Benton Dene School

GLEBE SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 21 st – 23 rd May 2003

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GLEBE 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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GLEBE 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. Glebe School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Woodburn Drive Whitley Bay Postcode: NE26 3HW

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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 J Stronach

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: June 1998 Glebe School - 4

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Team members

21765 Mrs P Pothecary Registered inspector 12536 Ms S Bullerwell Lay inspector 23733 Ms A Anderston Team inspector 28106 Ms M Majid Team inspector

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Team members

Bench Marque Ltd National Westminster Bank Chambers Victoria Street Burnham-on-Sea Somerset TA8 1AN

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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 Glebe 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

Glebe is a community special day school with 104 pupils currently on roll, 72 boys and 32 girls, aged four to eleven years. Twenty-eight of these pupils have dual placements with a mainstream school. There are 71 pupils with moderate learning difficulties, two with severe learning difficulties, three with emotional and behavioural difficulties, seven with speech and communication difficulties, one with a physical disability and 20 with autistic spectrum disorders. All bar three pupils are of white British heritage and all speak English as a first language. Attainment on entry to the school is well below national averages. Free school meals are given to 45 pupils. The nature of the pupils’ difficulties has changed recently and is becoming more complex, with all pupils having significant additional needs, including 80 per cent with speech, language and communication difficulties. Ten per cent of the pupils are in public care.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

The school occupies three sites, a main site plus two classes based, one in each, of two partner mainstream schools. Glebe is a Beacon School, has Investor in People status, holds the Healthy School Award and has just received a School Achievement Award from the DFES. The school is a member of the DFEE Clusters Project for Business Links and is actively involved in the North Tyneside Children’s University (CU).

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Glebe is a very good, happy and purposeful school, with many excellent features, where very good teaching helps pupils to achieve well and make very good progress. There is an exceptional curriculum, the school is very well managed and leadership is excellent. The school provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The high quality of teaching ensures that very good progress is made by pupils in communication, basic skills, personal and social development and subjects of the National Curriculum. • The rich and highly relevant curriculum provides numerous opportunities for pupils to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning needs, including learning within mainstream schools. • The care shown to pupils in keeping them safe and happy, guiding them in how to learn and what to aim for and helping them to behave very well. This is closely linked to some very effective work with parents. • The quality of leadership and management leading to a highly reflective and continuously improving school.

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What could be improved

• The setting of explicit learning goals in lessons, for selected individual pupils where appropriate, to improve even further the rate at which pupils of differing abilities make progress. • The setting of formal whole school targets to improve and sharpen the focus for continuing to raise standards. 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

Glebe has sustained an already high quality of education and improved very well since the last inspection in June 1998. It was described as a highly effective school in Ofsted’s annual report that year. All previous issues have been addressed and have been given an ‘A’ grading from the local authority. The school has continued to develop and adapt to the changing cohort and many elements of school provision have also improved. These include the quality of teaching and learning which are now very good, the curriculum breadth and quality, the strategies for helping pupils to communicate and provision Glebe School - 7 for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders. In addition the school has won various awards including Beacon School status and the coveted School Achievement Award for 2002.

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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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R 6

mathematics A A personal, social and health education A A other personal targets set at annual reviews or in IEPs* A A very good

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R 6

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

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R 6

The school’s targets were for 75 per cent of pupils to achieve their targets from their individual education plans (IEPs). This was exceeded as over 80 per cent of pupils achieved their goals by the end of 2002. The quality of pupils’ achievements and the progress they make is consistently very good in English, mathematics, science and personal and social development. Pupils also achieve well, and often very well, in other subjects of the National Curriculum. There are no discernible differences in the standards of achievement between subjects or between girls and boys. Pupils of all abilities achieve equally well, including those with autistic spectrum disorders and communication difficulties.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils’ attitudes to school are excellent. They are keen, very hard working and enjoy their work.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour in and around the school is very good. Pupils are considerate of others, look after the environment and are very polite.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships There are many examples of how very well the pupils grow in confidence and show exceptional respect and care for others.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is well above that for similar schools. Glebe School - 8

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Teaching of pupils: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 6

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: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 6

The quality of teaching is very good in English, mathematics, science and personal, social and health education. It is equally very good for all pupils, including those with significantly different needs such as autistic spectrum disorders and severe learning difficulties. Teaching is very good or excellent in more than half of all lessons and good in the rest. The strengths in teaching are many, including the quality of planning and organisation, resource preparation, and a lively pace and delivery, which engages pupils from the start and keeps them focused on their work. The frequent use of humour and very high quality of relationships, alongside some very well organised behaviour management, ensures that lessons run smoothly and are enjoyable. Very good teamwork and a high level of skill from learning support assistants enable individual pupils and small groups to learn at a pace which suits their needs. A key

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Teaching of pupils: Nursery and Reception Years 1 – 6

strength in teaching is the very good range of strategies used, so that every lesson suits the wide variety of learning styles and needs of the pupils. The specialised techniques for teaching pupils with autistic spectrum disorders are also very effective. In a few lessons there is a lack of well-defined objectives for one or two pupils who need to take their learning further than the majority and for these pupils the lesson lacks additional challenge. Learning for the highest attaining pupils, nevertheless, remains very good overall. Communication is very well taught and all staff are very well trained to use several systems to help pupils understand what is said and make their ideas and wishes known. The teaching of literacy and numeracy is promoted very well in all subjects and taught to a very high standard using the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies, resulting in some very good progress.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum The school provides an excellent range of rich, relevant and exciting learning opportunities which helps each pupil to do as well as they can. The curriculum supports inclusion very well.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development The school makes very good provision for all aspects of personal development, encouraging moral, social and cultural understanding very well. This is seen in all aspects of the school’s work and is fundamental to the considerable progress that pupils make. The curriculum has a very strong spiritual element.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The care of pupils is very good, and the implementation of required procedures to keep pupils safe is excellent. Pupils are helped very well to behave, set good goals and take responsibility for their own learning. Parents are clearly involved in their children’s learning and the work of the school. Glebe School - 9

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Leadership throughout the school is excellent. Together with very good management from the headteacher and key staff the school is able to provide a consistently very high quality of education. The role of subject co-ordinators currently lacks sufficient scope to fully monitor learning and so ensure that current high standards are maintained.

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Aspect Comment

How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities The governing body fulfils all statutory duties and provides good support and guidance to the school, understanding the strengths and what needs to be improved. The governors’ monitoring role, to enable them to challenge decisions more rigorously, is underdeveloped.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school manages its performance well. Very good systems are in place and are very well implemented. The system for assessing and analysing data has recently changed to provide clearer information on how well pupils are doing. This is just beginning to impact positively on the work of school improvement.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school manages resources very well, seeking best value at all times and judging how effective spending has been. Every lesson has bright, varied and relevant resources, often made by the staff. Accommodation is suitable and attractively maintained, but with several shortcomings, mainly due to the changing needs of the pupils.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• The progress made by their children especially in confidence and communication • Teaching is of a very high standard • Parents are kept well informed about their children’s progress • The school is approachable and works closely with parents A very small minority of parents felt that: • Homework is insufficient • Extra-curricular activity is insufficient • Inclusion in mainstream schools for those on Glebe’s main site is insufficient

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection findings mainly echoed parents’ views. Pupils’ progress, the quality of teaching and the information provided about pupils’ progress are all of a very high standard. The system for providing homework is also very good and the minority view that homework is insufficient was not supported by the inspection. Similarly the school does provide some very good extra-curricular activity, during, after and out of school time. The school is very approachable and open to discussion regarding provision for individual pupils. Inclusion overall is one of the school’s strengths, although opportunities for pupils on the main Glebe site to link with mainstream peers are more limited. The school works tirelessly to increase inclusion. Glebe School - 10

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

• The high quality of teaching ensures that very good progress is made by pupils in

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communication, basic skills, personal and social development and subjects of the

1. Teaching is of a consistently high quality at Glebe School. During the inspection the quality of teaching in every lesson was at least good, with teaching in over half of all lessons being very good or excellent. This is an exceptional achievement. Pupils achieve very well and make very good progress in the majority of lessons and over time. It was hard to recognise that this was a primary school when considering the standards of learning shown by pupils with such complex difficulties.

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communication, basic skills, personal and social development and subjects of the

2. There are many strengths in teaching. Almost all lessons are very well planned, managed, organised and delivered. Lively presentation, a high level of humour and many very well prepared resources are a feature of all lessons, giving pupils confidence and motivating them to work hard while they enjoy themselves. In one typical lesson several pupils read aloud with some excellent expression, bringing life to the story about a ‘chapati’ and keeping everyone enthralled to find out what would happen next. Skilled questioning and pupil management led to the pupils being very responsible and enthusiastic to play their part. Teachers also have high expectations of what pupils can achieve thus leading them to do very well.

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communication, basic skills, personal and social development and subjects of the

3. Teachers take considerable care to vary their strategies within each lesson so that every pupil can relate in their own way to what is being taught. For example, in one lesson for reception aged pupils, story telling, a puppet doll, ball games, singing, a fish game and a number line were all used to teach the numbers up to ten, which pupils grasped very well. Pupils were clearly excited to jump onto the correct number during a lively game in the hall as part of this lesson. The widely different needs of all pupils are therefore usually provided for very well. The main weakness in teaching, in a few of the otherwise good lessons, concerns the limited planning for extended learning opportunities particularly for the most able pupils. This is discussed in the section ‘What Could Be Improved’ below. However, teachers and learning support assistants do extend individual pupils’ thinking through careful questioning and different

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communication, basic skills, personal and social development and subjects of the

expectations. The evidence from pupils’ records shows that, overall, the most able pupils make very good progress, especially in personal and social development, English, mathematics and science.

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communication, basic skills, personal and social development and subjects of the

4. Teachers also use many ways to reinforce and develop communication so that all pupils can understand and contribute in their own way. Signing, symbols, visual timetables, cued articulation 1 , picture exchange and speech are consistently used to a high standard in all lessons depending on pupil needs. Because of this all pupils show confidence in expressing themselves, asking questions, communicating their needs and engaging fully in the lessons. These specialised techniques are very evident in the special classes for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders. Skilled planning to minimise distraction, develop predictable routines, and use symbols to support communication lead to some very successful lessons for these pupils in all age groups.

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communication, basic skills, personal and social development and subjects of the

1 A system for signing how the word is said to help those with articulation difficulties. Glebe School - 11 5. All staff relate extremely well to the pupils. They manage all behaviour including difficult incidents very well, which means that the quality of relationships between pupils as well as with staff are mature and positive. This helps lessons to run smoothly and learning is rarely interrupted. There is a kindness and consideration from staff to pupils and from pupils to adults and each other, which permeates the school, making it a lovely place to be.

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to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning

needs, including learning within mainstream schools.

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to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning

6. The excellent curriculum is a particular strength of this highly successful school. The Foundation Stage curriculum and subjects of the National Curriculum are adapted to meet the needs of all of the pupils in a most relevant and exciting way. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been thoroughly implemented and are very effective in helping pupils make progress. Other subjects are very well planned to ensure that pupils have as broad an experience as possible. This is then supplemented by numerous visits, activities and special theme days and is cross-linked to the very good spiritual, moral, social and cultural elements of the school’s work. There is an atmosphere that learning is fun and important and the pupils respond with a keen sense of purpose. The curriculum meets all statutory requirements and national and local recommendations for religious education, collective worship and personal, social

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to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning

7. The school successfully links the subjects so that they reinforce common threads, such as literacy, information and communication technology and numeracy, but also pick up themes from other subjects. For example, in one design and technology project, pupils visited ‘B&Q’ 2 , observed and interviewed the staff, wrote about the visit, designed their own wallpaper patterns and matching curtains, made a catalogue, produced order forms on the computer and took photographs which they loaded into the computer. Drama is used in many lessons, especially history, to bring the subject alive.

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to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning

8. A key strength of the provision is the detailed work to support inclusion of pupils within the mainstream. There are two classes based in mainstream schools, containing 30 per cent of the school’s pupils. These pupils have the core subjects of English and mathematics separately, but are taught with their mainstream peers for most of the other subjects. Several pupils eventually attend mainstream full time from these bases. The influence on the mainstream schools and the way they teach has been very beneficial according to the two mainstream headteachers. There is ample evidence at Glebe of each lesson being inclusive, for example where one pupil who had difficulties with communication joined in because the teacher asked the whole class to whisper. Older pupils with autistic spectrum disorders also attend science, music and history lessons with other classes from the school. The very good speech, language and

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to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning

communication support and the total communication system are key elements of the successful inclusion within the school.

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to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning

9. Glebe main school site provides some very good inclusion for the reception aged pupils to join their mainstream peers in the mainstream school, supported by a specially appointed nursery nurse. However, further inclusion is limited as the mainstream school currently lacks sufficient space. Some Years 5 and 6 pupils travel to the middle school. Very good provision is made to support social inclusion at playtimes, during

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to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning

2 A national chain of hardware stores. Glebe School - 12 music club, at the Children’s University and for special events and projects such as the café from a design and technology project. Strong community links support this work on inclusion very effectively.

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to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning

10. The three classes for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders are another element of the very good curricular provision. The methods and curriculum ideally suit the needs of the pupils and are based upon best practice. The methods, such as picture exchange, visual, predictable timetables and limited distraction, contributes significantly to the very good progress that these pupils are making in their studies, personal growth and ability to communicate. The reception class for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders is effective, has a varied curriculum, and a suitable environment to maximise formal learning, but it does lack the space and equipment to provide equal opportunities for pupils to explore and play. This leaves the pupils dependent upon adult direction for much of their time. This has been recognised and several opportunities, such as ‘sensory play’, outdoor activities and visits to the reception base, are built in to the

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to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning

school week. However, these do not provide regular access to a typical reception class environment during the day for developing an even broader growth in understanding of how the world works. Despite this shortcoming these pupils are evidently making very good progress overall.

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to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning

11. The school places a high emphasis on the personal and social development of pupils, which is seen as essential in supporting their learning and is very effective. There is a multi-layered approach, where separate, high quality lessons for personal, social and health education (PSHE) is supplemented by special ‘circle time’ 3 sessions. There are links to other subjects, such as the work for the Healthy School Award, where the pupils learn about what to eat for good health and why they should take exercise and drink plenty of water. The school council is one example of how pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their environment. Through this they have influenced the school meals and were given a budget and ran a survey, resulting in the purchase of wind chimes and benches for the playground. The pupils also attend area meetings for school councils, where they work alongside their mainstream peers.

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to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning

12. The extra-curricular activities are also very good. They offer a wide choice of activity during, after and out of school time. On one day, ball games in the playground, a sanctuary club in the library and an art club were running during the lunch hour. There are also video and photographic clubs, a music club, choir, sensory activities and athletics. After school the pupils are part of the North Tyneside Children’s University scheme, which runs a club each evening and includes disco and line dancing, cookery, physical education, trampoline, a steel band and sports. Glebe pupils are included alongside those from the mainstream schools in these activities. The school has an artist in residence, takes part in local festivals and runs residential weeks full of outward bound activities on the Scottish borders. This is very high quality provision and has a marked impact on the progress made by the pupils.

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to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning

13. The detailed organisation of homework is very effective and is consistently applied, ensuring that parents can help pupils progress. The majority of parents are very pleased with the homework given and the very good use of home − school link books to support their work with their children at home. It is yet another element of well- implemented school provision leading to such high overall standards.

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to grow and develop in ways which suit their individual personal, social and learning

3 An approach to learning about relationships and personal problem solving through discussion in a circle. Glebe School - 13

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learn and what to aim for and helping them to behave very well. This is closely linked

to some very effective work with parents.

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learn and what to aim for and helping them to behave very well. This is closely linked

14. This aspect of the school is one key to the success of the education provided for the pupils. Each teacher and learning support assistant has a very good knowledge of the individuals in their care, which allows them to support and guide pupils effectively. In addition there are effective procedures in place to make sure that pupils are safe and well looked after. The high number of details followed through when pupils arrive in the mornings and leave in the afternoon, or play during breaks, is a testament to how much the staff seek to ensure that pupils are well cared for. The close work with parents strengthens the effectiveness of the care taken by the school. Parents’ views are used to ensure that the work given to pupils and the methods used are appropriate and school knowledge is used to help parents support their children’s learning at home. The school also works very closely with other agencies for pupils in public care and they are

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learn and what to aim for and helping them to behave very well. This is closely linked

15. Assessment for individual pupils is very good. Every child has an assessment portfolio from the moment they enter the school until they leave. This shows exactly what they have achieved in all the subjects and where they need the most help. The staff translate this information with the child and the parents into targets on the Individual Education Plans for the year. These are developed into more specific short-term goals for each pupil and changed each term or as necessary. Over 80 per cent of pupils achieved their IEP targets last year. Those that did not are reviewed and supported very carefully. Teachers use these targets well to help them plan lessons to suit individual pupils’ needs.

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learn and what to aim for and helping them to behave very well. This is closely linked

16. Behaviour management is another very effective part of the way in which the school cares for its pupils. The school has an overall policy, which staff adhere to very well. In addition very detailed behaviour support plans are written for every pupil who requires one and are followed very carefully during any incidents. Pupils respond well to the strategies used. Some pupils have behaviour targets, which they help to formulate and rehearse when they need to. The whole system operates like a well-oiled machine and, as a result, there is very little difficult behaviour and pupils are extremely polite, considerate and caring of other pupils and adults.

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The quality of leadership and management leading to a highly reflective and

17. The school is very well managed and leadership is excellent. The headteacher, supported very ably by the deputy headteacher and senior team, has managed to sustain a very high quality of education, continuing to improve while embarking upon significant change and development. School leadership permeates every layer of management, so that each member of staff feels responsibility and ownership for the quality of provision. When staff have an idea, they usually carry it forward with strong team support. The headteacher is a great enabler, inspiring staff, treating people with care and respect and supporting them in doing the job well. For example, the deputy headteacher has been encouraged in leading and developing some excellent curriculum initiatives, especially the work to support communication, which has helped pupils make such good progress. School aims permeate the work of the school so that

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The quality of leadership and management leading to a highly reflective and

it is a very good place for pupils to learn and grow in confidence and maturity.

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The quality of leadership and management leading to a highly reflective and

18. The very good management is most evident in the consistency of high quality provision. All teachers and learning support assistants produce the same high quality teaching, in Glebe School - 14 every class, for every year group, in the mainstream school bases and for pupils with all types of learning difficulty. When something is done, it is done well and with enthusiasm. The building looks attractive, classrooms are well organised, resources are highly appropriate and the range of learning opportunities is excellent. The significant number of awards such as the School Achievement Award demonstrate that no stone is left unturned if it will benefit the pupils.

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The quality of leadership and management leading to a highly reflective and

19. Management has embraced school performance management very well and it is good overall. School performance and staff development are very well linked and the process is thorough. All school development work is linked carefully to budget and best value sought and evaluated. The school is therefore able to constantly reflect upon how effective and efficient it is and develop accordingly. The use of budget is very creative so that exciting resources are made available and staffing is as efficient as possible. However, changing, more complex pupil needs has led to a need for different, more sensitive assessment to monitor pupil, subject and whole school progress. The data generated by the new system means that staff have a very good view of individual pupil performance. However, it does not yet enable management to monitor whole school progress efficiently for more than the core subjects of English, mathematics and

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The quality of leadership and management leading to a highly reflective and

personal and social development. The implications of this are discussed below, under the second heading ‘What Could Be Improved’.

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The quality of leadership and management leading to a highly reflective and

20. The other minor weakness in performance management is limitations in the monitoring role of subject co-ordinators. They do monitor their subjects, look at planning, pupils’ work and discuss with teachers, but they do not all observe their subject being taught regularly and so cannot identify subject specific strategies to support and develop the subject further.

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The quality of leadership and management leading to a highly reflective and

21. Governors also do a good job, fulfilling all of their statutory duties and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the school well. They are committed and highly supportive of the work of the school. The monitoring role of governors, however, is also limited. They are kept abreast of subject development through presentation very well, but several do not have a picture of the day-to-day work of the school, and therefore cannot all challenge decisions rigorously.

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The quality of leadership and management leading to a highly reflective and

22. Despite the overall very high quality of management, accommodation, although satisfactory, is increasingly unsuited to the changing needs of the pupils and the necessary specialised areas. These include lack of space for: delivering the sensory curriculum; a quiet place for those with additional emotional needs; and delivering a more varied reception class environment for the pupils with autistic spectrum disorders. In addition, parts of the building are quite old, roofs leak, the hall is too small for teaching the full range of the performing arts and there is no computer suite. Glebe School - 15

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WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED

23. These issues are set into a context of very high overall quality. They are intended to help the school sustain its very good work and raise standards even further.

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appropriate, to improve even further the rate at which pupils of differing abilities

24. In some lessons teachers do not set formal individual objectives for those pupils who need them. This results in a few pupils not being sufficiently challenged to learn even more. For example, in one science lesson the highest attaining pupils were challenged to figure out how their traffic lights worked, and they were very enthusiastic in explaining how they arrived at their results, but then, there were no extended tasks to harness this enthusiasm further. In the majority of lessons, the teachers’ thorough knowledge of the pupils’ needs, as well as carefully targeted questions, good support and different expectations, allows pupils to progress at a rate suited to their needs. In these lessons the tasks given to the highest attaining pupils are more complicated, such as drawing their own circuit diagrams instead of using pre-printed symbols. However, because the learning goals for individual pupils are understood, rather than explicit, planning does

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appropriate, to improve even further the rate at which pupils of differing abilities

not always provide sufficient additional activity to help the highest attaining pupils achieve more. In addition, learning support staff do not always have enough resources and instructions to take learning forward when the lesson is quickly grasped. More experienced learning support staff are sometimes able to overcome this, but not all.

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appropriate, to improve even further the rate at which pupils of differing abilities

25. Pupil records show that achievement and the progress pupils make is very good overall. A small but significant proportion of the lessons observed, however, did reveal that some pupils could be learning at a faster rate in those lessons. In the core subjects of English and mathematics, individual pupils were generally taught at a rate to suit their learning needs and pupils work at appropriate and different levels in small groups. The very good overall teaching ensures that the adverse impact of this lack of planning is limited to a few pupils and only for some of their lessons. Lessons are likely to be judged good rather than very good when this occurs, as it impacts only on one or two pupils in a single lesson.

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appropriate, to improve even further the rate at which pupils of differing abilities

26. The school has responded to changing requirements for setting targets in IEPs 4 , and has simplified their procedures. The previous system of setting individual targets for pupils in core subjects, linked to their IEPs, has been altered and fewer, more immediate goals are set and regularly adjusted. This is working well for improving global objectives for each pupil in lessons, such as literacy and social skills. It does not, however, replace the need to plan for and make explicit how each lesson is to enable every pupil to achieve subject skills and knowledge in line with their abilities.

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The setting of formal whole school targets to improve and sharpen the focus for

27. The school did not formally set whole school targets this academic year. They did however set an informal whole school target for 75 per cent of pupils to achieve their IEP targets. This was exceeded and over 80 per cent reached this goal. However, the individual targets on the IEPs are not suitable for moderation and whole school subject performance cannot be measured well using this method and this is a weakness.

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The setting of formal whole school targets to improve and sharpen the focus for

4 The new Code of Practice for pupils with special educational needs simplifies the setting of pupil targets in their individual education plans. Glebe School - 16 28. Last year the school changed its assessment system to suit the changing needs of the cohort. Each year recently the nature of pupils’ special educational needs has become more complex. The highest attaining pupils with moderate learning difficulties are now taught within mainstream schools. Those with severe learning difficulties, who attain highly, are now attending Glebe. Eighty per cent of pupils now have speech, language and communication difficulties in addition to their moderate learning difficulties. The school has also become a specialist base for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders and currently has 23 pupils in three special classes. All of this has meant that previous systems to assess pupil progress in subjects did not measure learning in small enough

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The setting of formal whole school targets to improve and sharpen the focus for

29. With the new system using data from PIVATS 5 the school is able to identify clearly defined areas in English, mathematics and personal and social development where improvement is needed. The school has already used this data to identify that handwriting was in need of further development, for example, and has successfully begun to address this through a new programme. The school is only now in a position to use this data to set meaningful, whole school targets designed to raise standards further and sustain school improvement.

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The setting of formal whole school targets to improve and sharpen the focus for

30. A system for measuring small steps on a nationally recognised scale such as the ‘P’ scales 6 is not yet developed for all subjects and so the school is not yet in a position to obtain an overview of performance in other key subjects. The school has begun to explore a new system to achieve this. The planned improvements to enable subject co- ordinators to monitor and observe performance in their subject more closely, cannot be fully effective while assessment is linked closely to individual pupil progress but not overall subject performance.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

31. In order to sustain the already very high standards and secure continued improvement the headteacher and governors should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Ensure that teachers set explicit learning goals in all lessons, for selected individual pupils where appropriate, to improve even further the rate at which pupils of differing abilities make progress. (Paragraphs 24, 25, 26)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Set formal whole school targets to improve and sharpen the focus for raising standards. (Paragraphs 27, 28, 29, 30)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

5 A system used to measure small steps in learning in English, mathematics and personal and social development. 6 A nationally recognised system for measuring small steps towards Level 1 of the National Curriculum. Glebe 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 28

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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 two 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 104

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 45

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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 0

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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 6

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 8

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Attendance

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

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Ethnic background of pupils 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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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

White – any other White background 3 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Mixed – any other mixed background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British - Pakistani 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – Bangladeshi 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Asian or Asian British – any other Asian background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – Caribbean 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black or Black British – any other Black background 0 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

The table 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) 13.4 Financial year 2002

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 7.8

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 893,506

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YR – Y6 Total expenditure 870,039

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 23 Expenditure per pupil 8,366

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 651 Balance brought forward from previous year 21,706

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 23,467 Glebe School - 19

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 3

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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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. Glebe 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. 75 24 0 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 47 38 7 0 7

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 51 38 7 2 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 75 24 2 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. 80 20 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. 69 27 2 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 80 16 2 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 76 16 2 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 69 27 2 0 2

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 53 27 5 4 11

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Summary of parents’ and carers’ responses

Parents view the school very positively. In view of the number of returns, each parent return represents approximately two percentage points on the table. Parents appreciate all aspects of the school but particularly pupil progress, the quality of teaching and the information provided for parents. Homework is appreciated by the majority, but not by a minority, although the inspection found the system to be very good. In addition the extra-curricular provision found to be very good, is appreciated by most but not all parents. The inspection findings mainly echoed parents’ views. The school is very approachable and open to discussion regarding provision for individual pupils.

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Summary of parents’ and carers’ responses

The relatively limited inclusion opportunities for older pupils on the main Glebe site were mentioned at the meeting, although inclusion is very well organised and the school is working to address this issue.

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