Greenside School

GREENSIDE SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 26 th – 28 th November, 2001

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GREENSIDE SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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GREENSIDE 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. Greenside School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School category: Maintained – profound and severe learning difficulties

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Shephall Green Stevenage Hertfordshire

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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 Elizabeth Cooke

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: April,1997 Greenside School - 4

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Team members

1927 Ms M Landy Registered inspector 14214 Mrs G Smith Lay inspector 17171 Mrs M Last Team inspector 22821 Mrs L Wolstencroft Team inspector 19996 Mr G Watson Team inspector

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Team members

Bench Marque Ltd National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham on Sea Somerset TA8 1AN Tel: 01278 795022

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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 Greenside School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Greenside is a day special school for up to 100 pupils aged two to nineteen. Pupils have a wide range of learning difficulties and the majority have severe and profound learning difficulties and autism. At the time of the inspection there were 54 boys and 42 girls, five are part-time in the nursery and reception. Nine pupils are from ethnic backgrounds, two have homes where English is an additional language. Twenty- one pupils (22 per cent) are eligible for free school meals. All classes are mixed gender and include a wide range of abilities. Some pupils are taught in ability groups for certain subjects. The school is fully inclusive, that is, it mixes all pupils regardless of abilities, gender or ethnic background in classes, with the average class size being eight pupils. The pupils to teacher ratio is 6:1. The number of pupils for each full-time adult is 2.1. All pupils have statements of special educational needs except those

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

currently undergoing assessment. Pupils’ levels of attainment on entry are well below national expectations. Achievement is measured against attainment on entry, the targets set for pupils in individual education plans, annual reviews and statements of special educational needs.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Greenside is a good school. It is conscientious in maintaining a high level of care for all pupils and students. The quality of teaching is good with the result that pupils and students learn well. They enjoy school and their behaviour is good. The recently appointed headteacher has had a significant impact and in a short time is moving the school forward in important areas. The governing body is now more aware and becoming actively engaged in developing the work of the school. The school is now well placed to make rapid improvements. It provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The headteacher and governors work closely together and in a short time have had a significant impact on improving the school • Greenside looks after its pupils and students very well, the standard of care is very high • Relationships between pupils, students and staff are very good • The school provides a very good range of highly inclusive and relevant learning opportunities and community links for Post-16 students • The pupils have good attitudes to learning, behave well and enjoy their time at school.

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What could be improved

• Teachers’ planning and practice does not consistently reflect the targets set for pupils in their individual education plans or enable progress to be tracked easily over time • Subject plans do not clearly identify what pupils should learn and when • The length of the school day is too short at Key Stages 2, 3 and 4, this means that the time available for teaching is up to a day less each week than in similar schools and hinders the amount of progress that the pupils are able to make • The accommodation remains inadequate as some toilet and changing facilities are poor, recreational space is unsatisfactory and vehicular access to the site is very limited. 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 satisfactory progress overall. The school was last inspected in April 1997. There has been reasonable progress on three of the four key issues. There has been a good response to the key issue related to further developing integration links. These are now good and an important part of the identified strength at Post-16. Although the curriculum has improved, it still requires more work. A good model has been developed with mathematics; English and information and communication technology (ICT) are the next subjects to be addressed. There is increased whole-school monitoring. Staff and governors have a greater understanding of what is needed. Accommodation remains a key issue but some important progress has been made. For example there is now a library and an area for ICT and some better storage. Greenside School - 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 and at the end of each key stage.

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5 11 16 19

speaking and listening C C C B very good A

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5 11 16 19

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

Achievement is satisfactory overall. For children under five years and those aged five to sixteen progress is satisfactory. By the age of nineteen progress is mainly good, it is satisfactory in reading and writing. Progress over time is good overall in personal and social education. Analysis of work, scrutiny of records and pupils’ individual education plans as well as discussions with teachers regarding targets, show satisfactory progress overall. The individual education plans do not provide sufficiently focused targets. As a result it is difficult to track progress over time. In most lessons progress is good. The standard of teaching is good and this is reflected in pupils’ work. Standards in literacy and numeracy are satisfactory. The school has responded appropriately to the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Good: pupils really enjoy coming to school. They work hard and are interested in what they do. They like the varied activities provided for them. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good: most pupils behave well around the school and in their lessons. They enjoy each other’s company, respond quickly to staff and show interest in their visitors. Personal development and relationships Good: the majority of pupils become increasingly independent and confident as they move through the school. Older students enjoy running the school bank and delivering the milk to younger pupils. Race relations are good, pupils mix very well together. Relationships are very good and a strength of Greenside School. Attendance Satisfactory: irregularities in transport aggravated by very restricted vehicular access to the school site mean that several pupils are regularly late.

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Aspect Comment

Relationships are very good. All members of school staff, including a wide range of therapists, know the pupils very well. There is genuine warmth between adults and pupils. The vast majority of pupils are keen to learn, behave well and are co-operative. The staff provide exciting special trips and links, particularly for the oldest students which help forge strong bonds. Many staff are very skilled at knowing how to respond to calm an unsettled or upset pupil. Strategies and plans to manage the disruptive behaviour of a small but significant minority of the pupils are not clear enough to all staff who work with them. This sometimes restricts their learning and the progress of their classmates. Greenside School - 8 Greenside School - 9

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

Lessons seen overall Satisfactory Good Good 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 up to 5 aged 5-11 aged 11-16 aged over 16

The quality of teaching and learning is consistently good for all ages across the school and is satisfactory for the youngest pupils who are under five. All 35 lessons, except one, were judged satisfactory, with 43 per cent good and 17 per cent very good. There was little variation between the age groups with a range of satisfactory, good and very good lessons taught throughout. The best lessons were good because pupils were well supported and opportunities were maximised for learning through achievable, identifiable tasks. Pupils benefit from the good pace, high levels of preparation and planning that include details about what each pupil will do next. As a result, skilled teamwork then includes all pupils in the lesson in a purposeful, respectful and often sensitive way. This happens, for example, when pupils with multiple learning difficulties were exploring the concept of ‘heavy’ and ‘light’ and ‘full’ and

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

‘empty’ in mathematics, and when younger pupils press switches on equipment that enables them to say ‘potatoes’ when discussing the day’s menu.

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

Communication, literacy and numeracy are usually taught well. The needs of the pupils are met overall. The less successful features of teaching, which inhibit learning, are: a lack of agreed behaviour management strategies for a significant minority of pupils with disruptive or challenging behaviours; the low profile given to key skills for the Post-16 students; the use of time at the start and end of day in some classes; the too limited use of individual education plans in several lessons; some individual education plan targets are too broad; and the inconsistent or limited use of signs, symbols, pictures, objects and words to assist communication in some classes.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Good: the curriculum has good breadth and is relevant to the pupils’ individual needs. It has all the expected components for each age group. Timetables are complex and varied but the overall time spent on different subjects is balanced. Post-16 students benefit from a particularly good range of curricular opportunities with many exciting occasions providing good inclusive links to work with other students both outside and inside the school. The school day is too short, particularly for pupils at Key Stages 2, 3 and 4. Available time is mostly used well. Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good overall: for pupils’ personal, spiritual, moral and cultural development. Very good social development, especially for older pupils and students.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good: the standard of care, therapy and support for pupils is a strength of the school. Each pupil is respected and treated with kindness.

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Aspect Comment

The vast majority of parents who returned the questionnaire are very happy with the school. Parents’ views of the school were mainly very positive at the meeting. Parents say their children are happy and enjoy coming to school. A small minority of parents would like more information about what their child is learning and how they can help. A few want more consistent use of the home/school books as a regular means of communication, especially when their child cannot speak. There are good procedures for assessing pupils’ achievements and personal development. However, pupils’ own targets do not always clearly identify what the pupil will actually learn or access, with the result that the effectiveness of these procedures is sometimes compromised. Child protection procedures are very good. Procedures for monitoring and reviewing academic and personal development are currently under review. The school is

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Aspect Comment

introducing greater whole school structures and increased monitoring and evaluation systems. Physical and medical needs are met well and good liaison between staff ensures that any disruption to learning is Greenside School - 10 minimised.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good: the headteacher has quickly established himself as a popular and very effective leader. Together with the senior management team, he has identified suitable priorities for action, which focus on raising standards and improving teaching and learning. How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities Good: the governing body includes several new members. They are all committed to improvement and to playing a full part in the life of the school. Governors are regular visitors to school. They are developing ways of using their expertise and experience for the benefit of the school. They meet all statutory requirements. The school’s evaluation of its performance Good: the staff and governors are aware of their responsibilities in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the school and are working steadily to improve their procedures for doing so.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good: the school has used its money wisely to provide a good range of resources to support pupils’ learning. Staff are growing in confidence and competence in the use of computers and, as a result, pupils are making good progress in using them in lessons. There has been a major injection of funds for resources over the last year, which is helping pupils to improve their work.

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Aspect Comment

The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide very effective and efficient management of the school. Their firm leadership ensures that the school runs as a supportive learning environment where all staff and pupils feel valued. Of the four key issues from the last inspection report the one concerning opportunities for integration is fully met. Opportunities for integrating students at Post-16 are now very good. Partial progress has been made on the other three issues; nevertheless procedures for identifying strengths and weaknesses are much improved. The school is now well prepared to continue to raise standards, at a greater pace. There is a sufficient number of qualified and experienced staff to meet the needs of the pupils. The level and quality of learning resources are good. The school has improved its procedures for budgetary management and seeks the best value it can for purchases. The school

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Aspect Comment

understands the importance of striving for improved accommodation, especially in important areas such as toilets, hoists and changing facilities and vehicular access to the site and recreational areas. Senior managers are very aware of what needs to be improved regarding accommodation. Greenside School provides good value for money.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Their children enjoy coming to school. • They are happy to approach the school with concerns. • The partnership between home and school. • The progress their children make in their work, especially the way they become increasingly mature and responsible. • The way the school is led and managed. • The information about their children’s work and the progress they are making. • The amount of space available for learning and play, especially for older pupils and students. • Toilet and changing facilities. • Road access to the school.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agrees with both what pleases parents most and also what they would like to see improved. Greenside School - 11

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The headteacher and governors work closely together and in a short time have had a

significant impact on improving the school. 1. The headteacher and governors have quickly established a good working relationship in which they share a firm commitment to raising standards throughout the school.

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The headteacher and governors work closely together and in a short time have had a

2. The headteacher has firmly established himself as a skilled and experienced leader. He has introduced several new initiatives in order to enable all adults in the school to develop a more self-critical approach and to share responsibility for improving the quality of teaching and learning. These initiatives have included external staff training in improving the link between the school’s curriculum and the individual education plans for pupils’ learning. For example, the monitoring of teaching has not yet identified whether targets such as ‘tackling simple tasks independently’ are appropriately addressed in the class. For instance, one pupil was given no opportunity to begin his task alone as an assistant immediately sat alongside him to help. The use of individual education plan targets in most lessons, and the part they play in determining progress, requires more attention.

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The headteacher and governors work closely together and in a short time have had a

3. Additionally the headteacher is currently extending the role of the subject co- ordinators, so that they carry responsibility for identifying the strengths and weaknesses of their subjects. To fulfil these tasks they will observe other teachers’ lessons and manage their own financial audits. In the best practice, the English co- ordinators are very enthusiastic and have an in-depth subject development plan which identifies priorities for developing the curriculum, for clarifying schemes of work and teachers’ planning, and strategies for raising the quality of teaching and learning through increased opportunities to observe lessons. They have only recently taken responsibility for budgetary management of the subject, but are aware of the need to link this other work to the school’s overall strategic planning. Other subject co- ordinators are less well advanced in their plans and in the understanding of their roles.

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The headteacher and governors work closely together and in a short time have had a

4. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and senior staff ensure that the school runs efficiently and that pupils learn in a supportive and secure environment. Nevertheless, the school continues to experience problems regarding the time available for teaching and learning, which is too short for all pupils and is significantly under national guidelines for Key Stages 2, 3 and 4.

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The headteacher and governors work closely together and in a short time have had a

5. Daily administration of the school affairs is efficient and office staff give good support to staff and parents. The school is continuing to extend its use of computer programs to analyse data. The secretaries are increasingly extending their skills in information and communication technology (ICT).

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The headteacher and governors work closely together and in a short time have had a

6. The governors’ finance committee has improved its procedures for ensuring that it is fully informed of the financial situation at key points during the year. It receives regular statements from the local education authority’s finance officer who is supporting the school. Governors are conscientious in the need to obtain the best possible price for all the purchases they make and focus carefully on spending in order to support pupils’ learning. For example, the investment the school has made in computer equipment and staff training has resulted in an increased competence throughout the school. Computers were seen in use in several lessons and pupils were benefiting from this. Greenside School - 12 7. The school and governors have sensible systems for ensuring that requests and orders for more expensive items are carefully considered and the most favourable price is sought. Governors do not yet routinely monitor the progress that pupils make,

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The headteacher and governors work closely together and in a short time have had a

or use evaluative measures to identify or link this to show how their spending impacts upon such progress in the longer term.

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The headteacher and governors work closely together and in a short time have had a

8. The governors, many of whom have recently joined the governing body, are enthusiastic about their roles. They enjoy good relationships with the staff and regularly visit lessons and other activities. As yet governors do not formally record their visits or report back to the full governing body. Improved procedures for identifying and formally recording how effectively the school operates is a continuing and important focus for the governing body and the school. The school’s action plans are very useful in this regard and illustrate the very good capacity the school has to succeed. A good example of such planning is the current documentation identifying how adaptation to the exterior front of the school should ease traffic flow, enable pupils to enter school more quickly in the morning and ensure a prompter start to the day.

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The headteacher and governors work closely together and in a short time have had a

9. The school has made satisfactory improvements since the last inspection with some good progress. The strength of the governors, in partnership with the current leadership and management of the school, is the renewed commitment of all involved and the real enthusiasm for driving the school forward. There is an agreed determination that pupils will achieve the highest possible standards within a challenging and supportive environment. As a result, the school is well poised for rapid improvement.

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Greenside looks after its pupils and students very well, the standard of care is very

high. 10. The school looks after its pupils and students very well because the staff know each pupil so well and work together to share their knowledge. There is very good teamwork and as a result, pupils receive high levels of attention and support. There is a good range of multi-agency support services on site with good levels of co- operation and liaison between all concerned. The very good nursing support ensures that pupils with medical needs are very well and promptly looked after. Procedures for child protection are very good. Parents praise the headteacher for being accessible and say that he always gives them time when they need it.

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Greenside looks after its pupils and students very well, the standard of care is very

11. There are satisfactory systems for rewarding notable achievements, academic success and recognising good behaviour. Baseline assessments are in place and the school has plans to check that all teachers are using the same criteria when judging the pupils’ ability and progress. Pupils’ personal development is closely monitored by class teachers and key stage team leaders.

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Greenside looks after its pupils and students very well, the standard of care is very

12. Annual review procedures are good. However, some targets in individual education plans are not precise enough to judge progress or to track it over time. Progress in lessons was judged good overall, but scrutiny of other evidence systems do not make it easy to establish what pupils have learnt. It is easier to see what has been taught. The quality of individual education plan targets is the current focus of development. Individual assessment and guidance and transition arrangements to the next phase of education after Greenside are very good indeed.

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Greenside looks after its pupils and students very well, the standard of care is very

13. Pupils eat lunch in a variety of settings. Although several venues are far from ideal, the positive atmosphere helps pupils to develop social skills and there is a good range and choice of food, with healthy options available. Arrangements for monitoring attendance are satisfactory. Greenside School - 13 Relationships between pupils, students and staff are very good. 14. The quality of relationships is very good. Pupils are highly valued and treated with respect and given the consideration they deserve. Pupils are regularly praised for the thoughtfulness they show others, their co-operation and for the support they give to their peers and to the staff. Teachers and support staff work well together providing pupils with good examples of how to behave. Adults and pupils share social occasions regularly, such as eating lunch together in the dining areas.

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Greenside looks after its pupils and students very well, the standard of care is very

15. Teachers and support staff participate in all the day-to-day activities around the school. This helps to establish a very good rapport and understanding which significantly contributes to the development of these very good relationships. For instance, when pupils were swimming, all staff in the water encouraged the pupil they were supporting by urging them to do well and by praising their success enthusiastically. Support staff make a significant contribution to the development of these very good relationships through their sensitive and effective support which they provide for individual pupils.

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The school provides a very good range of highly inclusive and relevant learning

opportunities and community links for Post-16 students. 16. There is a good range of learning opportunities that are relevant and often practical. As a result they are well matched to the needs of the pupils. A very good range of extra-curricular activities and integrated links enhances provision with the wider community.

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The school provides a very good range of highly inclusive and relevant learning

17. The school has been both resourceful and imaginative in providing a very good range of learning opportunities for students at Post-16. These are founded upon two accredited vocational education courses, both of which are entirely age-appropriate and highly relevant to the needs of the students. In developing their use, the school has responded positively to the findings of the last inspection, and the department is actively seeking to further extend the opportunities for accreditation by devising and implementing other appropriate courses for those students with more profound and complex needs.

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The school provides a very good range of highly inclusive and relevant learning

18. Current planning is not always clearly related to the development of vocational educational core skills, and opportunities are sometimes missed for students to plan and assess their own work. However, the various activities and modules build very effectively on students’ experience from lower down the school and enable them to apply their understanding in new and different exciting contexts. These include a very wide range of work-experience programmes and further education link courses, together with other extra-curricular activities in the local community and further afield. An exciting example is the recently established Green Lakers Activity Club, where students work alongside peers from another local special school. The design and manufacturing projects organised through Team Enterprise, alongside mainstream sixth-form peers, are particularly effective and show a genuine commitment to the principles of social and educational inclusion.

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The school provides a very good range of highly inclusive and relevant learning

19. In all these respects, the school’s provision has a highly positive impact on the students’ personal and social development. There are appropriate plans in place to develop more vocational educational opportunities for pupils at Key Stage 4 that should ensure students are even better placed to exploit the opportunities provided for them in the Post-16 department in the near future.

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The pupils have good attitudes to learning, behave well and enjoy their time at

Greenside School - 14 school. 20. Pupils’ and students’ attitudes to learning are good. They enjoy coming to school and go into classes eager to start the day. Teachers and support staff work well together to provide a supportive environment in which pupils are keen and eager to learn.

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The pupils have good attitudes to learning, behave well and enjoy their time at

21. Most pupils try very hard with their work and many are keen to show adults and visitors what they have done. They join in enthusiastically in celebrating their own and others’ successes. In assembly, for example, pupils were keen to tell their friends about important activities in which they had participated during the weekend. One pupil demonstrated clearly using a few words and her fingers that she had had her hair cut.

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The pupils have good attitudes to learning, behave well and enjoy their time at

22. Pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties respond well to tasks which enable them to operate switches in the sensory room, with staff assistance. Another pupil joined in the group by pressing a switch to tell the rest of the group that there were potatoes for lunch. Those pupils with autistic spectrum disorders who are able to follow their individual schedules do so with increasing confidence so they are clear about what is going to happen next and what they are expected to do. Younger pupils in the school respond well to stories. They join in enthusiastically with familiar responses and show how much they enjoy this activity.

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The pupils have good attitudes to learning, behave well and enjoy their time at

23. Post-16 students show increasingly mature attitudes towards the different and varied opportunities provided for them. They respond maturely to the different settings they learn in, often not in the school, with the result that they are better prepared to take their place in the wider community when they leave.

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pupils in their individual education plans or enable progress to be tracked easily

over time. 24. The way the curriculum is planned makes it difficult for teachers, managers and subject leaders to make sure pupils build on what they know, understand and can do. The timetables are complex, they do not make it easy to track what is taught and when.

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pupils in their individual education plans or enable progress to be tracked easily

25. Teachers’ planning within the school is not always clear and coherent, with the result that there are weaknesses in the following important areas: in

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pupils in their individual education plans or enable progress to be tracked easily

• curriculum planning – both long (two to three years or within the key stage) and medium-term plans (termly/half-termly), i.e. schemes of work;

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pupils in their individual education plans or enable progress to be tracked easily

• lesson plans, as they do not always identify how individual needs can be addressed within the context of the relevant activities. As a result, opportunities are missed for a few pupils to make progress towards meeting the targets identified in their individual education plans;

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pupils in their individual education plans or enable progress to be tracked easily

• individual education plans, as they are not used consistently in lessons, although there are examples of very good use especially at Key Stage 4. Overall the individual targets are not precise or specific enough and do not make it easy to measure or show what pupils have learnt;

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pupils in their individual education plans or enable progress to be tracked easily

• behaviour management, which is good overall, but behaviour management plans are not provided for the small minority of pupils who need them as they have challenging or unpredictable behaviours. This leads to a lack of consistency in Greenside School - 15 approach by various staff who try different things to support them and this is not as effective as it should be; and in

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pupils in their individual education plans or enable progress to be tracked easily

• communication, especially the use of signs, symbols, schedules, real objects and communication aids, is not always as well developed or used as consistently as it should be. This is particularly needed by non-verbal pupils and for a small minority of pupils with autistic spectrum disorders. As a result they are not always enabled to make sense of what is expected of them or to understand what is happening next.

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pupils in their individual education plans or enable progress to be tracked easily

Subject plans do not clearly identify what pupils should learn and when. 26. The school has developed satisfactory plans in all subjects to guide teachers’ lesson preparation. These indicate what pupils should learn and when, as they grow up and progress through the school, but their quality is variable. In some, for example art and design, there is insufficient detail provided to support all aspects of the subject. In others, for example science, the level of detail is so complex that it does not help to identify how pupils will build upon what they already know, understand and can do.

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pupils in their individual education plans or enable progress to be tracked easily

27. The school is developing its use of a published scheme but has yet to simplify the wealth of information and provide teachers with clear coherent guidelines that inform and help their lesson preparation. The school is currently piloting mathematics as a model for other subjects, and is working on a similar framework for English and ICT. This is at an early stage of development however, and although a good model and entirely appropriate, it has yet to have an impact on pupils’ achievements.

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pupils in their individual education plans or enable progress to be tracked easily

28. There are leaders for all subjects, but their role requires development. For example, the school’s approach to non-contact time is not sufficiently flexible to allow subject leaders to monitor progression in all areas of the school. As a result, the school has difficulty ensuring that all pupils learn the right things at the right time and this compromises staff’s ability to plot and record pupils’ progress over time.

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time available for teaching is up to a day less each week than for similar schools. This

hinders the amount of progress that the pupils are able to make. 29. Despite the difficulties and constraints imposed by vehicular access to the site, the school generally makes good use of the time available. Nevertheless, the school day is far too short, particularly for those pupils aged seven and older, and does not reflect DfEE guidelines. As a result the amount of learning time is very limited and this has a negative impact on the progress that pupils make. The school is aware of this and is endeavouring to utilise opportunities, for example at lunchtime, to introduce further learning opportunities to enhance the curriculum, but these have yet to have an impact on pupils’ achievements. Greenside School - 16

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poor, recreational space is unsatisfactory and vehicular access to the site is very

limited. 30. The accommodation remains unsatisfactory overall and includes several areas where improvement is necessary. There have been improvements since the last inspection with a new library and ICT area, greater storage and an attractive area of garden that is designed to use all the senses.

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poor, recreational space is unsatisfactory and vehicular access to the site is very

31. The headteacher, the staff and governors have a clear understanding and plans about the priorities for addressing these areas, some of which are imminent. Although the space within the school is generous in some areas, the school is obliged to use such areas for storage of pupils’ hoists, wheelchairs and personal equipment, so that the space is cluttered and unsuitable for learning. The pupils have to use the main entrance hall, the assembly hall and a range of teaching areas to eat their lunch. However, staff are rigorous in ensuring pupils’ welfare and there is good attention paid to meeting health and safety requirements. The school is clean and well maintained.

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poor, recreational space is unsatisfactory and vehicular access to the site is very

32. The main pressing concerns in relation to accommodation are the poor, sometimes grim, toilets and changing facilities, some of which do not allow for enough privacy or dignity. Also of concern, the cramped nature of some class bases, the very limited recreational space and the very limited vehicular access to the school.

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poor, recreational space is unsatisfactory and vehicular access to the site is very

33. The main areas to address with regard to pupils’ welfare are the toilet and changing facilities. These are inadequate in that:

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poor, recreational space is unsatisfactory and vehicular access to the site is very

• toilet and changing facilities vary from very good to very poor. There are issues related to loss of dignity and privacy that need to be addressed urgently. The school is fully aware and plans are ready to be implemented; and

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poor, recreational space is unsatisfactory and vehicular access to the site is very

• there are also unacceptable practices, for example the Post-16 students share a mixed gender toilet to avoid going outside and one Post-16 student has to use Key Stage 4 facilities because he is in a wheelchair.

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poor, recreational space is unsatisfactory and vehicular access to the site is very

34. Despite improvements in several areas such as a better library, better storage, a splendid garden that is designed to excite the pupils’ senses, and a new classroom base plus an ICT area, accommodation remains a key issue to address from the last inspection.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

35. In order to build upon the existing high quality education provided by the school the headteacher and governors should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

a) ensure all teachers’ planning and practice reflects consistently the targets set for pupils in their individual education plans and enables progress to be tracked easily over time; (Para refs: 2, 7, 11, 12, 24, 25)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

b) further develop subject plans that clearly identify what pupils should learn and when; ( Para refs: 3, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28) Greenside School - 17 c) extend the length of the school day and time available for teaching as it is too short at Key Stages 2, 3 and 4; and ( Para refs: 4, 29)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

d) continue to address the inadequate accommodation especially as some toilet and changing facilities are poor, recreational space is unsatisfactory and vehicular access to the site is very limited. ( Para refs: 8, 30, 32, 33, 34) Greenside School - 18

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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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.

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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 98

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 21

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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 2

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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 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 3

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Greenside School - 19 Greenside School - 20

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 2 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 1 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 5 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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: YN – Y13

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 16.2 Financial year 2000/2001

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 5:1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 1,311,734

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YN – Y13 Total expenditure 1,311,402

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 34 Expenditure per pupil 12,857

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 1,050 Balance brought forward from previous year 115,489

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 37,118

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 4.5

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3.5

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Greenside School - 21

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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. 46 38 0 0 15

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 46 46 0 0 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 8 38 0 8 46

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 46 46 0 0 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 77 15 0 0 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 46 38 8 0 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 46 54 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 46 48 8 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 46 48 0 0 8

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 8 48 0 0 46

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