Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit

CAMDEN PRIMARY PUPIL REFERRAL UNIT

Dates of inspection: 10th–12th July 2000

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CAMDEN PRIMARY PUPIL REFERRAL UNIT

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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CAMDEN PRIMARY PUPIL REFERRAL UNIT

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the unit. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the unit 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. Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIT

Type of school: Primary Pupil Referral Unit

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIT

Unit address: 100 Stanhope Street London

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIT

Appropriate authority: Local Education Authority

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIT

Name of responsible officer: Mohammed Mehmet, Assistant Director Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 4

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Denise Lynn Registered inspector English The characteristics and effectiveness of the unit Information technology Teaching and learning Leadership and management Key Issues for action Caroline Marden Lay inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development Partnership with parents and carers Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Jed Donnelly Team inspector Mathematics The unit’s results and pupils’ achievements Science Quality and range of opportunities for learning

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Capital Inspections Chaucer Buildings Canterbury Road Morden Surrey SM4 6PX

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

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

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 9

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

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIT

Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit is situated in an area of mixed economic and social backgrounds. The nine pupils currently attending the full-time provision are drawn from eight local primary schools. Most of these pupils have statements of special educational needs or are awaiting final statements. There are six pupils who are dual registered in the unit and local primary schools, are taught part-time in the unit separately, and attend local primary schools as part of the School Inclusion Primary Project (SIPP) and are supported by staff from the PRU. At the time of the inspection one pupil who has Autistic Spectrum disorder is taught on her own in the mornings by staff. All other pupils are male and ethnic minority groups of Bengali, Arabic, Spanish and Ghanaian are represented. Four pupils speak English as an additional language. Pupils attend the unit which is part of the authority’s Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) provision, and pupils who attend all

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIT

have severe emotional, behavioural and communications difficulties.

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HOW GOOD THE UNIT IS

The unit is effective and prepares pupils well for the next stage of education. In relation to pupils’ prior experiences in mainstream school and the consequent gaps in their knowledge and understanding pupils’ progress in the unit is good. Pupils’ achievements in the lessons observed was always satisfactory and often good. Teaching is always satisfactory and is often good or very good. Pupils’ progress in personal development is very good. The leadership and management of the unit by the local education authority is effective. Day-to- day management by the head of service and the two co-ordinators who act as deputies is good. The unit provides satisfactory value for money.

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What the unit does well

• Achievement by all pupils relative to their prior attainment is good. • Teaching is good. • The head of the unit is an effective leader and manager. • Pupils demonstrate very positive attitudes to lessons on most occasions. • Pupils’ personal development is very good. • The team work of the whole staff is a strength of the unit.

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What could be improved

• The provision for the pupil with Autistic Spectrum disorder. • The teaching of numeracy and literacy within the appropriate mixture of group work and individually. • The balance of the part-time pupils’ curriculum each week. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the action plan prepared by the local education authority.

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STANDARDS

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

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Progress in: by age 11 Key

personal, social and health education A unsatisfactory D

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Progress in: by age 11 Key

other personal targets set at annual reviews A poor E Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 7 Full-time pupils arrive at the unit with a history of fragmented experiences of mainstream schools. They make good progress and their standards of attainment improve during their time in the unit. The full-time pupils make consistently good progress. Due to the nature of the part-time placement for dual registered pupils, a greater emphasis is placed on maintaining their mainstream placement, through the provision of a secure and stable environment rather than a balanced curriculum and they make satisfactory progress overall. The learning targets are set and agreed by pupils and the evaluation of their learning is a very good feature of the unit.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the unit Good overall and very good for those pupils who are full-time. Based on pupils’ past experiences it is remarkable that they demonstrate this enthusiasm.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Pupils’ behaviour during the inspection was good and often very good. On a few occasions when pupils could not manage a change of activity, good opportunities for pupils to make the right choices and focus on learning was readily given and very effective.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Good, this provides pupils with a personal sense of well being and boosts their self-confidence and esteem. This helps to prepare them for the next stage of education.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is satisfactory and, for most pupils, marks real progress.

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Teaching of pupils:

Lessons seen overall 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:

Teaching is good. Good teaching was seen across the range of subjects observed. The skills of literacy and numeracy are well taught through one-to-one tuition. The best lessons challenge pupils to try harder and teachers have high expectations of pupils with a clear focus on learning together with very skilful management of very challenging pupils. This expectation has a positive effect on pupils’ learning and they make good progress overall. Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 8

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The full-time pupils are provided with a good curriculum with appropriate emphasis on literacy and numeracy. The quality and breadth of learning opportunities for the part-time pupils is satisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with special educational needs The provision for the one pupil with Autistic Spectrum disorder who is taught on her own with no opportunities for planned social inclusion with her peers is unsatisfactory.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. Pupils’ personal, moral and social development is actively promoted and is a strength of the unit. Pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is good.

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Aspect Comment

How well the unit cares for its pupils Very good. Staff have excellent relationships with pupils. Pupils are praised and rewarded consistently for work and in managing their own behaviour. Very good child protection arrangements.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The head of the unit is an effective leader and manager. The very positive ethos is underpinned by good policies and procedures. The head and co- ordinators who act as deputies have a clear vision although a few aspects of the school development plan lack rigour.

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Aspect Comment

How well the management committee fulfils its responsibilities The governance by the local education authority is appropriate and the management group has a good overview of the work of the unit, although there is insufficient involvement in providing strategic guidance to the head of the unit.

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Aspect Comment

The unit’s evaluation of its performance The unit has effectively monitored its performance; for example, in aspects of pupil management and has, if required, changed standard practice.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The good use of the high staff to pupil ratio is effective in providing good learning opportunities and improved self-esteem for all pupils.

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What pleases parents/carers most What parents/carers would like to see improved

• The progress the children make, particularly in managing their own behaviour. • The opportunity to share whole family concerns with staff. • The very approachable, supportive staff who treat the pupils as individuals. Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 9 In the parents’/carers’ meeting and in the questionnaires, parents/carers are very supportive of the work of the unit which they say is good. The inspection team agrees with the parents/carers. Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 10

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The unit’s results and achievements

1. The characteristics of the pupils for whom the unit caters make it inappropriate to judge their attainment against age-related national expectations or averages. However, the report does give examples of what pupils know, understand and can do in each key stage. Judgements about progress and references to attainment take account of information contained in pupils' statements and annual reviews of individual pupil targets. References to more and less able pupils and those with additional needs are made within the context of the school's population.

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The unit’s results and achievements

2. Pupils’ attainment on entry is assessed to form the basis of the Individual Education Plan. Standards range from pupils with learning difficulties working well below national expectations to a few performing in line with national averages for Key Stages 1 and 2; for example in aspects of art, swimming and drama. However, in most cases the attainment level on arrival is lower than pupils of a similar age. This is because of their fragmented curriculum experiences due in part to poor attendance linked with their severe emotional and behavioural difficulties. During their time at the unit they make good progress in their learning and very good progress in their personal development. They meet the key targets set for them in their Individual Education Plans because their daily targets are realistic, sufficiently challenging and directly linked to key targets. Additionally the teachers’ goals for the session are created as a result of daily review and this

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The unit’s results and achievements

provides powerful support of pupils’ progress.

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The unit’s results and achievements

3. The unit has arrangements for assessing pupils’ attainment and progress. Due to the interim and part-time nature of the provision the unit does not administer any of the National Curriculum tests. However, some initial assessment takes place and sampling of pupils’ work informs planning and monitors progress. On a few occasions the information on pupils from their primary feeder schools is late in arriving or does not contain sufficient information on attainment or progress to provide a reliable starting point.

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The unit’s results and achievements

4. Involving the pupils in evaluating their weekly learning intentions is a good feature of the unit’s work. This activity supports improvements in their self-esteem and involves them in celebrating successful achievements. These procedures are very effective in contributing to pupils’ academic progress and personal development. The positive reward system is used consistently and the pupils understand how it works and some pupils demonstrate very high levels of maturity in evaluating their behaviour and attitudes during a session; for example, one pupil, during one such session, stated “I think I only deserve 2 out of 3 stickers”.

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The unit’s results and achievements

5. The daily staff de-briefing at the end of each day is very effective in evaluating pupils’ progress overall, particularly personal development, and in planning learning for the next day or following up any concerns regarding pupils’ well-being. The staff recognise that more emphasis could be placed on celebrating pupils’ academic progress.

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The unit’s results and achievements

6. Pupils’ broad yearly individual education plan targets are satisfactory and are broken down very effectively to make a good contribution to teaching. The School Inclusion Primary Project (SIPP) is highly valued by the primary schools involved in the project. Headteachers of primary schools involved in the project, report that it has prevented pupils being permanently excluded. This project enables disaffected pupils to rebuild their relationship with schools and to make good progress in their learning. The Primary Learning Support Service (PLSS) responds well to the concerns of schools and is flexible in a crisis. The SIPP teachers provide very good support for the teachers in mainstream schools and the schools welcome this. The very good liaison between the schools, SIPP teachers and parents/carers is effective in developing a coherent structured approach to educating the pupils in the project.

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The unit’s results and achievements

Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 11 7. In mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1, some pupils are able to demonstrate their ability to count forward and backward to twelve and can make simple addition of numbers up to ten. At the end of Key Stage 2, some full-time pupils are able to use subtraction by decomposition to solve mental mathematics problems. Other pupils know what a right angle is and can recognise rectangles. They understand length and width and can use measurement knowledge to support a practical science experiment. The scrutiny of work in mathematics showed that pupils have made good progress.

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The unit’s results and achievements

8. Evidence from pupils’ files and teachers’ records indicate that by the end of Key Stage 2, higher attaining pupils are able to make a hypothesis and test this out; for example, whilst investigating the relationship between light and shadows a pupil made a best guess how the shadow could become smaller and evidence suggests that the pupil understood the relationship between the distance of an object from the light source in relation to the size of the shadow. Lower attaining pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 are developing their knowledge of key scientific vocabulary such as evaporation and condensation and explain these terms in simple language. Other pupils are able to explain the details involved in the water cycle. Further progress is restricted by underdeveloped literacy skills overall. During their time at the unit, pupils make good progress.

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The unit’s results and achievements

9. In English, higher attaining pupils at the end of Key Stage 1 can use commas, full stops and capital letters accurately and some are beginning to use speech marks. Most pupils show some understanding of sentence construction. By the end of Key Stage 2, a few pupils display a varied vocabulary which they use to provide accurate descriptions; for example, when writing a newspaper article about the mosaic that is being completed on the unit’s entrance area for the unit newsletter. The pupils are able to write clearly and concisely and order their writing in terms of procedures. The pupil demonstrated an awareness of sentence structure and wrote some words phonetically. Other pupils demonstrate their extending writing through comic verse and other limericks. Pupils’ writing shows some carelessness and often appears rushed. Pupils’ literacy skills are well below national expectations, particularly their writing ability which is often linked

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The unit’s results and achievements

to their poor self-esteem on entry to the unit. Pupils’ progress is satisfactory.

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The unit’s results and achievements

10. At the end of Key Stage 1, higher attaining pupils read confidently with some expression and are able to talk about the plots of stories and to gain information from books, worksheets and CD- ROMs. From scrutiny and annotated samples of pupils’ work, pupils’ comprehension is often much better than their reading. Teachers’ records indicate that some pupils are choosing books that are not demanding enough. Pupils at Key Stage 2 are given a great deal of encouragement to read throughout the day and the unit has a good range of material to support the current topic of myths and legends, they read independently, know how to use a basic dictionary, locate books and find information. Pupils are making good progress overall in their reading skills.

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The unit’s results and achievements

11. Pupils grow in confidence in their speaking and listening skills during their time at the unit. In developing their ideas; for example, at Key Stage 1 in a science experiment they listen carefully to the teacher’s challenge, speak clearly and use a growing vocabulary when discussing a fair test. In drama at Key Stages 1 and 2, they learn to develop ideas thoughtfully and make attempts to describe events and respond to other ideas. Pupils demonstrate a more mature approach to speaking and listening during one-to-one tuition periods.

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The unit’s results and achievements

12. Pupils have good opportunities to use information and communication technology across the curriculum; for example, in science they use it to research facts and in art to use a basic drawing and painting program to make pictorial representations of a monster from an old legend of Crete. Other pupils can use a 'Roamer', and are able to give commands and plot a simple route. All pupils have their own floppy disk and can load, save and print their work out. Many pupils confidently use the mouse to click on icons and work independently of staff. In art, pupils know how to mix colours and understand about different colour combinations. They work in a range of media, including water colours, crayon and charcoal. Pupils know about the styles of famous artists and their workstations they have chosen to display their favourite style. In physical education, pupils learn to follow commands and work in pairs. Pupils learn techniques involved in basketball; how

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The unit’s results and achievements

to dribble the ball, shield the ball and dispossess an opponent. Prior to this particular lesson observation, pupils had become distressed over an incident. However, whilst only two pupils Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 12 started the lesson, within a very short period of time, pupils had made the decision to join the group and all working. In swimming, pupils make good and sometimes very good progress.

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The unit’s results and achievements

13. Their progress in personal, health and social education is very good. This is because the aims and ethos of the unit are clearly expressed at every level. The teaching is clearly directed at helping pupil’s personal development. The very good structure of curriculum planning supports staff in using their knowledge to help pupils make increasing progress. The timetable allots an appropriately high proportion of time to this element.

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The unit’s results and achievements

14. Pupils with English as an additional language benefit greatly from the individualised learning schemes and make good progress because of the opportunity to be involved in their own learning and to assess their own learning. Good quality feedback from teachers also improves their self- esteem and their development as part of a learning culture.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

15. The unit is a harmonious, supportive and close-knit community in which relationships are characterised by mutual respect, trust, good humour and tolerance of the views of others.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

16. The pupils’ good behaviour contributes to good standards. Pupils enjoy being at the unit, and show positive and constructive attitudes in all they do. The unit nurtures and cares for them, valuing each one as an individual. As a result their behaviour is markedly better after they have spent time at the unit. Violence and racism though still present, is much diminished when compared with behaviour on entry. Inspectors watched pupils move swiftly out of their anger and into a work environment thanks to the skilful room organisation, team work and positive management. The unit makes appropriate use of fixed term exclusions for example there were two fixed term exclusions in the year before the inspection and three this term. The unit has not excluded any pupil permanently.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

17. The attendance figures vary considerably as one pupil represents over ten percent of the unit roll. However, the pupils registered at the unit during the inspection have a satisfactory record of attendance. As the majority of these pupils have become used to failure and have had little enthusiasm for school this represents very good progress.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

18. Pupils make very good progress in their personal development. They demonstrate an increasing ability to ignore other pupils’ anger and this skill is developed by the praise they are given by the staff. Pupils are becoming more able to play together during the structured outside breaktimes. Pupils enjoy playing games with staff and learn to accept losing at cards with good grace. Staff are adept at encouraging pupils to take on responsibility for their behaviour and learning. This approach is central to the unit’s ethos.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. Teaching at the unit is good and no unsatisfactory teaching was seen. Teaching is consistently good and on occasions very good or excellent for full-time pupils. A very good feature of teaching is the high quality teamwork which makes an effective contribution to pupils’ learning and to the good progress they make. Teaching ranges from satisfactory to good for the dual registered part- time pupils. In the few lessons observed during the inspection of the one pupil with Autistic Spectrum disorder the teaching is satisfactory.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. The unit’s good teaching and learning policy translates effectively into practice. Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 13 21. Teachers have a good knowledge and understanding of the subjects they teach. They have realistically high expectations of the pupils and all daily planning for one-to-one tuition builds on the evaluation of the last lesson, involves pupils and is excellent. Some teachers are not specialists in the subjects that they are teaching but they have made sure that their level of knowledge is at least satisfactory for the topic. They help pupils to develop skills in numeracy, literacy and communication technology, not only through direct teaching in those lessons but also through other subjects; for example, pupils learn how mathematical knowledge is used in science and they improve their skills in English by describing the work on styles of famous artists in art work. On planned occasions, pupils reflect on what they have learned and achieved in a group and are able

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

to articulate their feelings and views concisely.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. The range of methods used for teaching are good. In the first morning session, pupils work on a one-to-one basis with staff at their own designated workstation. At these times, the subjects of English, mathematics and science are taught and pupils are given some choice of which activity to take first. All teaching for these sessions is very well planned and individual staff discuss with pupils what their learning tasks are and differentiate according to needs and ability. At these times, teachers demonstrate good question and answer skills to elicit responses and challenge the pupils for example in science; to hypothesise about the effect of different materials for ear pieces and changing the lengths of string might have on the quality of reception. One physical education lesson drew on pupils’ prior learning and moved along at a suitably brisk pace to stretch pupils’ learning. However, opportunities to develop collaborative work were on this occasion missed. The

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

pace of lessons for the part-time pupils is satisfactory although the teachers do not match the work planned in the unit to that delivered to some pupils in their mainstream schools and so provide a fully balanced curriculum. In one excellent whole class lesson in drama for the full-time pupils, the teachers’ knowledge, expectation and delivery was of the highest level possible.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. In the full-time unit all the adults in the classrooms manage the pupils very well. Dual registered part-time pupils are also managed well, although team work is less effective. On many occasions, due to classroom organisation and management by the teacher leading the session the management of full-time pupils’ behaviour is also excellent. All staff are very good role models and their high expectations rub off on pupils. Staff enjoy practical learning with pupils and this further builds positive relationships. Teamwork is satisfactory for the dual registered part-time pupils but not of the high quality for the full-time pupils. Regular daily staff briefing evaluates pupils’ learning to ensure a consistent firm approach to learning throughout the week.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. The unit is establishing ways of monitoring the different aspects of teaching and learning that affect quality. The analysis of pupils’ work in literacy and numeracy identifies the next stage of learning and contributes to the good progress pupils make. Despite this notable strength, insufficient opportunities are given to whole class teaching of literacy and numeracy.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. The quality of the work of the learning support assistants is for the most part very good.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. The development of good learning habits, self-discipline and acceptable behaviour is central to the work of the unit and receives a great deal of attention especially at breaktimes and lunchtimes where staff are pro-active in helping pupils to learn to play successfully either in the playground or using table top games and to experience the pleasant social atmosphere of a class meal. These activities help pupils to improve their interpersonal skills and be more successful in relating to other pupils and adults. Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 14

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STUDENTS?

27. There is a good curriculum for the full-time pupils which is broad and balanced and very suitable. It includes the core subjects plus information and communication technology, art, design and technology, humanities, personal, social and health education and physical education. The unit has identified further areas for curriculum development. The strength is in its relevance to ensuring pupils improve their personal skills which help them to manage in mainstream schools. The weakness is the curriculum for part-time pupils that they follow in the unit is not related to the curriculum in the mainstream school.

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STUDENTS?

28. Planning is good overall. Relevant and stimulating work is planned for pupils every term and the topics are changed every half-term to ensure pupils’ interest and attention is maintained. Weekly plans are differentiated to meet pupils’ social and developmental needs as well as their academic needs. They identify learning objectives, activities and resources in English, mathematics and science. The appropriate and clear curriculum statement includes reference to skills and understanding as well as knowledge. Each child has a daily individual learning programme and subject learning targets are set for each session. These are reviewed by teachers and pupils when the target has been achieved. A particularly high quality feature is the day learning book which pupils use to help them reflect on their achievements. This structure supports the good progress of pupils at the unit.

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STUDENTS?

29. Overall there is a good range of curriculum policies and procedures. Similarly policies and procedures for special educational needs, personal, social and health education, citizenship and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are good.

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STUDENTS?

30. The information and communication technology policy has recently been reviewed and, as a result, information and communication technology is integrated across subjects and pupils have access daily. There is a helpful policy for personal, social and health education which guides the high quality practice appropriately. There is good guidance on drugs and sex education. This is part of a well planned rolling programme of work during the year.

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STUDENTS?

31. The unit’s personal, social and health education and citizenship policy clearly identifies the nature of developing pupils’ self-esteem, independence and developing effective and fulfilling relationships. The unit recognises that lunchtime is a key focus for the implementation of the policy and manages this very well. Teachers and support staff organise lunchtime activities which appropriately focus on play, co-operation and rule observance as well as on choosing. All these features help the pupils to make very good progress in their personal development.

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STUDENTS?

32. The unit draws its planning from both the literacy and numeracy strategies but has devised its own method of approach because of the difficulties that most pupils have in working together in group work for prolonged periods.

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STUDENTS?

33. The needs of the one pupil with an Autistic Spectrum disorder, taught on her own, are not being met. However, the provision as identified in her statement of special educational needs is not being met, she does not learn or play with other pupils during her part-time morning only sessions so does not benefit from a broad and balanced curriculum and this is unsatisfactory.

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STUDENTS?

34. Mainstream headteachers speak very highly of the unit and the efforts made by the unit to ensure a smooth transition between schools for those pupils who attend on a part-time basis as well as for those returning to school. However, one headteacher recognises the need to look at pupils’ curriculum balance overall which the unit has identified as an area of evaluation and monitoring. Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 15 35. The unit nurtures and cares for its pupils, valuing each one as an individual. A good learning environment is created based on high expectations and enjoyment of learning. The unit’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural policy provides a good basis for ensuring these aspects of the pupils’ development are given a high focus. Personal development is tracked through the daily behaviour book, pupils’ own self-evaluation, teaching logs and daily staff debriefing. Regular communication with parents and carers and is very effective.

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STUDENTS?

36. Spiritual development is good. Time is provided for reflection and contemplation in lessons. In drama for example pupils are able to express themselves safely and in art to consider and reflect on the work of their favourite artist and why they liked their particular style of painting. In elements of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) pupils discuss and contemplate deeper elements to life and living. Moral and social development is very good. Pupils know and understand the standards of behaviour expected of them, and this is achieved on most occasions. Where it is not, pupils are offered support in thinking about their attitudes and in improving them. There is a great emphasis on reminding pupils of their own improvements and empowering pupils to evaluate their own actions and to judge whether they have reached the desired standard. A number of opportunities are provided to exercise responsibility, for example during a session when

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STUDENTS?

a pupil lost their temper for a short period of time the others got on with their work and showed very high levels of self-restraint given their age.

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STUDENTS?

37. Cultural development is very good. Pupils show a developing appreciation and understanding of other cultures. There is a range of Somali and Bengali artefacts. There are large Chinese masks which links with design and technology and the myths and legend project for the term. Greek food for example, is tasted and elements related to the West Indian and Moroccan cultures are also provided.

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HOW WELL DOES THE UNIT CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

38. The unit provides very good care for the pupils in its charge. The caring ethos provides a calm and supportive environment where pupils are valued as individuals. Great importance is attached to the welfare of pupils. This is underlined by the very good child protection arrangements that are clearly communicated to parents/carers through the handbook.

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HOW WELL DOES THE UNIT CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

39. The staff have excellent relationships with pupils and are exceptionally highly skilled at managing the different challenging behaviour that the pupils present. The unit provides excellent support for pupils’ personal and educational development. Lunchtime and breaktimes are carefully organised and make a significant contribution to the personal development of the pupils. During these periods, structured play occurs with pupils learning how to play together. Staff take great care in preparing pupils for their next school and often accompany them and their parents/carers when they visit prospective schools.

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HOW WELL DOES THE UNIT CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

40. Pupils have daily targets which they are expected to complete. They assess their achievement in relation to these targets with the staff and sign them when they are completed. Pupils are praised and rewarded consistently for work and in managing their own behaviour. They value the rewards they are given for good behaviour and attitudes. Pupils desperately want three stickers after each session but are able to understand why they sometimes do not achieve them.

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HOW WELL DOES THE UNIT CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

41. Staff have exemplary debriefing meetings at the end of each session when successes and concerns are both discussed. From these teaching strategies are decided for the next session.

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HOW WELL DOES THE UNIT CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. There is excellent liaison between outside professionals including social workers and child psychologists and the staff at the unit. The appropriate involvement of these staff is effective in promoting the pupil’s progress. Staff regard the provision of a psychotherapist at weekly staff meetings is key to enable staff to manage their own feelings in relation to the pupils. Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 16 43. Attendance is well monitored on an individual basis and parents/carers report that all unnotified absences are rigorously investigated.

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HOW WELL DOES THE UNIT WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS/CARERS?

44. Parents/carers enjoy a close and successful partnership with the unit that has helped to create a mutually supportive atmosphere. Their views are regularly canvassed and taken into account.

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HOW WELL DOES THE UNIT WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS/CARERS?

45. The written information provided for parents/carers about the school and the progress the pupils make is satisfactory. Termly reports show what pupils can do in English, maths and science but do not give a clear picture of progress or indicate the targets pupils are working towards. The strength of the unit’s relationship with parents/carers is the frequent good quality discussions they have with them about their children’s progress and how they can work together to support this. These occur either in person or by telephone. The log of telephone calls shows the teachers regularly contact parents/carers about their child’s successes as well as about any concerns.

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HOW WELL DOES THE UNIT WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS/CARERS?

46. The unit believes strongly in working in partnership with parents/carers and involves them at an early stage in supporting their children’s behaviour and tries to ensure a consistency of approach at home and at the unit. Some parents/carers effectively help in class by taking part in the lesson and valuing pupils’ achievements. A parent has recently demonstrated the cooking of Moroccan food to pupils in the unit.

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HOW WELL IS THE UNIT LED AND MANAGED?

47. The unit is well led and managed. Organisation within the unit is of a high quality.

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HOW WELL IS THE UNIT LED AND MANAGED?

48. The LEA provides governance for the unit through a designated officer and through a management committee which includes councillors, inspectors, social services and Health and Voluntary Organisations. The lines of responsibility are clear and the management group acts as an effective advocate for the unit. Two important issues it has been involved with have been the establishment of full-time primary provision and the provision of high quality accommodation for pupils to work in.

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HOW WELL IS THE UNIT LED AND MANAGED?

49. The management group works well with the head of the unit. They hold regular meetings, receive reports from the head of the unit and monitor attendance and exclusions. Their meetings are well documented although there is insufficient involvement in providing strategic guidance to help the head of the unit identify the priorities for curriculum development planning. The management group has a good overview of the work of the unit because of their regular visits. These are often for purposes linked for their own general interest rather than to find out more about agreed aspects of the work of the unit. This limits to a minor extent their opportunities to understand the detail of the elements responsible for the good progress that pupils are making.

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HOW WELL IS THE UNIT LED AND MANAGED?

50. The head of the unit is an effective leader and manager. She has a clear understanding of the means by which the very good teamwork is best promoted in this Pupil Referral Unit. The very positive ethos of the unit is underpinned by good staff and pupil management support systems. Teacher recruitment requires new staff to have good quality teaching experience in primary schools. The morning and evening team meetings focus on pupils’ learning and the conditions necessary to achieve good learning and are highly effective. All staff attend these meetings. This contributes markedly to the high quality of teamwork, which in turn has a positive effect on pupils’ progress and provides a good role model of co-operation for them. The head of the unit and her co-ordinators who act as deputies within the unit have also established a very good planning structure that includes documents pinned up for every pupil showing their daily learning goals as

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HOW WELL IS THE UNIT LED AND MANAGED?

well as weekly objectives, tasks and activities. Thus, pupils and staff always know what they are expected to achieve. This structure is very effective in supporting pupils’ progress. Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 17 51. The unit’s development plan is satisfactory though rather general in parts. It is difficult to see the rationale for some of the priorities and some of the criteria to measure success lack specificity. Nevertheless the development work itself, overall is good. The head and co-ordinators who act as deputies within the unit are clear about how they can move the curriculum offered further forward and in this they are helped by the good morale overall which enables them to consider aspects of work which are already of good quality and reflect on how to make them even better. An example is in the use of support staff, where professional development interviews identified a need for them

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HOW WELL IS THE UNIT LED AND MANAGED?

to make more contribution to team meetings. Suitable training was provided as a result.

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HOW WELL IS THE UNIT LED AND MANAGED?

52. The head of the unit monitors the work of staff informally. However, the monitoring undertaken has a focus to aid improvement to the provision. For example, the frequent use of the “calming” area, a room with soft play equipment was being overused to the detriment of other techniques of helping pupils regain their self-control. The head monitored the reasons for its use in order to help the unit utilise a better range of techniques. As a result the removal of pupils to this area diminished. The head has identified her own need to develop further teacher monitoring techniques in order to be prepared for the introduction of performance management.

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HOW WELL IS THE UNIT LED AND MANAGED?

53. The quality of training is very good for all staff. The high quality learning support team is very enthusiastic about the opportunities offered to them and cites a very wide range of training opportunities, which balance well between unit’s needs and personal needs. This makes a marked positive contribution to their work in ensuring pupils’ good progress.

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HOW WELL IS THE UNIT LED AND MANAGED?

54. Financial planning is shared between the head, the LEA officer and the LEA finance department. Monitoring comes through the LEA and is appropriate.

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HOW WELL IS THE UNIT LED AND MANAGED?

55. The positive partnership with a neighbouring school ensures pupils have access to playground facilities, which are well used.

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WHAT SHOULD THE UNIT DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

56. The head of the unit and the local education authority should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE UNIT DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Ensure that the needs of the one pupil with Autistic Spectrum disorder, taught alone on a part- time basis, meets the provision as identified in her statement of special educational need by finding alternative relevant provision. (Paragraphs 19, 33)

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WHAT SHOULD THE UNIT DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

57. Two minor weaknesses identified which the unit should address are: • Evaluate and monitor the curriculum balance for the part-time pupils throughout the day/week by implementing procedures which involve liaison between the unit and mainstream schools curriculum. (Paragraphs 27, 34)

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WHAT SHOULD THE UNIT DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Adjust the balance of whole group and individual teaching of literacy and numeracy by planning further group sessions. (Paragraph 24) Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 18

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 15

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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 pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 9

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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 4

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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 N/A

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving N/A

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Information about the school’s pupils

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 19

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Mathematics Science

Pupil 1 Pupil 2 WT3 WT1 WT1 WT3 WT1 WT3 WT1 WT1

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Mathematics Science

Pupil 1 Pupil 2 Pupil 3 Pupil 4 Pupil 5 Pupil 6 WT2

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2000 Reading Writing Mathematics

Pupil 1 Pupil 2 Pupil 3 Pupil 4 Pupil 5 WT1 WWL1 WT1 WT2 WWL1 WT1 WT1 WT1 WT1 WT1 WWL1 WWL1 WWL1 WWL1 WT2

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2000 Reading Writing Mathematics

WT is working towards the level stated WWL is working within Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 20

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 1 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 4 Black – African heritage 2 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 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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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Teachers and classes Financial information

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 3.5 Financial year 1999/2000

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 5.14

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Education support staff: Total expenditure 218,268

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Total number of education support staff 5 Expenditure per pupil 12,126

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Total aggregate hours worked per week 147.5 Balance brought forward from previous year 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance carried forward to next year 0 Camden Primary Pupil Referral Unit - 21

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Summary of parents’ and carers’ responses

The inspection team agree with the very positive remarks of the parents/carers.

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