Beaucroft Foundation School

BEAUCROFT FOUNDATION SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 29 January - 1 February 2002

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BEAUCROFT FOUNDATION SCHOOL

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

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BEAUCROFT FOUNDATION 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. Beaucroft Foundation School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Special: Moderate Learning Difficulties/Autistic Spectrum Disorder

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Wimborne Rd Wimborne Colehill Dorset

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The Governing Body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of Chair of Governors: Mrs Peggy Toop

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: June 1998 Beaucroft Foundation School - 4

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Team members

2642 Janet Bond Registered inspector 19504 Judith Telfer Lay inspector 1358 Glyn Essex Team inspector 14868 John Hassell Team inspector

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Team members

Serco QAA Ltd Herringston Barn Herringston Dorchester Dorset DT2 9PU

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Beaucroft Foundation School - 5

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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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Beaucroft is a mixed special school for pupils between the ages of four and 17, with moderate learning difficulties or autistic spectrum disorders. Currently there are 133 pupils on roll including two children of reception age. The 16 pupils with autistic spectrum disorders are taught mainly in four specialist classes. Years 10 and 11 pupils attend courses at the local colleges and participate in work experience within the community. On entry, pupils’ attainments are well below national expectations and averages and all pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Need. There are very few pupils from ethnic backgrounds. Thirty-two pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is average in comparison to similar schools.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

This is a highly effective school that has worked successfully to achieve excellence in many areas of its work. Teaching is very good. Very high quality leadership and management by the headteacher has produced an excellent learning environment that enables pupils to achieve very well. The school provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

The governors and headteacher have created a highly effective learning community by:

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What the school does well

• promoting an outstanding ethos and excellent relationships where all are valued and confident to contribute;

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What the school does well

• providing high quality teaching and an excellent curriculum that enables pupils to achieve very well;

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What the school does well

• promoting outstanding personal development that very effectively supports pupils in their learning and their life;

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What the school does well

• promoting very good learning by providing high quality accommodation and resources that are used most effectively;

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What the school does well

• providing very high levels of care and safety for pupils, with excellent child protection procedures;

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What the school does well

• working very closely with parents to improve pupils’ learning.

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What could be improved

• Longer-term development planning for the school.

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What could be improved

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

Very good improvement has been made since the last inspection in May 1998. Teaching is now regularly monitored and there has been a significant improvement in the quality of teaching so that very good teaching is seen in every department. As a result, pupils now make very good progress. Assessment procedures and individual education plan (IEP) targets are now very good and inform teachers planning as well as effectively tracking pupils’ progress. The behaviour of pupils is now excellent. Annual reports to parents are informative and clearly state what pupils know, understand and can do. The structured programme for homework is very good. Statutory requirements are now met and health and safety procedures are excellent.

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STANDARDS

Beaucroft Foundation School - 7 The table summarises inspectors’ judgements about how well pupils achieve in relation to their individual targets.

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6 11

mathematics A A Unsatisfactory D personal, social and health education A A Poor E other personal targets set at annual reviews or in IEPs* A A IEPs are pupils’ individual education plans.

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6 11

Pupils of all ages make outstanding progress and achievement in their personal development and this is a strength of the school. Pupils are eager and willing to learn and do all they can to contribute to the school and the wider community. The school empowers pupils to be confident in themselves and to be confident learners. It has set appropriate school targets to further raise standards. Pupils of all ages, including those with autistic spectrum disorders, make very good progress in their academic work because they want to succeed, their contributions are valued, teaching is very good and the rich curriculum is highly relevant to their educational and personal needs. Pupils make very good progress in literacy and numeracy and use their acquired skills well in other subjects. They make very good and often exceptional progress in design and technology, art, music and dance, where teaching is often

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6 11

excellent. Because teachers plan effectively, pupils make very good progress towards their IEP targets, which are realistic and challenging. Year 11 pupils achieve very well in the good range of accredited coursework they undertake. Pupils are very well prepared for leaving school through the highly effective and valued range of work experience opportunities in which they participate, their excellent personal development and very good academic achievements.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Outstanding. The ethos of the school empowers all to be confident and enthusiastic learners. Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Excellent. Pupils have a very good understanding of the impact of their own behaviour on themselves and others. Personal development and relationships Outstanding. Excellent relationships support pupils in taking personal responsibility for themselves and others in the learning community. Attendance Good. Pupils want to come to school.

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Aspect Comment

Pupils are confident, articulate and show a developing maturity as they move through the school. They are very aware of their own progress and very confident with the responsibilities they undertake and the importance of them to the community. Pupils show an exceptionally high regard for the well-being of other pupils. They are very proud of their own and others' achievements and enjoy the many opportunities provided for celebrating them. Beaucroft Foundation School - 8

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Teaching of pupils: Years 1 – 6 Years 7 – 11

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

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Teaching of pupils: Years 1 – 6 Years 7 – 11

Teaching is very good at all ages and in all subjects. During the inspection, teaching was very good or excellent in one in every two lessons seen. No unsatisfactory teaching was seen. Teachers are highly skilled in promoting pupils’ personal development and self-esteem and their literacy, including communication, numeracy, scientific and information and communication technology (ICT) skills. Teachers know the pupils very well and plan lessons that are very effective in meeting each pupil’s personal and learning needs. Music, art, design and technology and dance are taught exceptionally well by the subject co-ordinators who have a very good knowledge of and enthusiasm for their subject. This they share with pupils most effectively, enabling them to achieve very high standards of work. Where teaching is good, no learning time is wasted and teachers plan well so that pupils build upon their earlier

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Teaching of pupils: Years 1 – 6 Years 7 – 11

learning. In the few lessons where teaching is satisfactory, teacher expectations are not sufficiently high. Questions have a low level of challenge and the activities require low levels of skill and application from the pupils. High quality learning supporters form a valuable part of the teaching team. Very effective teamwork between teachers and learning supporters contributes significantly to supporting all pupils' access to and achievements in learning, as well as to all aspects of school life. Lessons are conducted at a good pace and the use of high quality resources and accommodation supports learning very well. Excellent relationships mean that pupils want to please and are confident to participate.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Excellent. Pupils benefit from the rich, relevant and stimulating range of learning experiences the school provides. All subjects are very well planned to allow all pupils to build on earlier learning.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Excellent provision for spiritual, moral and social development and very good provision for cultural development. Pupils are provided with an excellent range of opportunities to use their personal and social skills to the benefit of the school community.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Excellent. The school provides a safe and secure learning environment. Pupils are actively taught how to take responsibility for their own safety as well as that of others.

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Aspect Comment

There is an exceptionally high level of support from the parents for the school. They value highly the work the school does to improve their child’s self-esteem and academic performance. They value the ethos of the school, the support they receive as a family and the crucial role they play in the learning partnership through consultation, home-school diaries and homework books. They feel that they belong to the learning community. These views are fully endorsed by inspectors. Excellent links with other schools, colleges and the wider community enrich the curriculum and most effectively support pupils’ personal development. Pupils’ achievements are recognised and celebrated and this contributes to their enjoyment of their successes and their confidence in themselves. Beaucroft Foundation School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Very high quality leadership and management has produced an exceptional ethos for learning, where all are valued and committed to continuous improvement. The very good school improvement plan effectively supports school improvement year by year although longer- term planning is not in place. The new management structure is beginning to work well and now requires a planned programme for continuing development.

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Aspect Comment

How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities Good. Governors are supportive and well informed and have a good understanding of the strengths of the school. They are not sufficiently involved in longer-term strategic planning for school improvement. Statutory requirements are met.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The school uses information from its effective monitoring procedures well in evaluating its performance.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Excellent. Funds are used very effectively to improve pupils’ learning opportunities. The headteacher and governors have managed the budget exceptionally well to improve learning by providing very high quality accommodation and resources that significantly impact on pupils’ very good achievements.

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Aspect Comment

The school is highly successful in creating an ethos that reflects its aims and values where all are empowered to succeed. All staff contribute effectively to the one-year school improvement plan. The school has not yet developed longer-term planning systems that are useful to staff and governors. The school works hard to achieve best value and uses data effectively to evaluate its achievements. The new management structure is developing well in supporting school improvement and now requires a planned programme of support and monitoring. Funds are very well used and the budget is very well managed to allow for large projects, such as additional buildings, to be financed.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

All aspects of school, particularly: • Being comfortable approaching the school with questions and problems. • The way the school helps children to become mature and responsible. • The high quality teaching and leadership and management. • Children like school, work hard and achieve their best. • A few parents would like to see a range of activities out of lessons. • A few parents would like more homework to be provided.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team confirms the positive views of the school expressed by parents. Inspectors acknowledge the difficulties of the school in providing activities outside lessons because of transport arrangements and a short lunch-time. From the homework diaries looked at by inspectors it was judged that most children have sufficient homework. Beaucroft Foundation School - 10

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Promoting an outstanding ethos and excellent relationships where all are valued and

1 The school is highly successful in achieving its aims of supporting, valuing and empowering pupils to succeed in their academic and personal life. Staff work very well as a team and successfully convey to every pupil the interest and concern they have in their development. Because pupils know their contributions are valued they are confident and try very hard to do their best. Pupils have trust in the community, as one pupil said, “teachers make us work hard, but are very fair”. Pupils develop a keen sense of community through the many responsibilities they are given; for example, assistant transport officer, being a member of the school council or participating in the school 'friendship crew'. From an early age pupils are encouraged to take responsibility not only for their own actions, but also for those of others. Pupils and staff care for and respect one another and through being valued and achieving success they grow in confidence. Many examples were seen of pupils being kind and

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Promoting an outstanding ethos and excellent relationships where all are valued and

considerate to one another, reflecting the exemplary way that staff and pupils interact.

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Promoting an outstanding ethos and excellent relationships where all are valued and

2 A number of pupils enter the school having spent time in a mainstream school. They welcome the opportunity to be in a school where they can achieve self-respect and be confident in their learning. Older pupils particularly welcome being in an environment that is free from bullying, where they can be involved and responsible in the day-to-day activities outside the classroom and where they are actively encouraged to be well prepared for life after school. Pupils have a very positive view of the good range of work experience placements available, their college courses and the many activities in the community in which they participate. Visitors to the classroom commented very favourably on the attitude and maturity of the pupils and of their knowledge and understanding; for example, of accredited courses. At all ages, pupils are confident to use their initiative and work as independently as possible. Staff consistently provide very appropriate opportunities for pupils to do this and their

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Promoting an outstanding ethos and excellent relationships where all are valued and

high expectations of them are fulfilled. Without being told , pupils take responsibility for others by offering help, support or encouragement. They do this because they care.

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Promoting an outstanding ethos and excellent relationships where all are valued and

3 The headteacher works tirelessly to promote the ethos of the school , and is highly successful in inspiring staff and pupils to be confident to give of their best. The sense of community is very evident and permeates all aspects of school life. Whole school assemblies are an enjoyable part of the day, and community values are constantly and skilfully reinforced in a very positive way. Pupils’ respond with great pride at the celebration of their own and others achievements. The outstanding ethos the school provides enables pupils to be secure, happy and industrious in their learning community.

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Providing high quality teaching and an excellent curriculum that enables pupils to achieve

4 Pupils make very good progress and achieve very well at all ages across the curriculum. The high standards achieved in speaking and listening are well reflected in the pupils’ confidence to speak in class and in front of the school as well as to listen to others. This is very effectively supported by the school's ethos of excellent relationships and empowerment. Pupils’ very good progress in their literacy skills effectively supports their very good learning in other subjects. Pupils make very good progress towards the realistic, but challenging targets in their IEPs because they know what they are trying to achieve and because teachers focus on these in their lessons. Year 11 pupils achieve very well in their accredited coursework where a good range of appropriate courses is available to meet the range of learning needs. One higher attaining pupil is doing GCSE (General Certificate of Secondary Education) science coursework. He enjoyed his experiment to show the speed of light,

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Providing high quality teaching and an excellent curriculum that enables pupils to achieve

using a microwave and marshmallows, and was confident to make his own suggestions for the complicated calculations required. Pupils are justifiably proud of their records of achievement, which are very well presented and reflect their many best achievements during their time at school. Beaucroft Foundation School - 11 5 Pupils achieve very well because teaching is very good. During the inspection , teaching in one in every two lessons was judged to be very good or excellent. Staff have a very good knowledge and understanding of the pupils’ learning and personal needs and of the curriculum. Work presented is well planned to build on pupils’ earlier learning. Lessons are interesting and fun and teachers have high expectations of what the pupils will achieve. In a Year 9 dance lesson , pupils achieved very high standards of precision, control and rhythm within a very strong performance element. They rose

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Providing high quality teaching and an excellent curriculum that enables pupils to achieve

to the physical and intellectual challenges of the lesson in building up their dance sequences. Through excellent co-operative work with partners they very successfully worked through the sequence of generating, practising, rehearsing and improving their performance. In this and other lessons, pupils responded to these challenges very well and were proud and pleased with their successes. Lessons go at a good pace and very effective teaching and management strategies support pupils in maintaining concentration and interest. Learning supporters play a vital role in pupils’ learning. Seamless teamwork between teachers and learning supporters provides very effective individual and small group support. Staff have a very good knowledge and understanding of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and incorporate these into their teaching very well. During the inspection, pupils’ standards were outstanding in music, dance, art and design and

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Providing high quality teaching and an excellent curriculum that enables pupils to achieve

technology where teaching was often excellent. The excellent relationships and trust between staff and pupils effectively support pupils in being confident in their learning.

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Providing high quality teaching and an excellent curriculum that enables pupils to achieve

6 The curriculum is extremely well planned and organised. Staff have a very good knowledge and understanding of their subject, both in the planning and in the teaching. All staff are very well supported in their lesson planning by detailed short, medium and long-term subject planning that allows pupils to very effectively build on their earlier learning. Subject co-ordinators monitor teachers’ lesson planning effectively and the quality of work produced by the pupils. A good and effective range of measures is used to ensure that teachers know what pupils can do so that they can plan appropriate work. The rich curriculum provides a very effective range of activities and experiences, both in and out of school, to further support the curriculum and pupils’ academic and personal progress.

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Promoting outstanding personal development that very effectively supports pupils in their

7 Pupils of all ages have excellent attitudes to school and learning. Pupils are enthusiastic, have good ideas and make valuable suggestions because they know that they will be listened to and valued. In a very good, whole-school singing session, pupils were thanked for their contributions. Pupils make sustained effort in all lessons and have very good work ethics. This is closely linked with the enthusiastic approach of teachers, which promotes excellent motivation. In an excellent design and technology lesson, Year 10 pupils were very clear about the safety routines in the workroom without being reminded. Pupils knew what they were doing and how they were going to approach the task. They worked very well independently and were delighted to talk about and explain what they had done previously. Pupils gave full concentration and effort throughout the lesson. Pupils are very clear about how they should behave and the impact of their actions on others. Teachers are skilful at

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Promoting outstanding personal development that very effectively supports pupils in their

managing behaviour and pupils develop very good self-discipline. Pupils work well individually, in small groups or as part of a team and are supportive and co-operative with each other. In a Year 1 lesson, two pupils worked very well together, without supervision, listening to and reading the words they were learning. Pupils learn to be confident in social situations and parents are right to be confident that the school helps their children to become mature and responsible. The use of other schools and colleges and the wider community provides many opportunities for pupils to behave in a mature and appropriate manner. Pupils rise to the challenges and are confident and appropriately behaved. Work experience and college reports reflect the excellent attitudes and behaviour of the pupils when out of school.

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Promoting outstanding personal development that very effectively supports pupils in their

8 Pupils’ respond very well to responsibility. Senior pupils play an important role in running the school and take their responsibilities very seriously. One pupil on bell duty kept an eye on the clock during his dance lesson and without being reminded or making any disruption to the lesson, left to undertake his duties at the correct time. Two pupils on 'friendship crew' duties at lunch-time fetched their badges and undertook their responsibilities in a very mature way. The school initiative of supporting pupils through peer mediation (helping pupils to help each other) is having a significant Beaucroft Foundation School - 12 and highly positive effect on pupils' personal development. They understand that their contribution can be effective and are confident to use the skills and techniques they have acquired. They are confident to talk about the five steps in mediation, what that means to them and what it could mean

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Promoting outstanding personal development that very effectively supports pupils in their

to others. One low attaining pupil was quite confident that she would ask what the problem was and would listen carefully. She used the term 'empathy' and explained that it meant listening with your heart. Through the excellent relationships and ethos of the school, pupils develop high levels of empathy and respect for others. Evidence of this was seen not only in lessons, but at all other times during the school day. During one play-time an older, more able pupil noticed that a younger pupil was on his own, so went over to him to have a chat. Pupils care for each other and many examples of this care and consideration were seen.

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Promoting very good learning by providing high quality accommodation and resources that

9 The headteacher and governors have used their resources extremely effectively to improve significantly the accommodation and resources to support learning. Currently, money is being carried forward to fund a new building to provide better accommodation for older, autistic spectrum disorder pupils. The new science and technology suite most successfully supports the subjects and clearly shows the pupils how much they are valued by the very good learning opportunities it provides. The science room is large to allow for small group and individual working when conducting experiments and investigations and is very well equipped. Apparatus and resources are of a high quality and sufficiency and support scientific work most effectively. The use of an interactive white board further aids learning and the pupils enjoy using it to record their data for comparison with the findings of other groups. In a Year 11 science lesson looking at forces and movement, pupils worked

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Promoting very good learning by providing high quality accommodation and resources that

in pairs with sufficient weights, stands and space to allow them to conduct their tests in safety. The information and communication technology suite is very well equipped and pupils are confident and enthusiastic to use the facilities not only to support their ICT work, but also to support their learning in other subjects. New computers and printers, coupled with the design of the room , provides space for large groups to work comfortably and independently. In one lesson the teacher made good use of the computer, white board and laser pointer to clearly demonstrate learning points. All pupils could see from their workstation and could find the tools identified on their own computer. The design and technology room is large and very well equipped to support pupils fully accessing the range of equipment necessary for the subject. Good organisation and storage means that pupils can be independent in finding and putting away the equipment they use. Specialist food technology and

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Promoting very good learning by providing high quality accommodation and resources that

music rooms contribute to pupils fully accessing these subjects. A group of Year 5 pupils working very well with their learning supporter all contributed to washing up, putting equipment away and tidying the room at the end of their food technology lesson. They enjoyed talking about the breakfast bars they had made. This was a lesson in a sequence of lessons where they had tasted different cereals prior to their cooking and would design packaging for their bars in the following lesson. Having the food technology area in the junior school enabled pupils to participate in all aspects of the process. The school makes very good use of neighbouring schools to provide additional facilities; for example, for sports and drama.

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Promoting very good learning by providing high quality accommodation and resources that

10 Resources for all subjects are excellent and used very effectively to support learning. All classrooms are well equipped and all have very good ICT facilities. Digital cameras are very well used and much appreciated by pupils and parents. Photographic evidence is effectively used to record pupils’ progress and achievements. The quality of the resources and accommodation clearly shows the pupils how much they are valued and supported in their learning. Pupils respond well to this and show great respect and care for their school. The school takes full advantage of its accommodation and resources, which provide a welcome and stimulating learning environment for the pupils. The building is well maintained and kept in a very good order of cleanliness. The accommodation is significantly enhanced by high quality, attractive and educational displays that exhibit and celebrate pupils' work and interests.

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Providing very high levels of care and safety for pupils, with excellent child protection

procedures. Beaucroft Foundation School - 13 11 The very high level of care and support the school gives its pupils is a significant strength. Excellent relationships are an important factor in promoting personal development and encouraging academic progress. Staff know the pupils very well. Very good systems are in place to ensure that pupils have work that is well matched to their needs. Teachers are skilful in their lesson planning and teaching to ensure that all pupils are on appropriate work that enables them to progress in their learning. Pupils are involved in setting their own personal targets and, within lessons, teachers incorporate work that helps pupils to achieve them. Annual reviews and annual reports are comprehensive and clearly identify what pupils know, understand and can do. Each pupil’s progress is easy to track through these records and through their well-collated personal files. These have good examples of

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Providing very high levels of care and safety for pupils, with excellent child protection

pupil’s work since they joined the school. This work is very clearly annotated and dated, which is helpful in knowing the level they have achieved and the type of support provided for them.

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Providing very high levels of care and safety for pupils, with excellent child protection

12 The school has excellent procedures to promote good behaviour and standards of behaviour are well monitored. Where necessary, individual behaviour programmes are in place and are followed consistently by all staff. Teachers are very skilful at encouraging very high standards of behaviour in class and in other aspects of school life. Pupils feel safe and secure in school. They are confident that bullying is not tolerated and the school provides an environment where pupils are nurtured and free to express themselves without fear. Pupils are taught how to look after themselves and willingly take responsibilities for their own actions. Health and safety procedures both in school and in the wider community are excellent and pupils are fully aware of correct routines in lessons such as science and design and technology. Child protection procedures are excellent. All staff are aware of and alert to the need for the continuous monitoring of the well-being of pupils.

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Providing very high levels of care and safety for pupils, with excellent child protection

Working very closely with parents to improve pupils’ learning.

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Providing very high levels of care and safety for pupils, with excellent child protection

13 The school has very effective links with parents and they appreciate the very high level of education and care that it provides. At the parents' meeting, parents were very enthusiastic about the way they are involved in the decision making with regards to their own child. The school provides parents with good quality information and opportunities to visit the school on formal and informal occasions. Parents find the staff easy to approach and are very appreciative of the high level of support, given not only to their child, but often to families. Home-school diaries are well used and helpful. The homework diaries are much appreciated by parents and staff and through parental support contribute significantly to the very good progress that pupils make.

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Providing very high levels of care and safety for pupils, with excellent child protection

14 Parents receive useful and informative reports annually about their child’s progress. These very clearly show what pupils’ know, understand and can do. They show clearly the National Curriculum Levels achieved plus the experiences children have had across the wide curriculum. Many parents attend annual reviews and make a valued contribution to setting targets for their child. Parents help in school; for example, in classrooms and when pupils are out and about in the community. The school partnership with parents is very much appreciated and significantly enhances pupils’ achievements.

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

15 The one-year school improvement plan is a very good and useful document for school improvement. All staff contribute to it and are aware of their roles and responsibilities to achieve the planned targets for the year. The school improvement forum is a very good vehicle to carry forward ideas and ensure that pupil achievement drives the school improvement process. Currently there is no formal, agreed longer-term development plan to support the school in its strategic planning. The school has very well articulated school aims and the headteacher has a clear vision of where the school is going and what needs to be done. As yet this vision is not shared in a formal way with governors, staff or the local education authority. While the headteacher, governors and staff clearly show an exceptional commitment to putting pupils and their achievements first it is not clearly articulated and agreed how this will be sustained and built upon given, for example, the changing population of the

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

school. The lack of a longer-term strategic plan limits the opportunities for governors and staff to contribute to setting the strategy and vision for the longer-term success of the school. Beaucroft Foundation School - 14 Beaucroft Foundation School - 15

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

16 To further improve the school the headteacher and governors, in consultation with the local education authority, should now:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) improve longer-term whole-school planning. (See paragraph 15.) Beaucroft Foundation School - 16

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 22

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils on the school’s roll No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 135

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 31

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

English as an additional language No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 1

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 4

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 3

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Beaucroft Foundation School - 17 Key Stage 4 Accreditation

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

AQA Unit Awards in French: Self and Family

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

EDEXCEL Certificate of Achievement Science: 16 passed

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

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

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Teachers and classes Financial information

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Qualified teachers and classes: YR – Y11

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 17.7 Financial year 2000

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 7.6

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 966,533

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Education support staff: YR – Y11 Total expenditure 1,070,647

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of education support staff 21 Expenditure per pupil 7,931

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total aggregate hours worked per week 577 Balance brought forward from previous year 206,117 Beaucroft Foundation School - 18 Balance carried forward to next year 102,003

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 2

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 4

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0

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PART C: SCHOOL DATA AND INDICATORS

FTE means full-time equivalent. Beaucroft Foundation School - 19

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 66 29 3 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 60 34 2 0 4

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 46 44 8 2 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 71 25 1 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 89 10 0 1 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 79 19 0 2 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 74 22 1 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 86 11 0 1 1

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 74 24 2 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 64 18 8 4 8

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