Haughton School

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996

Haughton School - 2 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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Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996

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. Haughton School - 3

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Haughton School is a day community special school for boys and girls aged between four and 16. It has 140 places and there are currently 135 pupils on its roll, 103 boys, and 32 girls. Most of the pupils have moderate learning difficulties but 13 have severe learning difficulties and 14 are recognised as having Autistic Spectrum Disorder. A group of 18 pupils has emotional, behavioural and social difficulties. In addition, individual pupils have speech or communication disorders or hearing impairment. All but one of those attending have statements of special educational needs. On entry to the school, because of their special educational needs, pupils' attainment is well below the average for their age. Pupils are drawn from across the area of Telford and Wrekin, and Shropshire LEAs.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The majority of pupils are white and British but four pupils are of Pakistani or mixed white and black African heritage. Two pupils have English as an additional language and are at an early stage in acquiring it. Five pupils are in public care. There is significant pupil mobility. In 2002, 11 pupils joined the school at times other than the usual time of first admission, and four left at other than the usual time.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

The school provides outreach teaching for pupils in local primary and secondary schools and it is funded to do this under an LEA initiative. There are well-advanced proposals to reorganise the special education in the borough. Under these proposals, Haughton will become a primary special school. Haughton School - 4

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CW8 4DU

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website (www.oftsed.gov.uk). Haughton School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 8

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 12

Teaching and learning The curriculum Care, guidance and support Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The overall effectiveness of the school is satisfactory and it provides satisfactory value for money . It is well led and management is satisfactory and improving. Teaching and learning are good . The curriculum provided is satisfactory but there are weaknesses in assessment. Achievement, by pupils in Years 1 to 6 is good , and by pupils in Years 7 to 11, it is satisfactory . Achievement is, therefore, satisfactory overall.

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The school’s main strengths are:

• The leadership of the headteacher, the deputy head, senior management team and staff with subject leadership responsibilities is good. • Teaching is good and leads to pupils learning well. • The school makes good provision for art and science. • Pupils' attitudes and behaviour are very good and very good involvement in school decision making helps to develop their personal qualities. • There are strong links with the community that help to enrich the curriculum.

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The main weaknesses are:

• The school does not make appropriate provision for children in the Foundation Stage or for others who would benefit from a Foundation Curriculum. • There is no coherent system for tracking the progress of pupils in Years 7 to 11 in subjects and towards the targets that are set for them at annual reviews. • Achievement in French, geography, religious education and writing is lower than it should be for pupils in Years 7 to 9.

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Since the previous inspection, the effectiveness of the school has improved satisfactorily

but most of this improvement has occurred within the last two years. By the end of Year 11, all pupils now gain accreditation for their work. Similarly, pupils achieve more by the end of Year 6 than they did before. The key issues of the previous inspection have been dealt with effectively and this has resulted in better management. There is more involvement by the governors in the running of the school.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

in relation to individual targets in: Pupils’ achievement at the end of: Subjects of the curriculum personal and social education Year 2 Good (3) Good (3) Year 6 Good (3) Good (3) Year 9 Satisfactory (4) Good (3) Year 11 Satisfactory (4) Good (3) Inspectors make judgements in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor.

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educational needs because of their learning difficulties. In almost all subjects and at all

stages their attainment is well below the standard for their ages.

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educational needs because of their learning difficulties. In almost all subjects and at all

Children in the Foundation Stage are placed in classes predominantly made up of pupils in Years 1 and 2. Their progress towards early learning goals cannot, therefore, be judged. The achievement of pupils in Years 1 to 6, in English, mathematics, and overall is good . Achievement by pupils in Years 7 to 11 is satisfactory in English and mathematics, and it is also satisfactory overall. Across the age range, achievement is good in art, physical education, music, and personal, social and health education. In Years 7 to 11 in particular, achievement in science and design and technology is good. Achievement in writing, and in French and geography, for pupils in years 7 to 9, and in religious education for pupils in Years 7 to 9, has been affected by breaks in provision and is not as good as it should be. Haughton School - 7

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Pupils' personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development

are good. Pupils' attitudes are very good , and they behave very well . Exclusions are rare and the number excluded has declined in the past year. Attendance is good . Pupils are well prepared for life in a culturally diverse society.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is satisfactory overall. Teaching and learning are good . Most lessons are taught well so that pupils enjoy them and try hard to do their best. Support staff are used effectively. Teaching is consistently good in art and music, in literacy lessons in Years 1 to 6, and in science, and design and technology in Years 7 to 11. Assessment is unsatisfactory because arrangements to allow pupils' progress to be reliably tracked over time are not yet fully in place.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The curriculum provided by the school is satisfactory. It meets most but not all of the pupils' needs. Its strengths are in provision for art throughout the school and for science, design and technology, and information and communication technology, which have benefited from continuity in leadership and practice. Provision for physical education, citizenship and music is also good. The lack of a Foundation Stage curriculum is a weakness. Weaknesses still remain in the provision for geography, French, religious education, and the development of writing for pupils in Years 7 to 9. However, there are good opportunities for pupils to take part in sport and their learning is supported by many planned experiences outside of the school day. Accommodation and resources are satisfactory. There is good care, guidance, and support . Steps taken ensure that health and safety are good. Pupils' views are sought very well and these are valued and acted upon. The

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

outreach service provided by the school is led effectively and valued by mainstream schools. It is effective but the purposes of this provision and its particular benefit to pupils at the school are not clear . Partnership with parents and the community are good. The school communicates with parents clearly and effectively. Links with the community and other schools and colleges lead to enhanced learning opportunities for pupils.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher and staff with particular responsibilities give good leadership . This has helped the school after a period of instability. Management is satisfactory and improving . The headteacher has acted to end a crisis caused by staff turnover and has put in place a good senior management structure. There is an effective strategic plan that will enable the school to go forward confidently at a time of change. Management of many curriculum areas and of the introduction of statutory initiatives is good but in English and geography, for example, the impact of management has been hampered by decisions made at a more senior level. The work of the governing body is satisfactory. Governors support the school and have an understanding of its strengths but they are not sufficiently informed about how the pupils perform in comparison with others with similar special educational needs.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents think that the school is good. Pupils like the school very much and told inspectors that they feel they are listened to and valued.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Meet the needs of children in the Foundation Stage and those who while older than this, would also benefit, by providing a curriculum, accommodation, and resources that are suitable for the Foundation Stage. • Provide a coherent system to enable the progress of pupils to be tracked over time both in subjects and towards the learning objectives that are set at annual reviews. • Improve achievement for pupils in Years 7 to 9 in writing and in those subjects where their earlier progress stalled because of staffing and leadership problems. Haughton School - 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory overall. No provision is made for the Foundation Stage but in Years 1 to 6, achievement, overall, is good . In Years 7 to 9 achievement is satisfactory because, while pupils do well in science, art, design and technology, information and communication technology, (ICT), and physical education, recent gaps and inconsistencies in the provision made for French, humanities and to a lesser extent English have left their mark. In Years 9 to 11, pupils are on course to achieve accreditation at Certificate of Achievement - Entry level in English and mathematics. In 2003, better results were attained at this level than in other subjects. Pupils achieve well in science, art, design and technology, physical education, personal, social, and health education, ICT, and their ASDAN courses. Overall, their achievement is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• In English, pupils, by Year 6 have developed their speaking and listening skills well. Their achievement in reading and writing is good. • By Year 9 pupils have continued to develop their speaking and listening skills and to practice their reading, but literacy skills, particularly their writing, develop at a slower rate. • In mathematics, by Year 6, for pupils of all levels of capability, recorded assessments show that many of them make good progress over time. • By Year 9 in mathematics, progress is slower; pupils are secure in their counting and addition skills, but their understanding and use of measurement and their ability to use and apply mathematics is only developing slowly. • Older pupils work towards the National Skills Profile and the Entry Level Certificate in English and mathematics in Years 10 and 11 but some are capable of achieving accreditation at a higher level than this if expectations were higher.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• In science, by Year 6 pupils have made satisfactory progress. This accelerates in Years 7 to 9 where achievement is good. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 achieve well and work towards the GCSE entry level examination. In 2003, 11 pupils were entered for the Entry Level examination and achieved grades. Three pupils were entered for the GCSE and gained grades. • In Years 1 to 6, pupils become familiar with information and communication technology equipment including digital cameras and computers. Confidence and competence in the use of information and communication technology develop well by Year 9 in response to well taught practical sessions. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 achieve well and their work is accredited by the Oxford and Cambridge and Royal Society for Arts board, (OCR), as part of the National Skills Profile. • For pupils across the age range, achievement in art is good. • Pupils in Years 7 to 11 make good progress and achieve well in design and technology.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Achievement in music is good and pupils also achieve well in physical education. • Pupils' achievement in French in Years 7 to 9 is presently unsatisfactory. • There is unsatisfactory achievement in geography for pupils in Years 7 to 9. • Achievement in religious education is unsatisfactory in Years 7 to 9. Haughton School - 9

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Commentary

1. Progress in English is continuous from Year 1 to Year 6. Pupils achieve well because they are attentive listeners, eager to converse and ask questions and willing to express their views. They enjoy reading aloud and have developed good strategies to help them sound out words they do not immediately recognise. They all try hard when reading from the “big book” during their literacy lessons. They look carefully at illustrations to help their understanding. They remember well what they have previously learned. For example, they recalled the story of the play, "The Tempest", the names of each of the characters, the relationships between them, and their motives for their actions. They practice and use their writing skills in lessons across the curriculum. To develop their spelling the higher achieving pupils make personal dictionaries. Those who have not yet reached this stage of development show their understanding of the

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Commentary

process of a story by sequencing pictures to tell the tale.

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Commentary

2. The rate of progress made by the pupils in Years 7 to 9 is slower than that for younger pupils. Provision for English is less firmly established in these years and an understanding of the most effective methods to build upon the emerging literacy skills of the pupils is only recently beginning to emerge. Recorded assessments of what pupils know, understand and can do are insufficiently analytical and this has an effect upon lesson planning. Lesson objectives, including individual pupils’ objectives, are not used sufficiently to direct lesson activity and learning. The progress of pupils’ writing is particularly slow and techniques such as group writing or the use of “writing frames” to help development are under used.

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Commentary

3. By Year 11 pupils are working towards the Certificate of Educational Achievement in English at entry level. In 2003, of eleven pupils who were entered for the certificate, all attained a pass. The set course for the certificate and the clear level of expectation associated with it gives a boost to learning. Pupils work hard to achieve some success.

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Commentary

4. Pupils make measurable progress in mathematics over the years from Y1 to Y6. Teacher assessment shows that, as measured by the” P Scales”, or by National Curriculum level descriptors, pupils at all levels of capability who have a range of differing special educational needs achieve well; although in lessons seen their achievement was satisfactory rather than good.

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Commentary

5. The objectives set for pupils in Years 7 to 9 are drawn chiefly from the National Curriculum programme of study for pupils aged 5 to 7. For some, these are insufficiently challenging. The recorded assessment data available at present makes it possible to track the progress of pupils only up to the end of Year 7. This lack of continuously recorded assessment data for older pupils makes it difficult to correctly judge the level at which they should be working or to be sure about gaps in their learning that need to be filled. In some lessons in Years 7 to 11 achievement is adversely affected by this, as teaching is not always planned so as to meet individual needs.

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Commentary

6. While older pupils work towards the National Skills Profile and the Entry Level Certificate in Years 10 and 11, some are capable of achieving accreditation at a higher level than this. This could be done if assessment over time provided more information about their capabilities and if expectations of what they should be able to achieve were higher. A further constraint is the fact that in a small school staffing levels make it hard to offer parallel courses.

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Commentary

7. In science, in Years 1 to 6 pupils’ knowledge and understanding develops satisfactorily and they put their ideas about practical investigation into practice. Leadership in secondary science is strong and because of well-planned and well-resourced provision, pupils make good progress in science. By Year 9, they have refined their thinking skills and increased their knowledge, for example, in the classification of living things. In Years 10 and 11 pupils achieve well in science and work towards the GCSE examination at entry level. In 2003, 11 pupils were entered for the Entry Level Certificate and attained grades. Three pupils were entered for the GCSE Haughton School - 10 examination and gained grades in the range D to E. This compares favourably with the results of similar schools nationally.

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Commentary

8. In ICT pupils, from Year 1 to Year 6 achieve well because they develop their confidence in using computers and devices such as digital cameras, especially in the context of art. The substantial investment in resources and good subject leadership is paying off. There is good achievement across the age range. Some pupils who because of their special educational needs have difficulty with handwriting make effective use of computers to process and record their written work. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 achieve well and their work is accredited by the OCR board.

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Commentary

9. In art, because provision is very good, pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 make good progress and they achieve well. Those in Years 7 to 9 build well upon what they have learned previously and achievement is good in Years 10 and 11 where higher attaining pupils get passing grades in the GCSE examination. In 2003 six pupils were entered for the GCSE and all attained grade C.

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Commentary

10. Pupils respond well to the good provision for design and technology in Years 7 to 11.They come to understand the processes of planning, designing and constructing as they achieve well. They have been involved in exciting projects such as building an electrically powered car with which they competed in a national competition. Pupils in Year 11 complete units that could lead to the Entry Level Certificate in design and technology.

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Commentary

11. In their music lessons pupils make good progress in playing and composition using keyboards because teaching is lively and well informed.

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Commentary

12. In physical education, which is a well led subject, pupils across the age-range listen well to instructions, join in activities with gusto and evaluate and refine their own performance in dance and games. While chiefly satisfactory, occasionally, in lessons seen, achievement is very good and assessment records show that, over time, pupils make good progress, across a broad range of activities, including swimming.

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Commentary

13. Pupils' learning in French, in Years 7 to 9 is at an early stage after provision was interrupted because of staffing changes. Lessons in French have just recommenced and pupils in each age group are starting again from scratch. They are starting to make satisfactory progress once more but achievement is lower than it should be.

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Commentary

14. There have been discontinuities in the leadership of history, geography, and religious education and a lack of planning over the past year to ensure that learning moved forward. Achievement in geography for pupils in Years 7 to 9 and in religious education for Years 7 to 9 is unsatisfactory. Pupils have fared better in history for which provision has been more speedily re-established and by Year 9, their achievement is satisfactory. The newly appointed curriculum leader for religious education has now put in place a suitable programme of work that meets statutory requirements and that is in line with the locally agreed syllabus for religious education.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes and behaviour are very good . Their social and moral development are very good, and their cultural and spiritual development is good , making these aspects of personal development good overall. Their attendance and punctuality are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Many opportunities are provided by the school to help pupils develop confidence and a sense of responsibility • Pupils are happy to come into school, their behaviour and attitudes to learning are very good. Haughton School - 11 • The school prepares pupils well for life in a culturally diverse society; they can identify with the feelings of others of different backgrounds.

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Commentary

15. The pupils enjoy attending school and there is a strong sense of community. They listen attentively in class and enjoy their learning and the many extra curricular opportunities and activities that the school promotes and offers. This is particularly evident in lunchtime clubs, day trips, and residentials. The staff demonstrate care and commitment to the pupils and there are very good relationships between pupils and staff in which all pupils feel supported, valued and well cared for. There is a great feeling of trust between pupils and staff. Over a lunchtime period pupils of all ages stated that they loved coming to school, one Year 3 pupil remarked she felt special attending a special school. This strong feeling of commitment is further extended by the positive ways in which the school recognises the efforts that pupils make and values their opinions as expressed, for example, through the School Council.

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Commentary

16. Consequently, in lessons for all age groups, the pupils are keen to improve and they try to meet their personal and behavioural targets.

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Commentary

17. Pupils' very good response to the school’s provision leads to greater maturity in pupils as they move through the school and become familiar with its expectations and community ethos. Pupils are encouraged to undertake responsibilities both in class and around the school, and respond very well. The introduction of a School Council, an improvement since the last inspection, provides a very good opportunity for pupils to take an active and much appreciated part in how their school develops. For the few pupils who can be challenging and find extended periods of concentration difficult, particularly in Year 9, staff work well together to consistently reinforce good behaviour. Isolated incidents of bullying have been dealt with quickly and efficiently. The incidences of serious and violent behaviour recorded in any one year in the incident book have dropped from 139 to 34 over the past three years.

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Commentary

18. Pupils develop a very good understanding of right and wrong because staff are very good role models, showing respect and concern for the individual needs of all pupils. In addition, they are taught about wider moral issues through the subjects of the curriculum. For example, in art pupils are encouraged to use pictures to show feelings, in addition there is a list of ‘rights and responsibilities’ in every classroom. Year 10 and Year 11 pupils follow the module entitled "Prison, me? No way". This has successfully developed pupils' awareness of the social consequences of actions. Spirituality is promoted well through subjects such as art, religious education, and music, however, there could be more emphasis in having regular collective worship to allow pupils to reflect and pray.

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Commentary

19. Pupils are provided with a curriculum that promotes a good understanding of their local culture, and are helped to develop an awareness of the multi cultural nature of society. Visitors to the school include artists, actors and musicians from the pupils’ own and different cultures.

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 8.9% School data : 0.3% National data: 8.4% National data: 2.4% The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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Exclusions

Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year Haughton School - 12 Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 131 8 0 Mixed – White and Black African 2 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 2 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Commentary

20. Pupils come to school with enthusiasm. Attendance is above the national average for this type of school. Systems are in place to closely monitor and review absences and to identify attendance trends. Punctuality is good. During the inspection week there were very few pupils late. A high proportion of pupils is brought to school by appointed transport organisations. There are usually valid reasons when lateness occurs. Office administrative staff make immediate enquires when transport does not arrive on time. The school sets attendance targets each academic year. These are somewhat optimistic and are rarely achievable. Pupils taking holidays during term time contributes up to one per cent of the authorised absences each year. The school is taking up this matter on an individual basis with parents making clear that it is unacceptable.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education is satisfactory ; teaching and learning are good but the curriculum, while satisfactory, has some weaknesses and assessment is unsatisfactory.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are good . Most lessons seen were good and promoted learning well. Learning support assistants know their roles well and they are used effectively.Assessment is unsatisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teachers have good knowledge of their pupils’ special educational needs and their strengths and weaknesses as learners. • For pupils in Years 1 to 6 lessons are well planned and expectations of what pupils might achieve are appropriately high. An effective range of techniques is used to make clear to pupils what they have achieved and what they must do to improve. • In the best lessons the objectives for the session are made clear to the pupils and the progress that has been made towards attaining these is fully reviewed at the end of the lesson. Very good use is made of questioning to ensure that pupils are fully involved in their lessons and to check what they know, understand, and can do. • Particularly in art, physical education, science, ICT, music, and design and technology, lead teachers have good knowledge of their subject that boosts the achievement of pupils. • Teachers manage their classes well and they make good use of the skills of support staff to

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Main strengths and weaknesses

ensure that all pupils behave well, and are engaged in learning. Teachers and learning support assistants have very positive relationships with pupils. • Pupils across the age range are engaged by and thoroughly involved in most lessons and are eager to contribute and share their ideas. • Procedures to ensure that literacy and numeracy skills are promoted in lessons in all subjects have not yet been developed as much as they should be. Haughton School - 13 • Information and communication technology skills are effectively fostered and further developed in lessons in many subjects. • Currently, plans to guide teaching in geography and religious education in Years 7 to 9 are insufficiently developed and they are unsatisfactory. • Assessments, especially for pupils in Years 7 to 9, are not always made and recorded in a way that makes it possible to track pupils' progress over time.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 56 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen.

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Commentary

21. The quality of teaching and learning has improved since the last inspection; planning of what is to be taught is significantly better. To a greater extent than formerly, the individual learning needs of pupils are taken into account. The school now monitors teaching and learning and improvement targets are set for all teachers. In those subjects where the leadership is well established clear pathways for learning are in place that ensure that pupils make consistent progress from year to year as they move through the school. In these cases there are good moderation arrangement that ensure that all who teach the subject have a clear understanding about the standards that pupils attain.

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Commentary

22. Throughout the school, both the activities that teachers plan within lessons and the manner in which they talk to their pupils show that they have good understanding of pupils’ special educational needs and the affect that these have on learning. Teachers are careful to begin lessons by settling their classes and giving essential information very clearly. They use a wide range of devices to prompt recall and to aid learning, and in their dialogue and questioning, they are careful to value all the pupils’ contributions without losing sight of the lesson objectives. Work of a challenging nature is frequently attempted.

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Commentary

23. These good practices were well illustrated in a literacy lesson for pupils in Year 6. The subject matter, William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, was challenging, Pupils were better enabled to envisage the characters because each of these was represented by a puppet, derived from illustrations in the “big book”, from which they had read the text together. These visual prompts helped their recall from one lesson to the next. The use of music to illustrate the “tempest “ was made more effective by having the children “act out” the shipwreck scene and move to the music as though they were storm tossed sailors. They did this with unselfconscious gusto and evident intensity. Through well directed questioning, the teacher then prompted the pupils to describe the story of the play in their own words and comment on the motives and behaviour of the characters. Some higher attaining pupils were able to write simple sentences about the

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Commentary

24. In a quite different situation the teacher in a Year 11 science lesson about rates of reaction made good use of information and communication technology to enable pupils to visualise the problem they had been set and to jointly contribute to the graph that illustrated their results. The objectives of the lesson were made clear, and, in a good introductory session, questions were very well structured so that pupils were prompted to recall and review their previous learning, consolidate this, and then develop it. In this way, all pupils were able to learn from one another. Therefore pupils were quite confident; they clearly enjoyed their learning and were willing to share their questions and ideas. Haughton School - 14 25. Information and communication technology is used well to promote learning across the curriculum. Its use in art is particularly good. Pupils from the earliest stages in primary age

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Commentary

classes are introduced to the concept that the computer is an interesting and exciting way to make art. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 make good use of digital photography. They also use computers to produce animated sequences from their own drawings. In both the primary and secondary departments, pupils are familiar with the use of the computer and the Internet as help in research. For pupils with particular difficulties in fine motor control good use is made of the computer to produce written work.

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Commentary

26. Procedures to ensure that literacy and numeracy skills are promoted in all lessons are less well established. There is good practice in science but little evidence at secondary level that humanities or religious education make a significant contribution.

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Commentary

27. A strong feature of teaching throughout the school is the positive nature of the relationships that pupils have with their teachers and support assistants. The very good relationships that have been established between adults and pupils contribute to the very good attitudes and behaviour that pupils show in the classrooms and about the school.

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Commentary

28. New subject leaders are now in place for humanities, and religious education. They have produced sound plans to improve the teaching and learning in these subjects in the secondary department. As yet, however, these plans have not been fully implemented and remnants of inconsistent planning remain. For example, pupils in Year 9, in religious education, are learning about Judaism but this faith is not one of those that appears in the newly drawn up plan for the teaching of the subject.

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Commentary

29. Teachers in Years 1 to 6 assess their pupils accurately and make records in all subjects that enable progress over time to be tracked. However, except in science, art, DT, and PE this does not happen consistently in secondary classes. Teachers in all subjects do know the learning strengths and weaknesses of the pupils in their classes but they have, for the most part, no continuous records of their progress over time. They are thus unable to judge whether their rates of learning are appropriate. This is a serious weakness. In addition, the learning goals set for pupils during the annual reviews of their statements, unlike the behavioural targets, are not used consistently to set individual objectives for their learning. Nor are these used to inform the process when teachers are planning work. Pupils’ progress towards these goals is not made explicit. For these reasons assessment overall is unsatisfactory.

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The curriculum

The school provides a satisfactory range of curricular opportunities that cater for the interests, aptitudes and particular needs of most pupils, ensuring that their learning is broad and balanced. The curriculum is enriched by the good provision for participation in sport and the arts and for learning outside the school day. The quality and quantity of accommodation and resources to enable the school to meet the needs of the curriculum are satisfactory. There is unsatisfactory provision for pupils who are in the Foundation Stage, for geography for pupils in Years 7 to 9 and for religious education in years 7 to 11.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are many opportunities provided to enrich pupils' learning and personal development; there are more opportunities for pupils to gain certificates for their work than previously. • Provision for art and science is good and leads to pupils achieving more in these subjects than they do in others. • There is no provision for children who are in the Foundation Stage. • The curriculum for geography for pupils in Years 7 to 9 is unsatisfactory. As is that for pupils in Haughton School - 15 Years 7 to 11. • Leadership within subjects, the quality of planning, and the consistency of monitoring the proposed teaching have improved. • In secondary English and Geography management has not had sufficient time to be effective.

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Commentary

30. There is a range of lunchtime and after school activities. These include sports, drama, art and computers. The school enables pupils to benefit from a range of residential visits, including to the local outdoor activities centre. The sports development programme enables all pupils to benefit, while the soccer coaching caters for the older pupils. Strong emphasis is given during the year on providing for a creative arts week, a science week and a book week. There are many visitors to the school to support the curriculum, including theatre and music groups. Pupils visit places of interest. For example, to support history pupils visit Ironbridge where they experience an archaeological dig; while in science they learn about the weather by visiting the balloon project at Oswestry, and about investigative work at the ‘Ingenuity’ exhibition.

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Commentary

31. Learning opportunities are further enhanced by visits from outside agencies such as the Red Cross and the Young Offenders Institution. Younger pupils enjoy horse riding at the Wyke equestrian centre, while the older primary and the secondary pupils enjoy building and racing their battery driven vehicles at Silverstone, and at Cosford. The recent Summer School enabled some pupils to enjoy a range of activities including art and food technology. Life skills are taught to the older pupils, and this builds upon the well-developed programme for personal and social education. Careers work is carried out in Years 9, 10, and 11, and pupils benefit from work experience placements, and good links with local schools and colleges. Good use is made of local leisure facilities, for the whole school in swimming and by the older pupils to develop their appreciation of physical activity. All of these opportunities help to develop pupils' personal

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Commentary

32. Curricular opportunities have improved since the last inspection, when several aspects were judged to be unsatisfactory. Planning and monitoring by managers has improved, including in mathematics where there is now a more coherent programme of work that continues across the whole school. There are now two co-ordinators sharing responsibility for curriculum development in each subject in order to provide more consistency as pupils move through the school. Development groups look at pupils’ progress in literacy and numeracy, as well as in Information communication technology (ICT), and in ‘thinking skills’. Except in geography and in religious education in Years 7 to 9, there are now plans in place to ensure that in each subject, pupils' learning is continuous over time. Outline plans for the teaching of religious education in the secondary department have been made but have not yet been fully implemented. While

p.15

Commentary

good progress has been made by the literacy and English manager in the primary department, much remains to be done in the secondary department to ensure that pupils make consistent progress, especially in writing. The programmes in art and science are particularly well established throughout the school and lessons are supplemented by additional activities and opportunities. The work in physical education, (PE), is also consistently planned and outcomes are carefully evaluated. There are now far more opportunities than before for pupils to enter examination courses and gain certificates. Some more able pupils, however, would benefit from the chance to take more challenging qualification than those that are offered at present. With a small number of staff, the difficulty of organising this is acknowledged. Within subjects, notably art, music, and religious education, pupils encounter the ideas and products of many

p.15

Commentary

cultures. Visits from minority ethnic groups and visits to, for example, places of worship of religions other than Christianity, help to prepare them for life in a culturally diverse society.

p.15

Commentary

33. Opportunities are available for pupils to benefit from links with other schools and colleges where they gain accreditation in a range of vocational areas such as horticulture, care/first aid, photography, media, catering, and motor vehicle maintenance. Haughton School - 16 34. The quality of accommodation is satisfactory but in some instances, it presents a barrier to improvement. Overall, it is cramped. Provision for the pupils is not suitable if the school is to provide a broad and balanced Foundation Stage curriculum. The classroom for the youngest pupils is too small and is not linked directly to an outdoor play space. Nor is there sufficient large apparatus and play equipment. Several classrooms can only be accessed by walking through others, which can be distracting and inconvenient. There is a lack of general office and administrative space where, for example, visiting professionals can interact with pupils and

p.15

Commentary

staff; and few facilities where therapy and other treatments can be applied in privacy. Changing facilities for physical education are inadequate and there is no convenient lavatory for the older pupils who occupy the outside demountables. Provision is enhanced for the younger pupils by access to specialist accommodation in subjects such as art, science, and design technology.

p.16

Care, guidance and support

The measures taken to ensure pupils’ care, welfare and health & safety of pupils are good . Overall, pupils’ support and guidance is satisfactory. Pupils support and guidance based on the monitoring of their achievements is not consistent across the full age range but this is offset by effective monitoring of personal development. The school has very good ways of involving pupils in its work and development and this is a strong feature. Its outreach work is good and it meets the needs of vulnerable pupils and those with additional language needs well.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• This is a caring school. Care, welfare and health and safety are strong features of the commitment it gives to pupils. • Effective uses of external agency resources ensure pupils obtain the necessary support to which they are entitled and outreach work is well received. This reflects the positive attitude of the school towards inclusiveness. • Provision of speech therapy support is extended by support assistants who receive specialist training. • School Council activities allow pupils’ views and suggestions to be heard. • The monitoring and recording of the achievements of secondary age pupils is inconsistent in some subjects.

p.16

Commentary

35. Staff place a high priority on the care, welfare and health and safety of pupils. The respective class teacher responsible for any school visit prepares a risk assessment. Approval is sought from the headteacher upon completion of these initial checks. For example, for each year group, the compilation of a comprehensive checklist for off-site swimming pool activities is standard practice and ensures that the needs of pupils are met. For on site safety issues, an independent health and safety assessor rigorously assesses risk around the school. As part of the evidence base, the safety report contains photographs of non-compliance. This helps staff to fully understand the problem. Child protection procedures are robust and efficiently carried out. Staff, and members of external agencies who visit the school, are vigilant in reporting any concerns relating to child abuse. Pupils’ care and welfare is paramount at all times. The school

p.16

Commentary

is aware of the concerns of parents that their children might wander from the school. Steps to prevent this are under constant review. 36. The school makes effective use of external agency resources to address the wide range of pupils’ needs. These resource agencies effectively utilise their time. They directly support pupils and ensure support assistants have the necessary skills and knowledge to continue supporting pupils. For example, the authority acknowledges resources for speech therapy are limited. By combining external expertise and using support assistants all pupils get their full entitlement of speech therapy. This reinforces the school’s all-inclusive policy and reduces Haughton School - 17 barriers to learning. The “barriers to learning” project is a constructive way of identifying, controlling barriers and achieving effective learning. Areas of involvement include use of information and communication technology equipment; improving writing; resolving speech and

p.16

Commentary

language difficulties and communication aids, such as picture exchange communication, and electronic equipment.

p.17

Commentary

37. The school realises the importance of involving pupils in its work when it directly impacts on their learning and aspirations. The appointment of a school council serves to bring pupils’ ideas and suggestions together on a formal basis. This gives pupils opportunities to develop responsibilities and have a sense of purpose. Regular meetings are held. A member of staff acts as a facilitator to help pupils to collate their ideas, to formulate action plans and to progress their suggestions. This aspect of listening to pupils’ ideas is very good. It provides challenge and direction for older pupils. The school has not yet put in place consistent procedures to assess and record the attainments of secondary age pupils in some areas of the curriculum. Because of this, monitoring of their achievements is incomplete.

p.17

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community is good .

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Parents have positive views of the school. Communications with parents via pupils’ progress reports, annual governors' report and other consultative practices are good. • School works hard to establish effective links with the local community to enrich the curriculum and pupils’ learning. • School links with local companies, for older pupils to gain work experience placements, are effective. • A small minority of parents expresses some concern about incidents of bullying and the level of homework set for pupils. • The school provides an outreach service of good quality to support pupils with special educational needs, and their teachers in mainstream schools.

p.17

Commentary

38. Completed parents questionnaires indicate parents have positive views of the school. They are happy with what the school provides for their children. Reports on pupils’ progress, the governors’ annual report and the school prospectus are documents providing useful information about the school’s aims and performance.

p.17

Commentary

39. Through consultation important matters come to the attention of parents. Parents are aware of the authority’s reorganisation of special education. In approximately two years time the school will be re-designated as a primary special school. Parents feel that the amount of homework set is inappropriate. A minority of parents concern is about bullying that may be taking place at the school. Systems are in place to control any incidents of bullying. For example, during playtime several pupils make teachers aware of any inappropriate behaviour. Good relationships and trust between pupils and adults allow this feedback to take place.

p.17

Commentary

40. Links with the local community are good. The school effectively forges links that will enrich the curriculum and enhance pupils’ learning. A list entitled “The activities that make Haughton school special” gives details of month-by-month activities. These include an archaeological dig; visits to the Imperial War Museum, Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery; pantomimes; Wyke Equestrian Centre (riding for disabled pupils) and events at RAF Cosford (greenpower car racing). To develop cultural understanding, a travelling theatre, and artists and poets visit the school. The school provides an outreach service to help teachers in mainstream schools in Haughton School - 18 their work with pupils who have special educational needs and, in some cases, to teach pupils in these schools directly. The service was set up by the local education authority who largely control it. The funding that they provide pays staff members to do the work. The programme of

p.17

Commentary

support offered is now well managed and co-ordinated by a member of staff but decisions about how support is to be allocated and to whom are largely out of the school's control. Schools who have used the outreach service speak highly of its quality and effectiveness. These are both good. However, there are no explicit aims for this service nor is it clear how it would benefit the pupils now at Haughton. This is a weakness that should be addressed.

p.18

Commentary

41. The school provides good careers advice and encourages pupils to think about their future. At the commencement of careers advice programmes pupils are interviewed by the co-ordinator to establish likes and dislikes. Effective links with local companies allow pupils to undertake work experience placements. It is not always possible to get placements for all pupils. For example, one autistic pupil was unable to get a work placement so school used him as a classroom assistant with younger pupils. This enabled him to further develop his personal, social and health education and citizenship attributes. Another pupil chose not to do a further education course and was able to obtain a placement that eventually led to full time employment with the company. Pupils on placements are usually well received by the companies. A high proportion of pupils decides to move on to Further Education colleges to gain vocational skills.

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Overall, leadership and management are satisfactory .

p.18

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The headteacher provides good leadership that has been instrumental in initially stabilising the school and then enabling it to move forward with growing confidence. The effectiveness of management is improving as recently introduced systems begin to take effect and it is satisfactory . The governance of the school is satisfactory . The instability and loss of staff morale caused by the local plans to re-organise special education presented a barrier to achievement that the school has overcome well.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Since her recent appointment, the headteacher has acted decisively to give those who work within the school a renewed sense of direction and purpose. She has worked to limit the demoralising effects both of the uncertainty caused by the plans of the local education authority to re-designate the age range and the loss of established teachers. • The headteacher has taken steps to continue to improve the quality of the curriculum and teaching offered to pupils of secondary school age. At the same time she has planned to develop and enhance the provision that the school must make when it is re-designated a primary special school. • A senior management team has been established that takes its leadership responsibilities very seriously and has developed an accurate view of the strengths of the school and of those things that need to be improved. • Staff members with responsibility for managing change have carried out their roles

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

thoroughly and well in most cases. • Subject leadership in art, science, and physical education is very effective and has led, within these subjects, to pupils achieving well, gaining confidence as learners, and developing good personal qualities. • The governing body is up to strength and is very supportive; it has a good committee structure and is familiar with the things the school does well and most of those that need to be improved. It carries out its statutory duties satisfactorily. Haughton School - 19 • The school’s finances are effectively managed and the budget is set to fully reflect the sound educational priorities outlined in the school development plan. The school uses the money it has well. • There has been, in the recent past, a disruption to leadership in the curriculum, and, in a few subjects, the subsequent discontinuity in planning, teaching and learning has lowered pupils’ achievement. Management of the curriculum for English and literacy is good for primary age

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

pupils but insufficient impact has been made at secondary level because of constraints arising from senior management decisions. • Information about what pupils know, understand, and can do is not gathered ina way that enables the performance of pupils to be readily tracked. It is not possible to use the assessment data the school collects to make comparisons with the performance of similar pupils elsewhere or to set challenging performance targets. • The aims for the outreach service delivered by the school and controlled by the local education authority are not clear.

p.19

Commentary

42. Both the quality of leadership and the effectiveness of management have improved significantly since the last inspection. Having initially joined the school as the deputy headteacher in 2000, the headteacher took charge of the school as acting headteacher in 2001. In 2002, she was confirmed in the post. This was a time of uncertainty for the school. Under reorganisation proposals the age range of pupils was to be changed and the numbers within the school reduced. Staff morale suffered and there was significant turnover as teachers left to secure their futures. In these difficult circumstances, the headteacher did well to sustain the sense of worth and purpose of those who remained.

p.19

Commentary

43. As a priority, she took steps to address the behavioural difficulties that had become a noticeable problem by bringing about the introduction of a workable policy for managing pupils and maintaining discipline. Staff members were directly employed to support pupils whose behaviour put them at risk of exclusion. Staff training in support of each of these steps was given. These measures were a success; the attitudes of pupils are now positive and incidents of poor behaviour and exclusion have greatly decreased.

p.19

Commentary

44. A positive attitude to inclusion has been fostered within the school. The importance of the outreach work for which the school is funded has been re-emphasised and moves have been made to enable the school to take on greater ownership of this service. A co-ordinator has been appointed from amongst the staff. However, the aims of this provision have not yet been made explicit and the degree to which pupils from Haughton are to benefit, possibly through support for their reintegration into mainstream schools, remains unstated and unclear. The opinions of all pupils within the school are now sought and valued, and individuals, whatever the nature or degree of their special educational needs, feel that they are heard when they make suggestions and contributions. While no funding has been provided to support the small number of pupils with English as an additional language good arrangements have been made in the primary

p.19

Commentary

department to acknowledge and meet their needs.

p.19

Commentary

45. Appointments have been made of leaders for each subject and the sensible step was taken to name an assistant leader in each case so that there is leadership for each subject in both the primary and the secondary phases. By appointing an enthusiastic and well informed co- ordinator to lead the school’s response to the national mandatory initiative, the Key Stage 3 Strategy, the headteacher ensured that this was positive and given sufficient weight. As a result of these steps, the curriculum has improved, particularly in those areas where there has been continuity of leadership. Planning for other subjects and courses has begun to move forward, albeit from a low base, where new leadership has been put in place. The headteacher has ensured that all those with curriculum responsibilities understand what is expected of them. The school’s performance management policy is used well to support the development of

p.19

Commentary

leadership within the curriculum. However, in English, while management has been effective in Haughton School - 20 raising standards for pupils in Years 1 to 6, in Years 7 to 9 there has been too little impact and much remains to be done. This is because senior management has allowed the co-ordinator too little non-contact time to monitor and improve practice in the subject. For similar reasons, leadership has had little effect on raising standards or ensuring provision for geography.

p.19

Commentary

46. A senior management team has been formed following the recent appointment of a deputy headteacher. Members of the team share the headteacher’s commitment to the continued development of the school. They monitor and oversee, as team leaders, the quality of teaching and learning within the age groups for which they are responsible and have additional pastoral duties. They have a good understanding of the strengths of the school and of those areas in which weaknesses need to be eradicated. The deputy headteacher, who has been in post for a term, showed strong qualities of leadership during the inspection when it was necessary for her to stand in for the headteacher.

p.20

Commentary

47. Where there has been continuity of leadership the curriculum for both primary and secondary age pupils is well developed. This is especially the case in art, science, and physical education. The joint leadership in art has helped to improve pupil achievement at all levels and has led to the school developing productive links with the broader community. Pupils achieve well in science and assessment is recorded with sufficient consistency to enable pupils’ progress to be tracked. Through the well led programme for physical education pupils enjoy opportunities to take part in sporting activities with other schools. In each of art, science, and physical education, assessment is done very well and a continuous record of pupils' progress over time is available. This is not the case in English, mathematics, and the humanities, where management have not yet succeeded in putting such records in place.

p.20

Commentary

48. The governing body is now up to strength and through its committee structure, it monitors the curriculum, the achievement of pupils, and the way in which the school uses its funds. The governors are very supportive but they are in need of additional information if they are to be able to challenge the school to better its performance. Because assessment data is not available in a form that will allow comparisons to be made between the attainment of pupils in Haughton and that of pupils with similar learning needs elsewhere it is difficult for governors to know how well their school is performing. For the same reason, the setting of challenging targets for pupils’ performance at the end of key stages becomes difficult; those that are presently set are not challenging but simply forecasts based on historical data. The school development plan, in the making of which the governors play a full part, acknowledges the need to develop better

p.20

Commentary

49. The school development plan accurately identifies areas for improvement and identifies the means and the resources required. There is good linkage between the development plan and the school’s programme of in-service training. Training requirements are also identified through the working of the school performance management strategy, however, the professional development and pupil performance targets set for individual teachers are not formally linked to the priorities set in the development plan.

p.20

Commentary

50. The governors rely rather heavily on the information and advice made available by the professional staff of the school. This sometimes prevents them from noticing specific weaknesses. For example, the governors were not aware that children under five were not receiving a Foundation Stage curriculum. 51. The school manages its resources well. Good administrative support enables the headteacher, governors, and senior managers to determine spending plans and to monitor on-going expenditure over the year. A small surplus of income over expenditure is maintained. It was a mark of the efficiency and carefulness with which resources were allocated and spent in 2002 that this surplus was less than £1,000.

p.20

Commentary

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003 Haughton School - 21 Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income £1,033,402 Balance from previous year £460 Total expenditure £1,013,060 Balance carried forward to the next £20,802 Expenditure per pupil £7,504 Haughton School - 22

p.20

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

Provision for the Foundation Stage is unsatisfactory because children in the Foundation Stage are placed in classes with older pupils who have a curriculum that does not fully take into account the needs of the younger children. At the time of the inspection there was one child in the Foundation Stage.

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

Ÿ A good ratio of adults to children encourages the learning of appropriate behaviour and supports the development of children's self-esteem. Ÿ The support that children get is good and helps them to achieve the tasks set. Ÿ There is a good multi-sensory session each week, planned by the learning support staff, that features stimulating and challenging activities that are well monitored and evaluated. Ÿ There are insufficient stimulating individual activities that fully match the learning needs of children in the Foundation Stage or those who have delayed development. Ÿ The lessons are too long for children in the Foundation Stage as they have limited powers of concentration and they find it difficult to maintain their focus on the tasks. Ÿ The classroom is too small, lacks facilities such as a sink and it has too limited a range of "play" resources.

p.22

Commentary

52. On entry to school, children at the Foundation Stage are not ready for the formality of a whole- class, subject-based timetable with some long lessons. The curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage is used only for the activities undertaken on one afternoon a week by the learning support staff. All the children in the class would benefit from having more of this approach.

p.22

Commentary

53. The supply teacher who started at the school during the inspection week, and the well established, highly effective learning support assistant manage the children well, taking time and care to reinforce appropriate behaviour in a positive way and encourage the children to achieve their tasks satisfactorily. There is also a focus on the development of language and social skills.

p.22

Commentary

54. The short-term lesson plans were conscientiously devised and well delivered by the supply teacher. They used the regular teacher’s medium term plans to ensure continuity. However, these plans are based on the requirements of the National Curriculum for pupils who are aged 5 to 7, not on the area of learning for children in the Foundation Stage.

p.22

Commentary

55. There was no reference to the children in the Foundation Stage in the previous inspection.

p.22

English

Provision in English is satisfactory Haughton School - 23

p.22

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Speaking and listening are very good throughout the school. • Writing especially with secondary pupils needs to improve. • The co-ordination of the subject needs to be clarified. • A wider choice of accreditation for older pupils should be provided. • Assessment needs to improve in secondary department and a uniform approach adopted over the whole school.

p.23

Commentary

56. Achievement and progress are better in Years 1 to 6 where it is good than it is for Years 7 to 9 pupils where it is satisfactory. The pupils’ achievement is good overall in Years 10 and 11, a judgement that takes into account the 2003 examination results as well as how well current pupils are doing. Accreditation in the form of Certificate of Achievement and entry level GCSE are in place for Year 11 pupils with more pupils achieving a grade at entry level this year than previously. For some higher achieving pupils in Year 10 and Year 11, more demanding courses that would lead to higher levels of qualification are not yet provided. 57. Speaking and listening is very good throughout the school with all pupils very anxious to engage visitors in conversation and lively and informative discussions taking place within lessons. In every lesson inspected pupils listened attentively to staff, even pupils with speech and language

p.23

Commentary

difficulties were eager to express their views and opinions verbally. Achievement in reading is good for younger pupils and satisfactory achievement and progress is maintained for secondary aged pupils. Achievement in writing is good for Year 1 to 6 pupils bearing in mind the very low baseline pupils have arrived in school with. However, writing does not progress as well as it should with secondary aged pupils due to their great reluctance to write. The school needs to use alternative methods to encourage and motivate pupils; more use of information and communication technology (ICT) and word frames in all classes would be beneficial. There are some examples of good practise within the school. In a Year 9 literacy session, for example pupils enjoyed putting the poem "Monday’s Child" into modern language. 58. In Years 1 to 9 teachers are following the guidance of the Key Stage 1,2 and 3 literacy strategy.

p.23

Commentary

However, although assessment is fairly clear and coherent in the primary department where pupils’ work is moderated by the teaching staff, assessment for Years 7 to 9 pupils is very patchy. There are pockets of good practise, but there is no overall coherent method of assessing pupils’ progress. A new co-ordinator for the subject was appointed twelve months ago, and she has worked hard and succeeded in developing a shared vision for the improvement of teaching and achievement within the primary department. There, she has tracked standards with great care through monitoring of lesson planning and baseline assessments. No time has, however, been allocated for her to monitor teaching generally throughout the school. Her role within the secondary department is not evident. While this was partially due to staffing difficulties, it needs to be addressed to enable English to be more co- ordinated and uniform across the school.

p.23

Commentary

59. During the week of the inspection teaching and learning within the classrooms was never less than satisfactory, often good or very good. A particular strength was the pace of the lessons and the very good relationships between pupils and staff. Praise was used frequently to motivate pupils and support staff were well placed to assist pupils when necessary 60. Improvement since the last inspection has been satisfactory. The subject contributes well to pupils' social, spiritual and cultural development.

p.23

Language and literacy across the curriculum

61. Although the National Literacy strategy has been implemented well in terms of the literacy lessons themselves, few other departments have systematically planned development of literacy into their subjects. There is some good practise in Year 7 history sessions where key words are posted on the wall to form a "Spiderman" web relating to the Roman invasion of Haughton School - 24 Britain. In science lessons for secondary pupils, the key words and technical phrases related to the topic are displayed.

p.23

English as an additional language (EAL)

62. The two pupils with English as an additional language are in the early stages of the acquisition of language, and are making progress in line with other pupils in the school. This is because they are both very young and their development of language acquisition has, in any case, been delayed by their special educational needs. Teachers pay particular attention to ensure that they understand and respond to the words and instructions in the classroom. In play situations, these pupils talk with their friends and they use the language appropriate to the games that they play.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The content of the modules taught is good. • Good assessment takes place at the end of each module. • The pace of lessons is too slow. • More target language needs to be used. • Overall, co-ordination of the subject is needed to ensure that pupils, especially those in Years 7, 8, and 9, make up for lost time.

p.24

Commentary

63. Pupils from Year 3 to Year 9 study French. Achievement is satisfactory for those in Years 3 to 6. In Years 7 to 9, because their learning has been interrupted, pupils have achieved less than expected and this is unsatisfactory. The scheme of work does allow for progression through the modules, although all pupils are working at roughly the same preliminary introductory level. The reason for this is that the teaching of the subject has been disrupted since the French teacher left last term. Since just before the inspection, an experienced teacher from a nearby special school, who is not a French specialist, works at Haughton School one day a week and teaches pupils in Year s 7 to 9. Year 3 to Year 6 pupils are now taught by their individual class teachers. 64. During the week of the inspection teaching and learning was satisfactory overall. With Year 5 and 6 pupils revising their ability to greet each other in French. Achievement for these pupils is

p.24

Commentary

satisfactory. Year 9 pupils used French to describe their likes and dislikes in sport and they were encouraged by both teacher and learning support assistants. Year 8 pupils were sufficiently confident to ask where other people lived using the target language – "Ou habite tu?"

p.24

Commentary

65. All staff encourage pupils to use and practise French in lessons but there needs to be more spark and opportunities given in the use of the target language to build on previous learning.

p.24

Commentary

66. Through the contents of the lessons, French makes a good contribution to pupils’ cultural and social development. There has been little improvement since the last inspection when French was criticised as being infrequently taught.

p.24

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

Haughton School - 25 • The subject’s contribution to the development of pupils’ personal development. • Pupils’ response to the subject is good. • More able pupils should achieve more by the age of 16. • A strategy for the development of the subject over the longer term should be put in place.

p.25

Commentary

67. Standards are generally below age related expectations, which is to be expected given the learning needs of individual pupils. Their achievement is sound overall, with many achieving an appropriate level at the standardised assessment tests at the ages of 7, 11, and 14. The school's own monitoring and assessment processes show that from Year 1 to Year 6 pupils at all learning capability make progress in their learning and gain ground at a good rate. A number of older pupils achieve accreditation via the National Skills Profile (NSP). Given the prior attainment of the more able pupils, more might be expected, including grades at the Foundation Level in the GCSE. The necessary analysis of assessment data that would alert staff to the need to set work that is more challenging for some pupils has not been done because of the paucity of data recording pupils' attainment in secondary classes.

p.25

Commentary

68. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. Pupils are well managed. They try hard and apply themselves well. Pupils enjoy good relationships with each other and with the teachers and teaching assistants, and lessons move along at a good pace. Teachers involve all pupils in lessons, and encourage them to be independent workers. Good attention is paid to pupils’ presentation, with many pupils setting their work out to a high standard. Teachers use language effectively in order to encourage understanding. They use an element of competition, to which the pupils respond well.

p.25

Commentary

69. In lessons observed for pupils in Years 4 to 6, individual targets were referred to several times, which helped to focus pupils' concentration. Target cards were also well used in the lessons observed with pupils in secondary classes, though these targets tended to focus on social and behavioural issues rather than academic achievement. Homework is set in order to develop the theme of the lessons at the end of some mathematics sessions for pupils in Year 7 to Year 9. It is also set in Years 10 and 11. Teaching is less successful when the planning is descriptive, with insufficient focus on matching the work set to the specific needs of individual pupils.

p.25

Commentary

70. The National Numeracy Strategy is being implemented successfully. Some pupils achieve good outcomes in their number work. The use of individual targets for pupils up to the age of 11 is good. Teachers are planning their lessons against the national objectives, but have yet to establish accuracy in terms of pitching the work at the most appropriate level. This is particularly the case for the more able pupils. This should improve as a result of teachers’ increasing use of portfolios of pupils’ work showing their progress over time, in conjunction with the more effective use of hard data stemming from testing and informal assessments.

p.25

Commentary

71. The use of information and communication technology in mathematics is developing well, which is aiding pupils’ independence. The school has benefited from good support from external specialists in mathematics, particularly in respect of pupils to the age of 14. The number of teachers deployed to teach mathematics this year is significantly reduced on previous years which, over time, will help to develop a greater level of subject expertise.

p.25

Commentary

72. Standards have improved since the last inspection. The quality of teaching is no longer unsatisfactory in a high proportion of lessons (last time it was judged to be unsatisfactory in about one lesson in four). Planning is more structured and coherent, and is better matched to pupils with different abilities (with room for further improvement). The use of assessment, while yet to be used consistently across the school, is now much improved. The range of externally accredited courses has increased, with opportunities for the current Year 10 to earn unit credits towards an AQA Entry Level Certificate. Leadership and management are also improved and are now satisfactory, with joint co-ordination beginning to have an impact on planning. Haughton School - 26

p.25

Mathematics across the curriculum

73. In other subjects, incidental opportunities to reinforce mathematical learning are sometimes taken. At the early stages of learning, knowledge of shape, space and colour are strongly reinforced through pupils' work in art. In science, the mathematical skills needed to measure and weigh, to count, and check time, and to tabulate results, are all well supported. In geography, however, the many and varied opportunities to reinforce mathematical skills and numeracy, especially at secondary level, are not taken. The good start made in introducing the National Strategy in Numeracy for Key Stage 3 should lead to the identification of areas where the application and development of numeracy should be more consistently featured. At present, the school's efforts to develop mathematics across the curriculum are patchy and unfocused.

p.26

SCIENCE

Throughout the school, the provision for science is good.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

Ÿ Good thorough development of the curriculum for Years 7-9 has improved the quality of learning. The latest SATs analysis shows an improvement over time of the number of pupils achieving Level 3 and Level 4. Ÿ There have been very good improvements in Years 10-11. Results show pupils are now entered for and achieving accreditation and GCSE. Ÿ There is a good adaptation of the national guidelines for science for Years1-2 and Years 3-6 into a three year rolling programme with very clear medium term plans from which good short term plans are developed. Ÿ There is good teaching with elements of very good teaching that enables pupils to understand scientific principles through experimentation and the acquisition of knowledge, presented in a way that meets pupils’ needs. Ÿ Most lessons observed were designed for the whole class; there is insufficient evidence of strategies for matching work to the needs of individual pupils.

p.26

Main strengths and weaknesses

Ÿ Assessment is thoroughly and systematically undertaken. Some pupils’ books were annotated with comments on how to improve. Ÿ The strong and effective leadership has improved the subject.

p.26

Commentary

74. Pupils in Years 1 to 2 and Years 3 to 6 enjoy science. At the time of inspection, the theme 'forces' was being explored. There were good examples of ‘push and pull’ through photographs of pupil’s activities, to which captions posing scientific questions were added. In a lesson for Years 3 to 6, a range of materials was provided to experiment with and ideas were canvassed about how to record the results. With effective support, pupils carried out the tasks showing that the good teaching and planning enabled them to understand the lesson and to learn well. By making a collage picture to demonstrate the effects of the experiment, there was good use of the creative element in science.

p.26

Commentary

75. Pupils in Years 7 to 9 have their lessons in the laboratory and carefully prepared work encourages pupils to work well, to think, and to learn to classify vertebrates. Good use of the computer and TV monitor encourages pupils to understand both visually and verbally. Good challenge through questioning provides opportunities for pupils to problem solve and to reinforce their learning.

p.26

Commentary

76. Pupils in Years 10 to 11 prepare well for their examination courses, and challenging work is provided. Well-briefed and experienced learning support staff make a good contribution to Haughton School - 27 pupils’ learning. Pupils work towards their GCSE coursework with an efficient and effective delivery by the teacher. Pupils are familiar with equipment for experimental work and use it safely and without fuss, collaborating well in small groups. They fully understood important features of their practical work. For example, pupils in a Year 11 group who were looking at reactivity gave a clear account of how magnesium reacted in their experiment. Good use of information and communication technology, (ICT), especially the overhead projector, focuses the pupils' attention on their results and helps them to record these accurately.

p.26

Commentary

77. In all lessons, behaviour is good because pupils are fully involved in the activity, and are interested. However, classes are made up of pupils with widely differing capabilities and the lesson planning does not extend to the provision of a range of tasks and activities that match these pupils' needs.

p.27

Commentary

78. The management of the subject is very good because there is a clear commitment to drive up standards. Since the last inspection, all the issues raised have been resolved and a clearly structured programme is beginning to be effective because pupils are confident and work hard responding to challenge.

p.27

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision for information and communication technology, (ICT), is good. This is an improvement since the last inspection.

p.27

Main strengths and weaknesses

Ÿ There is clear curriculum provision throughout the school, and the work is developed well to meet the needs of the pupils. Ÿ Pupils are confident and enjoy using the equipment. Ÿ Planning for lessons is good because it shows clearly what the pupils are to do and the range of learning opportunities available. Ÿ Teaching in the limited number of lessons seen was good or very good because the pupils understood the tasks and they were able to use the programs with confidence. Ÿ There are sufficient computers and appropriate software. Ÿ ICT is well used across the curriculum in its various forms. Ÿ Strong co-ordination has led to the subject being confidently taught to the benefit of pupils' learning. Ÿ The curriculum for Years 7-9 and Years 10-11 is now in place on a planning grid. However, it is only in place for this term for Years 1-2 and Years 3-6 and the next steps for pupils in these classes have not yet been firmly decided.

p.27

Commentary

79. The subject has been developed well by the co-ordinator, who has initiated continuity throughout the school. All the issues raised in the previous inspection have been addressed, including the provision of a facility to enlarge icons on the screen for those with visual impairments. However, the planning for Years 1 - 6 is at present only for a single term. To ensure that pupils take appropriate steps in their learning, there is a need for long term plans that are linked to an overview of what should be achieved during the time that pupils spend in the primary stages.

p.27

Commentary

80. Good work was seen in both teaching and learning in a Year 3-6 lesson on branching databases, which took place in both the classroom and the ICT room. A clear explanation was given using cards to demonstrate how the system worked and pupils were able to use the program to achieve well, showing that they could access the equipment with confidence and use it to effect. Very good support added to the quality of the pupils’ learning. Haughton School - 28 81. Year 8 pupils in their introduction to digital cameras were well taught by a specialist and they were able to use the cameras, load their pictures in the computer, access them and add text for a purpose, making the lesson a very productive one that enabled the pupils to learn very well a range of skills. All of them were familiar with using the equipment and showed some competency.

p.27

Commentary

82. Pupils in Year 10 were observed using the Internet for research purposes to support their English lesson. They were able to use this facility well and print out the relevant information for their projects making this a useful tool for learning.

p.28

Commentary

83. Assessment is in place, with progress monitored when pupils have achieved the tasks.

p.28

Commentary

84. The units studied by Year 10 and 11 pupils lead to accreditation and this shows a good development since the last inspection.

p.28

Information and Communication Technology across the curriculum

85. Pupils learn to present their work well through using the computer as a word processor. This is well balanced with appropriate opportunities being given. The whole school makes good use of this facility and the presentation of displays is good as are the word labels and other equipment made by teachers for pupils. Using programs on the computer linked to a monitor gives pupils a very good means of accessing information both visually and verbally as a group at an appropriate pace and level.

p.28

Information and Communication Technology across the curriculum

86. Computers are used for design and technology projects and this adds a further element of realistic use for pupils as they plan and design and use the CAD-CAM as part of their accredited unit work. Good use is made of digital imaging and computers in art.

p.28

Information and Communication Technology across the curriculum

87. A school assessment project is underway, so that there will be a comprehensive record system monitoring pupils’ achievements devised by the school.

p.28

History and Geography

Provision for history is satisfactory overall. Provision for geography is satisfactory for Years 1 to 6 pupils but unsatisfactory for Years 7 to 9 pupils.

p.28

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils' achievement in history is satisfactory for Years 1 to 9. In geography, achievement is satisfactory in Years 1 to 6, but it is unsatisfactory for Years 7 to 9. • Assessment strategies and methods of recording what pupils know, understand, and can do, in both geography and history are weak. • A programme of work for geography needs to be put in place for pupils in Years 7 to 9. • Pupils’ learning is interrupted by the way in which history and geography are timetabled and achievement is curtailed. • History and geography supports primary pupils’ cultural, social and moral development well, by encouraging them to think hard about historical issues. • Leadership of the subjects has been weak until the present time.

p.28

Commentary

Haughton School - 29 88. It was not possible to judge teaching and learning in geography for Year 7 to 9 pupils as no geography was taught during the inspection and there were no schemes of work or sufficient pupils’ work to judge achievement and standards over time. No geography lessons were seen for Years 1 to 6 pupils. However, scrutiny of work and schemes of work indicated that pupils were making satisfactory progress. At present, history and geography are taught in rotation which makes it harder for pupils to build on their previous learning and during the week of the inspection history was taught to Year 7 to 9 pupils and younger pupils learnt history through their topic work using the QCA guidelines. Individual teachers do plan well for all the pupils in the short term. All history lessons observed were never less than satisfactory. Younger pupils use Barnaby Bear to help them find out about other countries and ways of life. Year 4 pupils are

p.29

Commentary

beginning to learn about the Great Fire of London producing a very colourful collage showing the effects of the fire on wooden buildings. By the end of Year 9 pupils had learnt about all aspects of life under the Romans. Year 8 pupils studied artefacts relating to a Roman soldier, Year 9 pupils were looking at the effect on the Ancient Britons under the leadership of Boadicea in their struggle against the Romans. 89. There appears to have been no improvement since the last inspection when both history and geography were criticised as having no co-ordination throughout the school. However a new co-ordinator has been appointed and since arriving in the school two weeks ago has begun to put a half term’s planning in place for both history and geography. He has plans to put in programmes of study for both subjects and co-ordinate humanities across all three key stages. At present, there is no coherent means of assessing what pupils have attained in either history

p.29

Commentary

or geography. The development of knowledge, skills, and understanding is not recorded. At best, there is a brief record of topics that have been covered. For those pupils who learn very slowly, a simple progressive scale, such as the "P" scales could be used to set pupils' learning against clear criteria. Despite its fragmented approach, history and primary geography does make a positive contribution to pupils’ social, moral and cultural development throughout the school.

p.29

Religious Education

Provision for religious education is unsatisfactory overall. It is satisfactory and effective for pupils in Years 1 to 6 but for those in Years 7 to 9 systematic provision is being re-established following a break caused by the loss of some teaching staff during the past year. At present its effectiveness is unsatisfactory . A coherent offer of religious education for pupils in their final two years in school is, however, in place. Only one lesson in religious education was seen.

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is a programme for learning from religion and about religion in place for pupils in Years 1 to 6, and this is centred on seasonal events and festivals. • A plan to build on what has been learned in Years 1 to 6 in Years 7 to 9 is being developed. The Telford and Wrekin agreed syllabus for religious education has been introduced for pupils in Years 7 to 9. • Evidence from pupils' work and teachers’ records supports the view that achievement in Years 1 to 6 is satisfactory, as it was at the last inspection. • The provision for religious education for pupils of secondary age is not as good as it was at the last inspection and pupils’ achievement is lower. • The newly appointed subject leader understands the extent of the task of establishing religious education in the secondary department. • There was no recent evidence of pupils' work in Years 7 to 9 or any records of their progress. Because they have had too little systematic teaching in religious education, their achievement

p.29

Main strengths and weaknesses

is unsatisfactory. • No system for assessing pupils’ progress and achievement in Years 7 to 9 has yet been developed. Haughton School - 30 • Provision for religious education for pupils in Years 10 and 11 has been developed. • There is a lack of artefacts and teaching materials to enable the subject to be successfully taught. • Aside from the subject leader, there is too little expertise in teaching RE at secondary level.

p.29

Commentary

90. The school acknowledges that provision for religious education has been adversely affected by staff changes during the past year and, at secondary level, weakness in the previous subject leadership. It has sought to address these difficulties. A subject leader has been appointed who has good knowledge of religious education and the curriculum requirements. He has been in post for too short a time for the developments he has planned in the subject, for pupils in Years 7 to 11 to take effect.

p.30

Commentary

91. Pupils in Years 1 to 6 have satisfactory provision. What they are taught is based on the Shropshire Agreed Syllabus for religious education and the advice of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). This is fully integrated into the primary department’s three-year topic cycle. Much of the pupils’ learning is associated with the celebrations and festivals of the Christian faith and other world religions. As well as preparations for Easter, Harvest, and Christmas, a weeklong celebration of Diwali is held. No lessons in religious education were seen in the primary department but records and examples of pupils’ work show that teaching is soundly planned and assessed and that progress and achievement are satisfactory.

p.30

Commentary

92. So that there can be continuity in learning between the primary and secondary stages the recent planning takes account of previous learning. Work is to be based on the Telford and Wrekin Agreed Syllabus suitably modified to make it accessible to the pupils of the school. It will include work on Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam and sound plans are being laid.

p.30

Commentary

93. Only one lesson for pupils in Years 7 to 9 was observed. This made use of artefacts associated with Judaism to reinforce and extend past learning about ceremonies and their purposes. Pupils recognised a symbol as the Star of David and enjoyed trying on the “kippa” or prayer cap. They knew the terms “ark” and “Torah”. The teaching took account of the learning needs of this lower attaining group and was successful in sustaining interest. Skilful questioning enabled pupils to recall what they had learned previously and to use this in the context of the lesson. Overall, however, progress in learning for this age group has stalled. Because they have had too little systematic teaching in religious education, their achievement is unsatisfactory. There was no recent evidence of pupils' work in Years 7 to 9 or any records of their progress.

p.30

Commentary

94. No system for assessing pupils' progress and achievement in Years 7 to 9 has yet been developed. Before this can be done there will need to be agreement about the purposes that teaching in the subject serve.

p.30

Commentary

95. In religious education with pupils in Years 10 and 11, work on social choices and moral decision making are part of an accredited course. It contributes to the ASDAN Challenges.

p.30

Commentary

96. The subject leader has plans to re-establish religious education. He has been promised the finances to build up resources. There is a need, however to proceed with the plans with greater urgency. The level of expertise required to teach the agreed syllabus to secondary pupils is considerable. Only the subject leader appears to have this at present. Staff training to raise the quality of teaching is necessary.

p.30

Design and Technology

Haughton School - 31 Provision for design and technology is good and leads to good achievement, especially for pupils in Years 7 to 11.

p.31

Main strengths and weaknesses

Ÿ There is a well-structured programme in place for pupils across the age range. Ÿ Teaching and learning are good overall throughout the school. Ÿ Assessment is helpful to the pupils. Ÿ Planning is good. Ÿ Pupils take responsibility for their own work. Ÿ In the food technology room which is an adequate size, working surfaces are too high and cookers are insufficiently clean.

p.31

Commentary

97. There is a good programme for Years 1 and 2 and Years 3 to 6 that provides consistency and progression across the subject area. Provision in Years 7 to 9 and 10 to11 is also well structured and leads to accredited courses by the end of Year 11. Standards have improved since the last inspection in Year 11, as more pupils succeed in gaining accreditation. Overall, the pupils’ achievement during lessons throughout the school is at least satisfactory. There is good achievement when they are fully involved in their tasks, when they are able to seek advice and support and when they learn how to use equipment, practice skills and to use their designs appropriately.

p.31

Commentary

98. In the lessons observed pupils were well engaged in their tasks. Good support was given by teachers and learning support staff, and careful attention was paid to safety and appropriate behaviour in practical rooms. Year 3 to 6 pupils learn to follow instructions for making biscuits, to weigh out ingredients, and to make estimations. All these give good opportunities to use literacy and mathematics across the curriculum. They have first hand experience of mixing the ingredients and they note changes. They behave and work well. Assessment is undertaken at the end of each unit or module throughout the school and ongoing support and advice give pupils confidence and self-esteem to achieve their tasks. Planning is thorough and provides a good framework.

p.31

Commentary

99. Pupils observed in Years 9, 10 and 11 in the craft area experiment with their designs and practice problem solving. Staff help them to understand the processes they need to undertake when they plan, design, and make models. Many show good use of tools and materials and achieve their tasks well. For example, some were making a model fairground, and they learned how to make wheels spin, to make slides and to devise a way to strengthen them.

p.31

Commentary

100. The craft room is well equipped. This enables older pupils in Years 10 and 11 to develop their skills by making toys with the use of the Cad-Cam, for example, following a visit to a toy museum. Others use casting to make art deco style jewelry. However, in the food technology room, surfaces are too high for younger pupils and cookers are not always thoroughly clean. Two of the cookers have eye-level grills and oven doors that open downwards. A risk assessment should be undertaken before cookers of this type are used. They may pose a danger to some pupils. 101. Overall there is a wide range of curriculum opportunities for the pupils to undertake and good use is made of the guidelines for the primary and secondary stages.

p.31

Art and Design

Provision for art is very good for pupils across the age range. Teaching is consistently good and pupils achieve well. Haughton School - 32

p.31

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils in Years 1 to 6 make good progress. • Within the carefully planned framework of each lesson, pupils are encouraged to make their own creative decisions. • Use of information and communication technology to support learning and to extend pupils’ creative opportunities is very good. • Pupils in Years 10 and 11 are prepared for the GCSE examination in art. In 2003, four pupils were entered for the examination and all gained grade C. • Leadership of the subject is very effective; subject expertise is high.

p.32

Commentary

102. The subject is led very effectively; the partnership between the subject leader who teaches in the primary department and the specialist teacher of art who co-ordinates the work within the secondary department is good and teaching and learning in the subject has benefited from this.

p.32

Commentary

103. In the primary department art, lessons are well planned and the good teaching enables pupils to achieve well and build up their knowledge and skills at a good rate. They develop their understanding of primary and secondary colours, their skill in painting and drawing and their knowledge and appreciation of the works of artists such as Joseph Turner. Younger pupils are introduced to a graphics program on the computer; they learn to select images, to alter them, and to colour them. Pupils in Years 7 to 9 develop and reinforce their skills in modelling in three dimensions using clay. In their work on the human face pupils in Year 10 develop their understanding of the proportions of features. There is collaboration in a high proportion of lessons between the subject specialist teacher and the subject leader so that pupils have the opportunity to broaden their experience of art by using information and communication

p.32

Commentary

technology. In a good lesson with pupils in Years 2 and 3, the benefits of this partnership were clearly seen. While most pupils continued to develop their familiarity with the work of Joseph Turner and to develop an appreciation of the use of texture in colour wash work, a small group worked on a graphics program. They used the computer, with the specialist art teacher. Those enjoying this element of the lesson learned how to colour and clone a selected outline drawing and they called out in triumph when their developing mouse control enabled them to complete their work.

p.32

Commentary

104. Older pupils have well-structured lessons in the art room; here again effective use is made of resources. Learning support assistants are profitably engaged and the computer is used to extend creative possibilities. Pupils in Years 7 to 11 learn to create segments of moving images derived from their original drawings.

p.32

Commentary

105. Pupils who can sustain the effort needed are entered for the GCSE examinations. They have additional art lessons and homework. The number of pupils entered for the GCSE has increased year on year since the original entries were made.

p.32

Commentary

106. Recording of assessment of pupils’ achievements is very thorough; in the secondary classes the work of each pupil is photographed and stored on computer as a virtual portfolio.. This is examined regularly for indications of developing competence and progress.

p.32

Commentary

107. The school has been awarded the ARTSMARK because of its promotion of art. There are many links within the community with organisations and individuals to promote art and to share the good work done within the school. There are good resources to support teaching and learning in art. There are extensive opportunities for pupils to see and appreciate the work of artists within the immediate community and beyond, to show their own work in exhibitions and to benefit from the visits of artists to the school. The importance of art within the life of the school is illustrated by the fact that, annually, there is an arts week, during which each pupil, in Haughton School - 33 deliberately mixed age groups, has the opportunity to make art of differing kinds with each of three artists. There are also "art afternoons" for all primary pupils twice a term.

p.32

Commentary

108. Art makes a strong contribution to the personal development of all pupils.

p.33

Music

Provision in music is good and pupils achieve well from Year 1 to Year 9.

p.33

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Leadership and management in music provide it with drive and direction. • The planned and taught work suits pupils' needs well and leads to good personal development. • Pupils enjoy performing in music and they try hard to do as well as they can.

p.33

Commentary

109. The achievement of pupils is good. Because of the careful planning and support from their teachers they enjoy music and participate fully. Standards are generally below age-related expectations, but high in relation to pupils’ abilities. The subject contributes to pupils’ personal development because pupils experience success as learners and they have broad opportunities to hear and to make music from different cultural traditions.

p.33

Commentary

110. Pupils enjoy performing. In concerts the school ensures that all pupils take part, either singing or playing instruments. Some of the more able pupils perform as soloists. Pupils also benefit from taking part in ‘music mornings’, working with pupils from other local schools. They also develop their music-related skills when taking part in the various art and dance activities, and when visiting the theatre.

p.33

Commentary

111. Teaching and learning are good. In the class of youngest pupils, sounds such as clapping are used imaginatively to create musical effects. The pupils enjoyed what they were doing and were productive throughout the lesson. They used a range of resources and completed several well-chosen tasks, including singing and playing percussion instruments. Older primary aged pupils joined in as they recognised rhythms based on Victorian street game, by clapping and beating time. All enjoyed this, including the staff! Pupils treat the musical instruments with care and respect, and relationships are excellent. Pupils in Years 7 to 9 enjoy working with keyboards, and using the interactive whiteboard. The flexible use of ICT maintained interest and attention. The teacher understands the need to extend what pupils try to do and in one good lesson, having realised that pupils were insufficiently challenged, she changed tack and made

p.33

Commentary

the work more demanding with good results.

p.33

Commentary

112. The good quality of provision has been maintained since the last inspection and some improvements have also been made. In particular, the use of information and communication technology (ICT) is developing well, including the use of interactive whiteboard. A specialist teacher has recently been appointed and this will enable all of the older pupils to benefit from tuition in keyboard skills.

p.33

Physical Education

Haughton School - 34 The provision for physical education is good and, across the age range, it is effective in enabling pupils to develop their physical prowess. No teaching was seen for pupils in Years 10 and 11 but plans and records were seen and discussion with the subject leader contribute to a judgement that it is also good.

p.34

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The subject leadership is good overall and for both primary and secondary pupils. • Much teaching in both primary and secondary departments benefits from the specialist subject expertise of the teacher. Teaching for pupils in Years 1 to 9 is good overall. • Planning of lessons is greatly helped by a well-developed and progressive programme of activities for each age group, that fully matches the requirements of the National Curriculum. • Arrangements for assessing pupils’ progress and achievement are good. • Good provision is made to help ensure that pupils learn to be safe in water and swim. • Resources and facilities for physical education are extensive but changing facilities are of an unsatisfactory standard and the hall which is also used for dining and assemblies is not fully suited to gymnastic activities beyond the junior age range. • When lessons for secondary classes are taken by non-specialist teachers, on occasions,

p.34

Main strengths and weaknesses

the timing of activities within the lesson to ensure that interest is maintained is weak.

p.34

Commentary

113. The strengths in provision for physical education far outweigh the few weaknesses. Provision has improved since the school was last inspected. Pupils become creative in their response to stimuli such as music, learn to safely move in water and swim and, in games, they work with others as a team. Opportunities are provided for competitive sport and for outdoor and adventurous activities such as canoeing and climbing. Many pupils in Years 1 to 6 have problems with balance and muscle control associated with their special educational needs. In addition, a number have sensory and perceptual difficulties that make seemingly straightforward bodily actions problematic. For some, this results in timidity about taking part in vigorous physical activity. Many need a good deal of help with dressing and undressing. It is, therefore, more remarkable that pupils are successfully involved in the well-designed programme for

p.34

Commentary

physical education that the school provides. The confidence that pupils have in those who teach and support them is high. Because of this, pupils at all levels of capability take part in the lessons and try hard to improve their own performances. Pupils in Years 4, 5, and 6 work very hard to develop “dodging” skills that they might use in a game. They evaluate and refine their own performance while those in Years 1 and 2 learn much by looking carefully at what others in their group can do in building up their repertory of “travelling movements” such as jumping, rolling, sliding and making body shapes. They identify body shapes giving them names such as a “star shape”, “spider shape” or “crab shape” so as to be able to recall and reproduce them. Pupils quickly learn and understand the rules for informal games such as “tick” and play these with great enthusiasm. Pupils in Year 8 recall much of what they have previously learned in

p.34

Commentary

their dance lessons. They try hard to be creative in matching their body shape and movement to the mood of the music. Pupils in Year 9 make good progress in tennis lessons that challenge them to improve their co-ordination and ball striking skills.

p.34

Commentary

114. Teaching is well planned and the outcomes expected are clear. The activities chosen suit the capabilities of the pupils while at the same time providing a challenge they respond to well. Teachers have good control of their classes, model new elements in the lesson very well and make full use of the learning support assistants assigned to them. It is evident that pupils derive enjoyment from their games or from improving or mastering a new skill. Some engage with the work with unexpected intensity or creativity. For example a pupil in a Year 8 class, which was just beginning its work in dance, threw aside the self consciousness common in early adolescence to make an “angry fist” of his body as he moved to dramatic music. Haughton School - 35 115. The effective leadership in physical education has led not only to the production of clear plans for each age group but to very useful devices for evaluating and assessing the performance of

p.34

Commentary

pupils in each aspect of the subject. A useful, photographically illustrated, aid for teachers seeking to grade pupil’s work against national expectations has been produced. Consequently, assessments of pupils’ performance in all aspects of the subject including swimming are accurate and recorded.

p.35

Commentary

116. Provision for sport is good. Through the West Midlands Special Schools Sports Association competitive matches are regularly organised in ball games, swimming and athletics. Pupils’ work in physical education receives recognition through awards made by bodies such as the Amateur Swimming Association. The Telford and Wrekin Sports Development organisation provides coaching in team games as do staff from the local Premiership football club, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Because of the stimulus the subject provides to children’s confidence, their social awareness, and their creativity, it makes a good contribution, overall, to their personal development.

p.35

Commentary

117. There are strengths in the extensive outdoor facilities at the school but the changing rooms are cramped and the school hall, which serves as the gymnasium, is not suited to many aspects of secondary physical education. This is because it has to be used for other purposes, such as lunch and assembly, and stored furniture impinges on space.

p.35

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

The school makes good provision for pupils' personal, health and social education.

p.35

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are weekly timetabled lessons for each class that are frequently well taught. • Assemblies are used creatively to give impact to the learning themes of PSHE. • Incidental opportunities to promote social and health learning are sought out and used well. • The School Council makes an important contribution to pupils' social development. • The target card system helps pupils to understand what they must do to improve their social skills and attitudes. • Leadership and direction are provided by two co-ordinators.

p.35

Commentary

118. Themes such as "Working Together" are introduced each week at assemblies. Lively presentation involving the pupils give a significant push to the key theme for personal, social and health education, (PSHE), lessons. In these the ideas rehearsed at assembly are further developed. These lessons are good-humoured and have clear learning objectives.

p.35

Commentary

119. At lunchtimes pupils have good opportunities to develop their social skills. These include turn taking, helping one another at the dining table, and working happily together in organised club activities. All pupils have target cards that specify aspects of their social and learning behaviour that they should improve. They know their own targets and they are given clear feedback as to how well they are progressing towards these. 120. The School Council provides pupils with a sense of personal responsibility for and within the school. Representatives elected from each class provide a two-way channel of ideas and information. Pupils respond very well and they are proud of the initiatives for which their council is responsible, such as improving toilet facilities or playing a part in curbing bullying and oppressive behaviour.

p.35

Commentary

121. The ASDAN award scheme, which provides older pupils with challenges that lead to certificates, Haughton School - 36 includes a significant element of life skills development. Pupils receive work-related learning and in Year 11, they are given work experience opportunities.

p.35

Commentary

122. The leadership and management of PSHE throughout the school are good. The work on themes is well co-ordinated and there is a general commitment amongst staff to ensure that pupils' personal, social and health learning is given priority.

p.36

Citizenship

Provision in citizenship is good and pupils at all stages show in their personal development and in their past written work that they achieve well.

p.36

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The main strength is the structured programme, which has been developed from the effective provision in personal, social and health education, following an audit of provision. • There are no significant weaknesses.

p.36

Commentary

123. No lessons in citizenship were observed but there is a clear understanding of what should be taught. The subject is embedded in the ethos of the school. Outcomes of the provision are very good, including in pupils’ attitudes and behaviour.

p.36

Commentary

124. There is a community spirit within the school, and many pupils enjoy taking responsibility for helping others. The prefect system and the School Council are well established. Older pupils follow a relevant ‘Life Skills’ course that leads to national accreditation. Haughton School - 37

p.36

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 4 How inclusive the school is 3 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 4 Value for money provided by the school 4

p.37

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 4

p.37

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 3 Attitudes 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

p.37

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 4 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 5 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 4 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 3 Accommodation and resources 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 3 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 2 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

p.37

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 4 The governance of the school 4 The leadership of the headteacher 3 The leadership of other key staff 3 The effectiveness of management 4

p.37

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7). Haughton School - 38

p.37