Greenbank School

GREENBANK RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 18 th – 19 th September 2002

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GREENBANK RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL

Short inspection carried out under Section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Greenbank Residential School - 2

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Greenbank Lane Hartford Northwich Cheshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE 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. Greenbank Residential School - 3

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Team members

21765 Mrs P Pothecary Registered inspector 12536 Ms S Bullerwell Lay inspector 18354 Ms Rowena Onions Team inspector 27409 Mrs S Hunt Team inspector

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Team members

Bench Marque Limited 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 Greenbank Residential School - 4

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 5

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

Greenbank is a day and residential community special school for 96 pupils aged 6 to 18. All but one of the pupils are of white British heritage and there are 96 pupils on roll, 75 boys and 21 girls. There are 58 boys and 17 girls who are resident and a further 21 day pupils. Only one pupil is eligible for free school meals. All pupils have a statement for special educational needs, 48 (50%) for moderate learning difficulties, 21 (22%) for severe learning difficulties, 15 (16%) for autism, 6 (6%) for emotional and behavioural difficulties, 5 (5%) for speech and communication difficulties, 1 (1%) for hearing impairment. There is a small Key Stage 2 unit for pupils with significant autism. Attainment on entry to the school is well below national averages.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

This is a pilot school for the Key Stage 3 strategy in English, maths and science. The school also has the Young Enterprise Award, School Curriculum Award 2000, Sportsmark Gold 2002/3 and the Activemark Gold Award 2002/3. A review of this school’s role as part of the county residential schools’ provision is underway.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Greenbank is a very good school where pupils with significant difficulties grow into mature, responsible and successful young people. The quality of teaching is good and pupils make good progress overall. The quality of the curriculum and residential provision are very good. The school is very well led and managed and provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

• The quality of teaching is usually good and often very good and pupils progress well. They make especially good progress in speaking and listening, mathematics, science, physical education and in their personal and social development. • The curriculum, including the residential curriculum, provides a very rich range of opportunities for pupils to develop academically, socially, spiritually, morally, culturally, physically and in the world of work. • The school takes very good care of pupils for 24 hours each day, providing them with a predictable structure, helping them to behave very well and keeping them safe and happy. • The leadership and management of the school by the headteacher and key staff are very good; they understand the strengths of the school, know what needs to be developed and provide clear educational direction.

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What could be improved

• The school does not consistently assess pupils’ attainment levels accurately. This results in the setting of targets, which are sometimes not achievable or occasionally not challenging enough for the school or for individual pupils. • The residential accommodation does not meet new care 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

Greenbank was last inspected in July 1998 and has improved well since then. All the previous issues have been addressed and many valuable initiatives in the curriculum area have been undertaken. In addition, the school has coped well without a substantive headteacher, maintaining the very high quality of overall provision seen during the last inspection. Greenbank Residential School - 6

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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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6 11 13

speaking and listening A A A very good A

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6 11 13

mathematics B B B unsatisfactory D personal, social and health education A A A poor E other personal targets set at annual reviews or in ieps* B B B

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6 11 13

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

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6 11 13

The school did not meet targets set for English, mathematics and information and communication technology, but exceeded them in science. This reflects a lack of experience with whole school target setting, which has only recently been introduced. It does not reflect performance, which is generally good or better throughout the school.

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6 11 13

Pupils achieve well and make good progress in English, mathematics and information and communication technology, as well as in their personal targets. They make very good progress in speaking and listening skills, science and in their personal and social development. The very good and sometimes excellent achievements in physical education stand out amongst the non-core subjects. In most other subjects pupils progress consistently well with no unsatisfactory progress.

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6 11 13

Pupils of all ages and abilities and those with significantly different needs also make good progress, including those with autism, emotional and behavioural difficulties and severe learning difficulties. However, a very small number of higher attaining pupils, do not do as well as they can in some of their lessons.

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6 11 13

All pupils leave the school with a good variety of accreditation and are very well prepared for the world of work and college.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Pupils’ attitudes to the school are excellent. They are respectful, motivated to work hard and appreciate the way the school helps them.

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Behaviour is very good. Pupils are almost always polite, quiet and sensible, following instructions willingly. They are glad to help visitors and each other around the school and take good care of the building.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships The personal development of pupils is also very good. They become mature, speak with confidence and overcome significant difficulties to take their place successfully in a highly social community.

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Attendance is good and pupils look forward to coming to school. Greenbank Residential School - 7

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Teaching of pupils: Years 3 – 6 Years 7 – 11 Years 12 – 13

Quality of teaching Good Good 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 3 – 6 Years 7 – 11 Years 12 – 13

The quality of teaching is good throughout the school. It is good in every key stage, for pupils in the special unit for pupils with autism, and for those with significantly different needs such as emotional and behavioural difficulties or severe learning difficulties. Teaching is good overall in the core subjects of English and mathematics and in personal social and health education. It is very good in science. There is a significant amount of good and very good teaching in other subjects, but especially physical education where it is consistently very good.

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Teaching of pupils: Years 3 – 6 Years 7 – 11 Years 12 – 13

Where teaching is good and very good, teachers know their pupils exceptionally well and work is usually well suited to pupils’ different needs. The teamwork between staff and the quality of teaching from teaching assistants is of a uniformly high standard. All staff manage behaviour and relationships very well so that lessons run smoothly and pupils are motivated. Work is well suited to the ages and interests of pupils, helping them to enjoy their work. Resources, preparation and record-keeping are all good and lead to well-planned progress for the majority. In some lessons inaccurate assessment of pupils’ levels of achievement means that a few higher attaining pupils are not sufficiently challenged. In a minority of subjects teachers provide too few opportunities for pupils to explore, learn independently and deal with their own mistakes.

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Teaching of pupils: Years 3 – 6 Years 7 – 11 Years 12 – 13

The skills of communication are very well taught and pupils make exceptionally good, confident and articulate conversation. Literacy lessons are usually very good and numeracy is also well taught. Pupils are given good opportunities in several subjects to write independently.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum. The curriculum is very good providing the full range of subjects, high quality post-16 courses, work-related and careers education, an extensive residential curriculum and very good core subject provision, physical education and art and design. The school recognises that there is insufficient provision for homework and that opportunities for inclusion in mainstream schools and for greater pupil independence are underdeveloped.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Pupils are given very good opportunities, in many lessons, within the normal curriculum, during visits, from visitors, and with residential activities and assemblies to develop a strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding of the world and people around them.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils The day and residential school cares well for its pupils. Arrangements for pupils’ health, safety and welfare are excellent. Teachers and care staff know pupils very well and guide them appropriately, helping them to be happy and increasingly mature. However, some assessment of pupils’ levels of attainment is not accurate leading to individual targets, which are sometimes too hard or too easy. Greenbank Residential School - 8 The school’s links with parents are good overall and the new management is currently increasing opportunities for parents to visit the school and learn about their children’s work.

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Leadership and management by the headteacher and key staff are very good. The new headteacher has begun to address the important issues affecting the school very well, ensuring that high standards will continue and systems develop in line with best practice.

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Aspect Comment

How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities The governing body fulfils all its responsibilities and understands the school’s strengths and weaknesses well. They pay good attention to developing their role in steering the work of the school and the curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance The school evaluates every aspect of its work very well and has a clear picture of what works best in helping pupils achieve. This has enabled accurate and appropriate development planning. The role of subject co-ordinators in performance management is less well developed but improving steadily. Whole-school target setting is not well developed and leads to targets which are difficult to achieve.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources The school seeks best value in all its decision-making and use of resources. It is also very successful in using grants and initiatives to develop provision. Boarding accommodation does not meet new care standards, but is homely and comfortable.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

• Teaching is good, their children like school and they make big strides in their personal development. • The information provided and the ease with which the staff can be approached. • The school is well led and managed • Children are expected to work hard and activities provided outside of lessons are very good. • Homework is not set regularly and parents find it difficult to help their children at home. • A few parents do not feel that the school keeps them well informed or works closely with them. • A minority of parents do not feel that their child makes good progress in core skills.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The team agrees with parents’ views. Teaching is good, the pupils are very happy at the school and they make very good progress in their personal and social development. The information provided for parents is good, but there is some confusion as to just how well pupils are doing compared to pupils in similar schools, which is now being addressed. The school is approachable; however, for the few parents who do not feel particularly at ease when visiting, steps are being taken to make them even more welcome, including a new parents’ room. The range of activities provided in the evenings is exceptional and is open to day pupils where appropriate. However the lack of homework is an issue, which has already been identified by the new headteacher and is being addressed through the school improvement plan. The majority of pupils do make good progress, but the lack of fully accurate assessment means that a very

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

few pupils do not do as well as they can in every subject and this too is being addressed. Greenbank Residential School - 9

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WHAT THE SCHOOL DOES WELL

The quality of teaching is usually good and often very good and pupils progress well.

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They make especially good progress in speaking and listening, mathematics, science,

physical education and in their personal and social development.

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They make especially good progress in speaking and listening, mathematics, science,

1. The quality of teaching is good overall in all key stages, for post-16 pupils and in all of the subjects observed during the inspection. In just under a half of all lessons teaching is very good, especially in English, science and physical education where it is very good overall. This means that pupils usually do as well as they can and make good progress in the majority of subjects throughout the school.

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They make especially good progress in speaking and listening, mathematics, science,

2. In addition, the school runs taught sessions in the evening for boarders which are very well planned and run by care staff and some teachers. The quality of teaching in these sessions is of an equally high standard, ensuring that those who board or choose to stay for evening sessions make good progress in many different activities and life- related skills. These include independence skills such as planning and cooking meals, making beds and playing sports.

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They make especially good progress in speaking and listening, mathematics, science,

3. The school has pupils with a wide range of different learning difficulties, including pupils with autism, emotional and behavioural difficulties, speech and communication difficulties and severe and moderate learning difficulties. This presents a challenge to teachers who must also consider the needs of the minority of girls. However, with the exception of some higher attaining pupils, the needs of these different groups are well planned, with plenty of interesting resources, so that each pupil is able to achieve in their own way and work towards goals that are appropriate for them. For example, mathematics and English lessons have different levels of work and physical education lessons consist of sports that are equally compelling to girls and boys, such as basketball and trampolining. Pupils are helped in all lessons to listen and speak clearly and very good attention is paid to helping them write.

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They make especially good progress in speaking and listening, mathematics, science,

4. The occasional lack of challenge for higher attaining pupils in some lessons is evident in subjects such as English and mathematics. In some information and communication technology classes the task is too difficult for several pupils. Work is usually at the right level because teachers have very good knowledge of the pupils and keep careful detailed records. Therefore, for the majority of the time, pupils do have work to suit them and so they are able to make overall good progress. This was evident despite the inspection being at the beginning of a new school year when classes and teachers were new to each other. This overall good progress is also helped by good subject knowledge by classroom and specialist teachers and by teaching assistants who demonstrate very good skills in teaching individuals and small groups.

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They make especially good progress in speaking and listening, mathematics, science,

5. The most immediately obvious strength in teaching is the very high quality of the relationships that teachers and teaching assistants have with the pupils. Good humour, consistent respect, lots of rewards for good work and consideration and care is evident in every classroom. This enables the pupils to feel confident, ask questions and try hard. In one lesson pupils were concentrating so hard that they did not hear the bell for break-time. All classroom staff work well as a team which means that lessons run smoothly with a marvellous working atmosphere. The high quality of behaviour Greenbank Residential School - 10 management during the day and in the evening sessions also ensures that pupils are helped to overcome any difficult behaviours and learn how to behave well in a community. However, there is also a tendency in a few lessons, in more than one subject, to do too much for some pupils who do not have the time to think for

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They make especially good progress in speaking and listening, mathematics, science,

themselves and learn how to deal with mistakes. Fortunately, the overall planning and thought given to helping pupils means that they all show very good progress in their independence, confidence and maturity over time.

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opportunities for pupils to develop academically, socially, spiritually, morally,

culturally, physically and in the world of work.

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opportunities for pupils to develop academically, socially, spiritually, morally,

6. The school provides a very wide range of interesting activities, both in class and in the evenings that meet the needs of pupils and successfully promote their achievements and personal development.

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opportunities for pupils to develop academically, socially, spiritually, morally,

7. The curriculum provides very good opportunities for pupils of all abilities, significantly different needs and interests to shine in something that they are good at. Subjects of the National Curriculum are very well enhanced by the use of initiatives such as the Artsmark and Sportsmark awards, Key Stage 3 literacy, numeracy and science initiatives and the 24-hour curriculum. This residential curriculum is extensive and promotes very good personal development for day and residential pupils.

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opportunities for pupils to develop academically, socially, spiritually, morally,

8. The school provides a strong preparation for college and the world of work with good access to accredited courses for the majority, especially for post-16 students. There are, however, too few accredited courses provided for the minority of pupils who have high attainment in one or two subjects and for those who have the greatest learning difficulties, but this has been identified and is being addressed. Careers education is of a very high quality and work experience is very good and extensive. Pupils are proud of the time they spend working in local companies and the photographic record of this displayed on the walls show that it is an extensive and wide ranging activity, covering such places as schools, shops, canteens, factories and offices.

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opportunities for pupils to develop academically, socially, spiritually, morally,

9. Provision for girls is very good. Social mixes are very carefully considered and some classes have a concentration of girls so that they feel comfortable and can mix more easily with each other. There is positive discrimination to help girls, for example they are able to join in with any of the sports that appeal to them even in different age groups if it will help them. The girls speak of their enjoyment and the happiness they experience during their time at the school and talk of the boys as their friends with whom they can discuss things freely.

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opportunities for pupils to develop academically, socially, spiritually, morally,

10. The provision for social and moral development is very good. The very good role models provided by adults and a consistent approach to teaching pupils how to work and relax together encourages pupils to become increasingly mature, self-confident and thoughtful to others. Those with behavioural difficulties show very good and sometimes excellent progress in understanding and changing their previous behaviour. This is evident when walking around the school as pupils will go out of their way, not only to help visitors find where they are going, but to express opinions of the school, their own careers and the quality of education on offer. In assembly, pupils are given many opportunities to speak which they do clearly and articulately and one pupil organised and ran a whole-school assembly by himself. Two ex-pupils returned to show the inspectors how much the school had helped them and their attitude and confidence was

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opportunities for pupils to develop academically, socially, spiritually, morally,

exceptionally mature. Greenbank Residential School - 11 11. By providing pupils with many musical and artistic experiences and opportunities to meet people from a range of faiths and backgrounds, pupils are enabled to develop very good knowledge of different cultural elements, religions and traditions. The excitement and wonder which pupils express in some of the very interesting lessons is a small example of how very good the school’s provision for spiritual development is. In one lesson on feelings, a pupil with autism laughed aloud to show that she understood what it meant to be happy, the atmosphere in the group was joyful and full of respect.

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opportunities for pupils to develop academically, socially, spiritually, morally,

12. There are two areas of curriculum which need developing, which have been identified by the new headteacher and have already been included in the school improvement plan. The first is the lack of planning to give work to do at home, which means that pupils cannot always practice what they have learned in school with their parents. The home- school link books do explain some of the work that pupils are doing but this is not consistent enough to give real information to parents who wish to help. The impact of limited homework is seen on reading development. Many pupils have made very good progress in reading, but others have only made modest gains and lack the practice that regular planned support from home would give. Residential care staff do give support with reading for boarders however.

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opportunities for pupils to develop academically, socially, spiritually, morally,

13. The second important area for development is that of inclusion, where planned opportunities allow pupils to visit other schools and join in with their mainstream peers for some lessons or activities. Although pupils are very well prepared for inclusion in their personal and social skills, they do not yet have sufficient opportunities to mix with pupils or young people in mainstream schools or to learn alongside them. There are no current arrangements with local schools and pupils have limited opportunity to go out in the evenings unsupervised on the occasions when it may be appropriate. Both of these issues are planned to be addressed in the coming year. The school does provide some opportunities however; for example pupils visit the local youth club and several pupils belong to the army cadets which brings significant benefits to the pupils concerned.

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a predictable structure, helping them to behave very well and keeping them safe and

14. The welfare, health and safety of pupils are very well organised. The deputy headteacher works at a national level developing health and safety practice in schools. There has been extensive training of all staff in child protection, first aid and handling techniques to ensure that pupils are protected and supported in everything they do.

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a predictable structure, helping them to behave very well and keeping them safe and

15. The residential part of the school is a major contributor to pupils’ wellbeing. Pupils are helped to look after themselves well and have plenty of opportunities to discuss issues with staff and learn how to take their part in a well-ordered community. Care is taken to record every event significant to individual pupils. Contact with parents is frequent and positive and parents are encouraged to be partners in the decision-making process with regard to their children. Handover meetings in the morning and evening are held to ensure that staff coming on duty are aware of current events and issues with pupils. The residential head of care is fully aware of all that happens on the residential side and, with a dedicated and skilful staff, ensures that pupils are looked after very well.

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a predictable structure, helping them to behave very well and keeping them safe and

16. Pupils are fully involved in their own progress, target setting and work. There is a school council where pupils are able to raise issues of concern and help in the decision-making processes of running the school, for example, they recently contributed their ideas on the perimeter fencing. Older pupils help to look after younger ones and take on several areas of responsibility. Greenbank Residential School - 12 17. The level of supervision is very good with high numbers of staff allocated to supervise activities and routines during the day and in the evenings. However, this also presents a problem because pupils rarely have times in the evenings when they can change the routine, choose not to join in or, where appropriate, go out independently. The sixth-form pupils do have more freedom and are separate from the younger ones for recreation and relaxation, but they too have limited time to themselves unsupervised. However,

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a predictable structure, helping them to behave very well and keeping them safe and

whatever the shortcomings of the system, the quality is of a very high standard in keeping pupils safe, helping them overcome significant difficulties, teaching them how to take care of themselves and become mature, likeable and successful during their time at the school. Every pupil spoken to testified to the way they felt happy, well cared for and how much they were improving.

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a predictable structure, helping them to behave very well and keeping them safe and

18. Parents are welcomed and generally involved very well in the school and with their child’s development. A very few parents do not feel that they know enough about what goes on. This is already being addressed with a new welcoming policy, parents’ room and events calendar to ensure all parents are able to take their full role as partners in the education and care of their child. Planned improvements to the assessment of pupils’ levels of attainment, is intended to improve further this good support for parents and pupils in understanding how well they are doing and in planning for the future.

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very good; they understand the strengths of the school, know what needs to be

developed and provide clear educational direction.

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very good; they understand the strengths of the school, know what needs to be

19. The new headteacher has made significant progress in his one term of office. Due to the lack of a substantive headteacher for the previous four terms, school development had been slowed to ensure that the school continued to function well. Supported by an able deputy headteacher and other key staff, the new headteacher has quickly identified the main areas for improvement, which are incorporated into an appropriate school improvement plan.

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very good; they understand the strengths of the school, know what needs to be

20. The issues identified in this report have all been recognised and acted upon by the headteacher. This is particularly important in the area of school performance and standards, which is discussed in the next section (ref: paragraphs 27-32). The school has, until recently, been largely residential and the development of pupils as rounded, successful human beings has been one of the main factors which made the school stand out in the previous inspection. However, the school now has a significant proportion of day pupils (20%) and the rounded education, which included evening activities, has had to be reorganised. This work has begun very well and initiatives such as teaching personal, social and health education during the day and curriculum reorganisation are implemented and staff roles are now being examined to ensure that day pupils receive their full entitlement.

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very good; they understand the strengths of the school, know what needs to be

21. The issue of developing more accurate assessment of how well pupils are doing compared to their peers in other schools, is a pressing one and is dealt with in the next section (ref: paragraphs 27-32). However, the new headteacher has fully understood its significance and has taken steps to see that it is effectively addressed. This links well with the current appropriate focus on improving school performance management and the school now takes very good care to analyse how well it is doing in every area.

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very good; they understand the strengths of the school, know what needs to be

22. The role of subject co-ordinators in leading their subjects and in knowing how well all pupils are doing is satisfactory but underdeveloped in some aspects. For example in some subjects, such as personal, social and health education, there is inconsistency in Greenbank Residential School - 13 planning and teaching. However, this is recognised and work is already underway to see that co-ordinators observe lessons and take a full managerial role in clearly directing the work and development of the subject. Despite this, overall curriculum management remains good, with good schemes of work, staff support and staff development, especially in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science.

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very good; they understand the strengths of the school, know what needs to be

23. The governing body also understand the strengths and areas for development well and continue to develop their role so that they contribute effectively to steering the work of the school. They are, for example, becoming more involved with subject areas and regularly receive reports from key members of staff. They also bring a valuable range of skills and experience to the work of governing the school.

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very good; they understand the strengths of the school, know what needs to be

24. The school manages a limited budget very well. Best value is sought when purchasing and the impact of spending decisions is analysed. The school has taken very good advantage of national and local initiatives to bring new vigour to the curriculum and this has resulted in some high quality provision in physical education, art for post-16 pupils and in the new core curriculum for Key Stage 3.

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very good; they understand the strengths of the school, know what needs to be

25. Staff morale remains high despite considerable change over the last two years. All teachers, care staff and teaching assistants have a very good range of skills and experience, are dedicated and contribute substantially to the overall development of individual pupils, working well as a team. Supporting staff act as full members of the school community contributing to the smooth running and sense of wellbeing that pervades. For example, the school is very clean and well looked after, food is freshly cooked and served on the premises and the office staff provide a friendly and efficient service.

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very good; they understand the strengths of the school, know what needs to be

26. Despite extensive efforts to secure funding, the school’s multipurpose hall remains as it was when it was an issue in the last inspection and is still inadequate for the requirements of a full curriculum. This limits the choice of activities that take place and prevents even higher attainment for pupils in physical education.

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results in the setting of targets, which are sometimes not achievable or occasionally

not challenging enough for the school or for individual pupils.

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results in the setting of targets, which are sometimes not achievable or occasionally

27. The school is less advanced than some special schools in developing accurate assessment of the levels pupils reach and so predicting what they are able to achieve. This has led to some underachievement in a few lessons, and slowed the pace of introducing effective school performance management with realistic target setting.

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results in the setting of targets, which are sometimes not achievable or occasionally

28. However, the very good knowledge teachers have of pupils, careful regular record keeping and effective lesson planning means that even at the beginning of a new school year, the majority of lessons help pupils to make good and very good progress and are well suited to their needs.

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results in the setting of targets, which are sometimes not achievable or occasionally

29. There are three linked factors, which have led to this lack of experience in assessing pupils’ achievement. Firstly, the school has been through a difficult period since the last inspection with no substantive headteacher for over a year. The deputy headteacher became acting headteacher during that period and ensured that the school functioned well. Several developments, which had been on hold, were introduced gradually during this time, particularly the introduction of national levels (‘P’ Scales) for pupils working Greenbank Residential School - 14 towards the National Curriculum Level 1. Secondly, school performance management had been introduced but also developed slowly until the new headteacher was in post. Finally, the school historically does not enter pupils for Statutory Assessment Tests or tasks and does not moderate work and so is not able to compare pupils’ work with wider examples.

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results in the setting of targets, which are sometimes not achievable or occasionally

30. Extensive records are maintained for each pupil. These clearly show progress and attainment. But it is evident that some records underestimate pupils’ achievements. Individual pupil portfolios have been introduced, but they do not record performance levels. Consequently they cannot be used for ‘moderation’ where work is judged against other similar work to ensure a standardised judgement. The school’s first attempt at target setting was adversely affected by this lack of experience. For example, most pupils had a target to improve by one ‘P’ level. This was not realistic or achievable and only 50 per cent reached that goal. This also means that the type of data collected is not easy to analyse in a way which will help the school improve performance for different groups of pupils.

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results in the setting of targets, which are sometimes not achievable or occasionally

31. Historically the school did not enter pupils for Statutory Assessment Tests or tasks, because they were not considered relevant to the pupils. However, it also meant that teachers lost a valuable benchmark to help them judge what levels higher attaining pupils have reached compared to similar schools nationally. The major impact has been that a few pupils are not challenged sufficiently in some of their lessons and very occasionally the work is too hard for some groups.

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results in the setting of targets, which are sometimes not achievable or occasionally

32. The whole system of ‘P’ Scales for pupils working towards National Curriculum Level 1 is new and many schools experience similar difficulties. However, the school is now poised to collect information which will allow accurate analysis of how well pupils are doing. Moderation meetings have been arranged so that pupils’ levels can be compared with those from similar schools. The school will also use Statutory Assessment Tests or tasks to support judgements for those working within National Curriculum Levels 1 and 2. For these reasons the school’s ability to set achievable targets, which will challenge pupils and help take the school forward is improving all the time.

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results in the setting of targets, which are sometimes not achievable or occasionally

The residential accommodation does not meet new care standards.

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results in the setting of targets, which are sometimes not achievable or occasionally

33. Residential accommodation does not meet new care standards for privacy and organisation. Despite these shortcomings, however, the accommodation provides a clean, warm and homely environment for boarders. There is plenty of space, which allows pupils to be grouped into smaller units and so gives a comfortable feel to the provision. The cosy sitting rooms are very inviting and allow for a family atmosphere. There is a great deal of room, which does allow the oldest pupils to have shared or single rooms and the girls to be separate.

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results in the setting of targets, which are sometimes not achievable or occasionally

34. However, it is designed in a dormitory style, with several pupils sharing each large room, partly partitioned. This does not meet the needs of those pupils who would benefit from single or more private shared accommodation. In addition, the bathrooms provide limited privacy and are in need of substantial refurbishment. Breakfast and dinner have to be taken in the school dining hall as one large group, although the school takes care to reduce any institutional element with family dining arrangements. Without residential kitchens, evening cooking sessions where pupils make their own meals also have to take place in the school, which therefore detracts from the natural and relaxing home element to the activity. Greenbank Residential School - 15 35. There are several developments to take place with regard to residential care. A National Care Standards Commission inspection is imminent which will describe in detail what is

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results in the setting of targets, which are sometimes not achievable or occasionally

required. In addition, when the local education authority’s residential special school review is complete, there will be more detail on how the residential provision at Greenbank is to develop. Until then the school is providing safe and basically suitable accommodation in the short term.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

36. In order to continue with the good improvements already underway and the good progress made by pupils, the governors and headteacher should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) Ensure that learning targets set for individual pupils and for the whole school are achievable, but challenging, by assessing pupils’ levels of attainment more accurately. (paragraphs 27-32)

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(2) Seek to bring the residential accommodation into line with new care standards. (paragraphs 33-35) Greenbank Residential School - 16

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 23

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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 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 96

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 1

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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 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who left the school other than at the usual time of leaving 4

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Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Greenbank Residential School - 17

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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 0 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

Qualified teachers and classes: Y3 – Y13

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11.6 Financial year 2001/2002

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 8.2

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Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 1,407,817

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: Y3 – Y13 Total expenditure 1,416,457

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 46 Expenditure per pupil 15,230

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 1032 Balance brought forward from previous year 12,431

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 3,791 Greenbank Residential School - 18

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 5

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 3

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 2

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 1

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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) 1

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Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. Greenbank Residential School - 19

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 53 37 5 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 47 42 5 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 13 39 24 11 13

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 61 24 13 3 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 74 21 5 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 37 3 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 42 39 11 3 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 61 29 0 0 11

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 58 37 0 0 5

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 68 26 3 0 3

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Other issues raised by parents

A very small minority of parents are concerned by progress in literacy and numeracy. Most significant are those who feel that homework is insufficient and this is linked to those who feel that they do not have sufficient information about their children’s progress and do not feel that they can work closely with the school. However the overwhelming response is positive. The issues that concern parents are fully addressed in the report and correspond to the findings of the inspection.

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