Priestley Smith School

PRIESTLEY SMITH SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 29 - 30 October 2001

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PRIESTLEY SMITH SCHOOL

Short 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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PRIESTLEY SMITH 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. Priestley Smith School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Perry Common Road Erdington Birmingham

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: April 1997 Priestley Smith School - 4

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Team members

16979 C Henry Registered inspector 9981 S Hussein Lay inspector 2351 J Cook Team inspector 31862 J Coop Team inspector

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Team members

Cambridge Education Associates Ltd Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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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 Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Priestley Smith School - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6 - 9

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Priestley Smith is a mixed, day, community special school for 70 children and pupils from two to 17. Of the 57 pupils attending the school at the time of the inspection there were approximately equal numbers of boys and girls. Two pupils who are of Year 12 age are following Year 11 courses. All pupils are blind or partially sighted and have statements of special educational needs. Three quarters of pupils have additional learning difficulties; many pupils also have physical disabilities or emotional difficulties. The level and complexity of these additional special educational needs of new pupils is increasing. The majority of children and pupils attending the school are from Birmingham with a quarter coming from the neighbouring local education authorities in the West Midlands. Just over a half of the children and pupils are from a broad range of ethnic heritages, principally from Black- Caribbean, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Indian backgrounds. Many of these pupils are from homes

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

where English is spoken as an additional language. The proportion of pupils who are eligible to receive free school meals is high at over 40 per cent. The attainment of pupils who currently start at the school is below the level expected of their age.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Priestley Smith School shares its site with two other special schools, Wilson Stuart School for pupils with physical disabilities and Braidwood School for pupils with hearing impairment. Pupils of secondary school age from Priestley Smith School are taught together with pupils from Wilson Stuart School in ability based groups. They are taught by staff from both of these schools, together with teachers from the secondary resource centre (SRC), which is managed by Wilson Stuart School. The local education authority's mobility service is based at the school and provides support for pupils throughout the local authority. Since the last inspection the number of pupils attending Priestley Smith has decreased in response to the increasing inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools and the changing role of similar schools across the country. In line with these developments the school now provides outreach support for pre-school children and pupils who are

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

visually impaired and attending mainstream schools. Plans are well advanced for the move of Priestley Smith School to the campus of a mainstream primary and secondary school at nearby Perry Beeches. This move is to increase further the opportunities for educational and social inclusion available for the school's pupils.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Priestley Smith is a good school. Pupils increase their self-confidence and independence very well indeed and make good progress across all areas of the curriculum. This is the result of the high quality of teaching and support they receive and the relevance of what they are taught. The school is effectively led and well managed. It provides good value for money.

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What the school does well

 Pupils make good progress overall. They make very good progress during Years 1 and 2 and in art throughout the school and music in the primary department. This is largely the result of the high quality of the teaching and the effectiveness of the support staff.  The provision for children in the nursery and reception year is very good, which gives children a very good start to their education.  Increases pupils' mobility skills and use of Braille and low vision aids, enabling them to be more self- confident and independent.  There is very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development which helps pupils to have positive attitudes to their work and contributes to their all round development.

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What could be improved

 Ensuring that pupils consistently build on what they have learned in all subjects as they move from Year 6 to Year 7 and above.  Meet all pupils' needs to the same high standard by making sure that individual education plans (IEPs) are consistently of the highest quality. 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 April 1997. There has been satisfactory improvement, overall, since this time and the school has addressed most aspects of the key issues identified during this previous inspection. The dedicated staff and planned move to a new site alongside mainstream schools indicate a good capacity to improve further. The curriculum in the primary department has been successfully developed to make sure that there is sufficient time for all subjects and there is now sufficient time for the teaching of French to all secondary Priestley Smith School - 7 aged pupils. Information and communication technology (ICT) is taught to all children and additional training has started for teachers to further develop pupils' learning. Despite good efforts there has been difficulty in appointing a specialist ICT teacher in the secondary department although there are good temporary arrangements. There are good improvements in the plans to show what will be taught but because they are not

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

sufficiently co-ordinated and monitored, pupils’ learning does not build adequately on previous knowledge in a few subjects. The quality of information for parents about pupils’ progress has improved well. The school improvement plan is more detailed, is linked with the school's budget and extends beyond a single year to allow for longer term projects. However, improvement is satisfactory only, because planning continues to be as two separate plans for the primary and secondary departments and this contributes to the difficulties with the overall co-ordination of the curriculum. The number of staff in the nursery has increased to a satisfactory level.

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STANDARDS

The table summarises inspectors’ judgements about how well pupils achieve in relation to their individual targets.

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R 6 11

speaking and listening A A A very good A

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R 6 11

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

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R 6 11

Pupils of all ages achieve very well in their speaking and listening skills, because of the emphasis on this important area by all staff. Pupils make good progress towards the personal and academic targets that are set within their individual education plans, increasing their independence, social, numeracy and communication skills. On the occasions when these targets are not met it is usually because they are too broad. Pupils in the nursery and reception class and in Years 1 and 2 achieve very well indeed in all areas of their learning, including those identified by their individual targets. They do particularly well in developing communication skills. By the end of Year 11 all pupils achieve good success in a wide range of nationally recognised awards, including General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) and Certificates of Achievement. The school has met the overall targets it set for its pupils in Year 11, with seven per cent achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A* -

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R 6 11

C, 23 per cent with five or more at grades A* - E and 77 per cent with at least one pass. Pupils with additional special needs and those with English as second language make as good progress as other pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school These are very good. Pupils are keen to work hard and interested in what they are asked to do.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils behave very well in lessons and around the school. They are polite and well mannered.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Pupils’ relationships with each other and with staff are excellent, which helps them learn. Their personal development is also very good indeed. They become more independent and are considerate of the feelings of others.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is good. Almost all absences are due to sickness. Pupils do their best to meet their teachers' high expectations of their work and behaviour. They are very willing to help staff and many develop clear opinions, strong moral stances and mature attitudes. There are very good relationships between the pupils from the different schools. They work well together. Pupils enjoy coming to school and as a result, are only absent when necessary. Priestley Smith School - 8

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Teaching of pupils: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 6 Years 7 – 11

Quality of teaching Very 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: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 6 Years 7 – 11

Teaching is good overall and very good for children in the nursery and in the reception year, and for pupils in Years 1 and 2. This is a clear improvement since the last inspection. There is no unsatisfactory teaching. The way in which the teachers and support assistants work so well together, based on their understanding of their pupils’ individual needs and their knowledge of how to teach pupils who have visual impairment, are particular strengths in the quality of teaching. This basis means that staff maintain high expectations for each pupil and results in pupils being interested in their work, trying hard and developing increasing independence as they learn. Teachers draw up good plans for what they want pupils to learn, assess carefully and use this information to plan further work. They manage their classes very effectively, making sure that pupils use their time well. Homework is consistently set to support and consolidate the work that the pupils do in class. Literacy and

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Teaching of pupils: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 6 Years 7 – 11

numeracy work are based on the national strategies for these areas and are taught well. They are supplemented by the very effective teaching of Braille, both in the traditional way using a manual brailler as well as with computer based technology. For less able pupils the Moon symbols are also taught well and provide interest and motivation as they increasingly become able to communicate their views and needs. Science and personal, social and health education are also taught well.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum is good. There is a very good emphasis on the specialist areas of Braille and mobility training where appropriate. What is taught to the children in the nursery is particularly well planned. The curriculum for the oldest pupils is relevant. There is a good range of accredited courses and preparation for the world of work is effective. Good arrangements are made for pupils to join mainstream schools for lessons wherever possible.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language This is effective. Specialist staff advise teachers and directly support pupils where it is appropriate.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development There is a very strong emphasis on promoting pupils’ moral, social and cultural development. Spiritual development is good.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils This is a caring school where children and pupils are made to feel very confident.

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Aspect Comment

All pupils receive a curriculum relevant to their individual needs. The curriculum for pupils in the nursery and reception class is particularly good and is well planned on the children's individual needs. All pupils in Year 11 follow courses that lead to nationally recognised awards. These awards cater for the needs of pupils of all abilities. Overall, the curriculum for pupils in Years 10 and 11 prepares them well for when they leave school, with careers education and advice, and support from links with industry through the Compact programme. It also includes a period of work experience in Year 10, although pupils would benefit from broader experiences of this important aspect of their education. The school is particularly good at providing for the broader aspects of a pupil's development beyond the subjects of the National Curriculum. These include increasing their independence including through mobility training and Braille, and daily living and social skills development, as

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Aspect Comment

part of their preparation for living in a multicultural world. The success of the school's care for its pupils and the confidence that they develop is substantially based on how well the staff know their pupils. Certificates and praise are given for a broad range of good work and behaviour and these are successful at encouraging improvements. Individual education plans (IEPs) focus on the most important areas for pupils to learn and are used well. This is particularly so for pupils in the nursery and reception class and in Years 1 and 2. There is inconsistency for a few older pupils, where these important targets are less precise. Priestley Smith School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher and senior management team provide clear direction and effective management. The role of subject co-ordinators is not fully and consistently developed throughout the school to ensure that pupils build as effectively as they can on what they learned in previous years.

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Aspect Comment

How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities The governing body knows the strength and weaknesses of the school well and undertake their duties to monitor and support the school effectively.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school monitors its performance satisfactorily. There is effective use of target setting to raise pupils' achievements, although aspects of the link between the primary and secondary departments are not well evaluated.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school makes satisfactory use of its resources. This is restricted by ongoing uncertainties in a few aspects of the budget and difficulties in establishing an accurate and up to date balance of expenditure.

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Aspect Comment

The head teacher and senior management team work successfully to support staff and further improve the school. The heads of the primary and secondary department provide very good leadership. There is a very good emphasis on staff training and this shows in the level of their expertise and the progress that pupils make. The school benefits very well from the close link that it has with the University of Birmingham, in terms of teacher training and updating on developments in the education of children and pupils who have visual impairment. Targets for pupils' achievements in individual subjects are set and reviewed as an effective way of planning for further improvement. A few subject co-ordinators monitor effectively what pupils learn in their department, however, this important aspect of the role is not consistently developed, especially in the secondary department This restricts the overall development of the curriculum and the progress that pupils make. Good links have

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Aspect Comment

been made with Perry Beeches School in preparation for when the school moves to this mainstream campus. This initiative, including training for staff about the special needs of pupils with visual impairment and discussion about curriculum, has provided a good impetus for this important and exciting development. The school has difficulty in establishing the complete budget and keeping an accurate balance of what is spent. This is due to a range of factors and resulted in a significant underspend in the previous financial year.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

 The school is well led and managed  The children are expected to work hard.  Children are helped to become mature and responsible  There were no issues identified by parents.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agree with the positive points made by parents in the responses to the questionnaire and at the parents’ meeting.

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and in art throughout the school and music in the primary department. This is largely the

result of the high quality of the teaching and the effectiveness of the support staff. Priestley Smith School - 10 1. During Years 1 and 2, activities are chosen particularly well to capture the interest of the pupils. They are often practical activities. For example, an exciting science lesson using the body to make sounds such as stamping with the feet encouraged pupils to think hard about what they could do. Different types of clicking sounds and whistles were explored successfully. The use of an interesting and varied tone of voice when reading a story helps pupils to develop a love of literature. This is developed further through the use of relevant resources. For instance, the book ‘The Big Blue Balloon ‘ was eagerly listened to because the teacher used a real balloon which pupils could feel to illustrate the story. Pupils improved their vocabulary through describing squeaking and were delighted with the ‘rude noise’ it made when the

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and in art throughout the school and music in the primary department. This is largely the

air came out. Pupils consistently make very good progress towards meeting the targets on their individual education plans.

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and in art throughout the school and music in the primary department. This is largely the

2. All pupils achieve well and make good progress in English. Particularly good progress is made in developing speaking and listening skills, a very important area, taking account the special educational needs of the pupils. Good progress is made in reading and writing. This is largely due to the expertise of staff and the clear guidance and support of the school's English co-ordinators in introducing the National Literacy Strategy successfully. This has been modified well to meet the needs of the pupils. Pupils’ good achievement and progress in mathematics are similarly influenced through the skilled use of the National Numeracy Strategy. This has particularly improved pupils’ capacity to work things out in their head.

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and in art throughout the school and music in the primary department. This is largely the

3. The quality of teaching has improved even further from the high standards set at the last inspection, resulting in equally improved levels of pupils' learning. Throughout the school, teachers plan lessons very well and are very clear how support staff will work with pupils to ensure they all do well. For example in a Year 2 mathematics lesson three activities are organised well with a teacher, a support assistant and a parent helper each taking a group. Pupils made very good progress. They learn to sort money with one adult, ‘buy’ items at a shop with another and recognise and add coins with the teacher. Planning for art is particularly good because staff expertise ensures attention is paid to all aspects of the curriculum. Pupils learn about different artists and styles of work as well as developing a wide range of skills and techniques through working with a very good selection of materials. As a result, primary age pupils produce very

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and in art throughout the school and music in the primary department. This is largely the

good designs in the style of Paul Klee. Pupils examine the designs of William Morris and make prints and collages of repeating patterns. The good links between the two subject co-ordinators ensure that skills learnt in the primary school are built on when they move to secondary school. Pupils in the secondary school work co-operatively on large pieces of art, for example collage and crayon piece illustrating Egyptian life and individual pieces. The ceramics work is of high quality. Pupils design and make masks, bowls and with great detail, model animals. Textile work is continued and complex weaving of wools and different materials produces pleasing results.

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and in art throughout the school and music in the primary department. This is largely the

4. Pupils in the primary school make very good progress in improving their musical ability. Lessons are planned very well to include playing instruments, singing, listening to music and evaluating performances. No time is wasted and pupils learn to accompany their singing for example, of call and response songs. This develops their listening skills and improves their independence effectively. Every class contributes to performances to families and friends, for instance, with the story of 'The Enormous Turnip' at the summer concert and 'The Musicians of Bremen' in the Christmas concert. Two pupils sang beautiful solos and were very well accompanied by pupils playing the keyboard and percussion instruments. The introduction of a wide range of musical styles encourages enjoyment and a will to do really well.

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and in art throughout the school and music in the primary department. This is largely the

5. Staff make sure that pupils can use specialist equipment, for example, braillers and arrange for the best conditions for each pupil’s particular difficulties. The importance of appropriately placed light sources, tilted boards and objects to indicate activities, for instance, is recognised and used as a matter of course. In a Year 11 English lesson, pupils use planning structures effectively to establish what they will need to include in a letter of application. Two pupils choose to use the computer to write and a third dictates his work to a support assistant. They have a clear understanding of the format of a formal letter by the end of the session. Good use is made of raised diagrams, for example, to help pupils in Year 6 to understand how an electrical circuit works. Pupils make very good progress developing appropriate communication skills. Many use Braille well both for reading and writing. The least able pupils are learning to use

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The provision for children in the nursery and reception year is very good, which gives children a

6. The curriculum for children in the nursery and reception year has developed very well to meet their increasingly complex special educational needs. The teachers are very knowledgeable both about the their children and how to meet their individual needs. Each child has a series of targets that help develop Priestley Smith School - 11 the main areas for their development, including language and communication, self help and independence, social skills and physical skills. These targets are set each week, maintain high yet achievable expectations for the children and form the basis for the work that teachers and support assistants do with them. This work is effectively linked with what parents do at home by the use of a home-school book and the individual education plans (IEPs). This careful and detailed planning, together with the very high level of skill and knowledge of teachers and support assistants. This results in the

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The provision for children in the nursery and reception year is very good, which gives children a

children making very good progress and the really good start to their education that is so important for young children who have visual impairment.

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The provision for children in the nursery and reception year is very good, which gives children a

7. There is particular emphasis on and success in improving communication skills and the development of social relationships. This improvement successfully enables the pupil to make progress towards other individual targets. For example, a teacher used an electric toothbrush to develop a child's understanding that she can have an effect on what happens to her, using her voice to ask for more. This session also included development of physical skills as the child tried to reach for the toothbrush. Throughout the activity the teacher used very simple language, increasing the child's understanding of and response to 'more'.

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The provision for children in the nursery and reception year is very good, which gives children a

8. Simple yet exciting resources are used to make the children enthusiastic to learn. In one lesson the children showed real delight when they had to find objects hidden in one of a set of small containers. They also gave wonderful responses when they were allowed to play the piano and guitar and were really pleased with the sounds they were able to make. These resources and activities get the children to develop their skills successfully. They make the classroom a happy place where the children want to try new things as their confidence develops.

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Increases pupils' mobility skills and use of Braille and low vision aids, enabling them to be more

9. Pupils develop a valuable range of skills to increase their independence in learning. This is the result of effective teaching of mobility skills, Braille and the use of information and communication technology and low vision aids. These skills mean that as well as being able to do their work with increasing independence pupils also make significant gains in self-confidence.

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Increases pupils' mobility skills and use of Braille and low vision aids, enabling them to be more

10. The approach to developing pupils' mobility skills, as part of a broader life skills development programme, is very well thought through and very successfully increases pupils' independence. Pupils learn a very broad and important range of skills, including the development of body awareness, putting a coat on and fastening shoes, shopping and use of money, as well as the use of the use of a long cane for those who require one and route finding. Pupils quickly learn to find their way safely around the school, developing trust in their mobility officer and gaining in self-confidence as they do so.

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Increases pupils' mobility skills and use of Braille and low vision aids, enabling them to be more

11. Pupils learn to use Braille well. In addition, the effective use of Braille Companions enables pupils to have the benefits of Braille and word processing to record their work, edit it and store it for recall it at a later date. These skills are taught very well through a series of carefully considered steps, with ongoing monitoring to ensure that each step is understood and that this understanding is consolidated as further progress is made. For example a pupil learned to move through what he had written letter by letter, word by word and sentence by sentence, checking what he had said and altering it if he wanted to. Lower ability pupils learn to use Moon symbols well. This gives them an independent means of reading and recording important information and increases their participation in lessons through specially adapted information and communication technology.

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Increases pupils' mobility skills and use of Braille and low vision aids, enabling them to be more

12. Pupils learn effectively to obtain information from the Internet. Pupils with limited vision use special programmes to enlarge the print while others with less or no sight learn to use another programme that will read the text for them. Older pupils used the Internet to search for suitable sites to find out more about the misuse of drugs and the harmful effects on their bodies. This activity also gave them good opportunity to work co-operatively, with one pupil reading the screen as another made notes of the important points in Braille. All classrooms have close circuit televisions and these are used effectively to allow pupils to read ordinary text.

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There is very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development which

helps pupils to have positive attitudes to their work and contributes to their all round development.

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There is very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development which

13. Pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personalities are moulded effectively by the very good emphasis on moral, social and cultural development. Spiritual development is promoted well through allowing time for reflection. Pupils are encouraged to think about the progress they are making, and the feelings and Priestley Smith School - 12 emotions they have, for example, when they listen to a piece of music. Very good examples of poetry on the theme of light show a strong spiritual awareness. Staff expect pupils to be considerate of others and this is further emphasised through the code of conduct. Praise is given when pupils are seen helping each other, such as locating a chair or applauding success. Turn taking and sharing are emphasised and pupils learn to listen to each other and to wait patiently. A sense of responsibility for the wider world and those in need is encouraged. Pupils select appropriate recipients for donations they have collected. They have

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There is very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development which

recently supported the fund for the victims of the Turkish earthquake, the local hospice and the donkey sanctuary on different occasions.

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There is very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development which

14. A school council has been established which helps representatives to learn to collect ideas from other pupils, to debate suggestions and seek solutions to problems that will benefit the whole school. One result of their work is a drinking water fountain, which has been installed. This success has done much to develop the confidence of pupils. Their social development is improved through the wide range of activities including sporting events with other schools such as athletics, swimming or tandem riding. Pupils are proud to represent their school. Residential visits further increase independence. Older pupils commented they learnt a great deal about self reliance from their recent visit to Keswick. Towards the end of Year 10, pupils participate in a well supported work experience scheme as part of a curriculum that prepares them effectively for the responsibilities of life when they leave school. However, they

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There is very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development which

would benefit further through a broader range of opportunities to find out about the world of work.

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There is very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development which

15. Pupils are given many very good opportunities to explore and celebrate cultural differences. Music and songs from many countries are introduced and the backgrounds carefully explained. Pupils are taken to theatres for plays such as Wind in the Willows and they learn about the world’s great religions. For example, the important symbols of Islam. Years 5 and 6 have been selected to take part in a performance of Benjamin Britten’s ‘Noyes Fludde’ at the Symphony hall in Birmingham in November. Visitors are brought into the school, for example, actors portraying medieval archers and American Indians and they successfully bring an awareness of the importance of the past to pupils. Older pupils learnt a great deal about French culture when they visited a French market taking place in Sutton Coldfield.

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There is very good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development which

16. Pupils clearly develop very positive attitudes towards their work and towards life in general. They talk with interest and enthusiasm about what they particularly enjoy. For example, they comment that mental mathematics sessions are very good and state they enjoy stories whether read or on tape recordings. The visit of the ‘bug lady’ who brought all sorts of insects into school was a clear favourite. Several pupils overcame initial fears and touched a large spider. Pupils feel very confident that the staff of the school ‘really care’ about them.

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Ensuring that pupils consistently build on what they have learned in all subjects as they move from

17. The introduction of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have provided valuable structures for ensuring that what pupils learn in the primary department is built upon effectively in Year 7. However, such a planning framework does not exist for all other subject areas. Although primary school subject co- ordinators meet with their secondary department counterpart to try to make sure this planning takes place this does not always happen sufficiently regularly. The role of the subject co-ordinator in the secondary department, in particular, is not well developed to ensure that this good planning occurs across all areas of the curriculum.

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Ensuring that pupils consistently build on what they have learned in all subjects as they move from

18. Subject co-ordinators in the secondary department do not consistently monitor what is learned across all teaching groups to ensure that pupils build effectively and efficiently on their progress in the primary department. This situation is made more difficult because pupils from Priestley Smith School are taught by staff from the Wilson Stuart School and the Secondary Resources Centre and subject co-ordinators do not feel they have responsibility for monitoring what is taught by these staff. The potentially valuable cross-campus subject meetings, which involve the specialist teachers from each of the three schools on the campus who teach pupils in the secondary department, do not have a sufficiently clear role and expectation that they will make sure that this co-ordinated planning takes place. In addition, these meetings do not always meet frequently enough. All relevant teachers are not present at the planned

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Ensuring that pupils consistently build on what they have learned in all subjects as they move from

meetings and the time for joint discussion and planning is used for moderating the examination work of pupils in Year 11 or by the individual teachers for their own planning. As a result no one has a complete Priestley Smith School - 13 picture of all that pupils learn across each subject which contributes to the progress being good rather than very good.

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Meet all pupils' needs to the same high standard by making sure that individual education plans

(IEPs) are consistently of the highest quality.

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Meet all pupils' needs to the same high standard by making sure that individual education plans

19. There has been an overall improvement since the last inspection in the quality of individual education plans (IEPs), although, there is still too much variability in the quality of the IEPs throughout the school. These plans are particularly good for pupils in the nursery and reception class and for pupils in Years 1 and 2. These IEPs identify clearly the most important targets for children's and pupils' learning and, as such, contribute well to their progress. Some IEPs continue to contain targets that are not sufficiently specific and detailed to direct pupils' learning as well as they should. For example, to improve spelling or read an increased amount of environmental text do not provide the teacher and support assistant with sufficient information to focus their teaching. As a consequence, teachers do not always take enough action to ensure the targets are met and the targets are repeated in subsequent IEPs.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

20. The headteacher, senior management team, staff and governing body should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Improve the links between what pupils learn in the primary school, particularly in Year 6 with what is taught in Year 7 onwards;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Monitor the individual education plans and work with staff to ensure all targets are specific, achievable and appropriate. Priestley Smith 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 28

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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

The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than five percentage points.

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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 57

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 24

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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 23

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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 4

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 0

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Priestley Smith School - 15

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 7 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 1 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

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 14.8* Financial year 2000/1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 4.6

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. *includes approxuimately 2.4 teachers for outreach support Total income 1,098,130*

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YN – Y6 Total expenditure 1,075,055*

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 13 Expenditure per pupil 16,289

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 422 Balance brought forward from previous year 82,946

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 105,769** * includes outreach support ** arising from uncertainties in the overall budget

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 1.4

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 2

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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) 1

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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. Priestley Smith School - 16

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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. 63 32 0 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 58 32 0 0 11

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 53 47 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 69 26 5 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 72 22 6 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 63 37 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 74 16 11 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 78 22 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 67 33 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 53 37 11 0 0

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