John Watson School

JOHN WATSON SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 30 th June – 3 rd July 2003

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JOHN WATSON SCHOOL

Full 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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JOHN WATSON 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. John Watson - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Littleworth Road Wheatley Oxfordshire

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Name of chair of governors: Mr Mike Simm

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: July 1997 John Watson - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Team members Subject responsibilities Aspect responsibilities 27424 Dr D Alan Dobbins Registered Inspector Physical Education The school’s results and pupils’ achievements. How well are pupils taught? How well is the school led and managed? 9880 Tony Comer Lay Inspector Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development. How well does the school work in partnership with its parents? 3055 Clive Tombs Team Inspector Art and Design, Foundation Stage How good are the curricular and other opportunities offered to pupils? 20566 Mary Saunders Team Inspector English, French, Religious Education How does the school care for its pupils? 18461 Vanessa Wilkinson Team Inspector Science, Geography, History 18892 David Thomson Team Inspector Mathematics, Design and Technology 10781 Robert Thompson Team Inspector Information and Communication Technology, Music

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Quality Assurance Consultants The Hucclecote Centre Churchdown Lane Hucclecote Gloucester GL3 3QN

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

The Complaints Manager Inspection Quality Division

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE John Watson - 5

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 6 – 9

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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HOW HIGH ARE STANDARDS? 10 – 12

The school’s results and pupils’ achievements Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

John Watson School is part of the Oxfordshire Local Education Authority provision for pupils with severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties. It provides for 57 full-time pupils and six part-time pupils from age two to 16 years. The agreed maximum number of pupils is 61. Thirty-six pupils are boys and 24 are girls. All six nursery aged pupils are dual registered with other schools. Forty-eight pupils are White British, two are White non-British, two are Black, three are of mixed race and the parents of the remaining pupils preferred not to identify their ethnic heritage. No one is learning English as an additional language. Nine pupils have free school meals (15 per cent) a percentage that is lower than the national average. All pupils have Statements of Special Educational Need. Most are admitted from the areas surrounding Wheatley in rural Oxfordshire and travel to school by minibus or taxi. As a consequence of

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

their learning difficulties, the attainment of pupils on entry to the school is below that expected for their age. The school has two sites. The main site includes the administrative centre and is co-located on a campus with a mainstream primary school and a mainstream nursery that is also led by the headteacher. The secondary site is on the campus of a large mainstream secondary school. The sites are about a mile away from each other.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

John Watson School makes good provision for children in the Foundation Stage and for pupils in Years 7 to 9 and satisfactory provision for pupils in the other years. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall and pupils are making satisfactory progress in their learning in most of the subjects. They behave well. The good relationships established with the staff help them make good progress in their social development. There has been insufficient improvement since the last inspection, in part due the extended absences of the headteacher. The links with the two co-located mainstream schools are not realising as much benefit to pupils as they should. The recent reworking of the senior management team has resulted in a better structure for improving the work of the school. The school provides satisfactory value for money.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What the school does well • The provision for pupils’ social development is very good and this, and the good relationships between staff and pupils, is helping pupils become increasingly mature and responsible. • Pupils in the Foundation Stage are getting a good start, pupils in Years 7 to 9 are doing well. • The procedures for child protection are good. Pupils are safe and secure at school. • Attendance is very good, and better than is the case in many equivalent schools.

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

What could be improved • The way the governing body checks the work of the school, especially the work of the headteacher, deputy headteacher and senior managers, and identifies priorities for further development. • The procedures for assessing pupils’ work. • The opportunities for pupils in Years 10 and 11 to take relevant national awards. • The way in which the provision in the co-located mainstream schools is used. • The meeting of statutory requirements. 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

Insufficient improvement has been made since the last inspection (July 1997). Not all of the key issues for action identified then have been met in full. Much more improvement is possible. • The provision for pupils with the most complex learning difficulties has been improved. Better signing by teachers and learning support assistants is helping pupils gain better access to the curriculum and this is making teaching more effective. • There is more consistency in the teaching of English. The implementation into lesson planning of the recommendations of the National Literacy Strategy is helpful. • Religious education continues not to be taught to pupils in Years 10 and 11. John Watson - 7 • In-service training provision is better and is more closely linked to the priorities of the development plan. • Some statutory requirements are not met, including providing full information for parents and carers

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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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STANDARDS

Progress in: By Year 2 By Year 6 By Year 9 By Year 11 Key

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STANDARDS

Speaking and listening C C B C Very good A

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STANDARDS

Mathematics C C B C Unsatisfactory D Personal, social and health education B B B B Poor E Other personal targets set at annual reviews or in IEPs* C C C C

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STANDARDS

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

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STANDARDS

Pupils at the Foundation Stage achieve good standards in each of the early learning areas. They are being well prepared for their work in Year 1. The required targets for school improvement have been set and are appropriate. Pupils’ individual targets for learning, agreed at their annual review, represent satisfactory challenges for their work for the next year. The targets for personal and social development are working better. These, and the good relationships pupils have with staff, are helping them make good progress in being responsible and mature, and for some in improving their behaviour. Pupils in Years 7 to 9 achieve better standards because the quality of their teaching is routinely good or better. The standards pupils achieve in science follow those for English and mathematics and are better for pupils in Years 7 to 9. Pupils achieve good standards in physical education, in part, because of the good

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STANDARDS

use that is made of specialist teachers and specialist facilities in the co-located schools. Over all the years, in all the other subjects, pupils achieve satisfactory standards and are making satisfactory progress.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Attitudes to the school Good. Pupils like school. They have accepted their role as learners and try hard in lessons to produce their best work. They are fully involved in all the activities of the school, including the end of year production.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Good. Pupils are courteous and respectful. They behave well in lessons and at break and lunch times. This is especially so when they take lunch or lessons with pupils in the co-located mainstream schools.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

Personal development and relationships Very good. The good relationships they have with staff, the good programme for personal, social and health education and being regularly with mainstream pupils, helps pupils to become increasingly mature and responsible. John Watson - 8 Attendance Very good. Better than is the case for many equivalent schools.

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PUPILS’ ATTITUDES AND VALUES

The expectancy is that learning will occur in an ordered, friendly and considerate environment. This is routinely achieved. The good relationships staff have with pupils make pupils feel valued and respected. In the good lessons, pupils work hard at their learning and take pride in doing their best. Because of the teaching and learning provided by the co-located schools, pupils feel that they are members of a big school. Their work with mainstream pupils, helps them to become more confident as learners and this is especially so for pupils in the Foundation Stage. They gain socially from this and in their learning. All staff, including the office staff and the site manager at the primary location, are excellent role models.

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Teaching of pupils: Nursery and Reception Years 1-2 Years 3-6 Year 7-9 Years 10-11

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

Quality of teaching Good Satisfactory Satisfactory Good Satisfactory

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TEACHING AND LEARNING

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 AND LEARNING

Overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory, although in four lessons in ten it is good or better. Many of these lessons are for children in the Foundation Stage or for pupils in Years 7 to 9, where teaching is routinely good or better. In these lessons, teachers’ good knowledge of their pupils, their good planning and the good deployment and work of the learning support assistants result in a good match between the lesson tasks and pupils’ needs and generate good quality learning. Teaching in English and mathematics has benefited from the implementation into lesson planning of the recommendations of the National Strategies. In science, teaching is satisfactory. It is good in the lessons in personal, social and health education. Most subjects are well resourced with equipment that matches the specific needs of pupils. The good use of signing is helping many pupils gain good access to their learning.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

The quality and range of the curriculum Satisfactory overall, but good for pupils in the Foundation Stage. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 have fewer opportunities to demonstrate the extent of their learning on nationally accredited awards than is the case for those in most equivalent schools.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Good. Provision for social development is very good and pupils benefit from the close links with the mainstream schools. Provision for moral and cultural development is good. Provision for spiritual development is satisfactory.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

How well the school cares for its pupils Good. Pupils are safe and secure at school. Provision, as it is outlined in their statements of educational need is mainly met. Assessment information is not used well in guiding lesson planning.

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OTHER ASPECTS OF THE SCHOOL

For pupils in Years 1 to 9, the curriculum is satisfactorily broad and balanced. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 are not taught religious education. The links with the co-located mainstream schools extend and enrich the curriculum for many pupils, although full benefit is not being gained from their very close proximity. The programme of extra-curricular activities is good. The careers programme provides good information on what is possible for pupils after school. Parents are very happy with the work of the school. They report that they feel well informed about their children ’s progress. John Watson - 9 John Watson - 10

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Leadership and manage- ment by the headteacher and other key staff Satisfactory, although the extended absences of the headteacher have restricted improvement.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities The governing body is appropriately constituted and well led, but is not playing its full role in checking the quality of the work of the school, in supporting further development and in meeting all their statutory responsibilities.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The school’s evaluation of its performance Unsatisfactory. Too much of the work is not checked sufficiently, including the effectiveness of the time pupils spend in the co-located schools.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

The strategic use of resources Satisfactory, although the links with the co-located mainstream schools are not as extensive as they could be.

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HOW WELL THE SCHOOL IS LED AND MANAGED

Most of the good number of teachers and learning support assistants include many who are experienced in dealing with pupils with learning difficulties. The accommodation is satisfactory, but will be much better when the temporary buildings on the secondary site are replaced, as already agreed. The links with the co-located schools provide an excellent potential for fostering pupils’ personal, social and academic development. To fully achieve this, the vision for the school needs to be clearer. The responsibilities of the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other senior managers in converting the vision into reality need to be more detailed and precise. The newly formed senior management team, with the good support of governors and local authority advisers, is capable of this. Good procedures ensure there is full financial accountability in the school’s use of its funds.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved • The ease with which they are able to approach the school with questions. • That their children like school. • The good quality of the teaching. • The expectations that their children need to work hard and do their best. • The homework programme.

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PARENTS’ AND CARERS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Inspectors agree with most of the points made by parents and carers, but point out that even though there is a substantial amount of good and better teaching, their judgement is that, overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory. John Watson - 11

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

1. It is inappropriate to judge the attainment of pupils for whom this school caters against national expectations or averages. The report does, however, give examples of what pupils know, understand and can do. Judgements about progress and references to attainment and achievement take account of information contained in pupils’ statements of special educational needs and annual reviews.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

2. Children in the Foundation Stage achieve good standards and are making good progress towards each of the early learning goals. Given the extent of their learning difficulties, they are well prepared for their entry into Year 1.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

3. The standards pupils in Years 7 to 9 achieve and the progress they are making are, in general, good and better than the satisfactory standards pupils achieve in each of the other years. The good quality of their learning results from teaching that is invariably good or better. The standards achieved by pupils in Years 10 and 11 are satisfactory but they are unable to demonstrate the full extent of their learning over their time at the school because the range of relevant nationally accredited awards available to them is very limited.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

4. In each of the elements of English, most pupils achieve satisfactory standards and are making satisfactory progress. In Years 7 to 9, the standards achieved and the progress that are being made is good. In speaking and listening by the end of Year 2, the highest attaining pupils achieve P Level 8. They speak with increasing confidence to their friends, teachers and learning support assistants and visitors. Others, with the most complex learning difficulties, communicate effectively because they use sign and exchange pictures. In reading and writing, the highest attaining pupils are at P Level 7. They are beginning to interpret print, especially when it is supported by symbols. They recognise their names and those of their friends and are learning to write some letters. The lowest attaining pupils are at P Level 3 and are at the very early stages of recognising letters as parts of words. By the end of Year 6, the highest

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

attaining pupils speak fluently and confidently in many different situations. They have made equivalent progress in reading and writing. In reading, they have progressed to Level 1 of the National Curriculum. In writing, they copy over letters and join dots to make letter shapes accurately and neatly. The lowest attaining pupils have made progress to P Level 4. By the end of Year 9, the highest attaining pupils express themselves well in discussion and debate and when they present information to their class. They read with good understanding and enjoyment and produce legible pieces of writing made up of several sentences. They have made a good progress to Level 2 of the National Curriculum in all aspects of English. The lowest attaining pupils have progressed to P Level 8. By the time they leave school, the highest attaining pupils are fluent speakers. For example, they speak well when purchasing

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

goods in the local shop, when they are discussing current news items and when they explain their thoughts on a variety of topics. They listen well, follow directions accurately and take a full part in debating an issue. They use reading to gain new information, from newspapers, books and the Internet. Their writing is neat and legible with, mostly, accurate regard for punctuation and spelling. They are at Level 3 of the National Curriculum. When they leave school they have a functional grasp of English that is sufficient to support their lives after school satisfactorily. The lowest attaining pupils answer simple questions with phrases, show an increased interest in books and recognise their name in print. They are at P Level 9, but do not have a sufficient grasp of English to be able to use their skills independently after they have left school. John Watson - 12 5. Pupils are making similar progress in mathematics. They enter school with very little

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

knowledge of mathematics. They gain a satisfactory beginning over Years 1 to 6 and do better in Years 7 to 9. By the end of Year 2, the best at mathematics are at P Level 8. They recognise numbers one to ten and relate them to objects. By the end of Year 6, they are using lower denomination coins confidently for simple shopping tasks, recognise and name simple two-dimensional shapes, such as squares and circles and their counting skills now extend to 20. They have a good understanding of simple addition and subtraction and have progressed to Level 2 of the National Curriculum. By the end of Year 9, they have moved to National Curriculum Level 3. They manage coins up to £1, record simple addition and subtraction calculations using three digits in the total and work from tables or graphs to answer questions. By the time they leave school, the best at mathematics are functionally numerate. They use the four basic procedures well and apply these to time, distance and

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

weight. They deal well with money, for example when they need to make a purchase. One pupil is at Level 5 of the National Curriculum. She is taking lessons with mainstream pupils and will be entered for the General Certificate of Secondary Education in the subject. The lowest attaining pupils have made equivalent progress over their time at school and have gained a good understanding of how useful mathematics is in the real world. They tell time and recognise coins and paper money well, but have difficulty in working out problems that involve time and money. Nevertheless, they are able to make simple purchases and plan an evening of television watching by recognising when programmes start and finish.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

6. The picture is the same for science. Pupils in Years 7 to 9 benefit from being taught by a science specialist in good specialist facilities. They are achieving good standards. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 know that seeds come in different shapes and sizes. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 have learned how animals are adapted to live in different environments. With support, they make appropriate suggestions about where animals would live and they match those to different habitats, including placing the duck on the pond and the giraffe in a field with a tree. Pupils in Years 7 to 9 understand, in a simplified form, processes such as digestion and use scientific vocabulary such as ‘saliva’ and ‘stomach’ appropriately. They recognise that experimenting is a way of finding new knowledge and know what makes a fair experiment. They record and present their data well, as they did when finding out how much energy is given off by peanuts. When they leave school, pupils have a satisfactory knowledge over all

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

the attainment targets of the subject. The best at science are at Level 3 of the National Curriculum and the lowest attaining pupils approach Level 1. They know that science has it own body of knowledge, but they also know that one important element of science is finding new information by creating hypotheses and then formulating experiments to test them.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

7. Throughout the school, pupils achieve good standards and are making good progress in their personal and social development. They benefit greatly because they are co-located with two mainstream school. The mainstream pupils act as good role models and through taking lessons in signing they are able to communicate with all the John Watson pupils when they share lessons or when they meet during other parts of the school day. In physical education, the standards pupils achieve and the progress they are making are good for pupils over all years. This is because lessons in physical education are routinely taught by teachers with specialist qualifications in good or better quality specialist facilities, either in the co-located schools or at the local leisure centre. In all the other subjects, pupils achieve good standards in Years 7 to 9 and satisfactory standards in the other years.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

8. There are no differences in the progress of boys and girls toward their learning targets or between those with different levels of learning difficulty.

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The school’s results and pupils’ achievements

9. Since the last inspection, there has been no significant improvement in the standards pupils achieve or in the progress they are making. Even though in many subjects the range and quality of resources to support teaching and learning are better, the quality of teaching is John Watson - 13 of the same standard as it was then, as are the quality of the planning documents and the targets in pupils individual education plans.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

10. Pupils’ attitudes to school are good. They enjoy coming to school and are enthusiastically involved in the life of the school. Over the time of the inspection, this was very clear from the enthusiasm and excitement that was associated with taking part in the end of year production. Pupils know that school is a place where they are expected to work. In most lessons, they do this very well because they try hard to do their best. In three lessons in ten, their attitudes to their work are very good and in six lessons in ten they are good. Only very rarely does inappropriate behaviour interrupt learning. The good attitudes and behaviour reported at the last inspection have been maintained.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

11. Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school. In lessons that are good or very good, pupils’ behaviour is very good because the lesson tasks are well matched to their learning needs. They work hard at doing their best. Pupils move around the school in a sensible and polite manner and have a good understanding of how their behaviour affects others. They have learned to play well with each other in the playgrounds and show good respect each other’s feelings. All staff are good role models and give pupils clear guidance on the difference between right and wrong so that pupils quickly learn what is acceptable and what is not. There is no evidence of oppressive behaviour. Exclusions are very low with only one pupil being excluded, for a total of six days, last year.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

12. Relationships between pupils, and between pupils and adults, are very good. Teachers and learning support assistants work hard to establish the high quality of the relationships. One result of this, is gain in pupils’ self-confidence and self-esteem because they feel valued members of the school community. The regular use of praise and encouragement and the emphasis that is placed on personal, social and health education also contribute to pupils’ personal development; the close links with the co-located schools make an especially important contribution. Pupils gain a very good awareness of how other children act through being included in lessons in the co-located schools and collaborating during other parts of the day, such as when they rehearse for the end of year production. For many pupils, strong relationships are developed and friends are made.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

13. Pupils take responsibility well for the routine tasks that take place in the classroom, for example, clearing up in lessons in art and returning books in lessons in English. Nevertheless, in other parts of the school day, they have too few opportunities to show initiative and develop personal responsibility for their own learning and to take additional responsibility.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and personal development

14. Attendance is very good. It is better than in many equivalent schools.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

15. The quality of teaching is satisfactory for most pupils. It is good for pupils in Years 7 to 9 and for children in the Foundation Stage. There is no difference in the quality of teaching over the range of pupils’ learning needs. At the time of the last inspection, teaching was very good in nine per cent of lessons, good or better in 44 per cent and satisfactory or better in 91 per cent of lessons. It was unsatisfactory in nine per cent of lessons. Now, it is very good in six per cent of lessons, good or better in 40 percent of lessons and satisfactory or better in 94 per cent of lessons. It is unsatisfactory in six per cent of lessons. No significant improvement has occurred in the quality of teaching since the last inspection. John Watson - 14 16. In the lessons taught by teachers with specialist knowledge of the subject in specialist facilities, such as those in the co-located schools, pupils’ learning needs are met very well

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

and they, generally, make good or very good progress.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

17. Good planning is a characteristic of the good and better lessons. This results in all pupils being effectively challenged over the duration of the lessons because lesson tasks are carefully chosen to promote learning and are achievable by pupils. This involves the pre- determined use of a good range of resources and the time and skills of the learning support assistants. When these qualities are present as they were in a lesson in geography for pupils in Years 7 to 9, the quality of learning is good. This double lesson on the life styles of three different tribes of people who live in the rain forest began with a clear presentation of the learning objectives. Pupils were helped because they knew what they were supposed to learn. The good videotape presentation was stopped at times and pupils were asked probing questions such as ‘Why are they eating this type of food?’ Then, according to ability, they

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

broke into groups and were assigned a task, which reflected the life styles of the people, for example painting their faces in readiness for a celebration. The groups came together toward the end of the lesson and showed each other what they had been doing. Throughout the lesson, pupils worked very hard, were interested in their learning and eagerly explained what they were doing to a visitor, using appropriate technical terms, what life in the rain forests was like.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

18. Teaching is effective when teachers have a very good knowledge of the subject they are teaching, for example in lessons in science to pupils in Years 7 to 11 and physical education. This occurs in lessons when tasks meet the learning needs of pupils and are presented in innovative and organised ways. For example, in a good lesson in swimming, the teacher’s good knowledge of the subject and the pupils, resulted in very good planning and the very good deployment of the learning support assistants. As a consequence, all pupils worked very hard at improving their basic strokes and the best swimmers learned to retrieve objects from the bottom of the pool.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

19. A minority of lessons are taught by teachers without specialist knowledge. In these lessons the teaching is satisfactory rather than good because teachers have too little knowledge of appropriate teaching strategies, or how resources can be best used to promote learning and difficulty in meeting the communication requirements of pupils. The most recently appointed teachers have too little knowledge of special education needs and of the requirements of the National Curriculum and do not consistently match lessons tasks to the learning needs of pupils.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

20. Poor planning is a characteristic of the lessons judged as unsatisfactory. In these lessons, tasks do not match well with the learning needs of pupils because they are not thought out well. Learning assistants’ time is not used efficiently because of inadequate planning by teachers. They are assigned very limited responsibility and make no significant contribution to pupils’ learning. Teachers new to the school are not helped by the targets in individual education plans because they do not provide sufficient information for lesson planning. They offer too little guidance on the preferred strategies for teaching individual pupils in order to overcome their difficulties with learning. They are not helped by the procedures for assessing pupils. These are not sufficiently rigorous to provide accurate judgements on what pupils know and can do. Both contribute to teachers having too little precise information that is useful in helping to plan lessons that consistently meet the

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

21. Since the last inspection proficiency in signing has improved. Nevertheless, the inconsistent use of signing and the other additional communicative strategies, such as John Watson - 15 gesture, picture exchange and the use of symbols is limiting full access to learning for those with substantial language difficulties.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

22. The recommendations of the National Literacy Strategy are incorporated satisfactorily into lesson planning in English and mathematics. Not enough use is made of literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects, for example by using keywords or by using pupils’ skills in mathematics.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

23. Pupils’ behaviour is managed well. Lessons are ordered events because teachers have good expectations for behaviour, as well as for learning. They are very good at reminding pupils of their responsibility as learners. When behaviour is not appropriate, teachers and the learning support assistants act quickly and appropriately.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

24. The good relationships between teachers, learning support assistants and pupils allows pupils to be confident as learners, to ask questions when they are not clear about the tasks set and to engage easily in discussion. This is especially so for pupils at the Foundation Stage, which is characterised by children being fully involved in purposeful activity from the time they arrive at school to when they leave. They busy themselves with their tasks and when they are not sure of what they need to do they have sufficient confidence to quickly ask, or communicate in their way, for help.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

25. The procedures for homework are making a satisfactory contribution to the progress pupils are making, especially in the core subjects.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

26. Good quality of teaching motivates pupils to do well as learners. In half of the lessons, the quality of learning is satisfactory. Pupils are making unsatisfactory progress in a small number of lessons. Children in the Foundation Stage and pupils in Years 7 to 9 routinely respond to the good quality of their teaching by making a considerable intellectual effort to learn. In lessons in physical education, they work hard, for example when learning to swim or when trying to attain their best performance in the end of year athletics competition. They concentrate well and take pride in producing their best work. These pupils, especially, are good at realising that if they work hard their efforts will be rewarded by gains in knowledge and skills.

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HOW WELL ARE PUPILS OR STUDENTS TAUGHT?

27. The quality of learning achieved by pupils when they take lessons with mainstream pupils in the co-located schools is, generally, good or better. This judgement cannot be supported by records as no procedures operate to record how effective is the use of the provision of the co-located schools in extending and enriching pupils’ learning experiences. John Watson - 16

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

28. The curriculum is satisfactory, but it has significant strengths and weaknesses. It is broad and balanced and meets pupils’ social, intellectual, physical and personal needs. There is appropriate emphasis on the important areas of communication, the application of number and information communication technology, although none of these areas is particularly strong or well developed.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

29. The significant strengths include the provision for personal and social education, work related education, extra-curricular activities and, especially the opportunities provided by the close links with the co-located schools.

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PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

30. The curriculum has weaknesses. It does not meet statutory requirements because religious education is not taught to pupils in Years 10 and 11. Except for a small number of pupils, it provides no opportunities for pupils in Years 10 and 11 to achieve on nationally accredited awards. Many of the schemes of work are dated and do not contain learning outcomes or objectives that help teachers to organise learning so that it is smooth and continuous. Subject co-ordinators are not fully monitoring the provision in their subjects and some have received no support or training to carry out this role. As a consequence, in some subjects too much is left to decide for individual teachers, who may not have been trained in or have expertise in the subject they are teaching. The procedures to co-ordinate, monitor and evaluate the effect of the curriculum do not work as well as they should.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

31. The improvement in the curriculum since the last inspection is satisfactory. For example, the quality and range of resources to support teaching and learning in most subjects are better. Additional time has been allocated to English and mathematics and this and the satisfactory implementation of the national strategies for literacy and numeracy into lesson planning in English and mathematics is helping maintain standards. The provision for information and communication technology is satisfactory.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

32. The provision for extra-curricular activities is good. Training in signing for all staff and pupils is providing improved access to the curriculum for those with significant speech and language delays. The lunchtime signing club provides good opportunities for John Watson pupils in Years 1 to 6 and those from the co-located primary school to learn together. The pupils from both schools enjoy this very much and are learning to sign at a good rate. Pupils in Years 5 to 11 take part in a good number of residential visits. Some of these are with pupils from the co-located primary and secondary schools. Others are for John Watson pupils only, such as last year’s visit to Paris. Each of these provides very valuable opportunities for pupils to develop their personal and social skills and to increase their cultural awareness.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

33. The curriculum is socially inclusive in terms of its organisation, resources and staffing but equality of access and opportunity is compromised. The range of accredited awards available to pupils is very much less than is the case in most equivalent schools. The emerging use of signing and the paucity of relevant targets in the individual education plans for pupils with speech and language difficulties is acting to deny a significant minority of pupils full and complete access to all the work of the school. Continuing the training programme in signing so that signing is used routinely and consistently across the school will help to improve matters.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

34. The provision for personal and social education is good. The taught programme includes health education, sex education and attention to drug misuse. The good use of the targets relating to personal and social development in individual education plans and the John Watson - 17 valuable contribution of the nurse, contribute to the good quality of the provision. There are two other factors, which make an important contribution. The very good relationships staff have with pupils allow pupils to talk openly and confidently. Mixing socially and learning alongside mainstream pupils provides them with very good models to guide development. As a consequence, elements of personal and social development permeate all the work of the school, for example, in establishing relationships, taking and sharing responsibility, developing personal autonomy and personal care.

p.16

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

35. Opportunities for work related education, including career guidance are good. A Connexions adviser attends all transitional reviews, and provides satisfactory support and advice to pupils and their parents and carers. In careers education, interview techniques and the skills of job hunting and decision-making, are satisfactorily promoted. Pupils’ gain opportunities to learn about work by taking part in the work experience programme, which includes placements locally and within the school. The programme helps to develop confidence and communication and life skills, as well as giving pupils realistic experiences on the world of work. The good links established with the local college of further education enables pupils to attend a good range of courses including taster courses and day release courses. They enjoy these opportunities. Most pupils chose to attend college after they have left school.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

36. The links with the community are good and extend and enrich the curriculum. For example, a range of visitors, including fire officers and policemen help pupils make sense of the environment by explaining their jobs and showing them the equipment they use. As part of their learning in many subjects, pupils visit the places of worship of different religions, local shops and garden centres, and enjoy sporting activities at the leisure centre. Local charities, such as the Rotary, collect and donate money to the school.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

37. Considerable benefit is gained from being co-located on the campus of the primary and the secondary schools. The opportunities for providing pupils with a broad and rich curriculum are good and are better than those to be found in most equivalent schools. The arrangements to ensure educational inclusion are good and include whole-school, whole- class, individual, small group, and two-way. However, using the facilities and taking lessons with mainstream pupils would be more effective if the purpose was more clearly articulated and the outcomes more effectively evaluated. Making use of the provision of the co-located schools should be for specific purposes. It should be clearly planned and not be left to individual teachers to decide whether or not pupils should be integrated. Other supportive and productive links exist with the local college of further education, with schools in the local partnership, and with neighbouring special schools.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

38. Provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development has improved since the last inspection and is now good. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 join in collective prayers at lunch time every day. Those in Years 7 to 11, regularly have a ‘thought for the day’. They gain from knowing about the festivals and celebrations of other cultures and from the visits they make, for example to the Imperial War Museum and Medina Mosque and from lessons in religious education. They also gain from taking part in whole-school presentations. For example, during rehearsals for the end of year production, pupils were clearly excited; they sang, signed and swayed to the music, enjoying every moment of a most fulfilling spiritual experience.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

39. Provision for social development has also improved and is now very good. Sharing, turn taking and listening to others are common occurrences throughout the school day. There are many opportunities, formal and informal, for pupils to develop their social skills. They work in small groups in lessons and during lunch times. The links with the co-located schools provide very rich opportunities for pupils to observe and copy the social actions of John Watson - 18 mainstream pupils. Pupils gain from taking part in residential experiences. They frequently participate in educational visits to the local area and visitors to school provide good opportunities for them to show that they can behave appropriately in different situations. Taking part in whole school performances, such as the end of year production fosters a sense of belonging within the school community.

p.17

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

40. Moral development is good and is well promoted by the good personal and social education programme. The school fosters respect between individuals and pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their own actions, and actively consider the needs of others. For example, pupils raise money for outside charities, such as Red Nose Day, they hold McMillan coffee mornings and a teddy bears picnic for Action Research.

p.18

PUPILS OR STUDENTS?

41. The provision for cultural development is good and has been maintained at this level since the last inspection. Pupils visit museums, the fire station, farms, parks and fairs when learning about their local culture. In lessons, for example in art, music and religious education they study topics such as the Egyptians and Maypole dancing. They learn about other cultures through taking part in a ‘commonwealth games’ and having Chinese, Indian and Italian lunches. The residential visit to France provides first hand experience for the oldest pupils of a modern European culture.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

42. The arrangements to promote the care and welfare are good. The individual needs of pupils are well known to staff, and parents are kept informed about any issues that arise. The nurse works closely with staff to maintain the well-being of pupils. Excellent systems have been developed for the management of medicines and the procedures for administering medicines are very thorough. School based medical examinations are available on an annual basis and the nurse acts as a very good link between parents and personnel in the medical and health services.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

43. An appropriately trained member of staff has responsibility for health and safety. The Oxfordshire County Council policy has been adopted by governors and a nominated governor appointed. Every care is taken to ensure that risk assessments are conscientiously carried out and the building is checked for hazards. The entrance to the primary building is secure and care is taken to ensure that all areas are safe. Good arrangements operate to maintain equipment, such as hoists and fire extinguishers in good order. Portable electrical appliances are checked according to a prescribed schedule and the school minibus is serviced regularly through a contract with the Local Authority. Fire drills are organised in conjunction with the co-located primary and secondary schools. Recent training has been given in the safety on educational visits. These are carefully recorded and parents have the opportunity to give or

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

withhold written consent for participation in these activities. Pupils arrive and depart safely.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

44. Procedures for child protection are thorough and are well known to staff. The headteacher, is the named person. Some training has been provided in child protection but this has not included training in the use of physical contact and restraint. Policy, and practice in this area, needs to be extended as the procedures for the manual handling of pupils are not always followed meticulously.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

45. Procedures for recording and monitoring attendance are good. A new electronic recording and monitoring system is about to be installed and the administrative staff have been suitably trained.

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

46. Procedures for checking attainment and for monitoring pupils’ progress, which were identified as satisfactory with good features, at the time of the last inspection are now John Watson - 19 unsatisfactory. Targets are set in individual education plans and nationally recognised criteria such as P levels and levels of the National Curriculum record attainment. However, the information that is gained is not recorded well and is not always used well in planning what pupils will learn next. The quality of record keeping is inconsistent and most often does not provide sufficient information on what pupils know, can do, or on what they have learned over a period of time, such as a term or a year. Records place too much emphasis on pupils’ attitudes to learning, in part because clearly stated and easily measured learning outcomes are not sufficiently well identified in the topic or lesson plans. In many lessons, it is not clear

p.18

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

exactly what teachers want pupils to learn during a lesson and this limits the opportunities for recognising whether they are successful or not. In addition, key learning outcomes for each topic have not been sufficiently well identified, therefore it is difficult to ensure that over time that learning is built on prior learning. In many subjects, especially for pupils in Years 1 to 6, teachers lack guidance on what constitutes important learning outcomes and how these relate to key skills and concepts. This is especially so for teachers who are newest to the profession.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

47. For pupils in Years 7 to 9, learning outcomes are clearer. This makes it easier to recognise what pupils know and understand and the progress they are making. For these pupils, good planning ensures that lesson tasks are well matched to learning outcomes. Resources, including learning support assistants, are used well and enable all pupils to reach their lesson goals. The better use of assessment makes an important contribution to the better progress pupils in these years are making.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

48. The procedures for assessing personal and social development are satisfactory. The good programme of personal, social and health education and citizenship is supported well by good opportunities for moral and social development. The annual review checks gains made against the targets set the previous year, but judgements are sometimes difficult because the targets in pupils’ individual education plans do not always relate well to those set at the annual review.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

49. Procedures for monitoring and promoting good behaviour are satisfactory. Teachers regularly reward good behaviour and pupils are encouraged to understand the effect their behaviour has on others. The reward systems developed and operated by individual teachers reflect the age, ability and interests of pupils in each class. Although this is appropriate, the systems are not consistent and there is no clear understanding, by teachers and pupils, of what constitutes rewardable behaviour. Currently, this differs between teachers and classes. Good behaviour, attitudes and achievement are celebrated in assemblies, though not frequently enough to make a significant contribution to promoting good behaviour.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

50. The need for formal procedures to monitor and help manage the behaviour of pupils with behaviour difficulties as additional special needs is a priority area in the development plan. Procedures are beginning to operate for pupils in Years 7 to 11 that include good quality individual behaviour plans, which clearly outline strategies to help staff manage unacceptable behaviour and which also provide opportunities for pupils to learn how to manage, and be responsible for, their own behaviour. Appropriately, procedures are being developed for recording any incidents involving these pupils, such as the use of physical restraint. There is no policy that outlines access for disabled pupils.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL CARE FOR ITS PUPILS?

51. The statutory procedures for pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Need are met.

p.19

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

John Watson - 20 52. The partnership with parents and carers is good and has been maintained at this level since the last inspection. Most of the parents and carers who responded to the pre- inspection questionnaire or who attended the pre-inspection parents’ meeting have positive views of what the school provides and achieves. Parents and carers report that their children like coming to school, are encouraged to work hard and to do their best, and that the school is helping them become mature and responsible. They also believe that behaviour is good, but some feel that their children get too little homework. Inspectors agree that a clearer policy for homework and regular routines for providing homework relevant to pupils will result in more effective learning. In general, inspectors endorse the positive views of parents and carers.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

53. A satisfactory amount of information is provided to parents and carers through newsletters, parents’ meetings, a basic web site, individual education plans and annual reports. Attendance at parents’ meetings and at annual reviews is very good. These provide parents with valuable opportunities to gain information on the progress their children have made during the year and to set new targets for the coming year. The home-school diary is an effective means of two-way communication between teachers and parents and carers. Generally, it is well used and provides meaningful information for many parents and carers and teachers alike, although a small number of teachers and some parents and carers do not make best use of this link. The information outlining what pupils know, understand and can do in their annual reports is satisfactory. Many reports provide good information, but too many provide information of a general kind, which tends to describe what pupils have

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

experienced and not what they have learned during the year. The administrative staff are very helpful to parents and carers. They provide information and advice and, when required, help by simply listening to parents and carers.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

54. Pupils’ records of achievement include photographic evidence of class activities. These are not as informative as they might be because they are not supported by descriptive text. The governors’ annual report to parents provides much valuable information and appropriately celebrates pupils’ achievements very well. Nevertheless, it does not fully accord with statutory regulations because it does not report on pupils’ attendance, the security of the school or on developments outlined in the action plan that was created to meet the key issues of the last inspection.

p.20

HOW WELL DOES THE SCHOOL WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH PARENTS?

55. Significant efforts are made to encourage parents and carers to be involved in the life of the school community. The John Watson Association has been very supportive in the past, but is currently operating without a number of key officers. Nevertheless, members continue to run the after-school Kid’s Club and activity sessions during the holidays. Parents and carers are able to take advantage of the very effective ‘respite care’ scheme, which is supported by funds gained from social services. The parent governors are enthusiastic and are committed to their roles in support of the school.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

56. Since the last inspection, the extended absences of the headteacher and a significant turnover of teachers have acted to limit development. Improvement since that time has therefore been unsatisfactory. Consequently, there is much work to be done. But this can be achieved if all members of the senior management team work co-operatively, are effectively supported by the local authority advisers and have the quality of their work regularly checked by governors. When this happens, the capability of the senior management team to rapidly develop the quality of the provision will be very good.

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

57. The vision for the school is clear to the headteacher. The primary aim is to prepare pupils as well as possible as individuals so that they fulfil their potential, academically and as John Watson - 21 members of the wider community. Being co-located on the sites of a mainstream primary and a mainstream secondary school provides enormous benefits toward achieving this aim. Making use of specialist facilities, and teachers with specialist knowledge, potentially extends and enriches pupils’ learning experiences beyond those for pupils in the great majority of equivalent schools. However, pupils are not gaining the full benefit of this advantaged situation. The links with the co-located schools are not planned sufficiently well to ensure coherence in pupils’ learning and no procedures operate to judge how using this provision is affecting pupils’ development and learning. Opportunities are being missed. The most

p.20

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

notable is not using the wide range of nationally accredited awards that are being offered in the secondary school so that pupils are able to demonstrate the full extent of their learning.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

58. Subject co-ordinators are not able to report fully on the quality of the provision in their subjects because the assessment procedures do not accurately identify the progress pupils are making. Senior managers need to improve their procedures for checking planning documents and to determine if the learning outcomes are presented in an organised fashion. Re-assessing the delegation of responsibilities over all the work of the school, with the clear expectation that checking and reporting are important elements in these responsibilities, will substantially increase the effectiveness of senior managers in promoting improvement.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

59. The chairperson of the governing body and all governors are committed to the success of the school. He is wholehearted in his support for the headteacher. Although appropriate committees are appropriately constituted, the procedures for gaining information on the effectiveness of the provision are too informal. This means that governors receive too little information to be able to fully check on the work of the school. They do not play an effective role in forming the priorities for the development plan and in ensuring all statutory responsibilities are met. Governors need to introduce appropriate procedures to check on the targets for the headteacher and other staff, the work of the senior management team, the quality of teaching and learning, the curriculum and the progress pupils are making in their academic, personal and social development.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

60. The procedures for checking the quality of teaching and learning are having too little an impact on improving teaching and learning. This is because the procedures are not well enough established and do not function with sufficient rigour to bring about improvement through programmes of advice, mentoring or training.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

61. The procedures for appraising the performance of staff operate satisfactorily, although their development has been hindered by the absences of the headteacher. Targets have been set for the headteacher, and for teachers according to the model for the headteacher’s targets. The cycle is in place, but is not yet contributing sufficiently to the professional development of staff.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

62. The induction procedures are unsatisfactory. The policy for making new staff quickly effective in their work does not operate well. Mentors are unclear of their role and targets for new staff are not clear. New appointments do not have sufficient feedback on how well they are assimilating their new responsibilities.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

63. The principle of target setting as an important first step toward improvement has been fully embraced by the headteacher. Targets for learning operate in some subjects and do so especially well for pupils in Years 7 to 9. Elsewhere, a slow start has been made in implementing procedures to identify and record performance against the targets as an important step in improving the quality of the provision.

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

64. There are a good number of teachers and learning support assistants to present the curriculum and meet the learning needs of pupils. The turnover of staff since the last John Watson - 22 inspection has been significant. Many teachers have experience and additional qualifications in dealing with pupils with special educational needs, but some have been replaced by newly qualified staff with little experience in teaching pupils with learning difficulties. During induction, they have not gained sufficient information to be quickly effective in their new roles. In particular, a small number continue to remain unclear about their responsibilities for co- ordinating subjects. Several subject co-ordinators have no specialist training or knowledge in their subjects. Non-contact time is organised for all teachers, but no clear programme exists to ensure that this time is used to develop skills and strategies in the classroom or in

p.21

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

increasing their effectiveness as subject leaders.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

65. Learning support assistants have considerable experience, work well with their teachers and, especially in the good and better lessons, make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. They have access to many training opportunities and several of them have subsequently progressed to take additional professional qualifications.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

66. The accommodation is satisfactory. For pupils in Years 1 to 6, the teaching areas are large and are easily adjusted to provide space for small group work, practical activities, such as cookery, and class-based sessions as required. The interior is bright, cheerful and is enhanced by good quality decoration and displays that help in stimulating and reinforcing learning. Some corridor areas are cluttered with resources that would be better stored elsewhere. The satisfactory outside facilities are secure and interesting to the pupils, though the fencing around the outdoor swimming pool does not provide a wholly effective barrier.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

67. The sharing of facilities with the primary school is a considerable asset, in that easy access is provided to a large, well-equipped hall for physical education as well as other facilities, such as the kitchen, in which hot meals are prepared for pupils.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

68. Two of the three classroom bases on the co-located secondary school provide unsatisfactory accommodation. Recent confirmation of a building programme to be completed by December 2004 will radically improve the facilities. Pupils gain great benefit from being taught in the good quality specialist facilities of the secondary school, especially for lessons in art and design, design and technology, physical education and science. Resources to support teaching and learning are good. Since the last inspection, they have improved in range and quality in information and communication technology, physical education and religious education. In English, the purchase of big books is helping teachers implement the recommendations of the National Literacy Strategy.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

69. Educational developments are supported well through financial planning. Priorities for spending are clearly identified through the development plan. The most recent auditors’ report (May 2001) judged financial procedures to be good. The minor recommendations made then have been implemented in full. However, the predicted carry over balance for this year is too high, even though there is a contingency of £15,000 for overpayment of staff salaries and a further contingency for the addition of a new computer server for administration purposes. Governors are aware of this and have plans to reduce the underspend. They are being prudent with this money by waiting for the result of the review of health and nursing care in special schools in Oxfordshire, which may result in the school having to meet more of these costs.

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

70. Effective use is made of new technologies. All teachers have completed the national training in information and communication technology and each has a laptop computer enabling them to access, update and monitor pupils’ records and targets. Office systems are well supported by relevant software and during the week of the inspection, administration staff pursued a training course in the use of computers to electronically record and analyse pupils’ attendance. Access to the Internet is good. John Watson - 23 71. Specific grants are used effectively for their designated purpose. Money from the Standards Fund is linked to priorities in the development plan and is used to support appropriate training. Additional money is gained from local fundraisers, through the John Watson Association, which raised over £1,000 last year. Other fundraisers donated resources and various amounts of money from small sums to up to £3,000 that was used to

p.22

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

provide equipment for the sensory room and to support the visit senior pupils made to Paris.

p.23

HOW WELL IS THE SCHOOL LED AND MANAGED?

72. Best value principles of comparison, challenge, consultation and competition are appropriately applied in the management and use of resources. The school actively seeks value for money in staffing and in the purchase of training. Guidance documents require co- ordinators to seek best deals when initiating the purchase of resources for their subjects. Quotes, tenders and three estimates are obtained for capital purchases over £1,000. A cyclical review process is used to monitor these systems. The day-to-day management and administration of the school are good. John Watson - 24

p.23

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

be fully involved in developing and evaluating the priorities of the improvement plan by checking: • the targets for the headteacher and the other staff; • the work of the senior management team; • the quality of teaching and learning; • the curriculum; • progress in academic, personal and social development. (Para 59)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

meet statutory requirements as they relate to: • teaching religious education for pupils in Years 10 and 11; • details on the governor’s annual report to parents; • planning documents for disability access. (Paras 30, 50, 54, 107)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

The headteacher and senior managers should:

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

develop and implement learning outcomes for each subject against which pupils’ achievement can be checked. (Paras 30, 46, 58, 86, 97, 103, 112)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

further develop the assessment procedures so that they: • help improve teaching and learning; • recognise the individual needs of pupils; • are consistent across all subjects. (Paras 20, 46, 105, 112)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

provide opportunities for pupils in Years 10 and 11 to demonstrate the full extent of their learning by taking relevant national awards in conjunction with the co-located mainstream secondary school. (Paras 30, 87, 90, 103, 108)

p.24

WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

plan for, and check the effectiveness of, including pupils in the provision of the co- located primary and secondary schools on their academic, personal and social development. (Paras 37, 98, 105, 113 ) John Watson - 25

p.24

Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 57

p.25

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

p.25

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 two percentage points.

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 63

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 9

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 0

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 2

p.25

Information about the school’s pupils

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

p.25

Attendance

Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. John Watson - 26

p.25

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 10 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 0 Black – African heritage 0 0

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 1 Other minority ethnic groups

p.26

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

* 2 preferred not to say This table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Qualified teachers and classes: YN – Y11

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 5.5* Financial year 2002-2003

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 7.4

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

* Three teachers are unqualified Total income 704686

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YN – Y11 Total expenditure 741413

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 11 Expenditure per pupil 11768

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 504 Balance brought forward from previous year 108000

p.26

Teachers and classes Financial information

FTE means full-time equivalent. Balance carried forward to next year 74182

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 4

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers appointed to the school during the last two years 6

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 0

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

Number of vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of a term or more (FTE) 3

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

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

p.26

Recruitment of teachers

FTE means full-time equivalent. John Watson - 27

p.26

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Percentage of responses in each category

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

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

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child is making good progress in school. 42 58 0 0 0

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

Behaviour in the school is good. 40 47 7 0 7

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 27 36 23 5 9

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 55 35 10 0 0

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 78 19 0 3 0

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 56 44 0 0 0

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school works closely with parents. 45 52 3 0 0

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is well led and managed. 58 35 0 3 3

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 48 45 3 0 3

p.27

Results of the survey of parents and carers

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 47 43 3 0 7

p.27

Other issues raised by parents

Parents queried whether the provision for speech therapy as outlined in their children’s Statements of Special Educational Need was being met.

p.27

Other issues raised by parents

Inspectors found difficulty in judging this because the provision outlined in the statements was expressed in terms that are difficult to quantify. Teachers and learning support assistants follow programmes formulated by speech therapists and inspectors conclude that these meet the requirements of the provision as outlined. Inspectors judge that increased involvement by speech therapists in the work of the school would improve the quality of the provision. John Watson - 28

p.27

AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

74. The judgements here are made for the six John Watson pupils who attend the Wheatley Nursery.

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AREAS OF LEARNING FOR CHILDREN IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

75. These pupils achieve well and make good and, occasionally, very good progress in all the areas of learning. This applies equally to boys and girls. This is because teaching is mostly good and sometimes very good and because staff have high expectations for, and a good understanding of, children’s learning. Being educated with mainstream peers has many advantages. These include promoting behaviour through imitation, learning how to apply themselves to work and play, and copying the use of emerging language skills for social interaction and for learning. The high standards noted in the most recent inspection have been maintained. Because of their difficulties with learning, no child is expected to reach the early learning goals by the time they enter Year 1.

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Personal, social and emotional development

76. Good progress is being made. Teachers plan well including providing a wide range of experiences that allow children to develop a positive sense of themselves. When they arrive at school, children happily leave their parents because they trust the staff and have confidence in them. Most often, they enter the classroom eagerly and with an air of anticipation. They settle quickly and calmly because routines are well established and activities are carefully prepared. They develop a sense of belonging because the events of the day are carefully explained to them. All adults, and the mainstream children, provide good role models and the good relationships established with adults and with the other children help them learn to communicate and listen. They do this increasingly well through signing, gesture, eye contact, facial and body language, pictures and symbols and by using their emerging language skills. All

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Personal, social and emotional development

are fully accepted, valued and celebrated as individuals, and they are aware of this. The management of behaviour is astute, patient, consistent and effective so that most often learning and play are not interrupted. Simple rules, for example how to sit, take turns and share are learned quickly and children become increasingly independent as they spend time in the nursery. For example, they help put on their wellingtons and coats for outside play, they indicate when they want to go to the toilet, and enjoy taking responsibility for tidying up the toys. They are making good progress against the targets in their individual education plans, such as hanging up their coat and bag independently. They are confident members of the whole school community and are familiar with the facilities of the co-located schools. Their personal and social development benefits from being able to take a full and active part in, for example the

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Communication, language and literacy

77. Progress is good because activities are well planned, build carefully on prior learning and because children’s intended learning outcomes are clear. The many opportunities they have to enjoy and share a wide range of rhymes, songs, poetry, stories and non-fiction books stimulate them to communicate with adults and each other as they best can. Signing is used well in communicating and in promoting language and speech. The mainstream children take pride in their signing, which helps extend their understanding of language and ensures everyone is included. Good use is made of resources to motivate children, for example, a Big Mac to introduce stories and the toy box that is full of soft animals that are hugged and handled in turn. Good questioning, for example, “What is the duck doing?” makes children think and John Watson - 29 helps maintain their attention over increasing period of time. Innovative teaching includes

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Communication, language and literacy

tapping out the syllables of children’s names on the table, such as Jon-a-than, which they do with great energy and excitement. They handle and explore letters and recognise the initial letter of their name by shape and sound. They hold a pencil and paintbrush in the ‘tripod’ grip and make meaningful marks. They are aware that stories have a beginning and an end, hold books correctly and are beginning to recognise familiar words.

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Mathematical development

78. Children achieve well and are making good progress, in part because of the regular planned opportunities in which they use mathematical terms. For example, they learn about shape and space as they complete puzzles, jigsaws and posting games. Registration time is used effectively to develop counting skills. Nursery songs, action songs, games and puppets are used creatively to make learning mathematics fun. Concepts are introduced and reinforced through the good use of technical language such as ‘position’, ‘size’ and ‘shape’, including ‘big’, ‘small’, ‘tall’, ‘short’ and ‘over’ and ‘under’. The children copy simple patterns and sequences and make comparisons of size when building walls for towers. They join in counting to five using one to one correspondence and compare two objects saying whether they are the same or different. They apply their skills well, for example when they make gingerbread men and

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Mathematical development

count the number of decorative buttons to recognise which one has more buttons.

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

79. The good standards the children achieve are helping them make sense of their world. Good quality teaching realises many valuable experiences that arouse curiosity and encourage observation and exploration. The good use of cross-curricular links help them make connections from one area of learning to another. Through organised trips, for example to the local pet shop, they learn about their locality and the people who work there. They compare the lay out of the shop and what it sells, to their own nursery pet shop. A visit to the nature pond enables them to see fish and insects, which they collect. Later, they study the way they move and other characteristics through a range of magnifying equipment. The good use of the digital camera records their experiences and reminds them of what they saw. They all enjoy using the computer and are beginning to appreciate everyday technology, such as toasters, kettles

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Knowledge and understanding of the world

and washing machines. The highest attaining children use the mouse and a small number of keys on the keyboard to change images on the screen or to see and listen to a story. They help to program the robot so it goes in the chosen direction. Those with most complex learning needs control the computer through touching the screen and through special switches and modified keyboards. Special switches also allow them to activate the lights and other equipment in the sensory room. In lessons in swimming, they learn about their body parts, in cooking, they learn to prepare the ingredients for vegetable soup, and they explore the sensation of pouring water and sand and find items that sink and float. The routine and helpful interventions of staff make these activities more meaningful and help children develop a good understanding of the world around them.

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Physical development

80. Children make very good progress in their physical development. In part, this is because of the very good resources that are available to them. For example, they make very good progress in entering and exiting the learner pool, in learning basic swimming skills and in experiencing the feeling of buoyancy as they become water confident. In the outside play area, they travel with increasing confidence around an obstacle course that is carefully arranged so that have to go over and under, up and down and through apparatus that provides a good level of challenge. Throwing and catching tasks help improve their hand-eye co-ordination. Very good large equipment, such as cars, tricycles and push along toys improve balance, co- John Watson - 30 ordination and strength. Through playing with a range of construction toys and painting, cutting, rolling and gluing, they develop their dexterity and fine motor control. The

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Physical development

physiotherapist and occupational therapist help support those with additional physical needs and ensure they have special programmes and equipment that allows them access to all physical activities.

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Creative development

81. Children are making good progress and are achieving well. Good opportunities are provided to help develop their own ideas, which when worked through often result in an increase in confidence and independence. They gain from watching the industry and imaginative abilities of their mainstream peers. With them, they listen to and dance to Hindu music, make up the movements to ‘Walking through the Jungle’ and beat African drums to various rhythms. They listen to their favourite stories and then illustrate them in paint, collage or stencil. They decorate their ’treasure boxes’ with a variety of materials, including sticky tape, ribbons and coloured paper, from a specially created ‘junk’ store. They learn that they can control the sounds and compose music by moving in front of a sound beam. In other activities, they develop their skills in rolling, printing, and squeezing. In music, they sing songs from

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Creative development

memory, including the two they sing and act out as part of the whole school end of term production. They discover how to make sounds by shaking, blowing and plucking. The dressing up box provides very good opportunities for creative play.

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Creative development

82. Very good leadership and management contribute to the overall good and improving provision. The two teachers, two nursery nurses and the learning support assistant work very well as a team. The curriculum is very good, planned carefully and with appropriate balance in the recommended areas of early learning. It is supported very well by the very good assessment procedures. The nursery is a safe, secure and challenging environment for children and they enjoy playing and learning there. It is attractively displayed with children’s work that reflects very well the good and better progress they are making. Resources are plentiful, well organised and easily accessible and are used effectively in promoting learning and play. The outside area is well-designed, securely fenced, with a small adventure playground, a large tractor, two large canopies, which provide shade or shelter no matter what the weather, large areas of grass and ample storage for large equipment. Children use it well.

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Creative development

They also have access to the swimming pool, sensory and soft play rooms of the co-located school. The very good relationships staff have with parents and carers benefit the progress children are making. Regular communication through the home-school diaries helps parents and carers continue the work of the nursery at home.

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ENGLISH

83. The provision for English is satisfactory. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 and in Years 10 and 11 achieve satisfactory standards and are making satisfactory progress in speaking and listening and in reading and writing. Those in Years 7 to 9 achieve better standards and are making good progress because of the consistently good quality of their teaching. Improvement since the last inspection is satisfactory. The recommendations of the National Literacy Strategy have been satisfactorily implemented into the planning of lessons. Significant additional resources, including a good supply of Big Books have been purchased. Signing and symbols are being satisfactorily but inconsistently used, although the good training staff have gained is continuing to help make teaching more effective.

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ENGLISH

84. By the end of Year 2, the highest attaining pupils achieve P Level 8 in speaking and listening. They speak in simple sentences, comment and respond to questions about what they have seen or done and recall and predict the important elements of a story. They try hard to interpret print, especially when it is supported by symbols. They recognise their names and John Watson - 31 those of their friends and they are learning to write some letters. In reading and writing, they are at P Level 7. The lowest attaining pupils have greater difficulty in communicating their needs and are at the early stages of recognising letters as parts of words. They are at P Level 3. By the end of Year 6, the highest attaining pupils speak fluently and confidently, for example when they speak with a visitor. Their sight vocabulary has increased substantially. They sort words by initial letter sounds and identify the same words in the text. In reading, they have made

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ENGLISH

equivalent gains and are at Level 1 of the National Curriculum. In writing, they copy over letters and join dots to make letter shapes accurately and neatly. The lowest attaining pupils enjoy listening to their favourite stories and rhymes. They predict what comes next and make use of a greater range of symbols in communicating their needs. They have progressed to P Level 4. By the end of Year 9, the highest attaining pupils describe what they see in pictures and take a full part in discussions, for example on where they would like to go on holiday. They read with good understanding and enjoyment and produce legible pieces of writing containing several sentences, with little support. They are now at Level 2 of the National Curriculum in all aspects of English. The lowest attaining pupils continue to enjoy listening to stories and can now tell stories with the help of Big Mac switches. They enjoy having the individual attention of their

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ENGLISH

teachers and learning support assistants and have progressed to P Level 8.

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ENGLISH

85. The highest attaining pupils in Year 11 take part in drama lessons with mainstream pupils. They speak confidently in many situations, including when they are presenting information to the class. They share news with their friends, their teachers, learning support assistants and other adults. Many listen well and act appropriately on the information they gain, for example when asked to undertake a task that requires three directions. They select the books they need to help in their learning and when they read for enjoyment. Their writing is neat and legible with, mostly, accurate regard for punctuation and spelling. When they leave school they have progressed to Level 3 of the National Curriculum. The lowest attaining pupils answer simple questions using short phrases, show an increased interest in books and recognise their name in print. They are at P Level 9.

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ENGLISH

86. Overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory, but is better than this in many of the lessons for pupils in Years 7 to 9. The lessons taken with mainstream pupils are especially effective in promoting good quality learning. The good relationships adults have established with pupils contribute to the good attitudes pupils have to their work. In the good and better lessons, learning support assistants are used well in helping to match lesson tasks to pupils’ needs, although in many lessons the learning outcomes for pupils are not always clear. Many pupils do not have targets for speaking and listening, or reference to appropriate therapy programmes for speech and language in their individual education plans. There is no agreed programme for the teaching of phonics, which limits progress in this area. Information and communication technology is under used in supporting teaching and learning.

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ENGLISH

87. Leadership and management are satisfactory. The co-ordinator has begun monitoring teaching and learning and has identified training and resource needs. The need for the consistent use of signing and for augmentative systems, such as picture exchange, is now well established. The lunchtime signing club is very successful and includes pupils from the co-located mainstream primary school. Statutory targets expressed in P levels and levels of the National Curriculum have been set for the end of each key stage, but these do not link well to the curriculum and are having too little an effect on improving standards. Too little use is being made of the accreditation opportunities that currently exist in the co-located secondary school and many pupils leave school with no nationally recognised award for the efforts they made in learning English.

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MATHEMATICS

John Watson - 32 88. The provision for mathematics is satisfactory. Overall, the standards pupils achieve are satisfactory, as is the progress they are making, in all the years except Years 7 to 9, when both are good. No significant improvement in the school’s overall standards has been made since the last inspection. Boys and girls make equivalent progress.

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MATHEMATICS

89. By the end of Year 2, the highest attaining pupils recognise numerals from one to ten and relate them to objects. They count to solve simple problems such as the number of pupils in the class and they compare lengths and sizes to identify ‘longer’, ‘shorter’, ‘bigger’ and ‘smaller’. They enjoy counting the number of coins dropped into a tin with their eyes covered. They are working at the P Level 8. The lowest attaining pupils show an interest in number rhymes and songs, explore and manipulate objects and respond appropriately to familiar routines and activities. They are at P Level 3. By the end of Year 6, the highest attaining pupils use lower denomination coins confidently for simple shopping tasks, recognise and name simple two-dimensional shapes, such as squares and circles, sort and match by shape and size and record numbers up to 20. They have a good understanding of simple addition and subtraction and have progressed to Level 2 of the National Curriculum.

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MATHEMATICS

The lowest attaining pupils identify and sort objects by size and shape, join in familiar number songs and games and recognise numbers from one to three when using their fingers. They are at P level 5.

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MATHEMATICS

90. By the end of Year 9, the highest attaining pupils manage coins up to £1, using them in shopping tasks that involve purchasing more than one article. They record simple addition and subtraction operations up to three digits and work from tables or graphs to answer questions. They are at Level 3 of the National Curriculum. The lowest attaining pupils remain at P Level 7 where they work with number up to five and show an increasing awareness of concepts of ‘more’, ‘less’, ‘greater’, ‘smaller’ ‘longer’, ‘shorter’, ‘heavier’ and ‘lighter’. They match lower denomination coins quickly and accurately. By the end of Year 11, the highest attaining pupils are handling money confidently. They use the four basic operations to four digits, have a reasonable appreciation of fractions, decimals and percentages and are able to apply their mathematical knowledge to everyday situations. For example, they complete a

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MATHEMATICS

‘paying-in’ slip for the bank accurately and arrange a journey by bus and train by looking at relevant timetables. One pupil is presently working with mainstream peers in their lessons and is taking the General Certificate of Secondary Education in the subject. She is at Level 5 of the National Curriculum. The lowest attaining pupils match and recognise coins and notes, carry out simple additions and subtractions and apply their own strategies in solving simple problems. For example, in completing a ‘paying-in’ slip, one pupil sorted her coins by matching them to the visual prompt sheet provided. Curricular provision is limited for pupils in Years 10 and 11 by the absence of relevant external accreditation for all the pupils.

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MATHEMATICS

91. The quality of teaching is almost always satisfactory or better. When it is good, teachers have planned well and ensure that lesson tasks match individual needs. Lessons are maintained at a brisk pace and open-ended questions are used effectively to check and extend pupils understanding. Learning support assistants are deployed well and make a good contribution to learning. In these lessons, the recommendations of the National Numeracy Strategy are implemented well, but in other lessons they are not as visible. Pupils’ attitudes to their learning and to their behaviour are invariably good. They display interest and concentration, persevere well and make a good effort to learn.

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MATHEMATICS

92. The subject is led by an experienced teacher who has established procedures to organise curriculum planning but the documents are not completed by all teachers because of lack of guidance and support. Continuity and progression between the year groups are unsatisfactory because the targets for pupils’ learning are unclear. The good range of learning resources is, generally, used well. Since the last inspection, computer facilities are more extensive but do not make a sufficient contribution to supporting teaching and learning. John Watson - 33

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SCIENCE

93. Only a small number of lessons were observed. Discussions with the co-ordinator, analysis of teachers’ records and pupils’ records of achievement show progress to be satisfactory overall, although pupils in Years 7 to 9 are making good progress. There is no difference in the progress made by boys and girls or by pupils with different degrees of learning difficulty.

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SCIENCE

94. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 know that seeds come in different shapes and sizes because the teacher uses a good range of fruit to show different seeds. For example, pupils look at the seeds of fruit and vegetables such as a cucumber, green bean, strawberry, sweet pepper and avocado. They predict if the seeds will be large or small and they are surprised when they view the seed of the avocado. Pupils benefit from the many opportunities they have to explore the seeds by touching and smelling, and to taste the strawberries. In this lesson, they concentrated well because the tasks interested them. The teacher reinforced their learning by providing opportunities to plant cress and bean seeds so that, over time, they could watch them grow. New learning was effectively built on prior learning because pupils were asked to remember what plants needed to grow. Pupils in Years 3 to 6 have learned how animals are

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SCIENCE

adapted to live in different environments. With support, they make appropriate suggestions about where animals would live and they match those to different habitats, including placing ducks in a pond and the giraffe in a field with a tree. Records of their previous work show only limited opportunities to develop the skills of investigation.

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SCIENCE

95. Even though the number of lessons observed was small, it is clear that pupils of secondary age have gained considerable benefit from being taught by teachers with specialist training in science in specialist laboratories. As a result, they gain a good understanding of important topics. For example, they understand, in a simplified form, processes such as digestion and use scientific vocabulary such as ‘saliva’ and ‘stomach’ appropriately in explaining their learning. In these lessons, pupils routinely work hard to complete their tasks and are well supported by John Watson teachers and learning support assistants. Their records of achievement show good opportunities to develop skills in investigation. They confidently complete simple experiments, for example, for finding out how much energy is given off by peanuts.

p.33

SCIENCE

96. The quality of teaching and learning for pupils up to the end of Year 6 is satisfactory overall, although this ranges from satisfactory to unsatisfactory. In the unsatisfactory lesson, pupils learned little because in planning the tasks, not enough account was taken of pupils’ learning difficulties. Also, the tasks selected did not have a sufficient science component and too much time was taken up in colouring, cutting and sticking. The quality of learning of pupils in Years 7 to 11 is good because they are taught by teachers with specialist knowledge in good quality specialist facilities. Overall, the quality of teaching and learning has not been maintained since the last inspection when it was judged to satisfactory for pupils in Years 1 and 2, good for those in Years 3 to 6 and very good for the older pupils

p.33

SCIENCE

97. Leadership and management of the subject are satisfactory. Medium term planning is satisfactory but does not provide enough guidance for teachers without specialist training or specialist knowledge on the key learning outcomes for each topic. The co-ordinator monitors teachers’ planning and pupils’ records of achievement but this is not realising improvements in teaching and learning. Lessons have not been checked and too little information is gained on how effectively teachers’ planning is translated into effective learning. The co-ordinator has appropriate priorities for developing the provision but these are not specified in an action plan that identifies how they will be achieved and how much they will cost. Learning resources are satisfactory. The opportunities for the highest attaining Year 10 and 11 pupils to join with John Watson - 34 mainstream classes are good and can lead to them taking the General Certificate of

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SCIENCE

Secondary Education in the subject. However, for most pupils in Years 10 and 11 this is not an achievable award. They have no opportunity to demonstrate the extent of their learning over their time at school on any other nationally accredited award. Too little use is being made of information and communication technology to help support teaching and learning.

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SCIENCE

98. There can be little doubt that pupils benefit by learning alongside mainstream pupils. The extent of this advantage, or its cost effectiveness, cannot be judged because no procedures are in place to check on this.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

99. Provision for information and communication technology is satisfactory. For pupils in Years 1 to 6 information and communication technology is taught as part of a topic. For the older pupils, the subject is taught in discrete lessons. The standards pupils achieve and the progress they are making are satisfactory. The subject has made satisfactory improvement since the last inspection. Since that time, resources have been improved and the range and quantity of hardware and software are sufficient to teach the curriculum. All computers are networked and connected to the Internet. All teachers have completed the national training and non-teaching staff have access to twilight training.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

100. By the end of Year 2, the lowest attaining pupils successfully use a range of switches in the sensory room in exploring cause and effect. The highest attaining pupils are able to use the touch screen and the mouse effectively. By the end of Year 6, the lowest attaining pupils click on an icon and start a programme, search and use information from a menu. The highest attaining pupils have gained control of the screen through mouse and keyboard and are beginning to use word processing programs well. By the end of Year 9, the lowest attaining pupils practice a ‘typing’ programme to increase their keyboard skills and understand that a computer has different fonts. The highest attaining pupils are now proficient at using word processing programs and spreadsheets. For example, in word processing, they change font type and size, bold, underline and indent. They move sections of print and edit well. They use

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

the spell checker and occasionally the thesaurus. They input pictures into the text and size and position as they want. By the end of Year 11, the keyboard and mouse skills of the lowest attaining pupils are now sufficient for them to control many commercial packages, such as mathematics and graphics programs. By this time, the highest attaining pupils are using PowerPoint to help present their information. Their presentations, for example of experiences gained on field trips and other educational visits are very effective. From September 2003, all pupils in Years 9 and beyond will take their lessons in the excellent computer suite of the co- located school. Being able to use a wider range of software and peripheral equipment, such as scanners and digital cameras should bring about an improvement in the standards they achieve.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

101. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. Relationships are good between staff and pupils and this helps pupils have good attitudes to their learning and to their behaviour. A new commercial scheme of work, closely linked to the National Curriculum, has recently been introduced. This has not yet time to impact upon standards, but is providing good guidance to those who teach the subject. The implementation of P scale assessment is giving teachers a more accurate view of pupils’ progress. This is helping make teaching and learning more effective because learning is now continuous and progressive. Teachers and support staff are now better trained and the curriculum followed by pupils, particularly from Years 9 to 11, is helping prepare them well for the next stage of their education.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

102. Leadership and management are satisfactory and have established a good resource base of hardware and software suited to the wide range of pupils’ learning needs. The co- John Watson - 35 ordinator, who will be taking over sole responsibility for the subject in September 2003, has carried out an audit of the provision. This is good practice and the results will feed into an action plan for the next year. One appropriate priority is to improve the use of information and communication technology in supporting learning in the other subjects.

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Geography, history, religious education and French

103. In geography, history, religious education and French pupils achieve satisfactory standards and are making satisfactory progress over curricula, which are satisfactory but narrowly reflect the relevant programmes of study. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 are not taught religious education and this does not accord with the orders for the subject. For each of the subjects, the quality of teaching is satisfactory, as is the quality of learning. These are not better because many of the lessons in these subjects are taught by teachers without specialist training or knowledge. The key learning outcomes for the subjects are not clearly known by all teachers and because of this planning is not sufficiently informed so that lesson tasks do not always make a good match with pupils’ needs and abilities. As a result, learning is not organised to occur in a continuous and progressive fashion and prior learning does not form an

p.35

Geography, history, religious education and French

important stepping stone for new learning. Pupils study geography and history over their time at school. They study French from Year 7 onward and religious education from Year 1 to Year 9, only. Over the duration of their learning, pupils gain considerable knowledge of these subjects, the associated technical vocabulary and many of the key skills; yet in each case they are unable to demonstrate the extent of their learning by taking relevant nationally accredited awards. This is unfair to the pupils and is a weakness in each of the subjects. Linking more closely with the co-located secondary school is one way of quickly increasing the accreditation opportunities available for pupils in Years 10 and 11.

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Geography, history, religious education and French

104. The locally agreed syllabus guides planning well for lessons in religious education. The learning opportunities afforded pupils in geography, history and religious education are extended and enriched by the good use made that is made of local facilities. For example, in geography, visits to local rivers and towns, in history, to see Roman sites and in religious education, visits to the places of worship of different religions, including the village church. The older pupils gain special benefit in knowing French culture and in learning to use their emerging skills in communicating in the French language through the residential visit to Paris. Lessons in geography especially, gain from the good use of videotapes, for example when pupils learn about the rain forest and the life styles of the Huli and Yanomami people. Through these, they gain experiences outside of those achievable locally. Information and communication

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Geography, history, religious education and French

technology can also provide enriched experiences for pupils but is not being sufficiently used to support teaching by extending pupils learning experiences.

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Geography, history, religious education and French

105. In each of the subjects, leadership and management are satisfactory. Even so, the co- ordinators are not fully leading, monitoring and evaluating all the work in the subject because they are at the very beginning of formulating a programme for checking teaching and learning and linking resources to the subject’s curriculum and the needs of pupils. Also, no procedures operate to judge the effectiveness of the work taken in the co-located schools. Each of the schemes of work need to be refined so that the key skills and knowledge of the subject are reflected in lesson planning by learning outcomes that can be assessed against P levels or levels of the National Curriculum. When this is achieved co-ordinators will be in a better position to report accurate judgements of the progress pupils are making over the key elements that make up the subjects. John Watson - 36 106. Generally, resources are sufficient and appropriate for teaching each subject’s

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Geography, history, religious education and French

curriculum and to meet the needs of pupils. Lessons in each of these subjects make a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual and cultural development.

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Geography, history, religious education and French

107. The provision for each of these subjects has not materially improved since the last inspection. Religious education continues not to meet statutory requirements.

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Art and design, design and technology, music and physical education

108. In art, design and technology and music pupils achieve satisfactory standards and are making satisfactory progress. In most of the aspects of physical education, they achieve good standards and are making good progress; achievement in swimming is very good. The provision for each of these subjects is compromised because pupils in Years 10 and 11 are not able to demonstrate the extent of their learning achieved over the duration of their time at the school by being provided with opportunities to gain relevant national awards.

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Art and design, design and technology, music and physical education

109. In each of these subjects, pupils benefit by taking lessons with mainstream pupils in the co-located schools. They use the specialist facilities of these schools that are very much superior to those available in John Watson School and, for physical education, some lessons are taught by teachers of the co-located school. For example, in art and design and design and technology pupils, in Years 4 and 5 are joined in their lessons by pupils from the co-located primary school. Pupils in Years 7 to 9 use the specialist food studies room of the co-located secondary school. In physical education, all pupils in Foundation Stage and in Years 1 to 6 take lessons in swimming with pupils from the co-located primary school. Seven secondary aged pupils take lessons in physical education with mainstream pupils taught by their teachers in the excellent sports centre. Lessons in swimming take place at the very good local leisure centre.

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Art and design, design and technology, music and physical education

The better standards pupils achieve in physical education result from being taught by teachers with specialist knowledge of the subject, in good or better specialist facilities.

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Art and design, design and technology, music and physical education

110. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 pupils gain a satisfactory grounding in art and design and design and technology. For example, in art they experiment with colours, create collages using a wide variety of materials and develop their skills in drawing and painting. In design and technology, they work with resistant materials and food and become aware of the importance of planning in detail before they begin the process of making. For example, one pupil completed a model of a triceratops out of plasticene, polystyrene and cardboard after close study and analysis of a number of pictures. They build well on their start from Year 7 onwards because they use the specialist facilities of the co-located school. In the past, a small number of pupils have taken lessons in art with mainstream pupils and this has resulted in them being entered for the General Certificate of Secondary Education examination. Lessons in music are very well supported by the opportunity to perform, for

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Art and design, design and technology, music and physical education

example as part of the whole-school production. All pupils make an excellent effort to sing and sign as well as they can and make important gains in their personal and social development by taking part in whole school events with their mainstream peers. The curriculum in physical education provides a wide range of experiences and matches fully with the relevant programmes of study. The progress pupils are making, including in horse riding, is better than is the case for pupils in many equivalent schools. In swimming, the use of Kellogg’s Puffin and Rainbow certificates and badges stimulates pupils to work hard and to enjoy their success when they gain their awards.

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Art and design, design and technology, music and physical education

111. Overall, the lessons taught by John Watson teachers are satisfactory, even though many have little specialist knowledge or training in the subjects. The quality of learning when John Watson - 37 pupils are taught by teachers with specialist knowledge, such as those who teach in the co- located secondary school, is good or better.

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Art and design, design and technology, music and physical education

112. For each of these subjects, the co-ordinator has been a relatively recent appointment. Leadership and management in physical education are better than is the case for the other subjects and are good, but even so the co-ordinator is not fully leading and monitoring and evaluating all the work in the subject. In all the subjects, planning documents are not being checked and in many of the lessons taught by John Watson teachers learning outcomes do not relate closely enough to the key skills and required knowledge of the subject. As a consequence, it is difficult to recognise what pupils learned in lessons or the progress they are making over time. In physical education, the assessment procedures cover all the elements of the subject but report attainment in anecdotal terms for each of the three terms. The comments are useful but do not relate to P levels or to those of the National Curriculum.

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Art and design, design and technology, music and physical education

They provide too little information to judge progress accurately or to inform parents in the annual report of what their children have learned over the year.

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Art and design, design and technology, music and physical education

113. In each of these subjects, pupils spend time taking lessons with those in the co- located schools. Although, the judgements given here indicate that they gain from this, the exact effect of using the provision of the co-located schools on the progress they are making is not being assessed by the school. The creative, aesthetic, practical and physical element of the curriculum especially lends itself to the use of the specialist provision available in the co-located schools. The positive effects that result from this should be identified and evaluated.

p.37