Oakwood School

OAKWOOD SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 10 th -11 th July 2002

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OAKWOOD SCHOOL

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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OAKWOOD 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. Oakwood School - 1

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Druids Walk Walsall Wood Walsall West Midlands

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: February 1998 Oakwood School - 2

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Team members

01424 Mr M H Whitaker Registered inspector 13462 Ms R Mothersdale Lay inspector 32055 Mr W G Davies Team inspector 27409 Mrs S Hunt Team inspector

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Team members

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

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Team members

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

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Team members

The Registrar Inspection Quality Division

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Team members

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE Oakwood School - 3

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PART A: SUMMARY OF THE REPORT 4

Information about the school How good the school is What the school does well What could be improved How the school has improved since its last inspection Standards Pupils’ attitudes and values Teaching and learning Other aspects of the school How well the school is led and managed Parents’ and carers’ views of the school

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Oakwood School is a community special school for boys and girls aged 2 to 14 years with severe or profound and multiple learning difficulties. Most pupils have additional special educational needs and in particular, there has been a significant increase in pupils requiring feeding programmes, since the last inspection. There are currently 61 pupils on the roll of the school, including four of nursery age. Sixty of the pupils have statements of special educational needs and one has been placed in the school for the purposes of assessment. The attainment of pupils when they enter the school is well below that expected for their ages because of their learning difficulties. The vast majority of pupils are of white United Kingdom origin with only one pupil for whom English is an additional language. Pupils come from a broad range of social and economic backgrounds. There are currently 16 pupils eligible

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

Oakwood School is a very effective school. Pupils achieve very well and make very good progress in all areas of learning. This is the result of the very good, and often excellent, teaching and the excellent leadership and management of the school. It has responded very well to the introduction of national initiatives such as literacy and numeracy and adapted them very successfully to the diverse range of needs within the school. Pupils are challenged to make progress and they respond very well within the context of a very supportive environment. The school is constantly seeking new ways of meeting the needs of pupils in the most effective way and has worked hard to develop a very successful team of educational and health staff. Pupils benefit from a rich curriculum, including links with other schools and inclusion opportunities for pupils to spend time in mainstream schools. Some mainstream pupils

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HOW GOOD THE SCHOOL IS

also spend time in Oakwood. It provides very good value for money.

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What the school does well

 Pupils of all ages and with a wide range of special educational needs achieve very well and make very good progress.  The quality of teaching is very good and often excellent. Teamwork between all educational staff and health personnel is a real strength.  The leadership and management of the school are excellent. Very good systems have been established for checking the standards being achieved and the progress made by pupils. This information is used very effectively to raise standards further.  The school creates a very positive climate for learning. Parents, rightly, regard the school highly. Pupils are happy, behave very well and have very positive attitudes to learning. The school cares very well for the pupils. Personal development and relationships are excellent.  A rich range of learning experiences is provided, including very successful inclusion arrangements with mainstream schools. Provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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What the school does well

development is very good and contributes significantly to the climate of the school and the pupils’ attitudes.

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What could be improved

 The learning environment and the quality and range of resources for the youngest children could be better. 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

The school has made very good improvements since it was last inspected in 1998. In addition to tackling the issues raised in that report there have been many other developments. The time allocated to the teaching of science has been increased with a noticeable effect on the progress made by pupils, and all pupils in the juniors and lower secondary classes now have lessons in a modern foreign language. A great deal of work has been undertaken in the library to introduce a computerised classification system. Improvements to the soft play area mean that it can now be used throughout the year. There has been very significant improvement in relation to the school monitoring and evaluating itself. This has led to better tracking, monitoring and target setting which has in turn led to greater progress. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been introduced very successfully and Oakwood School - 5

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HOW THE SCHOOL HAS IMPROVED SINCE ITS LAST INSPECTION

the percentage of pupils involved in inclusion programmes with local schools has increased. The philosophy of all agencies involved with pupils working co-operatively in an integrated way has continued to develop and is a major strength of the school.

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STANDARDS

The table summarises inspectors’ judgements about how well pupils achieve in relation to their individual targets by the time they leave the school.

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5 11 14

Speaking and listening A A A very good A

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5 11 14

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

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5 11 14

Pupils of all ages and levels of attainment achieve very well and make very good progress in all areas of learning. This is an improvement since the last inspection and is the result of the excellent leadership and management and the very good and often excellent teaching. Standards in literacy and numeracy have continued to improve and pupils with a wide range of special educational needs make very good progress. The introduction of the National Strategies for Literacy and Numeracy, adapted to the needs of the pupils, has made a big impact on the standards in these areas. Pupils make very good progress in personal, social and health education. This programme has recently been developed to take account of national changes in relation to citizenship. All pupils also make very good progress in relation to their individual targets. The integrated way in which the full range of pupils’ needs, including their medical needs, is met is an important factor in the progress pupils make.

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Aspect Comment

Attitudes to the school Very good. Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning. They enjoy school and take a full part in lessons. They are keen to do well and are delighted when anyone succeeds,

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Aspect Comment

Behaviour, in and out of classrooms Very good. Pupils behave very well in lessons and during break and lunchtimes. When they are included in mainstream schools or in the community on educational visits they are a credit to the school.

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Aspect Comment

Personal development and relationships Excellent relationships are a very strong feature of the school. Pupils get on well with each other and with staff. As they move through the school they increasingly take responsibility, appropriate to their needs, as they become more mature

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Aspect Comment

Attendance Good. Attendance is higher than the average for similar schools.

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Aspect Comment

The very positive ethos of the school is a major factor in the progress pupils make. Pupils enjoy school and want to be part of it. They respond very well to the challenges placed before them by staff and they delight in their success.

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 aged 5-11 aged 11-14

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

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Teaching of pupils: aged up to 5 aged 5-11 aged 11-14

The quality of teaching is very good throughout the school. It is often excellent and as a result pupils of all ages and levels of attainment make very good progress. Teamwork and relationships are major strengths in the teaching. Teachers, support staff and health personnel work very effectively together to provide a coherent, integrated approach to meeting the needs of pupils. Literacy and numeracy are taught very well throughout the school. Planning is very thorough with teachers being very clear what they want pupils to learn in lessons. This is shared with pupils so that, where possible, they are able to check their own learning; challenges are well-matched to the individual needs of pupils and assessment is used very well to set new goals. A wide range of strategies is used to ensure that all pupils can be fully involved and take part in all lessons.

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Aspect Comment

The quality and range of the curriculum Very good. The school provides the full range of subjects and has developed very appropriate ways of teaching literacy and numeracy. This has had a very positive impact on the progress pupils make and on the quality of teaching. The inclusion programme adds to the richness of pupils’ experience and effective use of the community enhances opportunities. The integration of educational and health needs is a strong feature of the curriculum.

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Aspect Comment

Provision for pupils’ personal, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development Very good. The very good provision leads to very positive attitudes to learning, a very good atmosphere in which pupils are happy and keen to join in all the activities provided.

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Aspect Comment

How well the school cares for its pupils Very good. Systems for monitoring the academic and personal development of pupils are very thorough and the information is used very well to enable them to move on. Welfare issues and child protection procedures are well established.

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Aspect Comment

Parents, rightly, regard the school very highly. Oakwood School - 7

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Aspect Comment

Leadership and management by the headteacher and other key staff Excellent. The headteacher, very well supported by the deputy headteacher has developed extremely efficient management systems for the school which enable everyone to work effectively. Her leadership has developed a strong sense of teamwork amongst all associated with the school; all share the same commitment to enabling all children to achieve their best in the context of a supportive caring environment.

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Aspect Comment

How well the appropriate authority fulfils its responsibilities Good. The governors have a very clear understanding of the strengths of the school. They have very good systems for keeping a check on the standards being achieved and the quality of education provided. They are fully involved in plans which develop the school further and they manage these developments very effectively.

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Aspect Comment

The school’s evaluation of its performance Very good. The performance of the school is evaluated very well and information is used to set challenging targets to improve further. Overall results are compared with similar schools, progress of individual pupils is evaluated and the quality of teaching and learning is monitored and evaluated.

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Aspect Comment

The strategic use of resources Very good. All resources including specific grants are evaluated to determine their impact on the learning of pupils. Staff are used very effectively, and the medical needs of pupils are very well met, with minimal disruption to their educational development because the teamwork and relationships lead to integrated provision. Best value principles are applied very well.

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Aspect Comment

The excellent leadership and management of the school enable it to function very smoothly. Everyone is aware of their respective roles and responsibilities and they share a common purpose. They are always seeking ways to improve and meet new challenges.

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

 the progress made by their children  the quality of teaching  the leadership and management of the school  their children are happy  the behaviour  the relationship they have with the school  one or two parents would like to see a broader range of approaches

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What pleases parents most What parents would like to see improved

The inspection team agreed with the many positive things the parents felt about the school. They could not agree that the school does not try enough approaches. The school is constantly seeking new ways of meeting children’s needs. Oakwood School - 8

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Pupils of all ages and with a wide range of special educational needs achieve very

1. All pupils make very good progress in relation to literacy skills as they move through the school. The introduction of the National Literacy Strategy, adapted to the wide range of needs within the school, has led to improved standards and better progress because of the impact it has had on the quality of teaching. Teaching is consistently very good, and sometimes excellent, in literacy throughout the school. The National Strategy for Numeracy has been similarly introduced with the same result.

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Pupils of all ages and with a wide range of special educational needs achieve very

2. Younger pupils in the Foundation Stage and in the infants have a wide range of special educational needs and literacy work is well matched to their various levels of attainment, enabling them all to make very good progress. Much work is undertaken to extend their vocabulary. A wide variety of strategies is used so that all needs can be met. Good quality oral work is used for some, whilst others benefit from the use of signing, using Makaton. Alpha reading is used for one pupil. Pupils with more complex needs are able to express themselves using body language or gesture. Very clear and specific targets are set for every individual pupil and assessment is undertaken continuously to measure progress. This information is then used to set further challenging, but realistic, targets enabling more progress to be made. Topic work is used effectively to promote reading and written work, in religious education, for

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Pupils of all ages and with a wide range of special educational needs achieve very

example, festivals from different religions are celebrated and pupils record their understanding in a range of ways with some making simple marks on paper whilst higher attaining pupils are able to write simple sentences.

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Pupils of all ages and with a wide range of special educational needs achieve very

3. Children in reception and in the nursery respond well to stories. They listened carefully to the story about the Lazy Ladybird and were able to copy the noises made by different animals featured in the story. They made good progress in their knowledge of the letter ‘t’ when looking at and talking about toys they have brought from home. During the lesson one boy became so very enthusiastic about Thomas the Tank that he said ‘t’ for the first time.

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Pupils of all ages and with a wide range of special educational needs achieve very

4. In the infant classes pupils develop their knowledge of books, again using a range of methods and approaches to enable all to take part. Pupils learned to take turns when turning the pages of the Big Book entitled ‘A Pancake’. Resources were used very effectively to motivate and stimulate pupils. In the lesson they used objects to relate the story and develop their understanding with one pupil using a Big Mac switch. They could understand that they would be listening to, and singing ‘Pat a Cake’. Pupils were given spoons and egg boxes to bring the story to life and to extend their understanding. The presence of the speech therapist enabled more intensive work to be done with some pupils and very good progress was made in matching pictures to objects.

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Pupils of all ages and with a wide range of special educational needs achieve very

5. Some pupils in the juniors achieve particularly high standards because of the excellent teaching. They can read with expression and interest. In one lesson they read well together and discussed the meaning of the story about ‘Double Trouble’. They understood that speech marks indicated where characters were speaking in the story. This represents very good progress for these pupils. It is intended to place one pupil full time in his local school from September. They develop their writing skills and use them very well when creating a cartoon comic strip about ‘Robot Mick from Mars’. Excellent use is made of computers to help pupils who have writing difficulties. For Oakwood School - 9 example pupils who have physical difficulties and, as a result, write slowly and untidily, make very good progress in writing paragraphs which are grammatically correct, fluent and have meaning when they wordprocess their work.

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Pupils of all ages and with a wide range of special educational needs achieve very

6. Secondary aged pupils make very good progress and achieve very well in literacy. Very good use is made of computers to develop language, for example when following stories such as ‘Toby the Troublesome Tractor’. Work is undertaken to extend pupils’ vocabulary, re-enforcing new words that have relevance in other subjects such as ‘probability’ for mathematics. Reading aloud is encouraged and this enhances pupils’ confidence and self-esteem. Higher attaining pupils are able to write short descriptive sentences such as ‘I watched England play football with Greece. The score was 2-2. I watched it on Match of the Day’.

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Pupils of all ages and with a wide range of special educational needs achieve very

7. Pupils of all ages and levels of attainment make very good progress in numeracy and mathematics. Infants develop their understanding of shape, being able to distinguish big and little and adding to their mathematical vocabulary. Many can copy patterns and are able to identify and colour the odd one out from a series of pictures. They can spot missing numbers from number lines and they can develop their ability to order numbers and match them correctly in sets. Pupils develop their skills in handling data by sorting cans by colour. In the juniors, skills of problem solving develop. Pupils are able to order by length and can identify money and coins. They develop their understanding of shape, looking at circles and triangles. Pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties can create pictures of rockets using two squares and a triangle, showing real joy when they succeed. Less able secondary aged pupils have

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Pupils of all ages and with a wide range of special educational needs achieve very

made very good progress in their understanding of time and order using time-lines to develop their understanding of the jubilee. Samples of pupils’ work throughout the curriculum, and in personal, social and health education (PSHE), and in relation to individual targets, demonstrate that very good progress is made throughout the school. Lesson observation during the inspection in science, ICT, music, physical education, design and technology and PSHE demonstrated this. The quality of teaching, assessment and record keeping and the teamwork of staff were consistently significant factors in the learning of pupils.

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The quality of teaching is very good and often excellent. Teamwork between all

educational staff and health personnel is a real strength.

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The quality of teaching is very good and often excellent. Teamwork between all

8. The quality of teaching throughout the school is very good; it is often excellent. This has continued to improve since the last inspection. Teamwork between all educational staff and medical personnel is a major strength since it ensures an integrated approach to meeting all of the needs of the pupils. As a result pupils make very good all round progress and achieve very well. Where teaching is excellent, planning is meticulous and the needs of every pupil are met. In a Year 2 literacy lesson for example where pupils were retelling a familiar story in the correct sequence, planning ensured that everyone was fully involved in the lesson. The support staff were very well deployed to enable all to pick out pictures and stick them in the correct sequence. Because of the excellent understanding between the staff, all pupils are supported well with no time wastage. As a result pupils are involved throughout the lesson which

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The quality of teaching is very good and often excellent. Teamwork between all

moves at a fast pace, maintaining pupils' interest and enhancing their learning. The teamwork made the transition between tasks seamless.

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The quality of teaching is very good and often excellent. Teamwork between all

9. Similarly, in a junior class geography lesson where all the pupils had profound and multiple learning difficulties, excellent learning took place because of the detailed planning and teamwork. The lesson was imaginative and captured the pupils’ interest. The pupils developed their knowledge of water, exploring where it comes from and what it can be used for. All pupils participated when making a drink, which linked well Oakwood School - 10 to their personal development. Excellent links were made with the seaside so that pupils could make the association with water. Resources were very well prepared and all pupils, as well as making excellent progress, thoroughly enjoyed the lesson.

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The quality of teaching is very good and often excellent. Teamwork between all

10. The range of methods and resources used in a secondary class music lesson enabled all pupils to make very good progress. Non-verbal pupils were able to play a full and active part using instruments such as shakers and tambourines whilst others were able to sing together. The choice of songs was very suitable as pupils were involved in using their voices, instruments and their bodies to demonstrate their understanding of the words. All pupils had a thoroughly enjoyable time and effective learning took place. The use of signing in a secondary design and technology lesson enabled all pupils to play a full and active part in choosing materials and tools to evaluate different foods. Again a very clear lesson plan identified the intended learning outcomes for every pupil and indicated how staff would support them. As a result of the very good teaching, very effective learning took place and, again, enjoyment was a key feature.

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The quality of teaching is very good and often excellent. Teamwork between all

11. Occasionally, although teaching is good because of the very effective planning, assessment and use of support staff, learning is affected by an unattractive learning environment and resources which lack stimulation for the youngest children. The good teaching enables learning to take place but the classroom does not enhance pupils’ enjoyment. Space is restricted for water play for example and the range of resources for children to select from, when playing with toys on the carpet, does not develop pupils’ imaginative play as much as it could.

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been established for checking the standards being achieved and the progress made

by pupils. This information is used very effectively to raise standards further.

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been established for checking the standards being achieved and the progress made

12. The leadership and management of the school have gone from strength to strength since the last inspection and are now excellent. The headteacher, very well supported by the deputy headteacher has developed excellent management systems for monitoring and evaluating the work of the school. The outcomes of these systems are used very effectively to set challenging and realistic targets for the future development of the school. These have led to significant improvements in the performance of the school as a whole and the progress made by individual pupils.

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been established for checking the standards being achieved and the progress made

13. As a result of the very effective leadership all staff are fully committed to the ethos of the school; they share a common sense of purpose concerned with enabling all pupils to make as much progress as possible in the context of a caring supportive environment. Relationships and teamwork are key features of the school. All staff, including non-educational personnel, have a clear understanding of their respective roles and responsibilities. All staff contribute to the identification of areas for development and improvement through audits of need which feed into the school development plan. As a result the plan identifies the most important areas for improvement and has successfully guided the school forward in recent years. The staff is committed to self-evaluation and has embraced the concept of performance management in helping all staff to develop further, thus enhancing the whole school and benefiting pupils.

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been established for checking the standards being achieved and the progress made

14. Very secure systems are in place for analysing the performance of the school and comparing this with similar and other schools so that everyone can feel confident that it is doing as well as it can. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies have been appropriately adapted and introduced with real enthusiasm by the staff. The performance of all pupils has been carefully monitored and evaluated to check the impact of the strategies; the quality of teaching is regularly monitored and areas for Oakwood School - 11 development are identified. The staff has a very positive attitude to this and, as a result, teaching has improved and is now consistently very good and often excellent.

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been established for checking the standards being achieved and the progress made

15. Staffing is very carefully developed to ensure that it is used in the most effective and efficient manner. Pupils’ needs are very clearly understood.

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been established for checking the standards being achieved and the progress made

16. The governors have a very clear role in the management of the school. They are fully involved in identifying the strengths and areas for development in the school. They have a strong committee structure to monitor and evaluate the work of the school and take a clear lead in the long term of developments. They monitor expenditure carefully and use the funds wisely to improve the school.

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been established for checking the standards being achieved and the progress made

17. They evaluate expenditure in terms of its impact on the quality of education and the standards achieved. As a result the school has very good systems for ensuring the best value is achieved and very good value for money is provided. The school runs very effectively and day-to-day administrative support provided by the secretary is very good enabling the teachers to fulfil their responsibilities with the minimum of interference.

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learning. The school cares very well for the pupils. Personal development and

18. The school has very successfully developed a very positive climate for learning, with a very good balance of high expectations, rigour and challenge in the context of a secure, happy, warm environment. The result is a school where everyone has very positive attitudes and enjoys being a member of the school community. This is true of all adults and pupils. The successful creation of this environment results in very effective learning taking place. The vast majority of parents rightly regard the school highly. They feel that their children like school and are making good progress, relative to their learning difficulties. They feel that teaching and leadership and management are very good and that they are regarded as partners in the education of their children. The inspection team agreed with these views. Parents receive good quality information which enables them to support and enhance the learning at home.

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learning. The school cares very well for the pupils. Personal development and

19. In every lesson observed pupils joined in enthusiastically and enjoyed their learning. Their attitude and behaviour was at least always good and often excellent. This was the result of work being very well matched to their needs, a wide range of teaching methods being used and usually stimulating activities being provided to interest and motivate them. This was sometimes harder for younger children because of the need to develop the range of available resources. Relationships between pupils and adults add significantly to the climate for learning established and consequently to the progress pupils make. When possible pupils work co-operatively together, for example when secondary pupils helped each other with computers. Other pupils work very well one to one with adults, showing real enjoyment when they experience success. For example, in an infant physical education lesson where pupils with profound and

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learning. The school cares very well for the pupils. Personal development and

multiple learning difficulties enjoyed exercises for stretching different body parts working with support staff.

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learning. The school cares very well for the pupils. Personal development and

20. The school’s procedures for monitoring and evaluating the academic and personal progress made by pupils are very good. The assessments are very detailed and relate very well to their needs. The very integrated nature of support for pupils through educational and health staff means that the school cares for them very well. The entire needs of pupils are considered and programmes are designed to provide maximum Oakwood School - 12 benefits. For example, the feeding programmes are a very important part of the day for a significant number of pupils and these are carried out with a minimum of fuss. Physiotherapy is developed through physical management programmes. Again the emphasis is on teamwork. All staff have been trained in the programmes which enables them to be fully integrated into the pupils’ overall programmes. Similarly all staff have been trained in behavioural management to ensure a consistent approach

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learning. The school cares very well for the pupils. Personal development and

to the needs of individuals. All staff are willing to undertake any training to benefit pupils. This, again, is indicative of the ethos of the school.

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and cultural development is very good and contributes significantly to the climate of

the school and to the pupils’ attitudes.

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and cultural development is very good and contributes significantly to the climate of

21. All pupils benefit from a rich range of learning experiences which make up their curriculum. They all have access to all subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education and this is an improvement since the last inspection. The quality of planning means that all pupils receive a broad and balanced range of activities and because the teaching is of such high quality the curriculum is very well matched to the needs of individuals. As a result, pupils are able to make very good progress and enjoy their learning.

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and cultural development is very good and contributes significantly to the climate of

22. A major feature of the success of the curriculum is the integrated way in which the full range of pupils’ needs are met. Because of the quality of the multi-agency teamwork, as well as academic and educational needs being met, health needs such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and feeding needs are met in a coherent way. All staff work together in the best interests of pupils ensuring that they are able to make progress in relation to their whole needs.

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and cultural development is very good and contributes significantly to the climate of

23. Pupils benefit from a very successful inclusion programme which, again, enhances their learning opportunities. As well as pupils from Oakwood attending local schools, mainstream pupils also benefit from attending Oakwood. This is a valuable opportunity and experience for all concerned. The programme is very well managed by the inclusion manager and relationships between schools are excellent. The deputy headteacher from a local primary school said that ‘inclusion is a strength of both our schools.’

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and cultural development is very good and contributes significantly to the climate of

24. Provision for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is very good. Opportunities for all these areas of development are evident throughout the curriculum. Social development, for example, is planned for in every lesson. There are opportunities for pupils to listen to each other, take turns, observe responses and celebrate successes. Pupils are encouraged to care for one another and to respect the rights of others. They are very patient and tolerant of each other’s difficulties. They visibly enjoy the success of others. For example in a secondary computer lesson, pupils were really enthusiastic when one boy completed his work, or with the very youngest children when the shared each other’s toys. Thomas the Tank Engine was particularly popular! Oakwood School - 13

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The learning environment and the quality and range of resources for the youngest

25. Although young children generally make very good progress and achieve well due to the quality of teaching they receive, their learning is sometimes restricted because of the uninspiring classroom environment and the lack of a wide range of good quality, stimulating resources. Staff work very hard to make the best of the resources but the quality of toys, for example, means that they have to put in a disproportionate amount of effort to engage children and develop their imagination. Similarly, the classroom does not easily lend itself to children being able to begin to develop some independence and take some responsibility for their own learning. There is little opportunity for investigative, imaginative play because of this.

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

26. In order to improve further the headteacher, staff and governors should:

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WHAT SHOULD THE SCHOOL DO TO IMPROVE FURTHER?

(1) improve the provision for the youngest children by developing the quality and range of resources and improving the learning environment. Oakwood School - 14

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Summary of the sources of evidence for the inspection

Number of discussions with staff, governors, other adults and pupils 19

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Summary of teaching observed during the inspection

Percentage 26 39 31 4 0 0 0 The table gives the number and percentage of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about teaching. Care should be taken when interpreting these percentages as each lesson represents more than four percentage points.

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils on the school’s roll No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils on the school’s roll 61

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of full-time pupils eligible for free school meals 16

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Information about the school’s pupils

English as an additional language No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Number of pupils with English as an additional language 1

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupil mobility in the last school year No of pupils

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Information about the school’s pupils

Pupils who joined the school other than at the usual time of first admission 0

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Information about the school’s pupils

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

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Attendance

School data 5.6 School data 0.3 Both tables give the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year. Oakwood School - 15

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – Caribbean heritage 0 Black – Caribbean heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Black – African heritage 1 Black – African heritage 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Any other minority ethnic group 0 Other minority ethnic groups 0 0 This table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of qualified teachers (FTE) 11 Financial year 2001-2002

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Number of pupils per qualified teacher 5.5:1

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Average class size 6.8 £ FTE means full-time equivalent. Total income 686,717

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Education support staff: YN – Y9 Total expenditure 709,905

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total number of education support staff 16 Expenditure per pupil 11,832

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Total aggregate hours worked per week 448.5 Balance brought forward from previous year 44,927

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Teachers and classes Financial information

Balance carried forward to next year 21,739

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of teachers who left the school during the last two years 1

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Total number of vacant teaching posts (FTE) 1

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Recruitment of teachers

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

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Recruitment of teachers

Number of unfilled vacancies or vacancies filled by teachers on temporary contract of less than one term (FTE) 0 FTE means full-time equivalent. Oakwood School - 16

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Percentage of responses in each category

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

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child is making good progress in school. 79 21 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

Behaviour in the school is good. 71 29 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

My child gets the right amount of work to do at home. 57 29 0 0 14

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Percentage of responses in each category

I am kept well informed about how my child is getting on. 71 29 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

I would feel comfortable about approaching the school with questions or a problem. 93 7 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school expects my child to work hard and achieve his or her best. 93 7 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school works closely with parents. 71 29 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is well led and managed. 100 0 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school is helping my child become mature and responsible. 93 7 0 0 0

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Percentage of responses in each category

The school provides an interesting range of activities outside lessons. 64 14 0 0 21

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