropriate individual level as they move through the school.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

40. The school is becoming increasingly successful in meeting its aim to provide a broad and balanced curriculum which develops pupils’ independence and gives them a wide range of experiences. There has been a good level of improvement since the previous inspection in addressing the key issues identified in that report. Pupils are disapplied from national testing arrangements at the end of each key stage. Subject planning is now in place for all areas of the curriculum so that National Curriculum requirements are met for all subjects although the school needs to clarify the relationship between provision for religious education and collective worship. Overall, the time allocation for religious education is insufficient to cover the school’s scheme of work. There is good collaboration between key stages to ensure that pupils make progress as they move through the school. Pupils at Key Stages 3

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

and 4 now benefit from specialist teachers in the majority of subjects. There has been an improvement in the organisation of the school day with lessons now of a suitable length so that pupils are able to concentrate, gain benefit from and make good progress in their lessons.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

41. The quality and range of learning opportunities are good for pupils in the nursery and in Key Stages 1 to 4. It is satisfactory at post 16. The curriculum for early years successfully covers the Desirable Learning Outcomes. There is appropriate emphasis on personal and social education. Children with special educational needs make good progress within their individual targets and benefit greatly from the integrated setting. At Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 the curriculum has breadth and balance with only some minor anomalies due to current timetabling which at present gives a low allocation of time to science at Key Stage 1. Well chosen and planned activities ensure that all pupils enjoy worthwhile and interesting experiences such as visits to museums and places of interest. During Arts Week performances by musicians, magicians and a puppet theatre enhance the curriculum. The sensory room is another resource which is being developed and pupils at all key stages benefit from this facility.

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HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

42. The school has effective strategies for teaching numeracy and literacy through the introduction of the Numeracy and Literacy Strategies at Key Stages 1 and 2. This is having a positive effect on standards in those key stages. Individual literacy programmes have helped pupils of secondary age in previous years. Both the Literacy and the Numeracy strategies are being extended into Key Stages 3 and 4 and they are beginning to have a positive effect on promoting higher achievement.

p.14

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

43. The Key Stage 4 curriculum is enriched for higher attaining pupils through extra time being given to a school designed 14+ curriculum, which includes health, fitness and careers. This is seen as a preparation for courses in the Post-16 department. Key Stage 4 pupils also enjoy an options course in which they integrate with the older students to develop worthwhile leisure interests in a well-planned range of activities such as computers, cookery, photography, trampolining and flower arrangement and display. In this way the curriculum prepares the pupils in this key stage for the next stage in their education. The school realises the need to consider the coherence of the curricular experience for pupils in this key stage so that elements such as personal and social education, careers and humanities are more integrated and that pupils could be prepared for more national accreditation in Key Stage

p.14

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

44. Lower attaining pupils at Key Stage 4 whilst still following the national curriculum in the core subjects begin to experience modules of the Accreditation for Life and Living (OCR)(ALL). The planning and delivery of these modules is challenging and prepares pupils well for developing the same course in the post 16 provision made by the school.

p.14

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

45. The quality and range of learning opportunities post 16 are satisfactory overall. The Accreditation for Life and Living for lower attaining pupils is good. It is appropriate and relevant, building upon the progress that pupils make using the same scheme in Key Stage 4. It is focused to specific tasks and well matched to pupils’ needs. The careful integration of literacy and numeracy skills into the planning of the practical sessions enables pupils to make good progress over the full breadth of the curriculum.

p.14

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

46. The other students post 16 follow the Learning for Life (Open College Network) curriculum. Some modules of this scheme, notably elements of personal development and self care have been carefully planned and adapted to meet St Andrews Special - 15 the needs of individual pupils but overall the use of this scheme lacks coherence and it has not been sufficiently developed to extend higher attaining pupils. Whilst English and mathematics are taught separately within the post 16 timetable there is no consistent planning to consolidate and re-inforce literacy and numeracy skills within the modules of the Learning for Life scheme. Pupils’ individual education plans do not sufficiently address the extension of these skills and this inhibits the capacity for students to attain independence in organising their own activities. Pupils learning and progress is carefully tracked, monitored and evaluated in the personal development

p.14

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

and self care modules so that challenging targets can be set for future work. However the tracking and setting of individual targets within other modules is underdeveloped.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

47. Curricular provision for those pupils involved in the residential unit is very good. Careful note is taken of pupils’ needs as identified in their statements of special educational need and annual reviews. Each pupil has a focused and precise individual education plan which is implemented by the care staff in a thorough and professional way using elements of the Learning for Life scheme, which pupils study in the main school. The range of evening activities is very good and includes links with local youth clubs, guides and sport centres as well as in house activities and opportunities and choices for leisure. Independence and responsibility is continually encouraged and developed. Some senior students have the opportunity and challenge for independent living in a bungalow so that they are well prepared for when they leave the school.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

48. The organisation of classes and teaching groups allows equality of access to the curriculum for all pupils. Each class includes pupils with a spread of attainment and teachers use a range of approaches to ensure that all pupils can participate fully in the learning. Pupils at all key stages benefit from integration with pupils from local primary and secondary schools.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

49. The majority of pupils live a distance from the school so that after school extra-curricular activities are difficult to arrange. However, provision for this area is satisfactory. Visits to the theatre have been organised and residential experiences are run for some senior pupils. The provision of personal, social and health education is good and addressed through individual targets for pupils as well as in specific lessons. The scheme of work includes sex education and for older pupils and students drugs awareness.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

50. Careers education is well developed in the school and provision is good. From Key Stage 3 onwards pupils are encouraged to consider the world of work through mini-enterprises. For example, a car washing project and making biscuits to sell in school, develop in pupils an understanding of how businesses are run. Pupils are encouraged to consider their future from their annual review at 14+ onwards. In Key Stage 4 and post 16 pupils and students are able to visit places of work, take part in both internal and external work experience as well as Post-16 students taking part in a taster course at the college of further education. In this way students are well prepared for when they leave the school. The school makes good use of the Careers Service in arranging these opportunities for students. In the past year, however, there have been inconsistencies in the involvement of the Careers Service in transition reviews at the school.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

51. The school’s links with the community are satisfactory overall. Local companies have made donations which have enhanced resources in the school and the school makes use of local museums, places of interest and the sports centre. Links with other schools and colleges are good. When a new pupil enters the school there is usually good liaison with the pupil’s previous school and transition arrangements are good. Integration opportunities for both primary and senior pupils are good and have been established over many years. Good links with the college of further education support students preparing to leave school. Strong links with Derby University and Derby Dance provide a valuable range of experiences for pupils in music, dance and art.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

52. The overall provision for the pupils’ spiritual, moral social and cultural development is good. The school makes suitable arrangements for collective worship. The provision for pupils’ spiritual development is good, teachers use a wide range of opportunities in many subjects to encourage pupils to feel amazement and wonder. For example, seeing the light come on in a model lighthouse they have made in science and in listening quietly to music evoking snow while watching paper snow flakes flutter down during the music. In those classes where the day ends with a quiet time and a prayer pupils are given an opportunity for reflection. The pupils’ spiritual development is not as well fostered during religious education lessons or in assemblies.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

53. The school’s provision for pupils’ moral development is satisfactory. The school is successful in helping pupils distinguish between right and wrong with clear boundaries for acceptable behaviour and an encouragement of consideration and respect for others. Provision for pupils’ social development is very good with many opportunities provided to encourage independence and collaboration. In the nursery pupils are encouraged to share and make friends. Being aware of others in class and in taking turns is fostered in all classes and senior students take responsibility for the post 16 Tuck Shop. The residential unit uses very good planning to establish St Andrews Special - 16 opportunities which promote social development through having meals together, taking responsibility for tidiness of bedrooms and for those about to leave, taking part in the independent living experience.

p.15

HOW GOOD ARE THE CURRICULAR AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

54. The provision of cultural development is satisfactory. Displays of pupils’ artwork around the school take as their stimulus the work of artists such as Jackson Pollock and Paul Klee. Teachers use drama, art and music to enrich other areas of the curriculum. For instance a group in Key Stage 3 experienced through role-play a real Japanese meal as part of their geography work. Older pupils are taking part in an ongoing dance project with Derby Dance.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

55. The school’s procedures for the care of its pupils are good. Staff know the pupils very well and provide a protective, and yet buoyantly encouraging, environment in which they make good educational and development progress. This knowledge underpins the school’s ethos and is acknowledged by parents as a particular strength of the school. The headteacher is the named person for child protection purposes and the school’s policy follows the local education authority guidelines. The school also has appointed a member of the teaching staff as a co- ordinator in the dissemination and review of child protection issues. Although the school’s policy is sound and staff knowledge secure, no formal training has taken place recently, since formal training is provided to all staff on a two-yearly cycle.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

56. The Health and Safety policy of the school is well met in practice regular reviews of the premises ensure that the school is a safe teaching environment. The high staff to pupil ratio additionally provides another re-assuring safety tier for the predominantly vulnerable pupil population.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

57. The school promotes good behaviour through a sound policy of reward and encouragement. Whilst it has a published anti-bullying policy it has yet to be formally invoked thus confirming the school’s emphasis on reward rather than sanctions as the preferred behavioural control method.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

58. Similarly, measures for promoting good attendance are linked to the formal recognition of a pupil’s excellent attendance record. Mostly class awards and annual individual awards are made to deserving pupils and are highly valued. Procedures for monitoring attendance are sound. The registers and registration procedures meet statutory requirements. Punctuality overall is good with the occasional lateness predominantly due to traffic congestion delaying the official transport.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

59. Procedures for ensuring pupils’ attainment and progress are satisfactory. Within subjects the quality of assessment is satisfactory in most subjects. However, procedures for assessing pupils’ work are relatively new and there are some inconsistencies in standards. Nevertheless, whole school procedures in respect of reports to annual reviews are comprehensive and of good quality and parents generally were particularly pleased with the detailed information they received. The annual review reports scheme relates specifically to a pupil’s personal development and progress are very good and enable both the school and parents to place effective strategies for continuing progress.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

60. The residential care provision is also very good. A dedicated team ensures that liaison with other agencies is meaningful and arrangements meet the requirements and best interests of the pupils. Opportunities for pupils to gain independence are well met and linked with families, carers maintained often beyond statutory obligations.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

61. Pupils’ indirect targets and care policies are carefully assessed, trends monitored and targets adjusted. Very good practice with encouragement whenever possible. Supervision is thorough but discreet so that pupils have privacy and respect. Care documentation and procedures are thorough. Pupils self-assess their evening activity each night to form an ongoing diary of achievements. Pupils show responsibility for themselves, their rooms and each other. Pupils’ behaviour is very good. Their cooking skills were safe and the outcomes very palatable.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

62. There is a very high level of parental satisfaction with the academic and personal development standards the school achieves and the care it provides for their children. There is a secure understanding by parents of the school’s emphasis on providing an appropriate programme of development and education for each pupil. The pre- inspection parents’ meeting, their response to the questionnaires and informal contact during the inspection shows that parents are extremely happy with the way the school cares for and educates their children. St Andrews Special - 17 63. The school’s links with parents are very good. Parents and staff have friendly and open relationships and parents are confident and comfortable leaving their children in the care of the school. All parents seem enthusiastic about the commitment of the staff, the progress their children had made and the eagerness they shared to attend school.

p.16

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

A number of social events are managed by the school each year when staff, pupils and parents can meet in a mutually supportive and non-threatening environment. These occasions are greatly valued by parents who view the ‘outside’ world as populated by people who view disability as negative or threatening.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

64. There is an active Friends of St. Andrews’ Association that raises money for both social activities and equipment. It is well supported despite the geographical constraints that effect a large number of parents and is a common feature of this type of school. The school views parental involvement in the education and development of the pupils as essential and seeks to involve them as much as possible. Participation in the Annual Reviews form the basis of a plan of development and good communication, frequent informal and formal contacts together with an extensive range of social activities assures a good level of involvement

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

65. The quality of information to parents is very good. Written reports, newsletters, telephone calls home/school contact books and regular face-to-face contact both inform parents about their children’s progress and give sound guidance to develop their social skills. The school prospectus is informative and of good quality. Parents felt that the communication with the school was very good and that they were well informed about their children’s progress, development and prospects.

p.17

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

66. Within the criteria of the school parents made a good contribution to the learning and development of their children. Home/school diaries detailed the methods and parents can reinforce learning and assist the development of their children. Overall, great emphasis is placed on activities that strengthen relationships between the school and parents.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

67. The leadership and management of the school are good overall with the contribution of the headteacher and senior management team being very good. This is an improvement since the last inspection, particularly as the school now has a permanent headteacher who has been successful in ensuring a clear sense of purpose and direction for the school shared and understood by all staff. This has enabled a positive climate for learning to be established with a focus on raising the achievements of pupils and students of all levels of attainment. Procedures for monitoring the contribution of curriculum development and teaching to the standards achieved in a systematic way by either staff or governors have not been fully introduced. Plans are in place but have been delayed by changes to the governing body, the absence of a full complement of governors and some staff illnesses. The headteacher and senior staff do, however have a regular cycle of meetings to monitor progress towards targets in

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

the school improvement plan and make changes where necessary. Whole school performance targets are being introduced in collaboration with the local education authority and other local special schools and these are being reviewed and revised in the light of experience.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68. Since the last inspection the role of subject co-ordinators has been developed, whole school schemes of work have been produced for all subjects and planning is monitored by co-ordinators to ensure that pupils and students can build on their learning as they move through the school. This has had a positive impact on achievement and the progress made. It has also enabled the school to identify areas of weakness. For example, some aspects of the provision for higher attaining post 16 students, and begin to take action to improve the coherence of the course so that progress can be more easily tracked, particularly in English and mathematics. Their role in monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching has not yet been established and this is a weakness in the overall leadership and management of the school. The management structure of the school is clear and effective. Members of the senior management team have clearly delegated roles and responsibilities which

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

complement each other. They work together very effectively as a team and this benefits the school considerably. Meetings occur at various levels and channels of communication between the various elements of the school are clear. The high quality of the residential provision and the positive contribution it makes to the development of some pupils and students is very clear. The management systems within the residence are very good.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69. The governing body fulfil its statutory responsibilities, but has found it difficult to develop its role fully because of significant changes of personnel and the inability to recruit a full complement of governors. As a result, St Andrews Special - 18 although much preparatory work for monitoring curriculum development and teaching and evaluating the achievements of the school has been undertaken it has not been fully implemented. They recognise this as a weakness. However, governors are supportive of the school and are kept well informed by the headteacher. As a result they are involved in the development of the school improvement plan and aware of progress towards its targets.

p.17

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70. The school improvement plan is much more effective than at the last inspection. It clearly identifies priorities for development and is clear about time-scales, costs, responsibilities and the criteria for evaluating the effects of improvements on pupils and students’ learning. Priorities identified are appropriate to the current needs of the school. All staff are involved in determining the priorities although subjects do not have detailed development plans based on systematic audits of needs. The priorities identified in the plans are appropriately linked to the budgeting allocations. Financial and administrative procedures are sound and principles of best value are applied whenever possible.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

71. There are sufficient teachers for the number of pupils in school. The match of teachers’ experience and qualifications to the requirements of the curriculum is good. Most teachers hold specialist qualifications to teach subjects and this makes a strong contribution to promoting pupils’ good progress in most subjects. There are sufficient education care officers. The majority hold good qualifications and most have attended training for their work. They provide very strong support within lessons, undertaking significant responsibilities such as leading numeracy groups. All staff work effectively as a team to provide a high level of support for pupils. The provision of staff in the residential facilities is good. They provide high quality care and support for pupils to promote their social and educational development.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

72. Induction arrangements are good for staff. Newly appointed teachers receive good support from senior management, following the appropriate school policy. Education care officers and residential care staff receive similarly good induction. They have good booklets to follow during the induction process and this provides an effective structured introduction to the school. The school has used appraisal effectively to inform planning, for instance to inform staff training needs in the school development plan. The school is presently waiting to introduce a new system of appraisal. However, the existing system professional development interviews for all staff provide a good means of determining the school and personal priorities for professional development. The professional development co-ordinator plans training effectively. The training programme is highly relevant and reflects priorities such as the effective training provided to introduce the National Literacy and Numeracy

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

Strategies. Training is imminent to improve skills in information and communications technology. This is an important development since inspection findings confirmed that some teachers and education care officers require more training.

p.18

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

73. The school is clean and bright with many lively displays of pupils’ work on the walls. Some rooms are quite small for the size of groups, but good organisation by teachers means that this is not usually a problem. The exception is the art room where curricular opportunities are restricted because of its size despite the very good work of the teacher, which leads to high standards. Residential accommodation is sound.

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

74. In order to improve further the governors, school and staff should:

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

I. Improve the overall leadership and management of the school by

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a. developing the role of the senior management team and subject co-ordinators in monitoring the impact of teaching on pupils’ and students’ learning

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b. developing the role of the governing body in more systematically monitoring the standards achieved by the school, curriculum development and teaching

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

c. seeking to ensure that the governing body has a full complement

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

II. Improve the provision for the post 16 students by developing greater coherence in the curriculum through better planning focusing particularly on the individual needs of more able students.

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

III. Develop the range of accredited courses in Key Stage 4 and post 16 provision. St Andrews Special - 19 In addition to the above issues the staff and governors should:

p.18

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Consider the relationship between religious education and acts of collective worship.

p.19

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Review the accommodation for art. St Andrews Special - 20

p.19

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 46

p.20

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

p.20

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll No of pupils

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 85

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 27

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 6

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 8

p.20

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 7

p.20

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

p.20

Attendance

All pupils are disapplied from national testing arrangements because of their special educational needs. St Andrews Special - 21 No of pupils Fixed period Permanent

p.20

Attendance

Black – Caribbean heritage 1 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.21

Attendance

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage 0 0

p.21

Attendance

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups

p.21

Attendance

This table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: YN – Y13

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.8 Financial year 1998-99

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 6.5

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YN – Y13 Total expenditure 891718

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 34 Expenditure per pupil 8742

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 903 Balance brought forward from previous year 41327

p.21

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance carried forward to next year 66604 St Andrews Special - 22

p.21

Percentage of responses in each category

Strongly agree Tend to agree Tend to disagree Strongly disagree Don’t know

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 62 38 0 0 0

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 48 48 0 3 0

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 30 30 13 13 13

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 59 38 3 0 0

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 91 9 0 0 0

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 74 21 0 3 3

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 62 35 3 0 0

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 74 26 0 0 0

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 76 21 3 0 0

p.22

Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 59 25 3 9 3 St Andrews Special - 23

p.22

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

75. The integrated nursery is successfully organised and currently accommodates a total of 30 children, 14 of whom are full-time. Seven children have statements of special educational need. They have full access to a speech and language therapist, physiotherapist and other disciplines who contribute to assessments, reviews and targets on individual education plans. Topic work provides a theme to successfully implement the Desirable Learning Outcomes through a termly plan and weekly targets.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

76. Attainment is in line with that expected of children of this age with some good achievement in personal and social education. Children make good progress during their time in the nursery and parents are very pleased with the range of opportunities provided by the head of department, teacher and staff team. Children with special needs make good progress towards individual targets particularly in confidence and play with others.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

77. The teaching of language and literacy is emphasised throughout the day with groups of children listening well to stories and use their imagination. Clear instructions and good knowledge of the children by staff ensure that children follow stories and instructions well. Most children talk in sentences and ask and answer questions in context, they can name creatures such as alligator and turtle and recognise they lay eggs. They ask relevant questions such as ‘What do eagles eat?’ and ‘Can you describe what webbed feet are like?’ More emphasis on signing with children who have special educational needs would ensure they are developing the concepts required. A central figure at the nursery, a puppet named ‘Quackers’ encourages children and their families to write about his adventures when he visits them at home. The library is used well to encourage a group of children to take home a book to read with the family.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

78. Mathematical concepts are encouraged well through counting rhymes and children show great delight in singing ‘five speckled frogs’. They sequence and anticipate story lines and show an empathy with the characters such as Little Hen looking for her egg. Successful questioning by the teacher ensures children think about how many spaces are left in the pegboard and how many ducks they have printed in art, which they match with numbers. They are developing skills of capacity to transfer water in beakers into a measuring cylinder. Sand is poured into shapes where children name squares and circles. When using a computer most children can move a space bar to move the character of ‘Blob’ along and use the arrow to move up to select. A higher attaining child was able to select a picture from four that had a very small difference.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

79. During this term children have experienced the properties of magnets and exploring different materials such as dough and clay. During story time they relate well to their learning about the life cycle of the frog. They are proud of their miniature gardens, which are well displayed. A few children paid careful attention when painting daffodils to use and name the colours yellow and green. A lively group mixed blue and yellow paint, could say it made green and roll a marble around to make a pattern. During a visit to a bluebell wood children ran and climbed to explore with excitement and could identify bird song, tree bark, tall trees, plants and squirrels.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

80. In physical development children are becoming used to the routine of a physical education lesson with appropriate warm up, active skills and fun singing games. They can roll and throw a ball and a few children can catch a ball and aim at a target. Clearer instructions to children with special educational needs would ensure they are fully involved. Children follow a sequence in a rhyming game and can name body parts. The education care officers carefully draw children out well in order to meet their individual needs. They encourage them to be as independent as possible and confident in their movements. During outdoor play children climb and jump with increasing confidence and skill, they are adventurous, have fun and play well together. They push and pull carts and propel bicycles and wheeled toys.

p.23

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

81. Children interact well with a variety of media such as dough, clay and paint, they use printing materials with confidence to name the colours they have chosen. The well-planned routine of the day encourages children to move around to each activity, to make choices and develop skills. In music all children know how to play percussion instruments, they enjoy singing and understand the concept of a rehearsal. Higher attaining children can play and sing at the same time and stop when the piano stops. The teacher knows her children well and has secure musical knowledge to encourage a good balance between listening and playing. St Andrews Special - 24

p.23

ENGLISH

82. Achievements in English are good at Key Stage 2 and 3 and satisfactory at other key stages and at post 16. Since the last inspection, the good standards described have been maintained and there has been good progress in the planning of English. This has focused on the development of a curriculum, which supports pupils’ communication and literacy. The schemes of work have been substantially developed to include the implementation of the National Literacy Strategy, which is now being extended in Key Stages 3 and 4.

p.24

ENGLISH

83. Achievement at Key Stage 1 is satisfactory overall. During Key Stage 1 pupils make good progress in developing their communication, skills and understanding. Pupils at pre-verbal levels develop their range of response through better eye contact, facial expressions and body language. The repetition of familiar songs and consistent signing by adults enables pupils to recognise their names and the day of the week. The literacy strategy helps them to make sound progress in literacy skills. Pre-reading skills develop and pupils learn to understand the sequence of pictures in a story, handle books correctly and enjoy listening to stories. Progress in writing is satisfactory. For example higher attaining pupils develop round as well as linear lines and begin to hold a pencil well.

p.24

ENGLISH

84. Achievement is good at Key Stage 2. The implementation of the National Literacy Strategy has had a very positive effect on pupils’ achievements. Communication skills and speaking and listening are good. Some pupils with autistic features are able to stay with the group for longer times. Higher attaining pupils participate well in groups, both as speakers and listeners and become increasingly willing to volunteer additional information about topics or answer questions. Progress in reading is good. Higher attaining pupils retell familiar stories and sight recognition of key words develops well. A few pupils read, with support, a few lines from foundation reading schemes. They are beginning to sound out three letter words. Pre-writing skills improve and some pupils develop letter-like forms and separate letter shapes. Three pupils are at an early stage of learning English as an additional

p.24

ENGLISH

language. They are supported by a bi-lingual Education Care Officer and are making satisfactory progress.

p.24

ENGLISH

85. Achievement by the end of Key Stage 3 is good overall. In one lesson, progress in a literacy lesson was very good. Where it is being used, the extension of the National Literacy Strategy is having a positive effect on achievement. For example, pupils listened to the story “Pipe down Prudle”, and by the end of the lesson many were able to answer questions on events and characters in the story with confidence and accuracy. During the key stage, pupils’ reading skills develop well. Higher attaining pupils predict the end of stories, talk about the meaning of stories and begin to put some expression into their voices when reading. The writing skills of higher attaining pupils develop satisfactorily. They spell a few simple words accurately and use capital letters correctly. A few write simple sentences of their own, or fill in closed sentences. Lower attaining pupils at both Key Stages 3

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ENGLISH

and 4 make satisfactory progress in line with their prior attainments. Some pupils develop a recognition of common symbols, read safety signs or make a good attempt to communicate their needs verbally or through gestures and signs.

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ENGLISH

86. Achievement at Key Stage 4 is satisfactory. Pupils build satisfactorily on their previous learning and use their knowledge and understanding to contribute to group discussion and role-play. In a drama lesson they developed insights into the use of persuasive arguments in different imaginary situations. Literacy skills develop satisfactorily. Higher attaining pupils make up their own sentences to build up their personal diaries and develop an awareness of past and present tense in writing. For example, they learn how to use ‘ed’ at the end of a word. Lower attaining pupils work well in one to one activities matching symbols to timetable activities. However, they are not encouraged sufficiently to use signs with symbols and sometimes the education care officers do not sign consistently. During a communication lesson, pupils were not extended to read more symbols or to sequence a short sentence. Where they are interested in their work, senior pupils control their behaviour and take turns. In a

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ENGLISH

lesson featuring an imaginary character, Maggie, one pupil spontaneously took the initiative and introduced another imaginary character, a Derby County footballer, as he was wearing the club shirt.

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ENGLISH

87. Achievement by Post 16 students following the Accreditation for Life and Living course is satisfactory and pupils following the Learning for Life course make good progress. Some pupils enjoy working independently and developing their own literacy skills. For example, higher attaining pupils write book reviews in their own words and give their opinion on how suitable the books are for different age groups. They enjoy using word processors to improve presentation and develop better word and letter recognition through word search activities. Other groups work best in response to adult prompting and support. They insert the correct words or phrases into sentences and read back their work with increasing confidence and accuracy taking part enthusiastically. They enjoy taking part in role-play and other lessons where they are encouraged to work creatively. Many pupils need adult help to participate positively but, when this is available, they respond well.

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ENGLISH

St Andrews Special - 25 88. The quality of teaching is good overall. Teaching in a quarter of lessons was very good or excellent. Teaching is strongest at Key Stages 2 and 3. Very good planning strengthens teaching based on the National Literacy Strategy. In addition, good use is beginning to be made of opportunities for role-play and drama. This enables pupils to respond in role and encourages more spontaneous speaking and listening. In a Year 7 lesson, for example, pupils joined in the pretence of going on a journey to a safari with spontaneous and appropriate language such as, “close the windows” or “the lions will get you”. Behaviour management is very good by all staff. Teachers are very well supported by Educational Care Officers. Their support in literacy lessons, both in the shared text work and individual activities, is essential to the effectiveness of the lessons. Pupils are given

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ENGLISH

access to computers and this is a strong motivational factor for many pupils. In some lessons, however, the computer skills of support staff were inadequate. In some lessons, excellent use is made of signing by teachers. There are careful assessment records in Profiles of Development and other recording sheets. However, too little use is made of on-going assessment of learning outcomes after lessons.

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ENGLISH

89. Literacy skills are reinforced across the curriculum. For example, in science, good opportunities are provided for pupils to write sentences where possible. In a religious education lesson pupils signed the activities they shared with their mothers such as reading. In geography, there is a consistent approach to developing the vocabulary of places.

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ENGLISH

90. The subject is very well co-ordinated by the deputy head. The school is involved in various local and national initiatives, which feed into school planning, such as moderating pupils’ writing against the “P scales”, with other special schools. Subject documentation is sound. However, it is not clear how assessment is linked to medium term and lesson planning. The school is making very good use of the National Literacy Strategy and recognises the need to review planning for speaking and listening. Planning is very well supported by speech and language therapists who plan and assess individual language programmes. Overall, there is a lack of co-ordination of developments in the use of drama in the teaching of English. In addition, the school does not plan consistently enough the use of signing and symbols to develop communication. The subject makes a good contribution to pupils’ social, spiritual and cultural development. Parents are involved in supporting pupils’ progress and meet

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ENGLISH

regularly at the school to produce reading ‘sacks’ for use with ‘big’ books in the library.

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MATHEMATICS

91. Pupils achieve well and make good progress in mathematics at all key stages and post 16. The school has successfully introduced the National Numeracy Strategy at Key Stages 1 and 2 and has begun its introduction at Key Stages 3 and 4. This is a significant factor in promoting pupils’ progress, particularly by the end of Key Stage 2. The quality of teaching is good overall, being very good at Key Stage 2. This represents a good improvement since the previous inspection. A feature of the most successful lessons is the way that teachers use their secure knowledge of the subject to plan lessons to match pupils’ attainment and provide good levels of challenge. Activities are organised well and resources deployed effectively. This encourages pupils to work at a brisk pace and complete a significant amount of work in the time available.

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MATHEMATICS

92. Pupils at Key Stages 1 and 2, receive lessons together in groups arranged according to attainment. At Key Stage 1, pupils make good progress counting to five. They recognise circles confidently and build upon this knowledge to distinguish between circles and stars. Pupils begin to use numbers to describe their work, for instance to say how many stars they observe. Teachers and other staff provide constant encouragement for pupils to use their counting skills throughout the day and this helps pupils to explain their work using numbers. Pupils at Key Stage 2 make very good progress. Higher attaining pupils can count up to thirty in ones and multiples of five. Lower attaining pupils recognise numbers from zero to 12 and can count back to zero. They enjoy numeracy lessons and concentrate very well. Pupils can arrange symbols for lessons in order to show that they understand the timetable. They build on this to begin to use a clock to tell the time. Pupils receive particularly good opportunities

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MATHEMATICS

to develop literacy skills, regularly researching a good range of books, for instance about time, to deepen their understanding.

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MATHEMATICS

93. Pupils at Key Stages 3 and 4 share classes and lessons, with work planned to meet their attainment. Pupils at Key Stages 3 make good progress overall. The introduction of the National Numeracy Strategy has had a positive influence on teachers’ planning. Lower attaining pupils count to 15. Higher attaining pupils divide twenty by three and know that there is a remainder. During oral lessons, they listen carefully to everyone’s questions. If a pupil is hesitant, another will give support, offering encouragement or showing them how to do it. This contributes well to the positive attitude to learning in lessons. Pupils at the end of Key Stage 4, make very good progress understanding relationships between numbers and counting in twos, fives and tens. Higher attaining St Andrews Special - 26 pupils can explain that they can add a sum of money containing five pence coins more easily because they can

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MATHEMATICS

94. Students at Post-16 follow courses that provide opportunities to develop numeracy skills. They achieve very well during practical sessions, running a coffee bar lesson, handling money. The activities associated with shopping and learning for life provide further preparation for applying numeracy skills in preparation for life after school. However, the department misses opportunities to promote numeracy skills systematically to build upon the skills of pupils transferring from Key Stage 4.

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MATHEMATICS

95. Teachers promote numeracy skills effectively during lessons in other subject throughout the week. In a music lesson, the teacher deepened pupils’ understanding of two-dimensional shapes by encouraging them to beat time to match the number of sides of a shape for instance, three beats for a triangle. A lesson in recycling promoted numeracy where pupils collected data, displaying the result in graph form, using information communications technology.

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MATHEMATICS

96. The recently introduced systems for assessment are good and are beginning to provide information to guide planning for pupils to make further progress. There are insufficient opportunities for accreditation in numeracy at the end of Key Stage 4 and Post-16. The co-ordinator is a recognised ‘leading teacher of numeracy’ and has exerted a positive influence in promoting effective planning for continuity in learning as pupils move through the school. She monitors teachers planning well but the arrangements are not effective to monitor the impact of teaching upon pupils and students’ learning. Education care officers provide effective support to promote numeracy, taking responsibility for supporting groups within classes and for leading some class lessons. Resources for learning in mathematics are good but there is insufficient software for information communications technology to support learning in all aspects of numeracy.

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SCIENCE

97. Achievement in science in Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 is good and in Key Stage 4 and at post 16 is satisfactory. Pupils and students make satisfactory progress in lessons and over time.

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SCIENCE

98. Young pupils learn how to investigate electric circuits. The teacher imaginatively helps pupils to construct simple circuits where they take great delight in anticipating what will happen when the circuit is connected. The teacher extends this learning further to explore wind power by making windmills from a construction kit. The pupils transfer their knowledge of circuits to successfully start the windmill. Pupils with more complex needs feel the wind on their faces reacting to the sensation with smiles. They further extend this learning to make a paper windmill of their own to try in the wind. Their topic work appropriately includes stories and models about a lighthouse.

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SCIENCE

99. Within Key Stage 2, pupils listen well to sounds and to a story where they imitate and follow patterns of sounds successfully. A few pupils can identify loud and soft sounds and imitate the sounds in a story such as “A drip, a clock and an owl”. Effective teamwork ensures all pupils learn to identify different body parts and link to their senses such as a mouth is for eating and they hear sounds with their ears. They experiment with light and use a feely bag to find hidden objects which they identify as listening to, tasting or smelling. The high expectations and clear aims of the teacher encourage pupils to confidently listen to each other, imitate the sounds they hear, express their findings and record them by sticking pictures onto card and make good progress.

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SCIENCE

100. Within Key Stage 3 the class teacher used a series of photographs of her own mother’s life which the pupils relate to with clear understanding of the process of the life cycle. This represents good progress. They identify a young child, a girl, a young woman and the aging process of mother to grandmother. Higher attaining pupils relate to the concept to say they have grown from a child to a young person and in the next stage they will be an adult. One boy said he was little and one day he will be a man. They successfully identify and match pictures to sequence the pattern of ageing.

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SCIENCE

101. In a Key Stage 4 lesson one pupil was able identify minerals and fats, carbohydrates and proteins. Two boys said that food gives us energy. The effective use of CD ROM encourages pupils to learn that food goes into your digestive system and a few can explain the process and name the intestine. The teacher successfully gained their interest by using a school dinner as an example. One boy recognised that potatoes have carbohydrates, a few pupils could name healthy food and most were able to name fruit and vegetables. Pupils draw pictures of foods and some are making good progress to copy writing. Other pupils are encouraged well by the education care officers to stay on task to sequence and understand that people grow older and change. They relate well to St Andrews Special - 27 photographs of each other and with help they complete a sequence from babyhood to old age consolidating their knowledge of the stages.

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SCIENCE

102. Students in further education are making steady progress to learn in home management how to make choices from three cakes and identify which they like the taste of best. A few pupils can indicate whether they prefer savoury or sweet foods. The sense of humour generated by the teacher encouraged students to be confident and enjoy the session. Students are able to indicate that they bought the items at the supermarket earlier in the day.

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SCIENCE

103. Young pupils show great enthusiasm for exploring materials and great joy and excitement when they manage to connect a circuit and a light comes on. They concentrate well and respond to the enthusiasm of the adults. Pupils imitating sound, listen well and respond attentively to the signing by the adults. Older pupils concentrate well and try hard. Although a few pupils are restless and at times challenging they respond well to the encouragement of the supportive adults. Students show by their responses that they enjoy the sessions and the choices they are encouraged to make.

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SCIENCE

104. The teaching of younger pupils is good with the management of restless behaviour successfully managed by the team of adults in order to engage pupils to ensure learning takes place. An interactive lesson ensured that all pupils learned how to work as independently as possible to manipulate a circuit successfully. High expectation of pupils by teachers at Key Stage 2 ensures they listen and imitate sounds successfully. Effective teamwork encourages all pupils to interact.

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SCIENCE

105. The teaching of older pupils satisfactorily encourages them to identify the various stages of the life cycle. With encouragement pupils have a positive attitude to work and concentrate well. The teacher of further education students understands them well, their targets are age appropriate with students extended well to link their experiences of shopping to tasting and making choices.

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SCIENCE

106. There has been significant progress since the last inspection with the introduction of a co-ordinator for science who teaches pupils in Key Stages 3 and 4. Appropriate training for other staff has been made available. A successful scheme for science has been introduced to cover all elements in small steps and to build on previous experiences to ensure learning is effective. Resources are new with designated room for science. Monitoring of teaching, assessment and planning between key stages is not in place to track progress.

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ART

107. Achievement in art is very good in relation to the prior attainment of the pupils. This has been maintained since the last inspection. No lessons were seen in Key Stage 1. In Key Stage 2 pupils painted pictures of their mothers, or important adults, in preparation for Mothering Sunday. Here they showed independence in their choice of colours, and an ability to evaluate proportion, so that one child decided that her mother ‘needs a bigger nose’. In Key Stage 3 they make model vehicles out of junk materials, and fix wooden wheels to a dowel axle. This activity ties in closely with the work being done in geography and English, about going on safari to Kenya. In Key Stage 4 one group makes a giant pizza, using a 1500mm circle of paper divided into five pieces, so that each pupil could decide which topping ‘their segment’ would have. They did this in poster paint, in response to the presentation of

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ART

a family-sized supermarket pizza, and a box of fresh and brightly coloured peppers and tomatoes. Another group in Key Stage 4 drew round each other as they lay on the floor in a range of sporting poses which represented swimming, boxing, weightlifting and roller skating. They understood what to do, and they understood the idea of silhouette, so that when they were shown the Matisse picture of ‘Man Flying’ they not only showed real wonder at the power of the painting, but also had good idea how the picture was made.

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ART

108. The pupils are taught very well and they enjoy their art lessons. Planning and preparation for lessons is thorough and takes account of individual pupils and their needs and strengths. As well as the specific teaching of skills, a strong emphasis on moral and social development is built into the planning. The pupils therefore understand that they will gain more from lessons if they co-operate with each other, if they take turns, share the materials and listen carefully to each other and to their teacher. Much of the work in art is tied in with other subjects, and they derive benefit from this as each lesson reinforces the learning which took place in the one before. A most striking example of this is to be found in the school hall where pupils have hung their giant representation of a bombing raid on a city in World War II – work which tied in with a history project.

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ART

109. The scheme of work which has been devised since the last inspection plans for progression, revisiting and continuity in pupils’ learning. At the moment the co-ordinator does not monitor the teaching and learning of the St Andrews Special - 28 subject throughout the school. There is insufficient space in the art room even for the small groups which work there. There is insufficient space for the storage of materials. The subject is under resourced. These three factors mean that the curricular opportunities are unnecessarily limited, in a subject which is acknowledged to be a very successful part of the school’s provision.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

110. Pupils achieve well in this subject and the standards described in the last inspection report have been maintained. At Key Stages 2,3 and 4, standards are good and pupils make good progress. At Key Stage 1 and post-16, achievement and progress is satisfactory overall.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

111. During Key Stage 1 pupils learn how to make choices based on the taste, colour or shape of a product and are ready to play and experiment with materials. At Key Stage 2 pupils use construction kits well. For example, higher attaining pupils learn how to fix wheels to a vehicle chassis and tighten nuts and bolts with a spanner. Others learn how to systematically dismantle an object, using a variety of forces such as pulling apart, unscrewing and taking out central shafts. They wrap and decorate gifts for Mother’s Day. Hand-eye coordination is well developed by learning how to use needles and thread to transfer painted designs onto canvas.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

112. Pupils at Key Stage 3 make very good progress in working with tools and materials and in using and applying knowledge from science lessons. For example, they built a vehicle for Action Man that included an electrical circuit. During the lesson one group successfully constructed a frame for the chassis using lynx joints and doweling whilst the other group used glue and paper to cover a cardboard box for the body of the vehicle. They later painted suitable camouflage colours. Both groups had to decide how to include a simple electrical circuit to give the vehicle working headlights. At Key Stage 4 pupils build well on previous achievements and build a more complicated model by using a more complex electrical circuit to give an ambulance a flashing light and developing a more complex structure. Pupils have also made good progress in making structures from wood, such as picture frames and hand-held maze games. They have learnt how to select ingredients for milk shakes. In food

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

technology lower attaining pupils make flapjacks and record their own work using symbols. Post 16 students continue to build on previous knowledge during optional activities. These include ‘fun cookery’, in which a group make small buns.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

113. Pupils’ positive attitudes to work make a significant contribution to their learning and progress. Some rely on adults to help them develop skills and become anxious when required to work by themselves. Many, however, show an increasing confidence to test out ideas and suggestions themselves. Older pupils develop a willingness to work as a group. They applaud each other’s success. Where they are interested in their work, older pupils make great efforts to control their behaviour.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

114. Teaching was good or better in over 70% of the lessons seen. Teaching is characterised by very good lesson planning by teachers and the very good management of behaviour by all staff. Staff have a very good knowledge of the special educational needs of their pupils. This ensures that teaching meets the needs of most pupils most of the time. Occasionally, lessons are insufficiently challenging and too much is done for pupils. Planning for the use of computers is satisfactory, although occasionally teachers’ planning for the development of skills within a lesson is not clear. Assessment in design and technology is not uniform across the school, although some staff make brief notes within lessons on significant progress or other observations on achievement. Pupils are encouraged to self-assess. For example, pupils are frequently asked whether they are satisfied with their work and how they can make it better.

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DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

115. Subject co-ordination is satisfactory, although the co-ordinator does not yet monitor development and progress across the school. Progress has been made since the last inspection in giving a whole school overview of the subject but not in providing schemes of work. This leads to some repetition of topics and too narrow a range of experience. For example, in food technology, all secondary pupils and Post-16 students learn how to make milkshakes. However, senior management is aware of the need to develop an appropriate curriculum and is working on national initiatives to facilitate development. Assessments relate to what has been done rather than what has been learned and are insufficiently based on subject-specific criteria.

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HUMANITIES

116. The school teaches the subjects of geography and history as humanities in order to strengthen the cross- curricular links between the two subjects. The planning and assessment of each subject is appropriately discrete. St Andrews Special - 29 During the week of the inspection geography was the predominant focus but pupils’ previous work in history indicates coverage of the scheme of work in both subjects.

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HUMANITIES

117. Achievement in humanities is satisfactory at Key Stages 1 and 4 and good at Key Stages 2 and 3. Younger pupils in the nursery learn elements of humanities within the area of Knowledge and Understanding of the World. They are aware of changes in the weather and can relate a recent visit to Pickfords House. Pupils in Key Stage 1 can find their way around the school and are able to consider the differences between old and modern artefacts. By Key Stage 2 pupils are beginning to understand about maps and plans and could locate their toy playground equipment on a plan of the park which they had recently visited. Pupils at Key Stage 3 make good progress in their study of contrasting countries such as, Japan and Kenya. They are confident to find these countries on a map of the world and use sketch maps to record specific information like climate zones in Kenya and the location of major cities in Japan. In Key Stage 4 pupils undertake a recycling project and record their information on the

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HUMANITIES

computer. Some pupils had recorded their visit to a local castle with drawings and maps in their previous work in history. Some of the post 16 students with lower attainments enjoyed experiencing the sounds in a role-play of a journey in Ancient Egypt in the sensory room.

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HUMANITIES

118. The quality of teaching is never less than good in humanities and is frequently very good. The subject is taught with enthusiasm, which successfully encourages pupils to be attentive and interested. Lessons are well planned and imaginative. For example pupils enjoyed the experience of being in an old building and the teacher’s and support assistant’s skills in encouraging careful observation of the artefacts led each pupil to learn about how the machines work and what it would be like to work in an old cotton mill. Very good subject knowledge in, for instance the teaching of Japan and Kenya, is well used to enable pupils to have an accurate and realistic understanding of the lifestyles in these two countries and why, for example, the economy of Kenya is strongly dependent on tourism. Teachers make very good use of the resources available. This was seen in a lesson where photographs of their walk to the local park aided pupils in recording their observations on a simple map of the

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HUMANITIES

route. Teachers’ expectations are high hence pupils make good progress in lessons in the difficult concepts of maps and plans and in thinking about the relationships between climate and the economy. Teachers are careful not to allow pupils to have stereotypical views of the lifestyles of people from other countries.

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HUMANITIES

119. The attitude of pupils to their lessons is invariably good. Behaviour on visits is sensible, pupils’ complete tasks enthusiastically and with perseverance. The presentation of work, in particular in Key Stage 3, is careful and neat.

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HUMANITIES

120. There has been a good level of improvement since the previous inspection. A scheme of work is now in place for both history and geography and this covers National Curriculum requirements. Having one designated teacher at Key Stages 3 and 4 has improved the teaching of the subject. Although they are still not adequate, resources have been improved and are being developed further. The co-ordinator has implemented a realistic action plan. There is good collaboration between other teachers and the monitoring of subject planning has started. There is at present insufficient monitoring and evaluation of teaching.

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HUMANITIES

121. The subject now has available a useful set of core skills criteria in both subjects based on National Curriculum criteria. These are not yet integrated into medium term planning to form a consistent basis for tracking pupils’ individual attainments as they move through the school nor for informing teachers of the strengths and weaknesses of pupils’ which need to be addressed in the next stage of planning.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

122. Pupils’ achievement in information and communication technology are satisfactory at all key stages and post 16. Pupils often make good progress in lessons when they have the opportunity to use technology. Progress over time is satisfactory. Medium-term planning for most subjects provides some opportunities for pupils to develop skills when they use computers to support learning. However, there is a lack of consistency in planning which would ensure that pupils have sufficient opportunities to make better progress.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

123. Pupils throughout the school make steady progress in acquiring skills in word processing when they use it to support their learning. At Key Stage 1 pupils make satisfactory progress in controlling a mouse to create pictures with a drawing programme. All pupils are aware that they can choose colours and alter the design. They require support but show growing aptitude in moving the mouse to create their own designs. Planning is good to provide suitable activities to retain pupils’ attention in lessons and to provide good support and encouragement. However planning is not sufficiently consistent for activities through the week to build upon skills. At Key Stage 2, pupils are developing good control of the mouse and can use it to make choices on the screen. They follow an interactive story where they can select icons to proceed with the tale or to re-visit the scene to hear it again. Pupils make good progress in the lesson because they have a high degree of motivation. Education care officers

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

St Andrews Special - 30 provide effective support through intervening only when required and encouraging pupils to remember what they have learnt in the past to proceed with some independence. During Key Stage 3, pupils learn how to open programmes. They make choices to assemble pictures of food to design a menu. Pupils create labels for their pictures with increasing skill and accuracy. Teachers and support staff provide patient guidance, intervening when required but encouraging pupils to select for themselves. This promotes confidence and steady progress. During humanities lessons about recycling, pupils collected and entered data into the computer programme and printed out the results. This activity provided very good practice of skills and deepened pupils’ understanding of using programmes to support their learning.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

124. At Key Stage 4 pupils make good progress in lessons. All pupils show familiarity with the keyboard, knowing how to make changes to the text. Lower attaining pupils can type their names and addresses with support. Higher attaining pupils’ work together completing exercises to correct deliberate errors in texts, adding punctuation and rectifying mistakes. During options periods, pupils at Key Stage 4 and students at post-16 develop independence in using computers. Teachers plan interesting activities for example to create greeting cards for Easter. They provide good motivation for pupils and students to apply the skills they have learnt to create a product.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

125. Students Post-16 use word processing effectively to draft and re-draft their work in a range of subjects. They have completed some high quality work for display, such as a book of collected poems. Teachers plan well for pupils to develop independence. One student demonstrated good skills by working alone on an unfamiliar programme to select and print pictures to illustrate class poems.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

126. A strength of planning is the way that pupils learn skills such as word processing within other lessons. Teachers and education care officers promote skills, in using the keyboard and selecting icons, for instance to print when pupils create graphs. The quality of teaching, within lessons throughout the school is usually good, where staff have sufficient expertise to guide pupils in their learning. However not all staff have sufficient expertise to provide enough support for pupils.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

127. There are good examples of assessment and reporting of pupils’ learning. This is particularly so when this provides information about skills to support planning for pupils. However, there is not yet a common approach to ensure consistency. The co-ordinator has a positive influence in promoting improvements in the subject, working with subject specialists effectively to promote skills across the curriculum. Although the co-ordinator monitors planning to ensure that there is an intention to teach skills within subjects, there is not yet sufficient monitoring of the effect of teaching on pupils’ learning. Some teachers and education care officers are not confident in teaching skills but there is good planning for appropriate training in the near future. The school has improved resources since the previous inspection. The computer room which is nearing completion will provide more personal

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

computers and access to the Internet. The school acknowledges the need to provide more software to support pupils’ learning.

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French

128. Only two lessons were seen in French during the inspection – one in Key Stage 3 and one in Key Stage 4. In the Key Stage 3 lesson pupils followed simple instructions for actions about the classroom, such as shut/open the door, give me two pencils, and they took great delight in waiting to see if their friends or teacher could accurately interpret them. In Key Stage 4 pupils were engaged in learning new vocabulary associated with their map of a French town, so they could distinguish between the station, the supermarket and the school, all pupils enjoy their lessons. Overall satisfactory progress is made in both key stages as pupils build appropriately on their previous learning.

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French

129. The achievement was seen to be better by the pupils in Key Stage 3 than those in Key Stage 4. Although the education care officer who speaks French makes a very valuable contribution to the teaching of the subject, there is a teacher on the staff who is a native speaker of French but who does not yet teach the language. The subject co-ordinator speaks reliable French and is on the senior management team, but does not teach the subject. The school follows the very good scheme ‘OK’, which is very helpful in terms of planning for lessons and ensures all requirements of the National Curriculum are met, but this does not compensate for the lack of confidence in the language present in some of the teaching. Overall teaching is currently satisfactory but best use is not made of the available staff. There has been little change in the teaching of a modern foreign language since the last inspection.

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MUSIC

130. Overall the achievements of pupils in music are very good. No lessons were seen in Key Stage l. In Key Stage 2 pupils learn about time values and how they are represented by the rhythm of words, as in ‘pur-ple tri-an-gle’ and ‘sil-ver-star’. In Key Stages 3 they build on skills they have learned, so that they can distinguish between pitch, timbre, rhythm and melody. Thus they successfully identify the violins and drums in the ‘Danse Macabre’ by Saint-Saens and identify the names of pupils in the class by the rhythmic patterns played by the teacher. They choose how a song is to be played and sung – fast, slow, loudly, softly, and they describe music which they hear as happy or sad, busy or gentle. At Key Stage 4 the pupils know how to hold and play successfully maracas, cabassa, agoga and tambourine, and readily identify their sounds when the teacher plays the instruments out of sight. Throughout the school pupils learn to sing and to listen to themselves, their friends, and to well-known

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MUSIC

music in a wide range of styles. Students in the post 16 provision have sufficient confidence and skill to sing and play instruments at the same time, and sometimes sing solos. One student gave a glorious rendition of the song made famous by Marlene Dietrich ‘Falling in Love Again’ to the delight of her peers and all adults in the room.

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MUSIC

131. The quality of teaching seen during the inspection was always good and was very often very good or excellent. There is excellent subject knowledge in the school, and this, together with very good knowledge of the pupils and students’ learning styles, enables achievement to be very much better than might be predicted. Great care is taken in the teaching, so that in lessons where it appears that everyone is doing the same task, in fact each element is finely graded to individual pupils’ needs. Pupils learn well, they are confident, assured of success, and they respond very positively to the support and challenge presented in each lesson. They thoroughly enjoy their music lessons. They are often on the edge of their chairs with delight, but have sufficient control to listen carefully to their friend’s efforts, and to the instructions from the teacher, as they understand the need for a sense

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MUSIC

of ensemble. Their generosity of spirit, coupled with very good training, means that they take the maximum benefit from each music lesson. The education care officers make a significant contribution to the pupils’ learning, and to the success of the lessons.

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MUSIC

132. A logical scheme of work has been developed since the last inspection, and is to be reviewed in June. The school provides a good balance between listening, and playing or singing, and the subject is adequately resourced. As an indication of their achievement, pupils and students take part in regular concerts for parents and carers, and visit the homes of elderly people to play and sing to them.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

133. Pupils’ and students’ achievements in physical education are very good in Key Stages 3 and 4 and in the post 16 provision. They make very good progress in their levels of skill and understanding over a range of activities. In Key Stage 2 achievement is good and it is satisfactory in Key Stage 1.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

134. Younger pupils develop their hand-eye co-ordination during catching and throwing lessons. They progressively learn to throw with greater accuracy and many improve their ability to catch with greater consistency. In Key Stage 2 these skills are further developed and pupils learn to throw with greater accuracy towards targets.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

135. Older pupils and students learn a wide range of skills when visiting the local leisure centre and in school-based options. At the leisure centre very good gains are made by pupils and students in their level of skill when playing badminton. All have developed a high enough level of skill to enable them to play singles and doubles games and they have developed a good understanding of the rules. They can use a good range of shots including forehand, backhand and smash, and they know how to serve and score the game. In music and movement sessions lower attaining pupils and students respond very well to the talented teaching of the music teacher using different parts of their bodies in response to music and instructions. In the fitness centre pupils and students have learned to use a variety of equipment, understanding which muscle groups are affected by different pieces of equipment. The use of the leisure centre also makes a significant contribution to the social development of pupils and

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

students. They use the facilities with members of the public and afterwards develop these skills in the Coffee Bar.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

136. Pupils and students of all ages have good attitudes in physical education lessons. They try very hard to improve, listen carefully to instructions so that they can develop their skills. For example, during options older pupils and students tried very hard in trampolining with very successful results. They learned to bounce confidently, make quarter turns and many developed the skills to successfully execute seat drops. Pupils learn to co-operate well with each other and with staff during the throwing and catching activities and at the leisure centre. Opportunities for personal development and relationships are very good in all of these activities. St Andrews Special - 32 137. The quality of teaching is good overall. It is very good in Key Stages 3 and 4 and Post-16 students, good in Key Stage 2 and satisfactory in Key Stage 1. Throughout the school very effective use is made of the skills and

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

knowledge of support staff to ensure that all pupils and students are fully involved in lessons. Resources are very well-prepared before lessons to make maximum use of the time available. Planning is very thorough in all key stages and this has a positive effect on pupils’ learning. Objectives are very clear and on-going assessment and the deployment of support staff means that pupils and students are effectively challenged at an individual level and are therefore able to make progress.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

138. A broad, balanced and relevant curriculum is provided in all key stages. The subject is well led but monitoring of teaching is not yet established. Resources are good and the use of external facilities enhances the available accommodation.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

139. Insufficient Religious Education lessons were seen to judge standards and achievement and quality of teaching. However samples of work enabled a judgement to be made about the quality and range of the curriculum for religious education. Although it meets the requirements of the Agreed Syllabus there is a confusion between religious education and acts of collective worship. As a result although the pupils receive an appropriate curriculum it is difficult for the school to track how they build progressively on their learning, in a planned, coherent way. Provision is not as good as at the last inspection.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

140. During the inspection young pupils were involved in planning a surprise for Mothers’ Day this appropriately followed the experiences of traditions such as Shrove Tuesday and Topic work of Spring with new life. With appropriate prompting by the teacher, as to what they liked to do with their ‘Mums’, most pupils were able to use photographs to identify what they liked to do such as digging, playing football and laughing. This was put into a song which they and the parents thoroughly enjoyed. The teacher related well to the importance of the true meaning of Mother’s Day in the middle of Lent. Key Stage 2 pupils sang a calypso song for their ‘Mums’ to say thank you. Staff and pupils successfully sign most of the words together. The teacher successfully conveyed the meaning of giving and remembering to the parents and pupils.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

141. Pupils at Key Stage 4 looking at Race and Prejudice were able to identify that some people are different and do not have as many possessions as they do. They are building successfully on their knowledge of previous work about a girl and her life in an African village. The teacher emphasised the theme of ‘we are all friends even though we are different’. Most pupils were able to identify that some faces were different and some were the same. The pupils are encouraged to use language and develop concepts by the staff team.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

142. The enthusiastic coordinator is new to the post and is beginning to provide leadership for the subject. An audit of resources has resulted in appropriate new ‘Big’ books with stories about Eid, festivals and foods around the world and feelings. A range of artefacts and books are available for a multi-faith approach. Photographic evidence shows pupils take full part in celebrating festivals with visits to Church. One girl dressed in her National costume to celebrate Divali.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

143. The co-ordinator does not yet monitor the subject and there is currently a confusion between the time allocated for religious education lessons and that for acts of collective worship, and it is difficult for the school to ensure a coherent experience for pupils and students. The policy and scheme of work are developed from the Derby City ‘all our worlds’ scheme and therefore meets the requirements of the Agreed Syllabus although this is to be reviewed. Cross-curricular work is encouraged through history to experience old and new when visiting different churches. Sensory experiences are used through music and songs to create atmosphere. Themes and celebrations are carried through to successfully celebrate festivals during collective acts of worship. There is a good range of resources available for religious education.

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