John Chilton School

JOHN CHILTON SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 30 October – 1 November 2000

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JOHN CHILTON SCHOOL

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

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JOHN CHILTON 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. John Chilton - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School category: Physical disability and health related difficulties

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Compton Crescent Northolt Middlesex

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Terry Smith

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: January 1997 John Chilton - 5

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Team members

The Croft Brierley Way Oldcroft Lydney Gloucestershire

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6

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

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL 11

Very good leadership has a vision for the school and sets high standards for meeting pupils’ changing needs and their very wide range of ability. Curricular provision matches very well with the needs and abilities of pupils’ and allows them to achieve to their best standards. Including pupils in lessons in Northolt Primary and Walford High schools provides excellent opportunities for the development of personal and social skills and for letting pupils learn according to their interests and abilities. Very good quality teaching promotes very good attitudes to learning and realises good and very good achievement and progress.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 16

The way in which the school judges the quality and effectiveness of its work.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

John Chilton School is a day special school for boys and girls with physical disabilities and additional health problems. The school provides for 86 full-time pupils from ages 3 to 18 years. The registered admission number is 90. Eighty pupils have statements of special educational need. Six are in the process of being assessed for a statement. Eighteen pupils are from black ethnic minorities, 26 are of Asian heritage and 12 pupils are from Somalia. Fifty-two percent of pupils are learning English as an additional language. Their first languages include Punjabi, Gudjerati, Urdu, Hindi and Somali. They are supported by funds gained from the Ethnic Minorities and Travellers Achievement Grant (EMTAG). Thirty-four percent of pupils are eligible for free school meals.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

As a consequence of their learning difficulties, the attainment of most pupils on entry to the school is below average.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school offers specialist provision for the London Borough of Ealing. It shares a common campus, and has very close links, with Northolt Primary School and Walford High School. The population of the school is changing. A greater number of pupils are now entering the school with increasingly complex learning difficulties. The school was last inspected in January 1997.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

John Chilton is a very good school. Pupils have very good attitudes to their learning. As they move through the school, they become increasingly independent as learners and as young people. This, and the very good quality of teaching, contributes to the high standards they achieve and the very good progress they make in most of their work. Curricular provision, which contains all the required elements of the National Curriculum, is very wide ranging. For half of the pupils, it includes gaining support to learn English as an additional language. For almost all pupils, it includes being able to take lessons with pupils in Northolt Primary or Walford High schools. For all pupils, it includes using the very good specialist facilities, such as the hydrotherapy pool and the very effective specialist services of, for example the physio, occupational and speech therapists. The very good leadership and management of the

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

school ensure that high standards are maintained over all of its work. As a consequence, pupils are very well prepared for life after school. The school provides very good value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • Very good leadership has a vision for the school and sets high standards for meeting pupils’ changing needs and their very wide range of ability. • Curricular provision matches very well with the needs and abilities of pupils and allows them to achieve to their best standards. • Including pupils in lessons in Northolt Primary and Walford High schools provides excellent opportunities for the development of personal and social skills and for letting pupils learn according to their interests and abilities. • Very good quality teaching promotes very good attitudes to learning and realises good and very good achievement and progress.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • The way in which the school judges the quality and effectiveness of its work. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the action plan prepared by the appropriate authority. John Chilton - 8

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school has made a very good improvement since the last inspection in 1997. Each of the three key issues for action identified then has been met in full.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

• The resources to support the programme for integrating pupils into Northolt Primary and Walford High schools have been maintained. The support and co-operation of the senior managers and staff of both schools has increased even further. Their commitment to providing learning opportunities in their schools for John Chilton pupils, has resulted in the standards John Chilton pupils achieve and the progress they make being better than would be the case without their involvement. The Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) has formally ratified the provision for pupils at Key Stages 3 and 4. Furthermore, the DfEE has agreed to extend the age range for the school up to 18 years, so that students can continue at school to take sixth form work.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

• The school development plan is now a very good document. It provides very good guidance for the further development of the school.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

• Changes to the main entrance, and re-directing traffic into a one-way system leading to and from school, has made entering and leaving very safe.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

In other areas, the quality of teaching has improved and is now very good. Pupils are better as learners and have a greater commitment to their learning. There have been significant improvements to the building, including the installation of a new roof and the establishment of a double hutted classroom. The potential for continuing to develop all the work of the school is very good.

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Progress in: By age by age by age by age Key 5 11 16 19

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STANDARDS

Speaking and listening B A A A Very good A

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

* IEPs are individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs.

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STANDARDS

The statutory targets are appropriate. At the end of Key Stage 4, pupils can take a wide range of external qualifications including the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). Last year, five pupils were entered for English, mathematics, science, humanities, a modern foreign language and design and technology. All did well. In each case, the actual grades they gained exceeded their predicted grades. One pupil did exceptionally well. He gained the A* John Chilton - 9 grade in science, the A grade in mathematics, humanities, and design and technology, the B grade in French and the C grade in English.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils take a full part in the life of the school. They quickly learn to manage their physical disabilities so that they fully attend to their learning. Those who spend most of their time at Northolt Primary or Walford High establish very good relationships with their teachers and make friends with others in their classes. As pupils move through the school they take great pride in being independent and doing as well as they can in all their work.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. In lessons, at lunch and break times and when they take part in lessons in Northolt Primary and Walford High.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships The relationship between pupils and staff is excellent. This helps pupils to understand and to cope very well with their physical disabilities. It also helps them to become committed and confident learners who are well prepared to demonstrate initiative in order to do better.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

The excellent relationship between pupils and all staff contributes substantially to pupils’ personal development and their growth in social skills. They are confident as learners in John Chilton and equally so when they take their lessons in Northolt Primary and Walford High. They learn to become independent, both as young people and as learners. This makes an important contribution to the standards they achieve and the progress they make over all the school, but particularly to the GCSE grades, which they gain.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching, including the quality of the work of the support assistants when pupils take their lessons at Northolt Primary or Walford High, is very good or better in 73% of lessons, good in 23% and satisfactory in the remaining 4% of lessons. This represents a good improvement on the good quality of teaching seen at the last inspection. The quality of teaching is a strength of the school. For all subjects, teachers plan very well. This is especially so when they teach literacy and numeracy. The targets, written in pupils IEPs, very effectively guide the planning of future lessons. The very good knowledge teachers and support assistants have of pupils helps them match lesson tasks very well with pupils’ needs and abilities. The careful attention to planning results in pupils making the most of their previous learning when they gain new skills and knowledge. Teachers expect pupils to regularly do their best. This

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

becomes very obvious to the pupils, who routinely respond very well. Many pupils, because of their physical disabilities can, at times, find lessons very tiring. Even when this is the case, John Chilton - 10 they make a significant effort to learn. In doing so, they develop an attitude of independence and become doggedly determined to succeed. John Chilton - 11

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. Curricular provision is very well designed to meet pupils’ needs and their very wide range of abilities. The excellent relationship and the very close links with Northolt Primary and Walford High extends and enriches the curricular experience very beneficially for most pupils.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Very good. Provision for teaching pupils who are learning English as an additional language is very effective in quickly allowing pupils access to all the work of the school.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good provision is made for improving spiritual awareness and for promoting moral, social and cultural development.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Very well. The relationship between staff and pupils is excellent. Pupils are safe and secure at school. They are very well monitored when they take lessons at Northolt Primary and Walford High. Pupils, and parents, appreciate the very good advice they receive from staff over a wide range of matters, including the possibilities for life after school.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The very wide-ranging curricular provision is a strength of the school. Over the four key stages, the programmes of study of the National Curriculum are firmly established for all subjects. Access to the curriculum is quickly provided for the substantial percentage of pupils who are learning English as an additional language. Almost all pupils take some or all of their lessons in Northolt Primary and Walford High. For the primary aged pupils this helps their personal and social development. For the secondary aged pupils, especially now that they can remain in school to take sixth form work, it prepares them very well for life after school. Additional provision, for example physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy is very good. Sufficient additional support is provided so that pupils can do their best at their learning. John Chilton - 12

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and senior staff work well with each other. Individually, and collectively, they share a commitment to high standards and continuous development. They make a considerable contribution to making the school a very effective establishment for learning.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities Very well. The governing body provides very good support for the headteacher and fully meets its statutory responsibilities. Governors take a full part in the process of forming the school development plan. They played a significant role in having the school’s provision recently extended up to 18 years of age by the DfEE.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Satisfactory. Good procedures operate to determine whether targets in pupils’ IEPs are met. Standard attainment tests of the National Curriculum are well used to recognise the progress made by the highest attaining pupils. Very good procedures have recently been introduced to judge the achievement of secondary aged pupils against their predicted grades in the GCSE. At this time, each of these does not contribute in a formal way to judging how effective the school is over all of its work.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Excellent. Resources, within and outside of the school, are excellently used to provide curricular experiences that match very well with the needs and abilities of all pupils. This is achieved through the very effective programme for supporting pupils who are learning English as an additional language, the excellent use of Northolt Primary and Walford High schools, and the contribution of the therapists, paediatrician and the educational psychologist.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The governing body, headteacher and the other senior managers set high standards. They have a vision for the school that includes providing for each pupil appropriate opportunities so that they can develop their personal and social skills, gain independence skills and make progress in the subjects, so that they are as well prepared as is possible for life after school. For most pupils, this is achieved in full. Appropriate procedures operate to ensure best value for money.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • That their children like going to school. • The high quality of the teaching. • That their children are expected to work hard and to do their best. • That the school is well led and managed. • The help it gives their children to become mature and responsible.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspectors endorse the views of the parents. John Chilton - 13

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Very good leadership has a vision for the school and sets high standards for meeting

pupils’ changing needs and their very wide range of ability.

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Very good leadership has a vision for the school and sets high standards for meeting

1. The school is very well led. The governing body, headteacher, deputy headteacher and the senior managers have a clear vision for the school. They also have high expectations for success. The school is very well managed. Well-established procedures operate smoothly. These include the day-to-day routines which secure the safety and security of pupils, monitor what is being taught, the quality of the teaching, the expenditure of the school’s money and the identification of future priorities.

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Very good leadership has a vision for the school and sets high standards for meeting

2. All staff share the headteacher’s commitment to success and continuous development. Staff morale is very high. The headteacher is very good at establishing programmes and procedures and for delegating to staff the authority to manage them, whilst retaining the responsibility for overseeing the result. Each teacher has some responsibility for managing some aspect of the school. They know what is required of them. They discharge their responsibilities very well. For example, planning for teaching is very well done. Medium term plans, completed by subject co-ordinators, are evaluated by the headteacher. Weekly plans, completed by teachers, are monitored by the subject co- ordinator, as are the lesson plans. For literacy and numeracy, these are also looked at by the headteacher or deputy headteacher. Attention to detail, first when the programme or procedure is established, then in monitoring its success, results in all aspects of the

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Very good leadership has a vision for the school and sets high standards for meeting

3. The governing body is very effective in its role. Through their frequent visits to school and through receiving formal reports from the headteacher, deputy headteacher, subject co-ordinators and the leaders of working parties, governors know the school very well. Their varied backgrounds and experience allow them to contribute very effectively to discussion and debate; for example, in extending the school’s provision up to 18 years of age. They fully meet their statutory requirements and their role as ‘critical friend’. They provide very good support for the headteacher.

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Very good leadership has a vision for the school and sets high standards for meeting

4. Very effective leadership has realised very good improvement since the last inspection. Each of the key issues for action has been met in full. Moreover, the commitment to continuous development has helped improve the quality of teaching and learning, the accommodation and to extend provision to include sixth form work. Also, the expertise and knowledge of the staff is beginning to be made available to other schools in the Borough of Ealing, either through training days in John Chilton or through outreach visits.

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Very good leadership has a vision for the school and sets high standards for meeting

5. By creating a very wide range of educational opportunities and by making sure that they function very well, the very good quality of leadership and management meets the changing needs of pupils and their very wide range of abilities. For example: they experience a very broad curriculum; they have access to considerable specialist provision, including the use of excellent specialist facilities such as the hydrotherapy pool; they take lessons with mainstream pupils; they enjoy very good teaching. As a John Chilton - 14 consequence, pupils become very good at learning. They achieve very well and make very good progress in their personal and social development and in their subjects. Whatever their level of attainment or their interests, pupils are being well prepared for life after school.

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Curricular provision matches very well with the needs and abilities of pupils and

allows them to achieve to their best standards.

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Curricular provision matches very well with the needs and abilities of pupils and

6. The extensive curriculum matches very well with pupils very wide range of abilities and needs. Since the last inspection, the status of the school has been extended to include pupils up to 18 years of age. As a consequence, the curriculum now includes sixth form work. It incorporates the National Curriculum and the locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education over Key Stages 1 to 4. It pays due regard to the early learning goals of the foundation stage. The national strategies for literacy and numeracy have been very successfully introduced. These have contributed to the improved achievement seen since the last inspection in speaking and listening skills and in number, despite an increase in the proportion of pupils with complex learning difficulties. It provides excellent opportunities for pupils to be very well prepared for their life after school.

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Curricular provision matches very well with the needs and abilities of pupils and

7. The curriculum is very effectively extended by:

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Curricular provision matches very well with the needs and abilities of pupils and

• the programme for teaching pupils for whom English is an additional language; • the programme for personal, social and health education; • the additional and very good support of the physiotherapist, occupational and speech therapists and of the school nurse; and • the programme for including pupils in the lessons in Northolt Primary and Walford high schools, which is written about separately.

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Curricular provision matches very well with the needs and abilities of pupils and

8. Just over half of the pupils are learning English as an additional language. They are of two types. Those who have lived in the United Kingdom for most, or all, of their lives but do not use English as their first language, and those who have recently arrived into the country with very little English. Their needs are very well met by a part-time teacher (0.6 time) and one full time support assistant who are funded by money gained from the Ethnic Minorities and Travellers Achievement Grant (EMTAG).

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Curricular provision matches very well with the needs and abilities of pupils and

9. This additional provision enables pupils to gain access to the curriculum as quickly as is possible. English is not taught separately as an additional language. The nature of the support, which focuses mainly on the core subjects, depends on each pupil’s situation. New arrivals receive support, often provided in their mother tongue, in lessons in literacy and numeracy. Secondary aged new arrivals receive individual support, either in class or when they are withdrawn. The teacher and the support assistant link closely with class teachers in planning lessons so that best use is made of their expertise. For those with speech difficulties Makaton signing and gesture is beginning to be used well to aid communication. Class teachers are very good at including pupils with little or no English into the demands of the lesson. The work of the EMTAG team is effectively monitored by both the headteacher and the deputy headteacher.

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Curricular provision matches very well with the needs and abilities of pupils and

10. For parents and carers, for whom English, most often, is also an additional language, help is offered when they liase with staff. This is especially valuable at annual reviews and medical examinations. The close links with parents, which are promoted through home visits, telephone calls and meetings at school are made more meaningful because of the availability of translation services. Frequently, communication from school to home is in the language of the home. John Chilton - 15 11. The school is a richer community because of the extent of its multilingualism and multiculturalism. Pupils’ languages and their heritage are respected and valued. They are encouraged to maintain their home language skills. In the secondary department pupils are offered the chance to take GCSEs in these languages.

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Curricular provision matches very well with the needs and abilities of pupils and

12. The programme for promoting pupils’ personal and social skills is very well led and organised. By the time pupils leave school: most can function independently; they manage their physical disabilities very well; and are as socially mature as is realistically possible. The very good progress pupils make in developing their personal and social skills is aided by the excellent relationship they have with all staff. For the younger pupils, designated curriculum time, such as circle time, is supplemented in lessons and at other times in the school day. For example, in English lessons opportunities are provided to discuss the feelings, actions, motives and the choices available to characters in the stories they read and these are related to pupils’ own feelings. Social behaviour is developed well, for example by taking turns in playground games. Pupils who take lessons in Walford High, join tutor groups with Walford pupils as well as taking

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Curricular provision matches very well with the needs and abilities of pupils and

dedicated lessons in personal and social development with John Chilton teachers in their teaching area. In this way, they gain an equivalent experience to Walford pupils, which is very well extended by the additional provision made available by John Chilton staff. Careers advice is provided within the framework of Walford High. Pupils gain from being part of the work experience programme organised by Walford High.

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Curricular provision matches very well with the needs and abilities of pupils and

13. The provision to meet the additional needs of pupils is very good. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy support is available each day of the week. A speech therapist is available for 3.5 days each week. Assistants support for part of each week. The nurse, who very effectively monitors pupils’ health and administers to their daily needs, is in school everyday. For most pupils, the high standards they achieve and the very good progress they make in their learning is helped considerably by this additional provision, which meets their special needs very well and limits the effect of their physical disabilities on their learning. Specialist equipment such as chairs, tabletops and large grip pencils and pens help. Physiotherapy support helps pupils become stronger, better co-ordinated and be more flexible. Speech therapy helps promote better communication. The result is that pupils become more effective as learners for longer

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Curricular provision matches very well with the needs and abilities of pupils and

periods of time in lessons. The very good additional provision allows pupils to demonstrate their full potential as learners.

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excellent opportunities for the development of personal and social skills and for

letting pupils learn according to their interests and abilities.

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excellent opportunities for the development of personal and social skills and for

14. An important aim of the school is to develop personal and social skills and to have pupils make sufficient progress in their learning so that they can function as independently as possible when they leave school. The long established programme for including pupils in lessons in Northolt Primary and Walford High schools makes a significant contribution to achieving this aim in full. The headteachers and staff of each of the three schools are fully committed to its success.

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excellent opportunities for the development of personal and social skills and for

15. Seventy-four of the eight-six pupils take some or all of their lessons in Northolt Primary or Walford High. Thirty-one primary aged pupils visit Northolt for one afternoon a week or take lessons with Northolt pupils at John Chilton School. Six pupils take all their lessons at Northolt. Eighteen secondary aged pupils take all their lessons at Walford High. Seven pupils visit for part of the week. John Chilton - 16 16. For these pupils, their curricular experience is very meaningfully extended beyond that which could be offered within the confines of John Chilton. Spending time with mainstream pupils helps them make very good progress in developing their personal and social skills. They gain in self-esteem from recognising that they do some things better than their able bodied friends, and in self-confidence by recognising that their opinions and friendship are valued. They gain also in their academic development.

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excellent opportunities for the development of personal and social skills and for

Especially in Walford High, they are taught by teachers with specialist subject knowledge and they use specialist facilities that John Chilton cannot provide, such as science laboratories and design and technology workshops. They have an unrestricted choice of subjects leading to examination at different levels. For example, this year, the 10 pupils in Year 11 are taking the GCSE examination in English, mathematics, science, geography, history, French, Spanish, physical education, art, drama and business studies. In the sixth form one pupil is taking A-levels in biology and sociology and two others are following General National Vocational Qualification (GNVQ) courses in information technology, one at the advanced and the other at the intermediate level. Two other pupils are studying units in independent living in the Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN).

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excellent opportunities for the development of personal and social skills and for

17. The programme for integrating pupils into the primary school is very well led by the deputy headteacher of John Chilton. He works very well with Northolt staff in preparing them for the John Chilton pupils and in supporting and advising, when required. A teacher from John Chilton works full-time at Northolt and is helped by two full-time assistants. No John Chilton pupil takes any lesson without being supported by a member of the John Chilton staff. This makes a very significant contribution to ensuring that their experience is successful and that they make progress in their learning. Parents are fully involved in the decision to have their child take lessons at Northolt. Pupils are carefully prepared before they begin the programme.

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excellent opportunities for the development of personal and social skills and for

18. The programme in the secondary school is equally well led. Three full-time teachers from John Chilton and the equivalent of nine full-time support assistants work in Walford High. They have their own unit and teaching area. They teach pupils English, mathematics, science and information technology. Walford High teachers teach John Chilton pupils the other subjects. As was the case in the primary school, pupils are supported in each of their lessons. Teachers and support assistants are expert at helping pupils when required, but also in leaving them to solve their own problems when that is best for them. In this way, they make very good progress in their learning and also toward becoming independent learners.

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excellent opportunities for the development of personal and social skills and for

19. Both schools have been considerably adapted to meet the needs of the John Chilton pupils. For example, the two-story secondary school has recently installed lifts that allow access to all parts, for pupils with mobility problems and for wheel chair users. Toilets secure the dignity of pupils.

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excellent opportunities for the development of personal and social skills and for

20. Walford High has recently gained sports college status. As a consequence, the provision of sports opportunities for John Chilton pupils is being extended beyond that currently available in the curriculum in physical education. Plans have already been agreed for specialist coaching in cricket and in basketball, as well as an extension of the on-going programme in archery.

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excellent opportunities for the development of personal and social skills and for

21. In both schools, the John Chilton pupils are fully included in all the day-to-day routines. The integration programme provides a very wide range of educational experiences, which promotes a very close match with pupils’ needs, abilities and aspirations. It provides pupils with opportunities to achieve over many subjects to the highest level John Chilton - 17 possible, even to demonstrate achievement sufficient for them to complete their studies at a university.

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Very good quality teaching promotes very good attitudes to learning and realises

good and very good achievement and progress.

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Very good quality teaching promotes very good attitudes to learning and realises

22. Teaching is a strength of the school. In lessons taken in John Chilton the quality of teaching is very good. The quality of teaching is also very good when lessons are taught in Northolt Primary or Walford High by John Chilton staff. When teaching is by the staff of the Northolt and Walford schools and John Chilton pupils are helped by their support assistants, the quality of their learning is very good.

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Very good quality teaching promotes very good attitudes to learning and realises

23. Lessons are planned in detail. They are based on very good quality medium term planning documents. The targets for learning identified in pupils’ IEPs link well with the medium term planning documents and are well used to plan future lessons. Teachers and their support assistants know their pupils very well. In most subjects, resources to support learning are good. Both contribute to the match between lesson tasks and the needs and abilities of pupils being very good. For the younger pupils, teachers and support assistants are increasingly using Makaton signing to help communication and they are beginning to do well.

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Very good quality teaching promotes very good attitudes to learning and realises

24. Most subjects are very well led. Subject co-ordinators help improve the quality of teaching by helping teachers with their short term and longer term planning and by identifying resources that may be used in lessons. Subject co-ordinators observe teaching and learning, in addition to the programme for monitoring and evaluating teaching that is carried out by the headteacher and deputy headteacher. This well organised programme has resulted in teachers being confident in their abilities, having high expectations for learning, being adventurous in their choice of teaching approach and deploying their support assistants very well. As a consequence, lesson time is very well used and the standards pupils achieve and the progress they make is most often good or very good.

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Very good quality teaching promotes very good attitudes to learning and realises

25. Many pupils are helped in their learning by the use of special equipment provided by the team of occupational therapists, such as adjustable standing frames, special chairs, work surfaces and smaller items including non-slip maps and large grip pens, pencils and crayons. Some are able to learn for longer periods because regular physiotherapy reduces discomfort and increases their strength and co-ordination. Specific resources, including laptop computers, give some older pupils opportunities to take notes in lessons and to prepare assignments that are not compromised by the difficulties they have with their writing. By allowing pupils to attend to their lesson tasks better and for longer periods of time, the provision of specialist equipment and expertise makes a significant contribution to the very good quality of pupils’ learning.

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Very good quality teaching promotes very good attitudes to learning and realises

26. Pupils have very good attitudes to their learning. For many, their physical disabilities make learning very tiring. It is to the credit of pupils that they continue to make serious efforts to learn, even when they are weary. They quickly learn that teachers expect them to do their best. The excellent relationship between teachers, support staff and the pupils contributes to them becoming increasingly confident as learners who are not afraid to try, or to question. In so doing, they gain skills in investigative learning so, that by the time they reach Key Stage 4, most pupils are able to learn by finding out for themselves. John Chilton - 18 27. The very good quality of teaching makes a substantial contribution to the development of the very good attitudes that pupils have to their learning, to the very good standards they achieve and to the very good progress they make in most of their work.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

The way in which the school judges the quality and effectiveness of its work.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

28. The leadership of the school is making a serious effort to determine how effective is the work of the school. The process of self-evaluation has started well, but needs to be refined and extended to allow the governing body to accurately identify the quality of all the provision and its effect on pupils’ learning.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

29. A number of appropriate procedures currently help judge the effectiveness of some of the work of the school. For pupil outcomes, these include recognising the extent to which targets written in IEPs are met, their attainment on the end of key stage standard assessment tests (SATs) and the comparison of actual grades obtained against predicted grades for those who take GCSE examinations. Some of the processes of the school are also evaluated, for example, the quality of teaching and the quality of planning to support teaching and learning. The school development plan is well formed and the priorities for further development are agreed in a consensual fashion, although the criteria for success are often too loosely stated to accurately determine the outcome of the development. Pupils’ performance is benchmarked against that of equivalent schools in the general London area. The governing body operates procedures to

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

formally receive reports from the headteacher and other members of the senior management team to help them judge the effectiveness of some of the work of the school.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

30. A satisfactory start has been made in judging the quality of the school’s work. However, more information is required before a definitive judgement can be made as to how effective the school is and to help identify those areas which require further development. This information should focus on:

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

• how well pupils learn; • what the school presents to its pupils; and • how well is this managed.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

31. Target setting can help in improving learning, as will the continued implementation of some of the procedures that already operate especially those linked with planning. Judgements against external criteria: such as P-scales*; OFSTED generated data for equivalent schools; the continuation of the benchmarking procedures; and extending over a greater number of years the comparison between predicted and gained GCSE grades for pupils, will also help.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

32. These, and other procedures that provide information on the standards pupils achieve and the progress they make in their learning, their personal and social development and in dealing with their physical disabilities and their health related problems will lead to recognising how effective the school is in this part of its work.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

33. The curriculum should be judged for its relevance, its effectiveness and, whenever appropriate, the extent to which the requirements of the National Curriculum are met. The features which make the curriculum so wide-ranging, such as the programme for John Chilton - 19 English as an additional language, the integration programme and the support provision of, for example the therapists, should be an integral part of the judgement.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

34. The way in which the work of the school is promoted by the governing body and all staff should be judged for its quality. This is already achieved in part. Very good procedures exist to monitor the quality of teaching and these have resulted in an improvement in teaching since the last inspection. Equivalent attention given to the work of the governing body, headteacher and senior managers will help judge how effective is the management of resources and what is the effect of this on pupils’ learning.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

* P-scales allow the recognition of small steps in learning at a level of attainment that is below Level 1 of the procedures for assessment of the National Curriculum. John Chilton - 20

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• extend the procedures by which the school evaluates its effectiveness to include all of its work. John Chilton - 21

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 25

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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

Pupils on the school’s roll No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 86

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 29

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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 45

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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 8

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 6

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. John Chilton - 22

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y13

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 14.8 Financial year 1999/2000

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 5.8

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 1110004

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y13 Total expenditure 1107252

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 27 Expenditure per pupil 12727

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 831.5 Balance brought forward from previous year 70063

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 72815 John Chilton - 23

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 39 57 0 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 54 36 6 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 29 61 4 6 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 57 37 6 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 64 21 11 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 61 31 4 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 54 36 6 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 65 29 6 0 0

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 68 21 7 0 4

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Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 39 43 0 7 11

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