The Valley School

THE VALLEY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 27 th – 29 th November 2000

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THE VALLEY 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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THE VALLEY 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. The Valley School i

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Special school for pupils with moderate learning difficulties

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Valley Way Stevenage Hertfordshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: June 1996 The Valley School ii

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Team members

Westminster Education Consultants Old Garden House The Lanterns Bridge Lane London SW11 3AD

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE The Valley School iii

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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

Good attitudes, behaviour and attendance Spiritual, moral, social and personal development Caring for pupils Good progress in listening and reading

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED 14

Achievements in information and communication technology Speaking and writing skills Pupils’ skills in mental mathematics

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS 16

The Valley School iv The Valley School 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The Valley school is a day special school that caters for boys and girls who have moderate learning difficulties. The school has 175 pupils, whose ages range from 11 to 18 years, although the number of planned places is only 170. There are two pupils of black Caribbean heritage, one Indian and three of Pakistani heritage. The catchment area extends from Hatfield to the south and Royston to the north, and includes Hitchin, Letchworth, Stevenage and surrounding villages. The majority of pupils travel to and from school by taxi or coach, and there is an increasing number of older pupils who travel independently. The site also accommodates the County Youth and Community Service, the Stevenage Music Centre and the County Young Offenders Team. Pupils’ attainment on entry is well below the national average. There are four pupils for whom English is an additional language, but there are none in the early stages of language acquisition.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

The Valley School is a good school. The quality of teaching is consistently good, often very good, and occasionally excellent. The achievements of pupils in English and mathematics are good. The sound leadership of the headteacher and key staff, along with the sound government of the school, ensures that all pupils receive a good standard education. The school is revising its management structure in order to improve its effectiveness and increase its rate of development. When account is taken of the high quality of teaching, the secure leadership and management, the good progress that pupils make and the cost per pupil per year, the school provides good value for money.

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• The school engenders very good attitudes and behaviour amongst pupils and promotes high levels of attendance. • The school offers very good provision for pupils' personal development. Pupils' spiritual, moral and social development is very good, and the majority of subjects make a strong contribution to this. • The school cares very well for its pupils. • Pupils make very good progress in listening, and in their accuracy in reading. The Valley School 2

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

• Achieve higher standards in science and information and communication technology. • Further improve the progress that all pupils make in speaking and writing, improve the progress of the lower attaining pupils in reading, and ensure that the National Literacy Strategy is firmly established within the school. • Improve the standards of pupils’ mental calculations in mathematics and ensure that the National Numeracy Strategy is firmly established within the school. The areas for improvement will form the basis of the action plan prepared by the appropriate authority.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

The school was last inspected in June 1996. The school has addressed most of the issues that were identified in the last inspection report. Good progress has been made in planning for individual pupils, and all pupils now have up-to-date annual reviews. Satisfactory progress has been made in developing and clarifying the aims of the transition course, and the school has ensured that funding for this course is based on realistic costing. Students who attend the transition course now have suitable accommodation in terms of health and safety. The school has introduced satisfactory procedures whereby governors can monitor and review provision more effectively. However, there still remains an imbalance in the amount of time allocated to different aspects of science.

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STANDARDS

The table below 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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16 18

speaking and listening B C reading A C writing C C mathematics B C personal, social and health education A A other personal targets set at annual reviews or in IEPs* B B

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Key

very good A good B satisfactory C unsatisfactory D poor E

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Key

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

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Key

Only four pupils from the Valley School transferred to the transition course last year. The school achieved targets set in literacy and mathematics. The targets were agreed with the local education authority for the academic year 1999/2000. The Valley School 3 The school recognises that not all the targets were sufficiently challenging and has set higher targets for the future. Pupils achieve well in humanities and religious education. They achieve very well in art, design and technology, physical education, musical performance, and personal, social and health education.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school All pupils have very positive attitudes towards school.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms The overall behaviour of pupils is very good. Any rare incidents of unsatisfactory behaviour are managed with sensitivity by senior staff. Personal development and relationships There are very positive peer group relationships. Pupils are very supportive of each other and take responsibility for their own learning and behaviour extremely well. Attendance Good.

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Aspect Comment

The school is a caring community whose standard of care is maintained by the vigilance of the staff. The opportunities for personal development and responsibility are enhanced by the high quality of space available to staff and pupils. Pupils enjoy coming to school, and work very hard in lessons. They are caring, honest, extremely polite and welcoming. The very positive relationships between all staff and pupils are a strength of the school.

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Teaching of pupils: aged 11-16 aged over 16

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

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Teaching of pupils: aged 11-16 aged over 16

Teachers have good knowledge of the pupils. They plan their lessons with clear learning objectives that are made known to the pupils. Teachers manage the behaviour of pupils very well. Generally, teachers have good knowledge of the subjects they teach, and in the best lessons, they use a variety of approaches in order to maintain high levels of concentration. The pace of lessons is generally brisk, and support staff are used well to give help to pupils who need it. However, not all teachers apply proper strategies for the teaching of reading and mental calculations. There is not enough knowledge amongst staff about how to teach information and communication technology skills. The setting of homework is inconsistent. The Valley School 4 During the inspection the quality of teaching in 96 per cent of the lessons observed was satisfactory or better, in 40 per cent the teaching it was very good or better, and in 4 per cent of the lessons it

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Teaching of pupils: aged 11-16 aged over 16

was less than satisfactory. There was no poor teaching. Pupils learn well during lessons and the quality of their learning is a clear reflection of the high standard of teaching.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The curriculum has good breadth and is very relevant in terms of preparing pupils for life after school. However, the amount of time allocated to teaching is less than that recommended in guidelines. There is little time set aside for the direct teaching of Information and communication technology skills, and an imbalance in the time spent on different programmes of study in science. Greater emphasis is required concerning the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies throughout the school. Provision for extra-curricular activities and careers education is very good, and the community makes a very positive contribution to pupils’ learning. Provision for pupils with English as an additional language There are four pupils for whom English is an additional language, but none of these is at the stage of early language development and none requires additional provision.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good overall. The school’s provision for the moral, social and spiritual development of pupils is very good. Nearly all subjects play a very effective roll in the spiritual, moral, social and personal development of pupils. The facilities offered by the high quality accommodation have a very positive impact upon the personal development of the pupils. Cultural development is enhanced by the high quality of display, which is linked to other cultures and to the local environment. Displays also celebrate the work of famous artists. How well the school cares for its pupils The school cares very well for its pupils, provides them with good personal support and guidance, and monitors them effectively as they progress through the school.

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Aspect Comment

The major strength of the curriculum is that it is very relevant to the pupils, their individual special needs, their age, and their future responsibilities. The curriculum meets statutory requirements as far as content, breadth and balance are concerned. However, the number of hours that are spent in lessons falls short of recommendations. The Valley School 5

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff The school functions well under the sound management of the headteacher and the key staff. Many staff are highly motivated and contribute willingly to school development. The leadership team is clearly committed to improvement. How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities The governing body is very supportive of the headteacher. Reorganisation of committees has taken place in a bid to create an effective management group, but these are not yet fully established. The school’s evaluation of its performance The school monitors the quality of its planning well which has resulted in clear improvement. There is some inconsistency in the monitoring of teaching, and the school is at an early stage of performance management The strategic use of resources Resources are used well throughout the school.

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Aspect Comment

There are some areas of management by the governing body that are not yet securely established, although the overall management of the school is sound. The school has satisfactory procedures for applying principles of best value when spending on goods and services.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The good quality of the teaching. • Parents are comfortable about approaching the school with questions or problems. • Their children like school. • Behaviour is good. • The school is well managed. • Consistency in the setting of homework.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspectors agree with the views of the parents concerning most of the positive statements, and that the setting of homework is inconsistent. The government of the school has recently been reorganised and is satisfactory. The new committees are not yet fully established. The Valley School 6

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high levels of attendance

1. All teachers and support staff work extremely well together in helping pupils to develop very positive attitudes towards school. There are high levels of supervision at break times and at lunchtimes. The relationships between pupils and staff are very good, and all adults provide excellent role models for the pupils. The good behaviour of the pupils is a strong feature of the school and extends across the whole school day. There is no evidence of any incidents of bullying or racism within the school.

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high levels of attendance

2. The behaviour of pupils as lunchtime is good and all pupils enjoy this very positive social event. During the morning break time pupils run the school tuck shop. Pupils who are waiting to buy from the tuck shop display exemplary behaviour as they queue sensibly, choose what they want and then pay. As a result of the very calm management of pupils by the staff, the pupils are confident in approaching adults and asking questions, as well as engaging in general discussion. At the end of break times and lunchtimes pupils return to their classes promptly, ready and willing to start work.

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high levels of attendance

3. The good relationships between staff and pupils continue in lessons, and pupils are confident about asking teachers and teaching assistants for help and advice when they need it. Several pupils in the school have roles of responsibility. Some pupils are library assistants and take their work very seriously, others have specific responsibilities as register monitors, and all behave very responsibly. Pupils clear away materials and equipment when they are asked to do so. They are also very polite to visitors, and senior pupils have the opportunity to work at the front desk as receptionists. They take this work very seriously and present themselves as very professional young adults. The work they do in this area forms part of their careers education and work experience.

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high levels of attendance

4. Throughout the school, in all lessons, teachers value the contributions of all pupils highly. Teachers and teaching assistants insist that pupils listen carefully when they are being spoken to and also when they are speaking to each other. This raises pupils’ self-esteem and promotes very positive relationships among staff and pupils.

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high levels of attendance

5. The school offers a wide variety of residential trips and day visits to different places of interest. These are highly subscribed and very popular amongst pupils. There have been visits to northern France, Wales and, nearer home, the Millennium Dome in Greenwich. Another group of pupils enjoyed a trip along the Grand Union Canal as part of their life and living course. In addition to these extra special visits, there is also the opportunity for pupils to join in the school choir or the keyboard club. These activities take place after school and are well attended. For the more sports- minded pupils there is the junior rounders club. All these residential and day visits play an extremely important part in the personal development of all pupils. The opportunities the pupils are given enable them to live and work together outside school, and they have a very positive impact on the pupils’ social development.

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Spiritual, moral and social development of the pupils

6. Music plays a very important part in the personal development of pupils. The school gives them the experience and enjoyment of music from different parts of the world. They also enjoy a wide variety of music from different cultures, for example, jazz, blues, traditional see shanties, and classical overtures. There is also music from France, the American Wild West, and Africa.

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Spiritual, moral and social development of the pupils

7. Teaching assistants work very well to support pupils in their moral and social development, using non-confrontational methods. They pick out any incidents of inappropriate behaviour and work sensitively with the pupils to ensure that they are back to work as quickly as possible. When behaviour falls short of what is expected, staff talk gently but firmly with the pupils. Throughout the school all pupils have a very clear understanding of the difference between right and wrong. Pupils work extremely well and are very co-operative.

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Spiritual, moral and social development of the pupils

8. This is particularly true in design and technology, where they make a variety of biscuits and then proceed to market them. The marketing process involves co-operative working amongst the whole group, and pupils work together to produce posters to advertise the goods. They work hard to explain that they are being sold to raise money for the well-known ‘Children in Need’ appeal. Pupils learn to work well together, unselfishly and as a team, for the benefit of other people.

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Spiritual, moral and social development of the pupils

9. The work of the speech and language therapists plays a very important part in helping pupils' personal development. The improvement in the pupils' language ability helps them to enjoy a greater sense of self-worth. School assemblies also play a very important role in the spiritual, moral and the social development of the pupils. For example, a visiting woman police officer talked with pupils about keeping safe, being careful when crossing the road, being honest, and not talking to strangers. Teachers are very skilful in the way in which they talk with pupils without making them nervous or withdrawn. Teachers also ensure that pupils have time to sit and reflect upon issues or events that have happened in class, at break times, or at home. In assemblies, music s played to create an atmosphere of calm.

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Spiritual, moral and social development of the pupils

10. The assembly gave pupils the opportunity to think and to reflect upon the building of bridges between themselves and other people. The spiritual development of pupils is also addressed through the religious education programme they experience.

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Spiritual, moral and social development of the pupils

11. Social issues are addressed in many subjects and in particular through food technology. Pupils are allowed to choose fruits, spices and other ingredients that are appropriate to their own family customs and traditions. In this way all pupils learn a little of the variety of different cultures that are to be found in the school. Many lessons give pupils opportunities to work in pairs or small groups. This helps them to develop good social skills and take responsibility for helping other people.

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Spiritual, moral and social development of the pupils

12. All teachers expect high standards of behaviour from the pupils, and they also expect pupils to display high standards of honesty, courtesy and consideration. As a result of these high expectations pupils rise to the challenge and do not disappoint the staff. The Valley School 9

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The school cares very well for its pupils

13. The school's procedures for assessing and recording the work of pupils are very good. For example, in mathematics each pupil has a five-year plan which includes individual targets. As the pupils reach these targets their achievements are carefully recorded.

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The school cares very well for its pupils

14. This results in a very clear picture of each individual pupil's achievement and levels of attainment. The same is true of some other subjects, including design and technology, where there is not only a clear record of skills, knowledge and understanding, but also a comprehensive photographic record of the items that pupils have made over the years.

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The school cares very well for its pupils

15. The way in which the school monitors pupils’ personal development is also very good. Their personal development is guided and monitored through their individual education plans. These plans include individual behaviour targets, which are also displayed on the classroom walls. Each lesson concludes with a recount of the events and a discussion about each pupil’s behaviour. In this way, pupils are encouraged to take a greater responsibility for their own actions and also to discuss honestly their own performance against the targets they have been set. As a direct result of this good practice, all pupils make good progress, improve their behaviour, and develop very positive attitudes towards school and one another.

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Pupils make very good progress in listening and in their accuracy in reading

16. Teachers have had training in how to teach reading, and they also get support from the speech and language therapists. The information they receive is used very effectively to help to group the pupils. Material appropriate to the age of the pupils is carefully selected and assorted to form a structured reading scheme. Very good use is also made of a commercially produced reading scheme. Pupils have much greater confidence in reading that they do in writing.

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Pupils make very good progress in listening and in their accuracy in reading

17. Pupils are tested regularly, and the work that each one is given is carefully matched to his or her attainment levels. This is very effective in helping pupils to increase their vocabulary and gain in accuracy as they develop their reading skills. Some pupils are supportive and help each other with their reading. Most pupils are very positive about their reading and want to improve.

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Pupils make very good progress in listening and in their accuracy in reading

18. For the pupils who have most difficulty, special groups are formed. Pupils in these groups receive intensive work which helps to improve their comprehension skills.

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Pupils make very good progress in listening and in their accuracy in reading

19. The records kept by staff enable the progress of each pupil to be tracked clearly, from the time that he or she enters the school up to the present day. Records show that pupils are clearly making very good progress in reading and in listening. The high profile that reading enjoys in the school has a very positive impact upon pupils' progress. The Valley School 10

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Achievements in science and information and communication technology

20. The school has exceptionally good facilities for the teaching of science. The laboratories are spacious and well equipped, and are enjoyed and appreciated by staff and pupils alike. Pupils work hard during lessons and make good progress. However, the amount of time available for the teaching of science during the week is insufficient to allow all the national curriculum programmes of study to be taught.

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Achievements in science and information and communication technology

21. The school has an excellent information and communication technology suite which has been refurbished very recently and is equipped with machines of very high quality. However, at the time of the inspection there were very little direct teaching of information technology. The subject appears on the timetable only once, and for only one class. Throughout the school, not enough use is being made of information technology to support and extend the work in many subjects. The school acknowledges these short comings, and has plans to address them.

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Further improve the progress that all pupils make in speaking and writing

22. The national literacy strategy is not embedded within the school, and consequently there is not enough emphasis on developing the writing skills of pupils. There is no clearly defined policy or scheme of work concerning handwriting.

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Further improve the progress that all pupils make in speaking and writing

23. Opportunities for pupils to take part in play reading or dramatic work are insufficient. There is not enough rigorous assessment of pupils’ written work, and consequently there is very little evaluation and very little comparative data available from within the school.

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Increase the standards of pupils’ mental calculations in mathematics

24. The school has not truly adopted the national numeracy strategy and not enough time is spent in developing pupils' mental mathematical ability. Mathematics does not enjoyed a sufficiently high profile within the school and there is need for more rigorous structuring of some lessons. The Valley School 11

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

25. To improve the quality of education provided and to raise the levels of attainment of pupils, the headteacher, governors and staff should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Ensure that there is sufficient time for the teaching of science and information and communication technology to enable pupils to make better progress, by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

∗ reallocating time to science to enable all programmes of study to be completed; ∗ making good use of the excellent resources that are available for the teaching of information and communication technology, and promoting the use of ICT across the curriculum.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Further improve the progress that pupils make in speaking and writing, and that of the lower attaining pupils in reading, by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

∗ providing more opportunities for drama work; ∗ implementing the national literacy strategy; ∗ providing more time for pupils to focus on achieving targets in writing; ∗ ensuring that all teachers and teaching assistants use suitable strategies when teaching pupils to read; ∗ providing a clear policy and scheme of work for handwriting.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

• Increase the standards of pupils’ mental calculations in mathematics by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

∗ structuring lessons according to the National Numeracy Strategy; ∗ grasping every opportunity in the school to raise the profile of mathematics; ∗ taking time to practice mental mathematical calculations each day in order to raise skills but also confidence. The Valley School 12

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of lessons observed 52 Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 27

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Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

6 30 44 16 4 0 0 The table gives the percentage of teaching observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 162 Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 30

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pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 4

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pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 3 Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 0

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% %

School data 5.8 School data 2.6 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. The Valley School 13

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Attainment at the end of Key Stage 3

Year Boys Girls Total Number of registered pupils in final year of Key Stage 3 for the latest reporting year: 1999/2000 20 15 35

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English

23 pupils - below the level of the test 12 pupils - took paper 1 only

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Mathematics

1 pupil - absent 7 pupils - no level awarded 8 pupils - working towards Level 1 1 pupil - achieved Level 2 15 pupils - achieved Level 3 3 pupils - achieved Level 4

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Science

2 pupils - absent 4 pupils - no level awarded 14 pupils - working towards Level 1 4 pupils - achieved Level 2 9 pupils - achieved Level 3 2 pupils - achieved Level 4

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Mathematics

1 pupil awarded grade D 4 pupils awarded grade F 7 pupils awarded grade G 8 pupils awarded grade U

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Art

2 pupils awarded grade C 2 pupils awarded grade D 1 pupil awarded grade E 2 pupils awarded grade F 1 pupil absent The Valley School 14

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Permanent

Black – Caribbean heritage 2 Black – Caribbean heritage 3 0

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Permanent

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Permanent

Black – other 0 Black – other 0 0 Indian 1 Indian 0 0 Pakistani 3 Pakistani 0 0 Bangladeshi 0 Bangladeshi 0 0 Chinese 0 Chinese 0 0 White 156 White 4 0 Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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Permanent

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

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Y6 – Y13

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 24.6 Financial year 1999/2000

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Y6 – Y13

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 6.6

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Y6 – Y13

FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 1298617.00

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Y6 – Y13

Total number of education support staff 16 Expenditure per pupil 6752.00

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Y6 – Y13

Total aggregate hours worked per week 373 Balance brought forward from previous year -37819.00

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Y6 – Y13

Balance carried forward to next year 4907.00 The Valley School 15 The Valley School 16

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Questionnaire return rate

Number of questionnaires sent out 175 Number of questionnaires returned 44

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know

My child is making good progress in school. 40 51 5 2 2 Behaviour in the school is good. 29 57 5 0 10

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know

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 10 36 33 21 0

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know

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 37 40 19 5 0

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know

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 65 33 2 0 0

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know

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 56 35 9 0 0

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know

The school works closely with parents. 43 40 17 0 0

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know

The school is well led and managed. 53 42 2 0 2

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know

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 47 44 9 0 0

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know

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 38 45 7 2 7

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