Furze Down School

Furze Down School

Dates of inspection: 3 rd April – 6 th April 2000

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Furze Down School

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Furze Down School - 2 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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Furze Down School

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Verney Road Winslow Nr Buckingham Bucks

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mrs E Tatton

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 3 rd – 7 th June 1996 Furze Down School - 3

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Team members

Mr Adrian Simm Registered inspector Mrs Mary Le Mage Lay inspector Mrs Sue Hunt Team inspector Mrs Pam Weston Team inspector

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Team members

85 Shores Green Drive Wincham Northwich Cheshire CW9 6EJ

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Team members

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be raised with the inspection contractor. Complaints that are not satisfactorily resolved by the contractor should be raised with OFSTED by writing to:

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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Furze Down School - 4

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5

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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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 9

The school is excellently led and managed by the headteacher, deputy headteachers and key stage managers. The governing body is active and effective in fulfilling its responsibilities. All staff show clearly the school’s capacity to succeed even further.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 9

Very high quality teaching is a strength of the school and impacts positively on pupils’ learning.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 9

Pupils’ personal development is very good. Their independence, initiative and maturity develop clearly as they get older.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 9

The very good curricular and other opportunities offered are broad, and particularly relevant to the pupils. Developments in provision for literacy, numeracy and information and communications technology are proving effective.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 9

The relationships between pupils and staff are very good and this is part of the school’s strength in managing and promoting good behaviour.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 12

The school puts every effort into planning for the future. However, it is unclear about the full extent of its budget at the start of each financial year and as a result, its process of financial planning both for the year in question and beyond is unsatisfactory.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 12

The provision for spiritual development is unsatisfactory. This is hindered by the absence of daily assemblies, incorporating collective worship for those pupils whose parents wish them to join in with this activity.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 12

The provision and rigour over some aspects of Health and Safety.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Furze Down School is a community special school for pupils aged between 5 and 19 years who have moderate learning difficulties. The number of admissions of pupils with additional and more challenging needs is increasing including pupils who have complex learning and behavioural difficulties. At present these pupils account for over 40 per cent of pupils, which is a substantial increase since the last inspection. For the financial year 1999/2000, the school was funded for 146.25 pupils. Currently 94 boys and 43 girls are on roll with the majority of pupils between the ages of 11 and 19 years. Pupils’ attainment on entry to the school is low in comparison to their chronological age. Pupils attend the school from a wide area of Buckinghamshire and neighbouring Local Education Authorities such as Milton Keynes, Northamptonshire, Luton, Bedfordshire and Hillingdon. Fifty nine pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is an increase of 7 per cent in the last three years. A

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

very small number of pupils come from homes where the first language is not English. All pupils have statements of special educational needs. Seventy five per cent of the teaching staff are new to the school since the last inspection in June 1996.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Furze Down is a very good school. Excellent leadership and management and the effectiveness of provision, particularly for the induction and training of new staff, ensures a consistently high quality of teaching, matched by pupils’ learning. From a low base on entry, pupils achieve well and make good progress. Those pupils, who stay on at the school into Post 16 provision, achieve very well. Although the current unit cost per pupil is above average in relation to other similar schools, given the excellent leadership and management, the very good teaching and curricular provision and good achievement by pupils, the school provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The school is excellently led and managed by the headteacher, deputy headteachers and key stage managers. The governing body is active and effective in fulfilling its responsibilities. All staff show clearly the school’s capacity to succeed even further; • Very high quality of teaching is a strength of the school and impacts positively on pupils’ learning; • Pupil’s personal development is very good. Their independence, initiative and maturity develop clearly as they get older; • The very good curricular and other opportunities offered are broad and particularly relevant to the pupils. Developments in provision for literacy, numeracy and information and communications technology (ICT) are proving effective; • The relationships between pupils and staff are very good and this is part of the school’s strength in managing and promoting good behaviour.

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What could be improved

• The school puts every effort into planning for the future. However, it is unclear about the full extent of its budget at the start of each financial year and as a result, its process of financial planning both for the year in question and beyond is unsatisfactory. • The provision for spiritual development is unsatisfactory. This is hindered by the absence of daily assemblies, incorporating collective worship for those pupils whose parents wish them to join in with this activity. • Some aspects and monitoring of Health and Safety provision. 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 was last inspected in June 1996 when it was recognised as providing a very good quality of education. Since then it has maintained these very high standards. Soon after the last inspection, the school benefited from staff taking an accredited course in the teaching of reading and writing organised by a local university, and more recently, the implementation of National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies is proving very effective. Despite a high turn-over of staff who leave the school principally for promotion, improved systems now in place for monitoring, evaluating and improving the quality of teaching and learning ensure that expertise is quickly re-developed with new staff. Although this has not always happened in the past, particularly with science teaching, this process is now a strength of the school. The maintenance of high standards has been helped by the development of more specific and short term objectives in pupils’ Individual Education Plans (IEPs) which teachers

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

use as an integral part of their work. A new science laboratory, library and much improved design and Furze Down School - 6 technology and ICT facilities, contribute significantly towards the improved breadth of provision. Whilst the school now meets the health and safety issues noted at the time of the last inspection, greater rigour is still needed in monitoring and improving this important aspect of school life. Everyone contributes to a strong team approach and the school clearly has the capacity to develop even further.

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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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11 16 19

Speaking and listening B B A Very good A

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11 16 19

Mathematics B B A Unsatisfactory D Personal, social and health education A A A Poor E Other personal targets set at annual reviews or in IEPs* A A A

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11 16 19

Pupils achieve well throughout the school in literacy, numeracy and ICT, and very well in personal, social and health education. This results in very good achievement with students who stay on at the school into Post 16 provision. Individual ‘reading gain’ targets set against both school and mainstream school expectations are achieved well by many pupils. During the school year 1998/99, some pupils, particularly in Years 2, 6 and 10, improved their reading age by more than twelve months, which is very good. Pupils’ results in English and mathematics in National Tests at the ages of 7, 11 and 14 are consistently better than those of pupils in similar schools. However, science results fluctuate and are generally less impressive than in English and mathematics.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils are positive about school. Those observed are eager to succeed and are actively involved in their learning. Eighty eight per cent of parents responding to the questionnaire for the inspection have this viewpoint.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Self-control is an important expectation of school life and this is good for most pupils and students. On occasions when pupils need reminding, their response to staff is very good. No instances of bullying, sexism or racism were seen. Recorded instances of misbehaviour and temporary exclusions have risen since the last inspection but are now static.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Pupils frequently take responsibility for their own actions. They are generally supportive and caring of each other, particularly as they get older. Their initiative, independence and confidence develop very well and this was very obvious with Post 16 students seen carrying out work experience within the school. Relationships between pupils and staff are very good which helps on occasions when difficulties arise.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Nearly half of the pupils have attendance that is unsatisfactory, and this affects their achievement. However, the schools’ overall attendance level of only 83.4% is due mainly to the persistent absence of a minority of pupils. Furze Down School - 7 Pupils enjoy their lessons and are keen to discuss and show what they know. During the inspection, pupils in Years 2 and 3 enjoyed their mathematics lesson involving ICT so much that they were sorry when the lesson ended. Older pupils at Year 10 have developed far more independence and maturity in their thoughts and discussions. They relate their work in designing celebratory cards in ICT lessons very well to commerce. They consider all of the aspects that could affect the choice of ‘a potential customer’ who might ‘buy’ their card. At Post 16, pupils have clearly become students rather than pupils. They have an excellent rapport with their tutor and high motivation to get on quietly with their

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Aspect Comment

individual work. No time is wasted. The atmosphere is like a friendly commercial office. Throughout school the very good quality of teaching limits the instances of unsatisfactory behaviour. At the end of lessons when teachers discuss with pupils their lesson grades, those pupils who could have behaved or worked better, generally accept the fairness of their grades even when they are not as high as they had hoped. Pupils are really excited when they get the highest grade and this happens frequently.

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

Lessons seen overall Very good Very good Very good Inspectors make judgements about teaching in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor. ‘Satisfactory’ means that the teaching is adequate and strengths outweigh weaknesses.

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

During the inspection, teaching was good or better in 92 per cent of lessons and very good or better in 60 per cent. Overall the quality of teaching was very good for all pupils and is a strength of the school. This was particularly evident throughout the school in English, mathematics and ICT, and in music at Key Stages 1 and 2, and science at Key Stage 3. Lessons observed in English, mathematics, ICT and physical education at Key Stage 4 were consistently very good. Examples of excellent teaching were seen in music with Years 2 and 3 and in support of students’ individual work programmes at Post 16. In these particular lessons, every second of time was used as a learning experience whether for the subject being studied, for cross-curricular use of literacy and numeracy, or for social and independence development. Pupils strive to do well and many show the initiative, independence and self-control expected of them. This is good with the pupils aged 5 to 13 years and very good with

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

older pupils and students. When teaching is simply satisfactory rather than good, this is because the teachers’ control of the class is so tight that pupils do not have the freedom to consider different answers or opportunities.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum meets statutory requirements and the broader needs of the pupils very well. Literacy, numeracy and ICT are regularly built into planning in all subjects. It provides challenge for pupils of all attainment levels.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Overall this is good. Provision for pupils’ and students’ social development is very good and moral and cultural development is good. However, spiritual development is unsatisfactory and is hindered by the absence of daily assemblies, incorporating collective worship for those pupils whose parents have not withdrawn them from this activity. How well the school cares for its pupils Overall this is good. The school makes every effort to improve pupils’ attendance. Pupils feel safe, secure and valued, and in return, do their upmost to support their school. Staff know the pupils very well and are responsive to their needs. Very good procedures are in place for assessing and monitoring pupils’ performance, the results of which are used consistently to inform planning and raise standards.

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Aspect Comment

Planning for individual lessons is very detailed and links well to schemes of work. The school provides many opportunities to enrich the curriculum. Examples of this are visits to places such as theatres and cinemas, reciprocal visits with the police, fire and ambulance services, lunch-time clubs, sporting activities with other schools and schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. The school Furze Down School - 8 provides well for pupils with additional special educational needs. Whilst it meets all of its statutory obligations concerning health and safety, some procedures and provision are unsatisfactory. The school has not got a sufficiently effective system to remind the Local Education Authority to inspect all portable electrical equipment annually. Some toilet provision is unsatisfactory. Pedestrians and vehicles use the same traffic route for entering and leaving the school site with insufficient separation

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Aspect Comment

between them. School transport, particularly at the end of the school day, waits on the narrow but busy road outside the school. The number of vehicles involved means that some are parked at least 100 metres from the school gate. Despite generally satisfactory supervision by school staff, on occasions, pupils rush into the road before returning to the pavement to reach their vehicle.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff This is excellent and ensures a very clear educational direction for the school. The school’s aims and values are reflected excellently in all aspects of school life.

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Aspect Comment

How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities The governing body fulfils its basic duties in areas such as planning, curriculum provision and financial control. It does not yet ensure an act of collective worship each day or report on the success of its Special Educational Needs policy to parents. However, the governing body bring a range of valuable skills to their work and form a committed, cohesive and hard working team.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school is very good at monitoring the quality of teaching and its effects upon pupils’ learning, and taking relevant action. The school’s planning document is extensive and its consultation and implementation procedures are thorough. However, the lack of success criteria hinders the school’s ability to fully evaluate its performance.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school consults very well on the strategic use of its known resources and makes every effort to get the best value for its expenditure. It puts every effort into planning for the future. However, the process of financial planning both in the short and long term is unsatisfactory because the school is unclear about the full extent of its budget at the start of each financial year.

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Aspect Comment

One of the main strengths of the school is the full delegation of operational responsibility to the deputy headteachers and key stage managers. They rise to this challenge very successfully with great commitment and energy.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The good quality of teaching; • The quality of information about the good progress which their children make at school; • The way the school makes parents feel at ease when discussing problems; • The school’s high expectations for the pupils; • The way the school encourages pupils to become mature and responsible. • The behaviour of some pupils in the school • The range and interest of activities outside lessons • The amount of work pupils do at home

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspectors’ judgements support the parents’ very positive views about what pleases them most. The school carries out a broad range of activities that are judged good for this type of school given that most pupils are transported home immediately at the end of the school day. The amount of work pupils are expected to do at home is satisfactory, and if not completed on time, the school provides good additional support for this during the school day. The behaviour of some pupils could be better but the school deals with difficulties promptly, consistently and appropriately. Furze Down School - 9

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and key stage managers. The governing body is active and effective in fulfilling its

responsibilities. All staff show clearly the school’s capacity to succeed even further.

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and key stage managers. The governing body is active and effective in fulfilling its

1. The headteacher provides very strong leadership that creates a very clear educational direction for the school. He ensures that all staff work very hard to successfully implement the seven strands of the school’s vision and ethos. One such strand met very successfully is the belief that ‘all staff should support the ethos and beliefs of the school by active intervention, and by setting high personal and professional standards’. The school has changed substantially since the last inspection. Seventy five per cent of the teaching staff have left the school in the last four years, mostly for promotion and the number of pupils with behavioural difficulties starting at the school has increased greatly. This change has been managed very well. The success is due in no small part to the high performance of the deputy headteachers and key stage managers who take full responsibility for important operational aspects such as

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and key stage managers. The governing body is active and effective in fulfilling its

management of the curriculum and financial planning. A significant factor in the success of the school is the way in which responsibilities are delegated.

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and key stage managers. The governing body is active and effective in fulfilling its

2. The deputy headteachers and key stage managers clearly understand their roles and fulfil them very effectively. Their main priorities are the drive to raise standards by monitoring the achievements of pupils’ including their success on personal targets, and by inducting and training new teachers and monitoring the quality of teaching. This involves checks on pupils’ work and teachers’ planning, and visits to lessons. Training to develop staff’s skills is integral to the school’s success and this is very effectively included in the schools’ projected four- termly planning. All staff contribute to this document, which is costed and fully included in the school’s budget planning process. The school recognises that the success criteria for targets in their planning for the whole school are not yet sufficiently clear, and as such, they cannot fully evaluate their performance.

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and key stage managers. The governing body is active and effective in fulfilling its

3. The governing body fulfils its basic duties in areas such as planning, curriculum provision and financial control although it does not yet ensure an act of collective worship each day for those pupils whose parents want this or report on the success of its Special Educational Needs policy to parents. However, governors are very much involved in the day to day life of the school, and have taken action recently to try and clarify with the Local Education Authority, the procedures by which the school receives its annual income. The governors bring a range of valuable skills to their work and form a committed, cohesive and hard working team. The school consults very well on the strategic use of its known income and makes every effort to get the best value for its expenditure such as the recent improvements in provision for information and communications technology.

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and key stage managers. The governing body is active and effective in fulfilling its

4. All staff contribute to the effectiveness of the school and ensure that pupils, teachers and governors are fully supported. School assistants, administrative and resource staff, domestic and catering staff, and site staff all fulfil their responsibilities with great commitment and energy. Everyone contributes to a team approach, which clearly shows the school’s capacity to develop even further.

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Very high quality of teaching is a strength of the school and impacts positively on

5. Overall the quality of teaching is very good and there are many strengths. One such strength is the way in which teachers use subtle, open-ended questions to encourage pupils’ learning and subsequently check that learning and understanding has taken place. Teachers Furze Down School - 10 frequently support this with non-verbal cues and are so good with this technique, that pupils who are initially unsure about something are often successful with their answers. This works because teachers know the pupils very well. They know just the right level of work to extend pupils’ thinking and the right techniques to encourage pupils to want to learn.

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Very high quality of teaching is a strength of the school and impacts positively on

6. Examples of excellent teaching were seen in music with Years 2 and 3 and in support of students’ individual work programmes at Post 16. In these particular lessons, every second of time is used as a learning experience whether for the subject being studied, for cross- curricular use of literacy and numeracy, or for social, moral and independence development. The younger pupils in the music lesson were encouraged to describe sounds, to understand ‘timbre’, and to use percussion instruments to represent pictures related to the song they were learning, ‘we like the weather’. The lesson developed step by step until all pupils achieved a very good performance. Resources were ready to hand, and the very good pace of the lesson maintained most pupils’ interest and excitement naturally. On occasions this was helped by excellent support from the class assistant who was fully involved in the gentle but firm expectation that everyone joined in fully. Similarly at Post 16, students are highly

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Very high quality of teaching is a strength of the school and impacts positively on

motivated and respond excellently to a mature, working environment. Staff and pupils have an excellent rapport which generates an atmosphere like a ‘friendly office’ where everybody is quietly involved in what they know they need to do. The skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT are integrated naturally into the ‘office atmosphere’ and students achieve very well.

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Very high quality of teaching is a strength of the school and impacts positively on

7. Throughout school, expectations of work and behaviour are high but realistic, and pupils know this. The aims and objectives of lessons are set out clearly at the start of each lesson. Pupils are taught in full classes, smaller groups or individually as appropriate, but always receive a high level of personal support from teachers and classroom assistants. All lessons are planned to consolidate prior learning, to extend pupils’ knowledge and skills and to find out what pupils have understood. Initiative, independence and self-control are integral to the process. When teaching is simply satisfactory rather than good, the control of the class is so tight that pupils do not have the freedom to consider different answers or opportunities.

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Pupils’ personal development is very good. Their independence, initiative and

maturity develop clearly as they get older.

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Pupils’ personal development is very good. Their independence, initiative and

8. Staff place a strong and successful emphasis on supporting pupils’ personal development and inter-personal skills. Invariably pupils listen to each other’s comments in discussion, take turns, appreciate the needs of others and are patient and tolerant. This is fostered in both academic and social situations. Their initiative, independence and confidence develop very well. Younger pupils make appropriate choices about which musical instruments to play, they work unaided at times on computers and explain how they have worked out answers to their sums in mathematics. One pupil had the knowledge and confidence to point out politely in an English lesson, that the teacher had ‘forgotten’ to put an exclamation mark at the end of a sentence written on the board.

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Pupils’ personal development is very good. Their independence, initiative and

9. Older pupils work unaided at times in science lessons, pursue individual projects in design and technology and respond with maturity in poetry lessons in English. Here, they move easily between class work and group work, and discuss their ideas with confidence. One particular group of Year 10 pupils related their work in ICT very well to commerce and industry. They showed great initiative and understanding in designing greetings cards. They discussed all of the aspects that could affect the choice of a potential customer. They worked mostly independently and were very supportive of each other when the computers ‘didn’t quite do what was intended’. At Key Stage 4, pupils operate a ‘common room’ approach to break times. They make their own drinks and snacks, and socialise in a very mature way. If any pupils have missed their breakfast, this compensates in a very supportive way.

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Pupils’ personal development is very good. Their independence, initiative and

10. Lunchtimes are organised on a cafeteria basis, which extends pupils’ social and personal skills. They make choices of main meals and desserts, and often sit and socialise with their friends without the need for close adult supervision. Pupils and students on internal work Furze Down School - 11 experience have major responsibilities for ensuring the smooth running of lunch times, which they do very well. They help in other catering, horticultural and administrative positions which extends their understanding of ‘employability’. In 1999, not only did two students receive certificates at the Young Enterprise Presentation Evening but the school won the overall Trade Fair Shield, which was in competition with main stream schools in the area.

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relevant to the pupils. Developments in provision for literacy, numeracy and ICT are

11. The curriculum meets statutory requirements including for religious education. It is designed very well to extend the broader needs of the pupils and students, and to meet the needs of pupils expressed in Statements of Special Educational Need. The statutory curriculum is underpinned by the school’s ‘learning to learn’ course which has for a long time encouraged pupils to develop learning skills and approaches, and not just knowledge. This provides a challenge for all pupils and is effective in stretching higher attainers. Consolidation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies continues with particular emphasis currently on further developing literacy in science and mathematics. Plans to implement the new National Curriculum from September 2000 are on track with presentations planned by the Key Stage Managers for staff and governors during the summer term. The school has invested much

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relevant to the pupils. Developments in provision for literacy, numeracy and ICT are

time, energy and resources in the improvement of ICT with further examination of innovative ways of using it throughout the curriculum. This is paying off very well in pupils’ confidence and achievements in using new technology.

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relevant to the pupils. Developments in provision for literacy, numeracy and ICT are

12. The school has worked very hard to promote the Post 16 curriculum for students. Since the last inspection, the school has piloted and introduced nationally recognised awards for work experience, broadened the availability of externally accredited courses such as the ‘Youth Awards’, ‘City and Guilds’ or GNVQ, ensured the effectiveness of students’ ‘key skills’ through vocational education and broadened community involvement. The curriculum is very well planned throughout the school leading to excellent opportunities at Post 16. The school provides many opportunities to further enrich the curriculum through visits to places such as theatres and cinemas, reciprocal visits with the police, fire and ambulance services, lunch- time clubs, sporting activities with other schools such as five a side football and athletics, and schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.

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The relationships between pupils and staff are very good and this is part of the

school’s strength in managing and promoting good behaviour.

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The relationships between pupils and staff are very good and this is part of the

13. Relationships are very good. Staff expect pupils and students to operate self-control and pupils trust staff to be fair. This all comes together at the end of lessons when pupils are graded for their work and attitude. It is a time for pupils to reflect, with adult support, and to understand why particular grades have been given. The majority of lessons achieve the fine balance between high expectations, the development of independence and initiative, and firm control. Detention is operated sparingly at the end of the school day. Even on occasions when pupils are reluctant to do this, they are supported in exercising self-control towards the school’s aim that pupils are being prepared for life after school as a responsible, successful member of society. On occasions, pupils get as far as being on their transport home before eventually exercising that self-control and returning to carry out their detention. On occasions

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The relationships between pupils and staff are very good and this is part of the

that these very good relationships falter, the school operates temporary exclusions in order to re-assess a situation and to find a way forward. Even at this stage, pupils are encouraged to express and discuss their views about the fairness of their actions and those, which the school takes in response. Whilst recorded instances of misbehaviour and temporary exclusions have risen since the last inspection, they are now static. Furze Down School - 12

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process of financial planning both for the year in question and beyond is

14. The school’s planning procedures are extremely detailed and the process of setting a four- term plan, which overlaps the end of each financial year, is very good. This allows time for the next plan to be put in place without losing continuity to the process. Staff are fully involved with the process and the governing body is consulted on the draft plan before the start of each financial year. It is only accepted once the governing body is satisfied that there is sufficient income to meet the plan.

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process of financial planning both for the year in question and beyond is

15. The school has useful opportunities to discuss its budget allocation with the Local Education Authority in advance of each financial year. The governing body then sets a spending plan based upon funding for a known number of places appropriate to pupils with moderate learning difficulties. The school has to ensure that staffing and other provision is appropriate to their pupils’ educational needs, which currently includes over forty per cent of pupils with additional difficulties. Whilst additional income is allocated to address the needs of pupils with behavioural and more complex and challenging needs, the extent of this is not always known fully at the beginning of the financial year. As a result, the governing body is at times unclear over exactly how much it has to spend and, therefore, the extent of any projected budget surplus to carry forward to the next financial year. Major expenditure is covered but funding

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process of financial planning both for the year in question and beyond is

for developments, such as subject resourcing, is affected. In the case of the financial year 1999/2000, the school’s lack of clarity over the extent of the additional income cost them greatly in staff time, ensuring that the final income was accurate. This was resolved finally but beyond the end of the financial year. For the financial year 2000/2001, the governing body has resolved not to accept the provisional budget as they do not consider the process is an effective method of resourcing the school.

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absence of daily assemblies, incorporating collective worship for those pupils whose

parents have not withdrawn them from this activity.

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absence of daily assemblies, incorporating collective worship for those pupils whose

16. The school currently holds weekly assemblies for pupils of statutory school age which ‘are intended to develop a sense of community and to celebrate achievement’. Each assembly has a theme, such as pupils being praised for particularly good work in information and communications technology. Pupils spontaneously applaud those who receive certificates for their work. Other celebrations include birthdays, praise for good behaviour recorded at the end of lessons or for pupils who have completed their homework particularly well, and success in ‘house activities’ such as cross-country running. Invariably, there is a thought for the day such as ‘friendship’. Pupils sing beautifully and have a very positive time. This contributes very well to pupils’ social and moral development but assemblies are not planned for worship.

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absence of daily assemblies, incorporating collective worship for those pupils whose

17. The school writes to parents and carers and correctly informs them of their right to withdraw pupils from the daily act of collective worship, and of the activities which will replace this. At Furze Down, parents are told that pupils who are not involved in collective worship will stay in ‘normal lessons’. More than half of the pupils currently in school, have been withdrawn from collective worship although they all join in with religious education lessons. However, for the remaining pupils, the school has been examining since April, 1999, the issues surrounding the full implementation of statutory requirements. These have not yet been implemented which is unsatisfactory. Furze Down School - 13 Some aspects and monitoring of Health and Safety provision.

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absence of daily assemblies, incorporating collective worship for those pupils whose

18. Pedestrians and vehicles use the same traffic route for entering and leaving the school site with insufficient space between them. This is particularly the case at the end of the school day, when all pupils and some vehicles leave at the same time. In addition, contracted school transport waits on the narrow but busy road outside the school. The large number of vehicles involved means that some are parked at least 100 metres from the school gate. Despite generally satisfactory supervision by school staff, on occasions, pupils rush into the road before returning to the pavement to reach their vehicle.

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absence of daily assemblies, incorporating collective worship for those pupils whose

19. During the week of the inspection, the safety of some portable electrical equipment had not been checked during the previous twelve months. Whilst it is the responsibility of the Local Education Authority to carry out these checks, the school has not got a sufficiently effective system to ensure that this happens annually.

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absence of daily assemblies, incorporating collective worship for those pupils whose

20. The school recognises the inadequacies of some of its toilet provision and has made some improvements recently. Despite this, boys and girls up to the age of 11 years still use the same facilities, albeit carefully supervised to ensure this does not happen at the same time. On occasions, staff also use the same facilities. This is unsatisfactory. Elsewhere in school, provision for girls is good, but the low number of sinks and the absence of soap make the provision for boys unsatisfactory. In the last two years, the school has been unsuccessful in making bids under ‘New Deals for Schools’ for improving these facilities.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

21. In order to improve further the very high quality of education provided for the pupils, and to further secure their welfare, the governing body, headteacher and senior management team should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) In consultation with the LEA, agree a process for clear financial information at the start of each financial year which will allow the governing body to plan effectively and efficiently both in the short term and long term; (Paragraph 15) *

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Increase opportunities for spiritual development by introducing daily collective worship for those pupils whose parents desire this; (Paragraph 17) *

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(3) Improve provision and introduce greater rigour in some aspects of Health and Safety by,

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

i) ensuring greater separation between pedestrians and vehicles entering and leaving the school site by the same traffic route; (Paragraph 18)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

ii) improving the procedures for the safe departure of all pupils to their school transport; (Paragraph 18)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

iii) implementing procedures to ensure that portable electrical equipment is inspected on an annual basis; (Paragraph 19)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

iv) improving toilet provision so that boys and girls over the age of 8 years do not use the same facilities as each other and staff; and that older boys have ready access to washing their hands properly. (Paragraph 20) *

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

* These issues were recognised by the school prior to inspection and are already included in the school’s planning documents. Furze Down School - 14

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 36

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

8 52 32 8 0 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 137

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 59

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 7

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 23

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 5

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Attendance

School data 14.9 School data 1.8 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Furze Down School - 15

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 1 for the latest reporting year 1999 3 1 4

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1

The number of pupils makes it inappropriate to report the results at the end of Key Stage 1.

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 2 for the latest reporting year 1999 7 4 11

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Subject W 1 2 3 4 Pupils absent English 9% 45% 36% 0% 18% 0% Mathematics 0% 36% 54% 9% 0% Science 0% 27% 45% 18% 9% 0%

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2

Subject Below Level 3 3 4 Pupils absent English 90% 0% 9% 0% Mathematics 90% 0% 9% 0% Science 72% 18% 9% 0%

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 3 for the latest reporting year 1999 15 5 20

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3

Subject W 1 2 3 Pupils absent English 0% 10% 65% 25% 0% Mathematics 0% 10% 55% 35% 0% Science 0% 5% 65% 30% 0%

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3

Subject Below Level 3 3 4 Pupils absent English 100% 0% Mathematics 50% 40% 5% 5% Science 55% 35% 5% 5%

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 4

Subject Pass Merit Distinction English 7 5 1 Mathematics 6 7 Physical education 9 Furze Down School - 16

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage Black – Caribbean heritage 5

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage Black – African heritage

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group Other minority ethnic groups This table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: Y1 – Y13+

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 20 Financial year 1998/99

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 7.2

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Average class size 11.4 £ FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 974119

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y1 – Y13+ Total expenditure 963474

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 15 Expenditure per pupil 7033

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 449 Balance brought forward from previous year 57476

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 68121 Furze Down School - 17

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 50 41 9

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 22 50 22 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 29 52 16 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 56 44

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 88 9 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 69 28 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 59 34 3 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 71 23 3 3

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 50 44 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 26 39 19 6 10

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