Fox Hollies School

FOX HOLLIES SCHOOL

419 Fox Hollies Road, Acocks Green, Birmingham, B27 7QA

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FOX HOLLIES SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 28 th – 29 th March 2001

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FOX HOLLIES 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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FOX HOLLIES 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. Fox Hollies School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Age range of students: 11 – 19 years old

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: 419 Fox Hollies Road Acocks Green Birmingham

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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: Mr Ray Bishop

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 16/06/1997 Fox Hollies School - 4

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Team members

2925 Peter Johnson Registered Inspector 9710 Rosemary Burgess Lay Inspector 11414 Ann Braithwaite Team Inspector 1358 Glyn Essex Team Inspector 22611 Helen Morgan Team Inspector

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Team members

Quality Assurance Consultants The Hucclecote Centre Churchdown Lane Hucclecote Gloucester GL3 3QN

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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 Fox Hollies 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 Students’ 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

Fox Hollies is a day special school providing education for students in the 11 – 19 years age range; forty-four students have severe learning difficulties and twenty three have profound and multiple learning difficulties. All students have a statement of special educational need. There are sixty-seven students on roll; forty -four boys and twenty- three girls. The number on roll is broadly similar to that at the time of the previous inspection, but the proportions of boys and girls has changed markedly. In 1997 there were broadly equal numbers of boys and girls. The number of students is about the same as other schools of the same type. About one-third of students are from minority ethnic groups, mainly black-Caribbean and Asian; this is broadly similar to the ethnic composition at the time of the previous inspection. Twelve students have English as an additional language with Urdu, Bengali, Punjabi and Gujarati being the principal first languages spoken. Almost half of the students are

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

eligible for free school meals, which is broadly similar to the number at the time of the previous inspection. The school achieved specialist “Performing Arts College” status in September 2000. This is in partnership with a neighbouring secondary school.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a school where very good is the norm, excellence is commonplace and the desire to achieve excellence in all things is very real. It is an excellent school. Students are enthusiastic about the school, they work very hard in their lessons and achieve the very best of which they are capable, in all aspects of their work and development, because the teaching and care they receive are outstanding. The headteacher leads and inspires a dedicated team of staff. It is a school that thinks very carefully about the things that matter in the lives of its students and then plans precisely so that it can provide the best opportunities for them to succeed. The school grasps every opportunity to extend students’ learning; for example, the excellent work of both staff and students in the performing arts has been used effectively to influence teaching and learning across the curriculum. All of this is achieved in

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

buildings that are depressing, inadequate and substandard. The school provides excellent value for money.

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What the school does well

 Helps all students to achieve very high standards in their work and personal development.  Ensures very high standards of teaching and learning.  Provides a rich and exciting range of opportunities for students to learn about themselves, others and the community in which they live.  Exploits the excellent provision for the performing arts in a way that improves teaching and learning across the curriculum and enhances the opportunities for students to learn in mainstream schools.  Provides inspirational leadership and excellent management at all levels.

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What could be improved

 The accommodation. 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

Improvement since the previous inspection, in 1997, has been very good. With one exception, that of the accommodation, action to improve the areas identified then for improvement has been very good. Planning and teaching of the core-skills curriculum for students with complex learning difficulties is now very good as a result of the school having embarked on a very successful programme that improved the skills of teachers and assistants. The use of information and communication technology is now good but, in keeping with its desire for excellence, the school is seeking still further improvement to this aspect of its work. There have been significant improvements in other areas. From a high base at the time of the previous inspection, the quality of teaching has soared and it is now outstanding; consequently students’ achievements are now much better in all aspects of their development. The development of provision for the performing arts has made a significant contribution to the

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

improvement of teaching and learning. Procedures to care for students and links with parents and the community are better; in all other respects the school has sustained the high standards previously reported. However, Fox Hollies School - 7 despite plans to move the school to a different location and new premises, the staff remains burdened by poor accommodation and this circumscribes further improvement

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STANDARDS

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

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5 11 16 19

speaking and listening N/A N/A A A very good A

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5 11 16 19

mathematics N/A N/A A A unsatisfactory D personal, social and health education N/A N/A A A poor E other personal targets set at annual reviews or in IEPs* N/A N/A A A * IEPs are individual education plans for students with special educational needs.

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5 11 16 19

The above table indicates the very good progress made by all students. The school sets its students challenging targets in all aspects of their work and development. Students are largely successful in achieving these targets because they are taught and supported very well. They achieve very well in all aspects of their work and development. In particular, their achievement in communication skills at all ages is excellent; speech and language therapy makes a major contribution to these high standards. Achievement is similarly excellent in the performing arts and in all aspects of students’ personal and social development.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Students’ attitudes to school are excellent.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Students who, because of their complex learning difficulties, sometimes behave in a very challenging way, respond very well to the calm and sensitive approach of adults.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Excellent. There is a real sense of partnership between adults and students, which results in high quality teaching and the excellent personal development of students.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Satisfactory: it is in line with the average for similar schools. The school recognises this as a relative weakness and has plans to improve.

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Aspect Comment

Students’ enthusiasm for school is remarkable; they show the highest level of interest and involvement in the wide range of activities that are made available to them. They behave very well and show considerable awareness of the way their behaviour affects others. Students are very kind and caring towards one another; they celebrate each other’s triumphs and readily provide support for each other whenever personal or academic difficulties threaten to become overwhelming. They follow the exceptional role models provided by adults by showing a high level of respect for each other’s feelings and dignity. Students’ ability to show initiative and their acceptance of personal responsibility are excellent. Fox Hollies School - 8

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

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

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

Teaching and learning are outstanding. All teaching is at least good, almost half is very good and a quarter is excellent. Lessons are joyous events which make teaching and learning fun. Students’ interest in learning and their levels of concentration are exceptionally high because teaching, which is based on a precise knowledge of their skills and attributes, inspires and challenges them to achieve of their best. Consequently the most able students produce work of a quantity and high quality which is unusual in schools of this type and the less able, including those with the most complex difficulties, strive hard to meet the challenging targets set for them. In all lessons, support assistants make an excellent contribution to students’ learning and, throughout the school and at break and lunchtimes, all adults seek to exploit every opportunity to help students achieve their best. This is a learning

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. The school provides a rich and diverse range of opportunities for students to learn. Provision for the performing arts and extra-curricular activities is excellent and has a very significant impact on students’ achievements.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for students with English as an additional language Provision, using all forms of augmentative communication, such as signs and symbols, is very good.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for students’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development This is a spiritual place. Students are taught to value and respect themselves and each other. They come to know that they may be different but that this in itself is of no consequence; they are equal and of equal worth.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its students The procedures to ensure students’ protection, safety and wellbeing are very good.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum are very good. Provision for students’ personal and social development, for students with complex difficulties and for the development of students’ communication skills are particular strengths. The school plans its curriculum very well so that all students enjoy excellent and equal access and opportunity. The way the school uses information technology has improved to a good standard but it remains a relative weakness in comparison to the high standards elsewhere; the school recognises this and has plans to improve still further. There are also plans to improve the existing very good provision for students with English as an additional language. Provision for students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. The school cares for its students very well; students receive excellent educational and personal support and guidance because their personal and academic development are monitored rigorously and

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Aspect Comment

demanding targets are set for improvement. This results in students’ high achievement. Fox Hollies School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage-ment by the headteacher and other key staff The headteacher provides inspirational leadership. Management at all levels is excellent.

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Aspect Comment

How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities The governing body is strongly supportive. It knows the strengths and weaknesses of the school and is determined to help it improve further. It fulfils its responsibilities very well.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The monitoring and evaluation of the work of the school is excellent.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Excellent use is made of every resource available to the school.

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Aspect Comment

The headteacher provides an excellent role model through her commitment to high standards and quality. She inspires staff to seek continuous improvement to the high standards they already achieve. Management is excellent at all levels and administration is smooth and efficient. The school monitors its own performance effectively, sets demanding targets for improvement, and implements effective action to achieve them. The school makes best possible use of its resources, including the inadequate accommodation. The poor quality of the school’s accommodation places a constraint on the school’s capacity to sustain and extend its improvement that is wholly obstructive and unfair.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

 That their children like school.  That their children make good progress and they are well informed about it.  That teaching throughout the school is good.  That the school works closely with them and they feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or problems.  That the school has high expectations of their children and helps them to become more responsible.  That the school is well led and managed.  Some thought that their children were given insufficient work to do at home.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

Inspectors agree fully with the positive views of parents. They did not agree, however, with those who thought that their children were given insufficient work to do at home. Inspectors judge that students are effectively challenged by the work they do in school and the amount of homework given is sufficient to extend the good work students do in class. Fox Hollies School - 10

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Helps all students to achieve very high standards in their work and personal development.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

1. The school sets its students challenging targets in all aspects of their work and development. Students with severe learning difficulties know their targets and understand what they have to do to achieve them. Students of all abilities are largely successful in achieving these targets because they are taught and supported very well. They achieve very well in all aspects of their work and development. This is an improvement since the previous inspection, when the achievement of students with complex difficulties was less pronounced than that of other students in the school.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

2. The school provides a wider range of accreditation than it did in 1997. Students in Years 10 and 11 and those over the age of sixteen now have opportunities to achieve accreditation in a number of areas. Many are successful. In 2000, students achieved externally accredited awards in food preparation and cooking, personal safety, pottery and ceramics, using a computer, work awareness, managing money, and in the vocational skills of employability, garage worker, shop assistant and kitchen worker.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

3. Achievements in English are very good. The development of students’ all-round communications skills is given the highest priority and the progress of all students in this crucial area is excellent. The school’s use of the performing arts in particular makes a major contribution to the development of students’ confidence in their abilities to speak, listen and communicate in a variety of ways. Provision for speech and language therapy is very good. Achievement and progress in reading and writing, using both language and symbols, are very good. The school knows that it needs to improve further students’ use of information and communication technology so that students, especially the higher-attaining ones, develop their ability to draft, edit and produce longer pieces of written work.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

4. Students of all ages and abilities achieve very well in mathematics because lessons engage them in activities that are well matched to their potential. In a numeracy lesson in Year 9, for example, students with complex learning difficulties responded well to a number rhyme and the counting of action man figures by the support assistants, a more-able group recognised and ordered digits up to ten, while the most able in the group recited the two, five and ten multiplication tables and used a Venn Diagram to explain the concept of multiples. More-able, older students, those over the age of sixteen, have a sound understanding of money, which they have gained through both formal lessons and practical shopping experiences. Students’ work shows very good achievement in a range of topics such as the measurement of time, capacity and mass.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

5. Achievement in science is very good. Students with complex learning difficulties respond differently to different stimuli and show a basic understanding of the concept of cause and effect. More-able students show an understanding of light, including reflection and shadows; they know how shadows are formed and can create them by placing an object between a light source and a screen. Students’ work shows knowledge of human biology and of the factors influencing plant growth. The achievement of the most able students is enhanced by the opportunity to work alongside students of the same age in the laboratory of Queensbridge school.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

6. Students achieve well in design and technology, especially in the food aspect of the subject. In French student’s achievement is very good, less-able students are given appropriate experience in the language while the more able are acquiring and using a basic vocabulary of simple words and Fox Hollies School - 11 phrases. Achievement in the performing arts is excellent; all students enjoy performing dance and drama. In dance they perform in time to music and demonstrate very good control and movement.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

7. The achievement of students with complex learning difficulties in the school’s core curriculum is very good. They respond very well to the targets set for them and strive hard to achieve them. The personal and social development of all students is excellent. There is a very real partnership in all lessons, where students support each other in learning. The performing arts have made a major contribution to the development of students’ independence, esteem and ability to collaborate with one another.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

Ensures very high standards of teaching and learning.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

8. Teaching and learning have improved significantly since the last inspection; they were good in 1997 but are now outstanding. All teaching is at least good, almost half is very good and a quarter is excellent. Consequently, students’ learning is similarly very good.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

9. Lessons are joyous events which make teaching and learning fun. Students’ interest in learning and their levels of concentration are exceptionally high because teaching, which is based on a precise knowledge of the students’ skills and attributes, inspires and challenges them to achieve their best. Consequently the most able students produce work of a quantity and quality which is exceptional for schools of this type and the less able, including those with the most complex difficulties, strive hard to meet the challenging targets set for them. In a drama lesson for seventeen and eighteen year old students, for example, a large group with complex learning difficulties took great pleasure in exploring a range of masks and face coverings, while a smaller number of more-able students used different hats to adopt familiar roles from a popular television series.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

10. Teachers have a very good knowledge and understanding of the subjects they teach and they are ably supported by assistants who are well briefed about the subjects and how they should be taught. Both teachers and assistants have excellent knowledge of their students and of the different methods for teaching those with complex learning difficulties; this is an improvement since the previous inspection. Consequently, the pace of learning in all lessons is very good. Lesson planning is detailed so that students of all abilities are challenged by the activities. In a literacy lesson for Year 9 students, for example, the expectation evident in the planning and the deployment of assistants resulted in an exceptionally high level of challenge; the students responded excellently with the more-able using words such as “gambol” when describing what could be done in the rain, and those with complex difficulties showing by expression that they could follow a story using pictures of

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

11. In all lessons, the partnership between teachers and support assistants is a strength. In a science lesson for students in Years 8 and 9, for example, students’ enthusiasm for the subject and their behaviour were excellent because the excellent teaching focussed very carefully on their abilities. Consequently students of all abilities were able to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of light; in this lesson the teacher and support assistants were a very effective team. Similarly excellent teamwork in a geography lesson ensured that all students, including those with the most complex learning difficulties, were fully involved in the study of Japanese costumes.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

12. Adults manage very well the sometimes challenging behaviour of students with complex difficulties. They do so by providing activities which captivate the students’ attention and motivate them to learn. Despite this high level of skill, the management of such behaviour is sometimes made extremely difficult by the poor accommodation and it is only because teachers and managers have this skill in abundance that the school is able to ensure the safety and well being of its students. Fox Hollies School - 12 13. The school is a learning community. Throughout the day, students and adults work in a real partnership to learn together. In lessons and during informal sessions at break and lunchtimes, all adults seek to exploit every opportunity to help students achieve their best. Adults take great care to learn from their students’ responses to situations and activities so that they can help them to make the

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

best possible progress in their academic and personal development.

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Provides a rich and exciting range of opportunities for students to learn about themselves,

others and the wider community in which they live.

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Provides a rich and exciting range of opportunities for students to learn about themselves,

14. A very well planned curriculum provides students with a rich and varied range of activities. There is very good coverage of the National Curriculum and religious education and the very effective emphasis on the basic skills ensures that students of all levels of attainment make very good progress in literacy and numeracy. Throughout the curriculum, the promotion of students’ communication skills is outstanding and is well supported by very good speech and language therapy. In information and communication technology (ICT), however, the school has improved provision since the last inspection but recognises that it does not yet provide a sufficiently wide range of activities from the subject’s programme of study. Inspectors agree with the school’s plans to improve the subject further. Overall, however, the curriculum provides a very good match of work and activities with the needs and interests of all students. Since the last inspection the school has

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Provides a rich and exciting range of opportunities for students to learn about themselves,

improved greatly the curriculum provided for students with complex learning difficulties, particularly in the area of basic skills; this curriculum and its teaching are now very good. Equality of opportunity is now a strength of the curriculum.

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Provides a rich and exciting range of opportunities for students to learn about themselves,

15. The school has also developed excellent opportunities additional to the subjects of the National Curriculum. Its work in the performing arts is outstanding and provision for personal, social and health education, for work-related studies and for extra-curricular activities is excellent. The school’s keen ability to make use of other organisations and facilities, both in the locality and beyond, and its very productive links with other schools are major factors in this success.

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Provides a rich and exciting range of opportunities for students to learn about themselves,

16. The development of students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is integral to everything the school does and is excellent. The very real contributions made by students to the day- to-day running of the school and the very effective use made of music and the visual arts are just two examples among many of the excellent way in which the school enriches the all-round development of its students. Parents consider that the school helps their children to develop the skills and attributes that will enable them to cope confidently with life after school. Inspectors agree with this view.

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learning across the school and enhances the opportunities for students to learn in mainstream

17. The granting of Performing Arts College (PAC) status in collaboration with Queensbridge School, a local mainstream secondary school, has brought considerable benefit to the students and staff of both schools. Very good co-operation between the two schools means the project is making significant progress in meeting the targets the project has set for itself. The PAC funding is used to good effect; for example, all students work with professional directors and artists in music, drama and dance. Additional money has been used to create specialist rooms in Queensbridge School for use by both partners in the project.

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learning across the school and enhances the opportunities for students to learn in mainstream

18. Fox Hollies School breaks the mould of what is possible in special school and mainstream school collaboration. In Fox Hollies School the quality of student's work in performing arts is excellent and has gained recognition beyond the school. Work of such quality enables this special school to contribute as an equal and, in some activities, a leading partner in the project. Fox Hollies School - 13 19. The educational value of the partnership is significant. The performing arts make a major contribution to student's personal and social skills. Students enjoy working together and sharing ideas and this is helping to raise the academic achievement of students from both schools. They are successful in communicating these ideas to others through dance, music and drama. In current rehearsals for a performance at the local arts centre they are working with a professional director on a lively retelling of a classical Indian story. Students from Queensbridge School are working with

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learning across the school and enhances the opportunities for students to learn in mainstream

them to provide traditional drumming accompaniment. The use of lighting and costume adds to the performance. The whole activity gives students the confidence and skills to communicate to large groups of people and does much for their self-esteem. Students relish performing in a real theatre to a real audience. Equally, many opportunities are provided for students to show their work to others in both their own and other schools. The school is making good progress towards meeting its target of increasing the proportion of students performing for others.

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learning across the school and enhances the opportunities for students to learn in mainstream

20. Teaching in performing arts lessons is of a high quality. Teacher's expectations of what students can achieve in dance, drama and music are high. Relationships among students and with staff are excellent; as a result the spirit of lessons is of everyone working hard but also of great fun and enjoyment. Students are proud of what they achieve and pleased to share their successes with others. Equally, they are generous in their recognition of what other students can do. Teachers use a wide range of methods to interest and motivate students. These methods provide examples of good practice that influence work in other subjects. Recent activities have included working with history teachers on a project about children evacuated during World War II. The latest project has seen the production of a compact disc of a song created and played by students. Design and technology and art work have contributed to the production of the disc to a commercial standard.

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learning across the school and enhances the opportunities for students to learn in mainstream

21. As both schools and their students work together there is a developing awareness of the rights and needs of the individual and a recognition of individual differences. The schools work together in a true partnership to the benefit of all.

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learning across the school and enhances the opportunities for students to learn in mainstream

Provides inspirational leadership and excellent management at all levels.

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learning across the school and enhances the opportunities for students to learn in mainstream

22. Leadership of the school is excellent. The headteacher leads by example; her commitment to the development of the school and the achievement of its students inspires staff and students alike to strive towards the highest possible standards. She encourages staff to explore the boundaries of possibility for students with severe and complex learning difficulties. Staff respond to this encouragement enthusiastically and consequently there is, throughout the school, a strong belief that there are no limits on what is possible for students to achieve whatever their abilities. As a result, teaching and learning are outstanding and students achieve the best of which they are capable. The staff provide excellent role models for their students.

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learning across the school and enhances the opportunities for students to learn in mainstream

23. Management is excellent at all levels and administration is smooth and efficient. The focus of management is the achievement of higher standards and quality. All staff are aware of this and of their role in the pursuit of this aim and they strive tirelessly to achieve it. The headteacher is supported well by an excellent senior management team and very effective subject leaders. Consequently, improvement planning at all levels is excellent. The governing body is more effective than it was at the time of the previous inspection. It is now better informed about the strengths and weaknesses of the school and is therefore in a better position to support its improvement. The effectiveness of the governors is recognised by parents who comment positively on their contribution to the school.

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learning across the school and enhances the opportunities for students to learn in mainstream

24. The school monitors its own performance effectively, sets demanding targets for improvement and implements effective action to achieve them. The school makes best possible use of its resources, including the inadequate accommodation. Teachers and assistants are deployed well Fox Hollies School - 14 and are provided with excellent opportunities to increase their knowledge and expertise. Financial planning is excellent; the budget is used to best effect to support the drive for higher standards and specific grants, such as those for staff training or the funds allocated for the performing arts, are used appropriately and effectively. The school provides excellent value for money. However, the buildings circumscribe further improvement because they place a limit on the extent to which the school can proceed with its plans for further improvement to teaching, learning and inclusion.

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The accommodation

25. The school and its partner secondary school share a common vision for the planned co- location; that two communities should become one, that adults and students should learn together and from one another, and that all members of the new community should come to value and respect one another’s similarities and differences. In short, they wish to change the society in which their students live and learn. It is a bold and exciting step, which the local education authority’s plans recognise. But it is one that cannot be made at the present time as things stand without dramatic improvements to the schools accommodation. Although the school strives tirelessly to improve students’ achievements by the development of inclusive practices that give students access to the best opportunities, it is successful only because of the dedication and commitment of staff and that of their partners in overcoming the severe limitations imposed by the buildings in which Fox Hollies School

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The accommodation

is housed. Further development of these inclusive practices that would permit a genuine two-way flow of students, staff, ideas and activities is now constrained by the location and quality of the accommodation.

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The accommodation

26. In sum: the buildings are depressing, inadequate and substandard, and fail to provide a suitable environment for students aged eleven to nineteen. The catalogue of deficiencies is long:

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The accommodation

 classrooms in the main building are mostly cramped and unpleasant, and have little natural light;  some classrooms are too small when large groups of students with complex learning difficulties are taught together and it is only the skill of staff that keeps students safe in these circumstances;  corridors in the main building are very narrow, making access for wheelchairs and for those students who have mobility problems extremely difficult;  temporary classrooms are in a very poor state of repair and in one, and, in the main building, the toilet facilities provided for students do not respect their privacy and dignity;  there are no specialist teaching rooms for science, design and technology, including food technology, and art; and no dedicated room for speech and language therapy. The school lacks rooms that can be used for individual work with students or by specialist tuition such as education psychologists;

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The accommodation

 space for physical education, both indoors and out, is very limited;  the multi-purpose hall is inadequate: it is too small for the students attending the school and while the mirrors and practice bars contribute significantly to the teaching and learning of dance and drama, they present a potential hazard when other sports such as basketball are performed;  the hall is too small even for all students to eat together as a community, forcing the older students to eat in their classroom a situation which is unsatisfactory;  the hall is used for the teaching of PE, dance and drama and the noise which these activities inevitably generate spreads throughout the main building, interrupting lessons in other rooms;  the hall is also the only thoroughfare between the main buildings and temporary classrooms so that lessons in the hall are frequently disrupted;  the school library is inadequate; it is cramped, restricting access to groups of students, and it has

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The accommodation

no natural light;  the school kitchen is in a poor state of repair; Fox Hollies School - 15  administrative accommodation is unsatisfactory; the administration team works in the school entrance area which is inappropriate and inadequate for the purpose;  there are no changing facilities for staff who teach dance and PE, and no showers or changing rooms for students.

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The accommodation

27. Despite these major deficiencies the staff, including caretaking and cleaning staff through their optimism and determination, strive hard to make the accommodation a lively and interesting place. They achieve some success but even these dedicated people cannot overcome the inherent inadequacies of the buildings. The implementation of the authority’s plans for co-location in new premises is urgently required so that the impediment to the school’s continued drive towards excellence can be removed.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

28. To improve further the existing very high standards of teaching and learning, the headteacher, senior managers, governors and parents of the school should continue to press with the utmost urgency with the interest for the successful implementation of plans for the move of the school to new and suitable premises so that:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

1. the school’s vision for excellence in all aspects of its work can be realised;

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

2. the existing very good inclusive practice can be both protected and enhanced, and

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

3. the ceiling on the school’s capacity for further improvement is removed. Fox Hollies School - 16

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and students 24

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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 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 students

Students on the school’s roll No of students

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Information about the school’s students

Number of students on the school’s roll 67

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Information about the school’s students

Number of full-time students known to be eligible for free school meals 30

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Information about the school’s students

English as an additional language No of students

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Information about the school’s students

Number of students with English as an additional language 12

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Information about the school’s students

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of students

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Information about the school’s students

Students who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 0

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Information about the school’s students

Students 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. Fox Hollies School - 17

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Ethnic background of students Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 2 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of students Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of students Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 7 Other minority ethnic groups

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Ethnic background of students Exclusions in the last school year

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

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: Y7 – Y14

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 10.49 Financial year 99/00

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of students per qualified teacher 6.39:1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 749397

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y7 – Y14 Total expenditure 741413

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 20 Expenditure per pupil 11066

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 572 Balance brought forward from previous year 24577

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 30222 Fox Hollies School - 18

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 69 27 4 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 50 46 4 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 30 25 30 5 10

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 85 12 4 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. 81 19 0 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. 69 27 0 0 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 73 23 4 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 84 12 0 0 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 81 12 4 0 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 68 16 4 0 12

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