Priory School

PRIORY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 10 th to 12 th March 2003

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PRIORY 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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PRIORY 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. Priory School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Tennison Road South Norwood London Postcode: SE25 5RR

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Ashley Elsdon

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: March 1998 Priory School - 4

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Team members

21137 John Byrne Registered inspector 11437 Anthony Anderson Lay inspector 31914 Colette Gribble Team inspector 1358 Glyn Essex Team inspector

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Team members

QICS “Ibsley” 4 West Cliff Road Dawlish Devon EX7 9EB

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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 Priory 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

Priory School currently educates 58 boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 19 most of whom live in the borough of Croydon. Although there are a few 11 year old pupils on the school roll the majority are admitted at the age of twelve. The school caters for pupils with profound and severe learning difficulties one fifth of whom have an autistic spectrum disorder. On entry pupils’ levels of attainment are significantly below average and all have a statement of special educational need. There is a ratio of 3 boys to every 1 girl. A significant number of pupils come from an ethnic minority background and 7 are from homes where Urdu, Gujurati, Hindi or Greek is spoken as the first language. The school’s catchment area is socially mixed; currently two-fifths of pupils are eligible for free school meals. For the last 2 years Priory has received a School Achievement Award and in the summer of 2001 it gained Arts

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Mark Gold. The school has a stable staff and most teachers were at the school at the time of the last inspection. The current headteacher has been in post for just under a year.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Priory, because of very effective leadership and management of senior staff, is a very good school. The headteacher has, with impressive support from the deputy headteacher, made a carefully considered start to her new headship that has earned for her the support and confidence of staff and governors. Her appreciation of the schools’ strengths has ensured that the quality of teaching and the progress pupils make continue to be of a high standard. The school gives very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The very good leadership and management shown by senior staff ensures that there is a strong and committed teaching team who are prepared to implement rigorously effective school systems that demonstrate the impressive progress pupils achieve. • The excellent teaching in art, drama, music and physical education, extended and enriched by extensive use of outside groups and facilities, results in pupils achieving very high standards in these areas. • The quality of teaching and support in areas such as communication and personal, social and health education (PSHE) ensures that pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and personal development are very good. • Provision for students over the age of 16 is very good. They are prepared very well for the next stage of their adult life.

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What the school does well

There are no significant areas for improvement. However, minor issues were identified that relate to the detail of school development planning and the involvement of governors in the work of the school.

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

Improvement since the last inspection in 1998 has been good. Although judged at that time as “a very good school with many strengths and some excellent features” the need for improvement was identified in a significant number of areas. These have been addressed as follows:

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

• School timetables identify areas of the curriculum to be covered and lesson planning clearly shows what subjects are being taught; • There is in place a child protection policy which is known to staff; • Curriculum co-ordinators are given time to monitor their subjects and it is clear they have a good understanding of what is being taught across the school; • The areas of weaknesses identified in the governors’ report to parents have been rectified with the result that it now complies with statutory requirements. Priory School - 7 Although school development planning has improved, as yet there is still not a close enough link between identified school priorities and spending. As a consequence judgements about value for money and the impact spending is having on standards is not always secure.

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STANDARDS

The table summarises inspectors’ judgements about how well pupils achieve in relation to their individual targets.

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Mathematics B B Unsatisfactory D personal, social and health education (PSHE) A A Poor E Other personal targets set at annual reviews or in IEPs* A A *IEPs are individual education plans for pupils with special educational needs

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Very detailed planning and recording is a feature of the school’s work and clearly shows that, despite slight variation in aspects of English and mathematics, the standards that all boys and girls achieve against their personal targets and in the majority of subjects are very good. The understanding all staff have of pupils’ additional needs and background ensures that all are included fully in lessons and make the same very good progress across the curriculum. The excellent provision in art, drama, music and physical education means that pupils’ progress in these areas is particularly impressive. The priority attached to communication and personal development is such that by the time they leave school pupils are capable of making informed choices at a level appropriate to their special educational need. Every term pupils are set, specific targets in English, mathematics science, PSHE and information and

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communication technology (ICT). All staff are aware of these targets and consequently ensure they are the focus of work in both discrete subject lessons and across all areas of the curriculum. As a result of this constant reinforcement progress overall is very good. The quality of information available on individual pupils is appropriately used to set, on an annual basis, challenging whole school targets that are met successfully.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils clearly enjoy school and respond very positively to the quality of the curriculum available. They gain great pleasure from the successes they achieve in lessons.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. The majority of pupils react very well to the high levels of adult support available to them and by the time they leave school they show that they are capable of managing their own behaviour very well.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Very good. Pupils, as they move through the school, develop their communication skills by being required to make choices at a level suitable to their needs. This affects their confidence with the result that they are able to practise learnt skills in a range of situations and with Priory School - 8 different pupils and adults.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Satisfactory. Authorised absence, often as the result of existing medical conditions, compares favourably with similar types of school nationally. School and curriculum aims place great emphasis on developing pupils as individuals by ensuring that they are able to make choices and give opinions. The focus on these important personal skills has clearly been successful because the majority of pupils respond very positively to being in school and leave at nineteen as very confident young adults ready to move onto the next stage of their life. The minority of pupils who display challenging or extreme behaviour respond very well to the effective programmes in place designed to manage and improve their responses in situations that they find stressful.

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Teaching of pupils: Years 7 – 11 Years 12 – 13

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 7 – 11 Years 12 – 13

Teaching is very good. All staff are aware of pupils’ individual targets in all subject areas and so ensure that responses are recorded in a detailed and meaningful way that is appropriate to the needs of pupils. It is clear that the majority of pupils understand that staff value their responses in lessons and this motivates them to remain focused on their learning and so make progress. A feature of teaching is the emphasis on developing the basic skills of literacy and numeracy in all lessons. In particular, the approach to communication using signing and school-produced reading material has a very positive impact on learning and the progress pupils make in speaking and listening and reading. Teaching is enhanced by the quantity and quality of support staff whose knowledge of the pupils is used to very good effect in all lessons. The recent focus on developing staff expertise in ICT is very evident in the way it is

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Teaching of pupils: Years 7 – 11 Years 12 – 13

used to produce curriculum materials and support the work provided for individual pupils. The effective deployment of a technician, both in and out of the classroom, has contributed to the impact that ICT is now having on pupils’ learning. The undoubted expertise and enthusiasm of those teachers who teach art, drama, music, and physical education is very evident in the effect it has on pupils’ responses and attitude to their work. Pupils’ learning and very good personal and social development benefits from the extensive use made of the wider community and outside expertise to enhance and extend the activities and experiences available to them.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. It is relevant and flexible, providing pupils with a wide range of experiences both within and outside the school that develops their confidence and provides them with the personal skills necessary for when they leave school.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils with English as an additional language Good. Pupils benefit from the school focus on communication and the high level of individual support that the school provides for them.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. It is evident from assemblies, school displays and subjects such as music, art and drama that every opportunity is taken to support pupils’ personal and social needs and develop their spiritual and cultural awareness. Priory School - 9 How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. Procedures in place to meet the personal and care needs of all pupils are most appropriate and very effective. School systems, which provide information about where pupils are in their learning and the progress that they are making, are very detailed and informative. The quality and range of the curriculum in the area of art, dance, drama and music has been recognised by the Arts Mark Gold Award. This is an undoubted strength of the school and contributes in many ways to the very good academic and personal development of pupils.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Very good. The headteacher provides good leadership of a strong and committed team. There are very good management systems in place, particularly in monitoring, planning and recording, that ensure the provision available to pupils is of a high quality.

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Aspect Comment

How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities Satisfactory. Although the governing body provides good support to the school an understanding of its strengths and weaknesses is not sufficiently developed in areas such as budget and curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The headteacher and key staff have a very good grasp of school strengths and priorities for improvement that are securely based on effective systems of self-review.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Good. The school makes efficient use of the resources available. However, currently the insufficient link between school development planning and the budget makes it difficult to judge accurately the impact of spending decisions, related to staffing and resources, on standards.

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Aspect Comment

The headteacher, with very good support from the deputy headteacher, has settled in well and has gained quickly an appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Her good leadership has ensured that the very successful practices that existed at the time of her appointment have been maintained. She demonstrates the capacity to provide very good leadership of the school in the near future because of the clear grasp that she has of areas that have to be improved. She recognises for example that, although the school seeks to achieve best value in all it undertakes there is a need to ensure future school development planning is more precise. She also is aware that in the past, because of over cautious budgeting, a significant part of the annual budget has not been spent. She has appropriate plans to reduce the amount of money carried over from one year to the next.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The strong links that the school has established with them • The quality of information provided on a termly basis • The strong relationships in the school and the fact that their children are so happy • Provision for physical education and PSHE • The accommodation and changing facilities • Their involvement in supporting work done in class at home • The local education authority’s understanding that the complex range of needs that the school provides for makes it very difficult for staff. Priory School - 10 The inspection fully supports parents’ positive comments about the school. However, judgements did not support their views of what they would like to see improved. Although accommodation is cramped, the school ensures that pupils’ progress is not hindered by lack of space. Inspectors found that changing facilities were adequate for a school of this size and type. Although there is no homework policy the detailed information provided by the school is such that parents know exactly what work is

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

being covered by their children and as such have the opportunity to support educational programmes at home if they so wish. The school is being required to work with pupils who exhibit increasingly more complex needs. However, the expertise and commitment of the staff is such that the needs of all pupils are being met equally well. Priory School - 11

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is a strong and committed teaching team who are prepared to implement rigorously

effective school systems that demonstrate the impressive progress pupils achieve .

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is a strong and committed teaching team who are prepared to implement rigorously

1. It is clear that the current headteacher was appointed to a very successful school. She quickly realised that the secret of its success was mainly due to the very professional teaching team who were motivated to do the very best for the pupils in their care. Therefore, her priority since arriving at the school has been to ensure its continued success by maintaining staffs’ commitment to achieving high standards. The fact that she has been successful in her efforts, by quickly gaining their confidence , is a consequence of her perceptive, yet cautious, style of leadership. In addition, the high quality of support offered to her by the deputy headteacher meant that she has had the time to settle and gain an appreciation of school’s strengths and areas in need of further development. In adopting such a considered approach she has enabled staff to manage successfully the change that a new headteacher brings.

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is a strong and committed teaching team who are prepared to implement rigorously

As a result they have confidently continued with management systems that were recognised as being so successful at the last inspection . 2. A particular strength of the way the school manages pupils’ education is the systems that have been established and maintained for assessing pupils’ work and recording and reporting on the impressive progress that they make during their time at Priory School. Teachers are committed to rigorously implementing these very good school procedures. They do this by ensuring detailed targets, made available to parents, are provided for pupils that, in addition to informing their daily planning, also provide a very clear focus for the targeted recording support staff are required to undertake in each lesson. This is a valuable use of time and ensures that the high level of staff support evident in the majority of lessons is used in an efficient and effective manner. Parents, at the meeting prior to the inspection, commented upon how much they

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is a strong and committed teaching team who are prepared to implement rigorously

valued the quality of the information they were given on the targets set for their children. 3. The consistency of approach shown by staff in following school requirements is of the highest quality. In many of the lessons observed it was possible to match the targets identified for pupils with the work set and the teachers’ enthusiastic response to pupils’ oral contributions. In a physical education lesson for lower attaining pupils it was clearly evident that very explicit activities were being used to encourage pupils to follow instructions using only one verbal prompt. In the same lesson the work the physiotherapist was undertaking was very closely related to each pupil’s individual target aimed at exploring basic movement actions and developing some body control. In another lesson for higher attaining pupils, who were building up character profiles for their drama work, the classteacher was quick to recognise contributions by

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is a strong and committed teaching team who are prepared to implement rigorously

responses such as “Really? You said that? Quick we had better write it down” pointing to the recording form. This clearly motivated the pupil concerned who was fully aware of the significance of the comment. It also encouraged other pupils to make sensible contributions in order to elicit a similar response from the teacher. 4. It is very apparent that the leadership and management style adopted by the senior staff gives teachers the encouragement and confidence to adapt and extend school procedures in a way that best suits their teaching method. For example, although recording is used consistently teachers have extended their systems in ways that Priory School - 12 provide even more information upon which to base very secure judgements on progress. In the class for lower attaining pupils recording clearly identifies in a simple and efficient way the level of support required, for example physical or verbal prompt,

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is a strong and committed teaching team who are prepared to implement rigorously

accompanied by a brief description of the activity and relevant circumstances. In another class, for pupils mainly up to year 10, they are given work files for specific curriculum areas that identify in each lesson the particular key skills that are being focused on, for example problem solving, improving own learning or working with others. Computer generated symbols are used to make the identified focus clear to pupils. In this way they are very effectively involved in their own learning and, because the comments related to the key skills are written directly into their work books, they are reminded daily of the level of success they are achieving against the key skills identified. This clearly motivates them and has a very positive impact on their learning. 5. By adopting a considered and careful approach to her role the headteacher, with the support of the deputy headteacher, is now in a strong position to tackle confidently

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is a strong and committed teaching team who are prepared to implement rigorously

those minor areas for improvement that she has identified. She recognises that school development planning is not sufficiently detailed and is aware of the need to ensure that future plans contain more explicit information in relation to budget requirements and expected outcomes in terms of impact on pupil standards. She also has a very thorough grasp of financial matters and is taking positive steps to reduce the unacceptable amount of the school budget that the previous headteacher carried forward from one year to the next. She has forged a good relationship with governors and is intent on ensuring the good support that they provide to the school is used to better effect in areas such as the curriculum and financial matters.

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enriched by extensive use of outside groups and facilities, results in pupils

achieving very high standards in these areas.

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enriched by extensive use of outside groups and facilities, results in pupils

6. The very good provision that existed in these areas at the last inspection has been maintained and developed. As a consequence of the improvement noted in drama, it is now excellent. The expertise of the teachers, all of whom have a recognised qualification in their respective subjects, enables them to generate in pupils a genuine enthusiasm for their work. This results in a desire to participate and learn that in turn leads to the pupils achieving very high standards as demonstrated in lessons, public performances and in the impressive displays around the school. 7. The obvious commitment and passion that teachers have for their subject is effectively transmitted to pupils in a manner which make them eager to learn and actively participate in the wide range of interesting activities planned for them. Expectations of what pupils can achieve is suitably high and they respond to the challenge by successfully sharing in a silk screen portrait project with a local

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enriched by extensive use of outside groups and facilities, results in pupils

secondary school, performing various plays by Shakespeare and participating in a variety of workshops run by visiting musicians. In lessons it is clear that importance is placed on developing pupils’ skills; for example in art older pupils respond well to the teachers’ use of subject specific language and understand how different shapes can be arranged to make a pattern. In drama pupils benefit very much from the fact that emphasis is placed on the process rather than the performance. Younger pupils enjoy the range of resources used to reinforce the story stimulus about a magician and become very excited when a top hat and magic wand are produced and they are given the opportunity to wear the hat and contemplate how it makes them feel. In music Year 9 pupils respond very positively to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” at the Priory School - 13 beginning of the lesson and are keen to make judgements as to whether a piece of

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enriched by extensive use of outside groups and facilities, results in pupils

music is fast or slow. They are eager to show that they have some understanding of rhythm. 8. The importance that the school attaches to the “performing arts” ensures that pupils are provided with a range of enriching experiences. The contribution that this makes to their spiritual and cultural awareness is significant. It also plays a major part in enabling pupils to extend their communication skills and develop their sense of confidence and feeling of personal worth. This is clearly illustrated in the outcome of integrated approaches that involve pupils participating in music, dance, art and drama, culminating in public performances such as the “Seven Samurai” and “Fiesta Espanola” to celebrate Arts Week and Christmas performances that reflect the term’s curriculum theme, for example “The Americas”. Opportunities to develop pupils’ skills and knowledge are further enhanced by the way teachers make use of their

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enriched by extensive use of outside groups and facilities, results in pupils

personal interests and contacts to invite individuals and professional groups into the school to work with and perform for the pupils. Recent visitors have included the Ballet Rambert, an art therapist to support work on faces and feelings, a theatre group composed of adults with learning difficulties and The London Mozart Players. 9. Standards achieved by pupils in physical education are very good and are a direct result of the quality of teaching and the range of activities that are available to them. Pupils benefit from the challenge provided by the teacher; they take pride in their achievements and they approach activities such as running and circuit training in a mature and sensible manner. The obvious satisfaction that they get from exercising hard emphasises to them the enjoyment that can be gained from partaking in activities that promote a healthy lifestyle. The problems posed by cramped

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enriched by extensive use of outside groups and facilities, results in pupils

accommodation are very successfully overcome by the extensive use that is made of outside facilities and expertise. The use of local swimming pools, a sailing lake, athletics tracks and a tennis and racquet centre ensure that the range of activities pupils have access to is wide and varied. In addition, the undoubted subject knowledge of the physical education teacher is very well supported by the use of outside expertise, which has in the past included input from Crystal Palace Football Club, Yoga instructors and the Aikido world champion.

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social and health education (PSHE) ensures that pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and

10. Several of the school’s aims emphasise the importance of developing the personal qualities that pupils will need in adult life. These aims are successfully achieved and as a consequence the very good attitudes and personal attributes displayed by pupils at the time of the last inspection are still evident in lessons and around the school. 11. The high quality curriculum available to pupils and its relevance to them ensures that their academic and personal development is extremely well catered for. It is very evident that they gain great satisfaction from what the curriculum offers them and in the majority of lessons they work hard, remain on task for impressively long periods of time and make very good progress. The very positive attitudes that pupils display, coupled with the quality of relationships that they have with staff and each other, make a very positive contribution to the calm and harmonious atmosphere that is so

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social and health education (PSHE) ensures that pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and

noticeable in the school. As a consequence it is not surprising that parents indicate that their children approach their education with enthusiasm and derive great enjoyment from the time they spend in school. This enjoyment owes much to the careful emphasis that very good teaching places on promoting and developing pupils’ Priory School - 14 communication skills through the use of varied and stimulating activities across all areas of the curriculum. 12. In nearly all lessons pupils are required to make and communicate choices at a level appropriate to their abilities. They are helped in this by sensitive and appropriate staff support and carefully structured use of resources, signs and symbols that encourages decision making at a level appropriate to the pupils’ special educational needs. They respond very positively to this approach, for example when pupils in Year 8 are given the opportunity to choose from different types of messages during

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social and health education (PSHE) ensures that pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and

English. In another lesson lower attaining pupils making soup, although heavily supported by staff, are encouraged to participate through their senses, for example smelling the ingredients. They show by facial responses and hand gestures that they are prepared to communicate to the staff supporting them what they find pleasurable and what they clearly do not like. In an excellent physical education lesson higher attaining older pupils are required to make decisions about how many laps they can comfortably manage in the warm up session. The extent to which they have benefited from the whole school approach to encouraging communication and personal development through decision making is apparent from the mature and considered way in which they approached the task with a minimum of prompting. What was particularly impressive was how, once they had made their choice, other pupils successfully communicated their support through appropriately enthusiastic

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social and health education (PSHE) ensures that pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and

encouragement and praise. Attitudes to the activity were of the highest quality and the students’ willingness to co-operate with each other and to the demands of the teacher and support staff ensured that they made very good progress. 13. It is very clear from school aims and school policies, such as those relating to behaviour, that developing self-awareness, self-esteem and respect for others are the school’s priorities. Although developed mainly through personal and social education they are worked on specifically in all areas. During the inspection discrete lessons were observed, as part of the personal relationship module, where very effective work was taking place on sensitive issues such as good and bad touching, public and private activities and gender. The response of the pupils in all of these sessions was very good and owed much to the sensitive support of staff and the careful planning

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social and health education (PSHE) ensures that pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and

that went into the lessons. Pupils show that they have an understanding of the issues under discussion and they are prepared to share this with staff and peers because they have the confidence to speak up knowing that their views will be respected. Specific work such as this is very well supported across the curriculum and the reinforcement that pupils constantly receive has a very positive impact on their personal development. The list of achievements and experiences that encapsulates pupils’ time at Priory is a very impressive record and shows the range of activities both in and out of school that makes such a positive contribution to their personal development. It includes the full range of activities that supports the arts curriculum, as well as careers education, work experience and annual residential opportunities. 14. The emphasis placed on encouraging decision making and involving pupils in their

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social and health education (PSHE) ensures that pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and

learning ensures that their behaviour both in and out of lessons is very good. The majority of pupils respond very well to the high expectations of teaching and support staff and when they become restless and stray off task a verbal prompt or facial movement is enough to remind them of what the teacher expects. This willingness to co-operate ensures that they can have full access to a rich and varied curriculum that is offered to them. There are a minority of pupils who, because of their special educational needs, display a challenging level of behaviour. Individual programmes are provided for them that identify the behaviour to be targeted and outlines in a concise and clear way how it should be managed in order to minimise disruption and bring about improvement over the longer term. Staff know these programmes very well and implement them in a consistent way that provides a predictability and routine

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social and health education (PSHE) ensures that pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and

Priory School - 15 for the pupil. As a consequence of this approach pupils’ are included in all lessons and their education is not disrupted by over-long periods out of class or by exclusions.

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Provision for students over the age of 16 is very good. They are prepared very

well for the next stage of their adult life.

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Provision for students over the age of 16 is very good. They are prepared very

15. At the last inspection provision for students in the post-16 area of the school was very good. This continues to be the case and the minor issues identified related to links between courses offered and students’ involvement in their own learning have been rectified. The clear focus that the school places on preparing for the move between school and the student’s post 16 placement is very appropriate and makes a very important contribution to their personal and social development. In preparation for leaving they are given the opportunity to practice the skills they have learnt at Priory in a variety of settings beyond the school. 16. As at the time of the last inspection the framework for the post-16 curriculum is securely based on the Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN). The school has incorporated the strengths of its teaching and curriculum into the ASDAN modules and in doing so has ensured a very relevant and dynamic

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Provision for students over the age of 16 is very good. They are prepared very

post-16 provision. The impressive record of achievement that they are presented with when they leave school very well illustrates the quality of experiences available to students. This document provides pictorial and written evidence of how the varied range of activities has contributed to the development of key skills, in a number of areas, through involvement in a range of activities both within and outside the school. For example, in the area of ICT a student has the opportunity to support her work by using the Internet to find information on Mozart. The same student is able to develop the key skill of working with others when given the chance to serve breakfast to other pupils at a school based charity event. 17. The strength of the post-16 provision is the use it makes of a variety of resources beyond the school to ensure an individual programme is available for students that takes full account of their special educational needs. The very good links with a local

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Provision for students over the age of 16 is very good. They are prepared very

supermarket chain ensures that work experience opportunities are provided for those students who would benefit from it. The careers sessions at the school and input from the supermarket staff prepares them well for the experience which some students can only access with individual staff support. The benefit that the work experience provides in developing self-esteem and confidence is very evident in the pride that the students display when wearing the supermarket uniform. Although the link with the supermarket is the main focus for work experience opportunities, where necessary the school does provide for individual interests, for example using local schools when a student expresses an interest to work with younger pupils. 18. The school has, over the years, developed very good links with Carshalton College and South Norwood Adult Education Centre. The contacts that have been established enable the school to extend the range of opportunities and experiences

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Provision for students over the age of 16 is very good. They are prepared very

that it can provide to students. Where it is considered to be in their interest students can attend the college for a day per week over two years. They follow modules in curriculum areas such as science, ICT and design and technology. It is very clear from students’ records of achievements that the time at college makes a very positive contribution to the development of key skills when for example they ask for lunch in the canteen or work with others in the college kitchen. Students who attend the adult education centre have the opportunity to do screen-printing and take part in drama therapy groups. This extends, very appropriately, what they are doing at school and also provides valuable opportunities for personal development by for example using Priory School - 16 the skills associated with choosing and purchasing a meal in the unfamiliar surrounding of the centre’s canteen. 19. The accommodation for students over the age of 16 is cramped and the open

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Provision for students over the age of 16 is very good. They are prepared very

planning arrangements of the area means that when up to 3 class groups are working there it can be noisy and there is the potential for distraction. However, on the occasions when the area is being fully used students cope very well. This is because they are motivated to stay on task as a result of the very good teaching they receive. During an art lesson linked to the theme “sky” the expertise of the teacher coupled with very good planning meant that pupils were focused on their work and were able to achieve the learning outcomes that had been set by the teacher for them. They were oblivious to the background noise coming from groups working in other parts of the area.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

20. There are no significant areas for improvement. However, in order to improve further the already very good education it provides the school should consider addressing the minor issues identified by:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

I. Ensuring that development planning identifies more clearly the link between the budget and annual school targets. In this way the judgements that are made about the impact of spending decisions on raising educational standards will be more secure.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

II. Developing the good support of governors by ensuring that they have a greater understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school in areas such as finances and curriculum. Priory School - 17

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

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

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

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 four percentage points.

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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 58

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 22

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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 7

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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 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 1

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Priory School - 18

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Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions

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Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 1

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Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background 2

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Exclusions in the last school year

The table refers to pupils of compulsory school age only. It gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 10.8 Financial year 2001-2002

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 5.37

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 956375

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y7– Y14 Total expenditure 963502

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 25 Expenditure per pupil 18179

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 610 Balance brought forward from previous year 145216

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 138089 Priory School - 19

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 1.92

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Priory School - 20

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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. 55 33 0 0 11

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 50 28 0 0 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 17 33 22 11 6

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 67 28 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 83 11 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 61 39 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 55 39 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 50 39 0 0 11

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 67 22 0 0 11

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 55 17 6 014 11

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Percentage of responses in each category

Not all parents provided responses to all of the above questions.

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