Marjory Kinnon School

MARJORY KINNON SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Marjory Kinnon 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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MARJORY KINNON SCHOOL

Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Marjory Kinnon School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Special School category: Community special Age range of pupils: 4 to 19 years Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 165

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Hatton Road Bedfont Feltham Postcode: TW14 9QZ

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 020 8890 2032 Fax number: 020 8893 7450

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: The governing body Name of chair of governors: Mrs S Murray

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 20 October 1997

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

Marjory Kinnon is a day community special schools for 173 pupils aged 4-19. There are 165 pupils on roll, 105 boys and 60 girls. Pupils come from a wide catchment area and mixed socio-economic circumstances, which are below average, overall. One hundred and six pupils have moderate learning difficulties, 19 have severe learning difficulties and 12 have emotional, social and behavioural difficulties. The school is a recognised centre providing for 28 pupils with autistic spectrum disorders, including all 7 students in the sixth form. The sixth form centre is new, having been opened only four weeks before the inspection. There are 8 full time Foundation Stage pupils all in reception. Attainment on entry to the school is well below national averages. The majority of pupils are of white or White British origin and about a third are of Asian or Asian British Indian or Pakistani origin. There are 11 pupils from other ethnic groups and three of these are refugees and asylum

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

seekers. Only two pupils speak English at an early stage of acquisition. There are 3 pupils in public care and pupil mobility is low. The school has the Healthy School Award 2002 and Investors in People 2003. Marjory Kinnon School - 4

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

21765 Ms Patricia Pothecary Lead inspector French Post-16 Vocational education 9736 Mr John Brasier Lay inspector 21822 Ms Helen Maskew Team inspector Geography History Religious education 8056 Mr Howard Probert Team inspector Foundation Stage Special educational needs Citizenship Mathematics 27243 Mr Ian Tatchell Team inspector Design and technology Information and communication technology Physical education 22948 Ms Mary Vallis Team inspector English as an additional language English 10668 Mr David Walker Team inspector Art Music Science

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Demeter House Station Road Cambridge CB1 2RS

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection 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.ofsted.gov.uk). Marjory Kinnon School - 5

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS 9

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

Marjory Kinnon is a good school, which provides good value for money. All major aspects of the school, including pupils’ achievements, teaching, the quality of learning, the curriculum and leadership and management, are good. This is despite providing for pupils with increasingly complex difficulties from a widening ability range.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • The quality of teaching is good, overall, with a high proportion of very good teaching. This ensures that pupils of all ages and abilities learn and achieve well. • Pupils behave very well and the systems for supporting and improving their behaviour and personal and social development are very good. • The curriculum is good, with a rich variety of activities to engage and motivate pupils. • Provision for pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and their inclusion in the main school, where appropriate, is very good. • The care, guidance and support given to pupils are very good. • The school’s links with parents and the wider community are very good. • The leadership and management of the school are good, overall, with some very good approaches to inspiring leadership in others. • The school lacks a clear development plan to communicate key priorities effectively and so

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OVERALL EVALUATION

secure continued improvement in an increasingly complex organisation. • The monitoring of teaching and learning is insufficiently rigorous to ensure a consistent quality of provision in all subjects. • There are insufficient courses to develop the higher-level skills of some sixth form students, and there is a lack of opportunity for them to learn and socialise with other college students.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school has continued to provide a good quality of education since the last inspection, and has improved well. The proportion of good and very good teaching has increased significantly and this means that learning is now good, overall. All subjects, except music, now have policies and schemes of work and assessment has improved. In addition, the school has developed some high quality provision for pupils with ASD, become far more inclusive and introduced national strategies effectively. However, the school day is still too short for pupils aged 14 to 16 years to allow them to gain the most from their studies. The monitoring of teaching and learning now takes place but is underdeveloped.

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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 6 good very good Year 11 good very good Inspectors make judgements in the range: excellent; very good; good; satisfactory; unsatisfactory; poor; very poor.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Achievement is good throughout the school, for pupils of all age groups, abilities and for those with significantly different needs. Pupils achieve well in the reception classes in all the early learning goals. By the ages of 11 and 16 pupils continue to perform well, gaining good qualifications in the core subjects of English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT) as well as in basic skills and life skills. Pupils achieve very well in science and personal, social and health education (PSHE). Achievement in geography, history, and French is satisfactory rather than good, due to shortcomings either in teaching, or in the time allocated for the subject. Achievement in music is unsatisfactory because it is not managed effectively. It is too early to judge achievement securely in the new sixth form centre, although there is evidence already of some Marjory Kinnon School - 7

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

progress for all students. Pupils’ personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are very good. The attitudes and behaviour of pupils of all ages are also very good, leading them to work well in lessons and show respect for others and their environment. Pupils enjoy school and this makes Marjory Kinnon an enjoyable place to be. Attendance is satisfactory.

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The quality of education provided by the school is good. Teaching is also good throughout

the school. Over a third of teaching is very good or excellent. Teaching is good for pupils of all ages and abilities. Teaching is good in English, mathematics and ICT and very good in science, French and PSHE. Pupils learn effectively in all these important areas. Teaching in the humanities is satisfactory, overall, and pupils’ learning is sound rather than good. In music, teaching is good for younger pupils, but lacks sufficient time and planning and is unsatisfactory in the secondary department. The very effective methods used to teach pupils with autistic spectrum disorders helps them to learn well. Key qualities of the good teaching include good subject knowledge, clearly explained lesson objectives and very good behaviour management so that pupils are keen to do well. Learning support assistants contribute very well to pupils’ behaviour and the achievement of their personal targets. Good assessment ensures that pupils know what they need to do to improve. A

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The quality of education provided by the school is good. Teaching is also good throughout

key weakness of some less successful lessons is a lack of challenge for the most able pupils, who do not progress sufficiently in those subjects.

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The quality of education provided by the school is good. Teaching is also good throughout

The curriculum is good, and the care guidance and support given to pupils are very good. The curriculum offers a rich range of activities and meets the needs of pupils aged 4 to 16 years, helping them learn effectively and preparing them well for the next stage of their education and the world of work. Provision in all subjects, including PSHE and other areas of learning, is, at least, satisfactory and usually good or very good, with the exception of music. The time for teaching during each day is still low in the secondary department and this prevents even higher achievement in the full range of subjects. There is very good participation in the arts and sports. The newly opened sixth form centre has much to offer students, with a wide range of courses for leisure, fitness, basic skills, life skills and some academic subjects. However, courses to suit all the abilities and aptitudes of current students are still limited and being developed. Links with parents, other schools, colleges and the

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are good. The leadership of the headteacher and senior management team is good, leading to effective school improvement. The school is large and becoming increasingly more complex and good management by the senior team has maintained a high quality of education and staffing throughout. Staff are enabled and inspired very well to take the lead when appropriate. The school runs very smoothly. The school development plan does not have sufficient focus, however, to continue guiding the work of the school efficiently. The monitoring of teaching and learning has brought about some good improvements but is not systematic enough to identify all the areas for development. The governance of the school is sound. Governors fulfil their statutory duties and bring considerable experience and commitment to the school. Their role in guiding and monitoring the work of the school is still developing.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents are pleased with the school. Their children love coming to school and they feel that they mature and become more confident. The parents are very pleased with the wide range of exciting opportunities the children have. Parents are generally pleased with the amount of information provided to help them with their child’s work. The pupils are very positive about the school and feel that it helps them a lot in many different ways. They appreciate the large number of activities and feel that they know what to do to improve in their work. One or two sixth formers would like more contact with other college students. These views are supported by the inspection findings. Marjory Kinnon School - 8

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • Produce a clear school development plan, which communicates key priorities for school improvement effectively. • Improve the monitoring of teaching and learning to raise the quality of provision in all subjects in line with the best. • Provide more courses, to develop the higher-level skills of some sixth form students, and increase opportunities for them to learn and socialise with other college students. Marjory Kinnon School - 9

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Pupils achieve well in all age groups. Girls and boys and pupils with significantly different needs, such as those with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), achieve equally well. Pupils achieve well in the core subjects of English, mathematics and ICT, as well as in design and technology, art and religious education. In PSHE and in the core subject of science they achieve very well. Achievement is satisfactory in French, geography and history and unsatisfactory in music. It is too early to judge achievement in the new sixth form centre.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils are achieving better than pupils in similar schools nationally in their examinations at age 16, but this achievement is limited to a narrow range of subjects. • Pupils generally achieve well in all core subjects throughout the school. • The quality of achievement is consistently good in all age groups and for pupils of all abilities and different special educational needs. • The school met or exceeded most of its targets for pupil performance last year. • Pupils’ achievements are improving each year. • Achievement in geography and history is satisfactory, but pupils are not achieving as well as they do in other subjects. Achievement in music is unsatisfactory. • Some students in the new sixth form centre do not yet develop their higher-level skills and aptitudes fully.

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Commentary

1. By the age of 5, the Foundation Stage pupils in reception achieve well in all six areas of learning. By the age of 7 pupils show good achievement in reading, writing and mathematics. By the age of 11 pupils show very good achievement in the statutory assessment tasks (SATs) for English and good achievement in mathematics and science, with science clearly being the strongest subject. By this age, one or two pupils are gaining average levels compared with mainstream schools. They make good progress throughout the secondary phase and, at 14, achieve well in the SATs, with science continuing to be the strongest subject. By the age of 16, the majority of pupils gain at least one GCSE, plus several other qualifications in the core subjects and basic skills. Achievement in ICT and religious education is also good throughout the school. This is above average for similar schools nationally. All pupils achieve their individual targets and many exceed them. The school’s own targets are

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Commentary

sufficiently challenging and are being raised each year to reflect increasing achievement.

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Commentary

2. Achievement is equally good for pupils of different abilities and for those with significant additional special educational needs, especially those with ASD, who often achieve very well. The school’s focus on inclusion has ensured that all pupils are progressing well. For one or two new pupils with English as an additional language, a lack of provision means that they are not progressing as well as they might with special support.

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Commentary

3. In English, there are differences in how well pupils achieve at different ages, with pupils doing well by the age of 7, very well by the age of 11, and then making satisfactory rather than good progress until they are 14. For the oldest pupils, achievement returns to being good. This is mainly caused by difficulties with pupils who take a while to adjust to the secondary school structure and become motivated. The most significant variation in achievement is between the very strong core subjects and some foundation subjects, particularly the humanities. Pupils achieve to a satisfactory level in geography and history, but not as well as they do in other subjects. The lack of opportunity for obtaining qualifications in these subjects is one reason for Marjory Kinnon School - 10 the difference in quality, but so is the lack of rigour in monitoring teaching and learning and in evaluating pupil achievement, by subject leaders and senior managers. In music, achievement

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Commentary

is unsatisfactory through lack of subject organisation and sufficient curriculum time.

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Sixth Form

4. Only four weeks after the opening of the new sixth form centre, it is too soon to come to secure judgements on student achievement. From the few lessons observed, basic skills, as well as leisure and vocational abilities, are developing soundly for the majority of students. All students are making progress in some areas. However, the skills and aptitudes of the higher- attaining students are not yet being developed fully enough, owing to the limited number of suitable courses. A wider range of sixth form courses to suit more student needs is currently being sought by staff at the new centre as a high priority.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Pupils’ attitudes, values, behaviour and personal development are very good, overall. Pupils’ moral, social and cultural development is also very good. Pupils’ spiritual awareness and their attendance are satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ attitudes to learning and the values they hold from the Foundation Stage through to being students in the sixth form are very good, enabling them and others to learn well in class and enjoy school. • Pupils develop very good social skills, such as politeness to visitors and one another, due mainly to the high quality social skills programme. • Pupils’ very good understanding of how to behave is supported through the newly developed, consistently applied and very effective behaviour management system. • Pupils develop a very good understanding of moral, social and cultural issues, which is fostered by careful planning in appropriate areas of the curriculum. • The spiritual awareness gained by pupils, although satisfactory, is not as strongly developed as other areas because opportunities to plan for links of a spiritual nature are often missed.

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Commentary

5. The learning mentor encourages satisfactory and improving attendance through good work, with individual pupils. School procedures are good, with rewards for each week’s full attendance, a telephone call home if unexplained absences occur and fast referral for unauthorised absence, which is lower than in similar schools nationally. However, authorised absence is high due to parents taking pupils on holiday during term-time. Pupils arrive to lessons on time.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data 9.8 School data 1.0 Similar schools data 8.4 Similar schools 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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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

6. Pupils of all ages have very positive attitudes to school, the adults within it and their learning. They appreciate the wide range of activities provided. In the reception classes, pupils make very good progress in their personal, social and emotional progress by the age of 5 years. A few pupils, aged 11 to 14, lack motivation in English but remain positive, overall. Pupils are generally very well-behaved and co-operative in lessons, listening to adults and following Marjory Kinnon School - 11 instructions, because the staff set very high expectations for pupils’ conduct. Younger pupils learn to take turns and think about other pupils’ needs and feelings, benefiting from good classroom routines. Pupils are well prepared for independent life beyond school. For example older pupils use public transport, making their own way to college, and cook simple meals for themselves. Younger pupils take on classroom and school responsibilities very well, carrying

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

the register and helping to keep the classroom tidy. Relationships within the school are constructive and adults provide good role models for the pupils. The strong focus on inclusion means that pupils from all different groups within the school feel valued and work equally well in harmony together.

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

7. There are almost no incidents of bullying and racial harassment because pupils know that adults will support them if they report any incidents and that the school takes such complaints seriously. Staff are well supported by two behaviour co-ordinators, and the behaviour management policy is effective in providing a calm environment in which pupils can work and play. There is a minority of pupils whose behaviour causes concern but these are dealt with very well through individual behaviour plans. Very effective use is made of the Learning Support Mentor who works with vulnerable pupils to ensure they are given the skills to manage their behaviour and to increase their social skills and confidence. On occasions, a few pupils are rewarded for behaviour that is expected rather than exceptional, or are paid attention when they are seeking it rather than when they are calm, which leads to a greater restlessness and lack

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Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

of attention in those lessons. The reward system is linked very well to the pupils’ individual targets for social and academic development. This provides good incentives for the majority of pupils to co-operate and they enjoy celebrating their achievements at the end of the day. Pupils are keen to tell visitors how much they enjoy school and often discuss their lessons with enthusiasm. There were 11 fixed period and 2 permanent exclusions last year (2002/3), which is not exceptional for this type and size of school.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Categories used in the Annual School Census No of pupils on roll Number of fixed period exclusions Number of permanent exclusions White – British 91 7 2 White – Irish 1 0 0 White – any other White background 2 0 0 Mixed – White and Black Caribbean 2 0 0 Mixed – White and Asian 3 0 0 Mixed – any other mixed background 3 0 0 Asian or Asian British – Indian 26 4 0 Asian or Asian British – Pakistani 19 0 0 Black or Black British – any other Black background 5 0 0

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

Chinese 1 0 0 Any other ethnic group 10 0 0 No ethnic group recorded 2 0 0 The table gives the number of exclusions, which may be different from the number of pupils excluded.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

8. The provision for pupils’ spiritual development is satisfactory. Some examples are seen of the use of reflection and delight in lessons. In one music lesson, pupils participated in a song and prayer which flowed from the music they were studying. In religious education, pupils closed Marjory Kinnon School - 12 their eyes and reflected on a shrine to the Buddha. While the majority of assemblies include opportunities for moral discussion and improvement of social skills, the element of spirituality and opportunities for meaningful reflection is sometimes missing.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

9. The provision for moral development is very good. ‘Circle time’ enables pupils to discuss their relationships, and classroom rules are based on the principles of kindness and courtesy, turn- taking and respect for others. Pupils are encouraged to recognise right from wrong and sometimes challenged to make moral choices using the principle of ‘Stop and Think’ to allow choices to be made. Good opportunities are provided for contributions to a range of charities and the fostering of awareness of the needs of others who are less fortunate.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

10. Provision for social development is also very good. Individual targets for social skills and the introduction of a social skills programme provide very good opportunities for pupils to improve their relationships and communication skills. Older pupils are able to meet, socialise and work with students and adults from outside school. The sixth formers invited the inspectors to a coffee morning and hosted the event with mature and delightful conversation. Younger pupils take part in a wide range of visits, which all help to develop social skills outside school.

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Ethnic background of pupils Exclusions in the last school year

11. There are very good opportunities for pupils’ cultural and multicultural development. These are particularly strong in the creative arts, humanities and religious education. Music, religions and ways of life from around the world are studied by all age groups and there are good examples of multicultural displays in classrooms.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education provided by the school is good. Teaching and learning and the curriculum are good and ensure that pupils achieve as well as they do. The care, guidance and support given to pupils are very good, helping them to have good goals and keeping them safe. The school links very well with parents, other schools, colleges and the community, so supporting pupils’ education in its wider context.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and pupils’ learning is good, overall. Teachers assess well so that work is usually matched closely to pupils’ needs. Teaching is good for pupils of all ages and abilities. Insufficient courses were observed to judge teaching, overall, in the sixth form centre.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The quality of teaching is good, overall, and is good or better in three-quarters of all lessons. This high quality ensures that pupils learn well, overall. • Teaching and pupils’ learning is good or very good in the key subjects of English, mathematics, science, ICT and PSHE, plus art, French, religious education and design and technology. Consequently, pupils are able to do well in the majority of their subjects. • Pupils of all ages, abilities and more complex special educational needs are taught well, especially those with ASD. • The majority of teachers know their subjects well and are skilled in providing an interesting range of activities to make lessons lively and motivating. • Learning support assistants contribute significantly to the good progress pupils make, through successful, skilful support. • Good use of praise and assessment means that pupils know when they are doing well or need to

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Main strengths and weaknesses

improve and lessons are planned to suit their individual learning needs. • The very small proportion of unsatisfactory teaching is almost entirely due to methods, which are not mature or challenging enough for the most able pupils. They then make limited progress in those lessons. Marjory Kinnon School - 13 • Teaching in music is unsatisfactory at secondary level due mainly to weak management of behaviour.

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Commentary

12. The good quality of teaching is consistent in the majority of year groups, all core subjects and for pupils of all abilities and special educational needs. Over a third of teaching is very good or excellent and this is equally well spread throughout the school. English, literacy and mathematics are well taught and all pupils are able to read, write, speak with confidence and use numbers in everyday life by the time they leave school. Teaching for pupils aged 4 to 7 years is always good or very good and sometimes excellent. There is insufficient evidence to judge teaching, overall, in the sixth form.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 77 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactor y Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

4 (5 %) 23 (30 %) 31 (41 %) 15 (19%) 4 (5 %) 0 (0 %) 0 (0 %)

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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

13. An effective feature of almost all lessons is that clear objectives for the lesson are displayed and explained in the beginning so that pupils know what is expected of them. This has been a management initiative resulting from lesson observations and is leading to some good focused work by pupils. The school has also invested in training to support teachers in helping pupils with autistic spectrum disorders and so lessons are very well organised to include and support the good learning of this group. Other initiatives, such as the new behaviour management system, are also contributing to well-ordered learning environments where pupils feel confident to discuss their ideas and are able to work hard.

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Commentary

14. The high number of very good and excellent lessons have a spark to them, with fast pace, very good relationships and evident enjoyment by pupils who feel inspired. For example, in one excellent English lesson with Year 6, the pupils were able to keep up with the rapid questioning because they were so motivated by the pictures and memories of a recent visit to London. Interesting lesson organisation helped them to concentrate and contribute really well, saying how excited they had been to see a real shark and then writing with the use of prompts around the wall. There is, however, more limited attention paid to supporting literacy and numeracy across the curriculum and teachers do not use of ICT as effectively as they might to support learning in their subjects.

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Commentary

15. The work of learning support assistants is very skilled and they contribute significantly to the quality of pupils’ learning, by their evidently good knowledge of the pupils, subject matter and methodology. They use the behaviour system effectively, supporting and calming pupils who are restless and make a very good contribution to developing pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills in many lessons. In all lessons pupils’ individual targets are readily to hand, which means that teachers and assistants directly help individuals to achieve their goals during the lesson. This is very effective in helping the high level of personal development taking place.

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Commentary

16. In the small number of lessons have significant weaknesses, these are usually due to a lack of planning to suit the different needs of individual pupils. These weaknesses are found in some classes for pupils aged 7 upwards and are concentrated in the foundation subjects, particularly humanities and music. In these lessons, the methods do not take into account the higher-level skills some pupils possess and so not all tasks help them move forward in their learning. Opportunities to help them aim higher during the lessons are missed. This is linked to a weak use of assessment in a small number of instances. Generally, however, planning to make sure lessons suit different pupils’ needs is a strength within teaching. In music, for pupils aged 11 to 14 years, the management of pupils’ behaviour is weak, leading to poor motivation and Marjory Kinnon School - 14 unsatisfactory learning for the majority. Management does not observe lessons systematically

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Commentary

enough to be aware of some of these shortcomings and so be ready to address them effectively. 17. Assessment is good, overall, and has improved considerably since the previous inspection. It is very good in mathematics and science. This leads directly to the improved learning in lessons since the last inspection. Pupils in the lower school are helped well to understand how they can improve their learning and, in the upper school, very good guidance helps pupils discuss enthusiastically what motivates them to do well. Older pupils are involved in their own target-setting and are present at reviews of progress so that they feel a keen sense of purpose.

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The curriculum

The school provides a good, rich variety of activities and learning opportunities, which helps pupils to learn well and meets their needs effectively. These are enriched by a large number of extra- curricular activities. Good resources support the curriculum and the accommodation is satisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Overall, the curriculum offered to the pupils is good. • The provision for pupils with complex special needs is very good. • The provision for personal, social and health education is very good. • The schools’ participation in sport and the arts is very good. • Taught time for pupils in Years 7 to 11 is low for full delivery of the secondary curriculum. • There are no opportunities for accreditation in the foundation subjects. • The provision for music is unsatisfactory. • The curriculum for students in the new sixth form centre does not yet provide for the full range of learning and social needs and is still being developed.

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Commentary

18. Overall, the curriculum is good. It meets all statutory requirements, including the teaching of religious education. In English, mathematics and science it is very good. There has been good improvement since the last inspection, especially in the development of schemes of work. The school provides a wide variety of activities, which enhances the learning opportunities of the pupils by the very good use of visits to support first-hand learning, or by inviting visitors into the school. However, provision for music is unsatisfactory, except for pupils of lower primary age, as it does not securely provide for progressive development at other stages. At the root of the curriculum is the very good PSHE provision, including very good sex and relationships education and programmes about the dangers of drugs misuse. This enables pupils to develop the skills that make it possible for them to learn in a friendly and collaborative way and become

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Commentary

increasingly more mature and independent as they grow through the school. The national strategies to teach the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT in all subjects have been implemented in the core subjects, but are not yet fully in place in the foundation subjects and so opportunities to support basic skills are missed. The school has improved the amount of taught time since the last inspection, but time for the secondary curriculum remains low and means that some subject teachers struggle to find enough time to help pupils achieve well enough. For example, French is only allocated half an hour a week, which limits how much pupils can learn.

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Commentary

19. The curriculum for pupils aged 14 to 19 years is developing well, overall, and prepares them appropriately for the next stage of their education. The core subjects are well taught and offer suitable qualifications for all pupils. The range of options and vocational courses provided by the school is small, but pupils have the opportunity to attend local colleges for some link courses, such as child-care, ceramics and photography. Qualifications in the foundation subjects are not yet offered, though there are different levels of the Youth Award Scheme Marjory Kinnon School - 15 qualification (ASDAN) available to the pupils. Opportunities for work experience and careers education are very good and the school offers considerable expertise in providing appropriate work-related opportunities for all pupils. There is no development plan for vocational education, which hinders the drive for further improvement.

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Commentary

20. The school has the benefit of an advanced skills teacher, who disseminates good practice throughout the school, as well as linking with many local primary schools to help teachers improve their teaching. This work is very highly regarded by the staff of Marjory Kinnon and the local schools.

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Commentary

21. The pupils with autistic spectrum disorders are very well catered for. As soon as they are able, they join the main classes for one or more subjects, usually with the assistance of learning support staff. Those who need the security of the well-known classroom and structure are taught the same lesson as those in the main school as far as possible. In this way they achieve well and make good progress. Other pupils with additional or complex special educational needs, such as severe learning difficulties, are well provided for through normal lesson planning and careful ongoing assessment of their learning and needs. However, for the two new pupils who speak English as an additional language, with difficulty, provision is not in place and this is not satisfactory. The school provides some support, but this is not planned systematically.

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Commentary

22. There are good contributions to the curriculum from individuals and groups from outside the school. Religious leaders, drama and musical groups visit, so that the pupils can experience a great variety of cultural presentations. Visiting therapists support the pupils well through music and art for personal and social development. Speech therapists meet pupils individually and in lessons pass on the necessary skills to teachers and learning support assistants, so that they can continue with the programme of exercises frequently. After-school clubs, such as music and ICT, are helped by special transport arrangement. Pupils also benefit from residential experiences appropriate to their age and development. They are keen to discuss the good variety of visits to places such as museums and galleries, which enhance the area of learning they are studying.

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Commentary

23. Learning resources are good. The school has a good number of teachers with a corresponding breadth of expertise, and those qualities which lead the school forward. Learning support assistants complement the teaching staff and make a significant contribution to the quality of teaching and learning. Resources for history, geography, religious education and French are very good. The school is welcoming and well maintained by the site manager and school cleaners who are a committed part of the Marjory Kinnon team. Overall, the accommodation is satisfactory, although that for ICT and design technology is good. The specialist accommodation for art and science is barely adequate, and is small and cramped for the largest classes. This sometimes adversely affects the school’s ability to include pupils from the special classes for pupils with ASD into the main groups.

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Sixth form

24. The new sixth form centre is in the very early stages of development and is providing a broad and varied curriculum to suit the needs of most students. It is too early to make an overall judgement of quality. Much of the provision, including the accommodation and resources, is very good. However, some students do not yet have sufficient opportunities to develop all their abilities and aptitudes and further courses are being sought. In addition, there is reluctance by local colleges to include individuals from the centre into activities alongside other college students. This is limits to important social and vocational opportunities for students from Marjory Kinnon. The biggest obstacles, however, have been a lack of accurate information about students before they arrive and the difficulties experienced by local colleges in providing course places for individuals at short notice. Marjory Kinnon School - 16

p.15

Care, guidance and support

The care, guidance and support provided for pupils are very good. Pupils are very well involved in the life of the school and their views are welcome.

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pastoral care is very good, based on trusting and caring relationships with teachers and learning support assistants. • There is well-informed and hence very good support, advice and guidance for pupils. • Very good advice is given on career and study opportunities. • There are good arrangements for child protection, welfare and health and safety. • There are good arrangements for the induction of pupils.

p.16

Commentary

25. Pupils told inspectors how happy they were in the school and parents confirmed this. This was clearly a very good foundation for their work in school. The headteacher and other teachers talked caringly about pupils and the difficulties they might be facing and it was clear that child protection concerns are well-embedded in their thinking and in line with locally agreed arrangements. Lunch-time staff, the site manager and office staff take an interest in the children and look after them well and the pupils find them helpful and think they do a good job.

p.16

Commentary

26. Pupils’ welfare is well provided for. The school has good arrangements for administering medicines. Pupils have access to appropriate physiotherapy, speech, art and music therapy. Occupational therapy cannot be provided, which is not satisfactory, but is beyond the school’s control.

p.16

Commentary

27. Pupils are pleased with the way they are welcomed into the school, both in the nursery and at later stages. Good induction arrangements enable pupils to settle and staff to quickly establish a profile of their core needs. The trusting relationships developed with particular staff ensure that all pupils can safely express their concerns or wishes and have them considered as they move through the school. The school council is a good forum for taking pupils’ views into account concerning the running of the school.

p.16

Commentary

28. The individual needs of pupils, regardless of gender, ethnicity, capability or special educational need, are provided for very well. All pupils have personal targets based upon their needs, including behavioural or social goals. These targets are reviewed regularly and often referred to in class, which is why they are achieved each year or more frequently for some pupils. Attainment is recorded and analysed so that all teachers have a very clear view of the progress of individual pupils, and this information is used to encourage them and plan their future challenges. Secondary pupils have careers guidance from the age of 14 and the Connexions personal advisor to support them and their parents in their career and further education choices. All of this represents a good improvement since the last inspection when provision was good.

p.16

Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The contribution made by parents and partners to the school and to pupils’ learning is very good. Very good links with parents support and enhance the education of pupils. There are very good links with the community and other educational institutions, which enrich the provision for pupils with different needs and at different stages of their education. There are good developing arrangements for providing professional support for other schools. This is a good improvement since the last inspection. Marjory Kinnon School - 17

p.16

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The information provided for parents is very good so that they can help their children at home. • There are good transfer arrangements to colleges, and within school between the various phases enabling pupils to prepare well for changes that they have to make. • An advanced-skills teacher from Marjory Kinnon is highly regarded by local schools. • Links with the community are numerous and add significantly to the quality of education provided for different groups of pupils. • Collaboration with other educational institutions for students in the sixth form provides some good educational opportunities but limited inclusion. • Parents are generally pleased with the work of the school and support it.

p.17

Commentary

29. The school provides very good information for parents in the prospectus, governors’ annual report, newsletters and reports on pupils. School reports are comprehensive, succinct, evaluative, personal and contain appropriate targets and information about progress. Parents feel welcome in school. Joint plans are made to tackle attendance or behavioural problems. There are three parent evenings each year at which pupils’ targets are reviewed. At these, pupils’ individual education plans are discussed and targets confirmed. At these meetings translation services are provided for parents with poor command of English to ensure that their children benefit equally. This is very good provision and ensures that pupils really do make progress on their personal targets regardless of their particular special educational need or capabilities. Parents are also given advice, should they need it, on supporting literacy,

p.17

Commentary

numeracy and behaviour, which supplements the homework given and helps them to support the work of the school at home. Parents are consulted about wider issues through questionnaires and the new social-skills policy has reached the stage where it will be presented to parents to ascertain their views. Parents are given information about topics being studied and, in the junior school, were invited in to Tudor and Victorian mornings where staff and pupils were dressed up. Those that attend school meetings have a very positive view of the quality of education offered.

p.17

Commentary

30. Among the many and diverse links with the community that enhance the richness of the curriculum are opportunities for sailing and gymnastics, access to climbing-walls, fitness machines and multi-sensory experiences, and subsidised visits to cultural events. Artistic groups, such as a brass band, come into the school to perform. Pupils are very enthusiastic about these activities, describing a session with weights for example as ‘brilliant’.

p.17

Commentary

31. Good links with other educational institutions are also many and varied, ranging between courses provided for the school’s pupils, support for information technology, close working with the primary school next door, liaison on pupil transfer and the appropriateness of courses for individuals, and exploring improvements with two beacon schools. Pupils with high ability in some subjects are included in mainstream classes in local schools and colleges, where appropriate. Links with colleges and courses for the students in the sixth form have begun well and the students attend several college sessions each week, which they thoroughly enjoy. However, there is a lack of inclusion at this early stage and students from Marjory Kinnon are taught as a discrete group. The school is working to improve this aspect of links and provision.

p.17

Commentary

32. In addition to the advanced-skills teacher, advice is also given to the many teaching professionals who visit the school to discuss problems. An outreach teacher has just been nominated to administrate support for both pupils and staff in mainstream schools, as agreed with the LEA. This will be undertaken by staff at Marjory Kinnon. All of this represents a good improvement since the last inspection when links with parents and partners were satisfactory. Parents, particularly, have much more opportunity to find out what is happening and work alongside the school in supporting the now good achievement of pupils.

p.17

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Marjory Kinnon School - 18 Leadership and management are good, overall. The leadership of the headteacher and senior management team is effective and improvement is good as a result. Management is good and the school runs smoothly. The governance of the school is sound.

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher and senior staff lead the way to ensure that an increasingly complex school continues to provide a good and improving quality of education for all its pupils. • The leadership is committed to meeting the needs of all pupils and ensuring equality of opportunity and inclusion very effectively. • The headteacher is very effective in enabling other staff to demonstrate good leadership qualities, he has created a strong sense of common purpose. • The school development plan is an effective inclusion document but does not clearly highlight priorities for school improvement or focus sufficiently on pupils’ achievements. • The monitoring of teaching and learning is not sufficiently rigorous to provide a clear view of the quality of provision in all subjects. • The governors fulfil their statutory and other duties well and are highly experienced and committed, but their role in monitoring and guiding school development, although sound, is more

p.18

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 1,867,044 Balance from previous year 119,844 Total expenditure 1,867,895 Balance carried forward to the next 118,993

p.18

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

33. The governors are knowledgeable about education and very capable of taking the school forward. They have many strengths in supporting and guiding the school, which ensures a good quality of education, overall. Governors understand the main strengths and weaknesses of the school well and are highly committed to meeting the needs of all its pupils. They keep well informed about the school’s work through visits and by keeping an oversight of literacy and numeracy development. The governors’ role in shaping the direction of the school, through deciding priorities and in monitoring its efficiency and effectiveness, is sound but more limited. This is due in part to the early stage of monitoring in the foundation subjects, but also to limited prioritising of the many initiatives taking place. This in turn means that governors are not always able to challenge decisions where necessary and inconsistencies in the overall high

p.18

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

quality of provision persist. As the school becomes more complex, so the need for more structured monitoring systems becomes more apparent. The governors have identified these issues and have already begun to address them. The governors ensure that the school fulfils all statutory duties and take part in training where necessary.

p.18

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

34. The headteacher’s role in creating a positive climate for learning and in motivating staff, with the support of parents and governors, is a critical factor in the considerable improvements since the last inspection. The school development plan is very positive in terms of a thorough approach to inclusion and indicates that this aspect of the school’s work is strong. It has resulted in successful provision for pupils with ASD and has ensured that a large number of small inclusion-related aspects of the school’s work have been improved. However, the focus in the development plan on pupils’ achievement and raising standards is too limited and it lacks Marjory Kinnon School - 19 clear priorities to guide the school’s future work in a focused way. This has resulted in the anomalies in the quality of provision, particularly in the humanities and music. 35. The clear, purposeful lead given by the headteacher and senior staff very effectively inspires

p.18

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

staff and pupils to do well and pleases parents. For this reason, staff work as a strong team and are supported in taking the lead when they want to achieve or change something. Most of the parents and carers say that the school is well led and managed. Pupils show respect and high regard for the headteacher.

p.19

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

36. The school takes seriously the need to monitor and evaluate its own performance and, with the local education authority, has already identified for action most of the issues for improvement arising from this inspection, including the need to improve school development planning and the need to improve the monitoring of teaching and learning across the school. The school monitors performance data very well in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science and the majority of subjects are well led. The use of national guidelines and regular monitoring of English and mathematics has improved pupils’ achievements and raised standards. However, the monitoring and evaluation of other subjects is at an early stage of development and is not systematic enough to ensure consistently high quality. This results in inconsistencies in subject quality. The school has recently purchased a software system to

p.19

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

support performance analysis, but the company has since gone into liquidation and this has unfortunately slowed improvement in this area. Opportunities for curriculum co-ordinators to monitor teaching and learning in their areas of responsibility are now included in a forthcoming programme.

p.19

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

37. Approaches to financial management are good. The budget is very well controlled by the bursar and overseen by senior management and governors. Effective systems ensure that money is well prioritised and spent to improve provision, considering best value. For example, the commitment to provide for pupils with ASD has been very well implemented and resourced. There has been considerable investment in ICT equipment and training for staff, which has resulted in the good and improved use of ICT in many subjects.

p.19

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

38. Staff feel well supported and work hard to introduce the various initiatives and appreciate the introduction of lesson preparation and marking time. There is a good ratio and deployment of staff in the school and training is well-targeted to support priorities. Improvements in the quality of teaching and learning have been a direct result of these initiatives.

p.19

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

39. The most significant barrier to achievement has been the recent broadening range of complex difficulties of the pupils. This has challenged staff and required substantial development of new skills and approaches. This in turn has removed the focus from, and slowed development in, other areas.

p.19

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

40. However, the high quality aspirations of staff and governors’, the commitment to continued improvement and insight into where improvements are needed, leaves the school well placed to help all pupils and students achieve as well as they can in the future. Marjory Kinnon School - 20

p.19

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The overall provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good. Teaching and learning are always at least good in the Foundation Stage and sometimes are very good. Teachers and learning support staff make good use of visual resources, symbols and signing. Well-established routines ensure that children have a clear understanding of what they need to learn. The co-ordinator has very good knowledge and understanding of the needs of the children. No opportunity has been made for her to develop monitoring procedures for teaching and learning in the staff team, which limits insight into where improvements are needed.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The inclusion of the children in the wider aspects of school life; for example, in school assemblies, joining other classes for physical education, literacy and numeracy. • The quality of the teaching and staff teamwork, including learning support staff, is strong. • The detailed assessment system breaks learning down into very small steps, that lock into the Years 1 and 2 arrangements, and support good learning and teaching. • Good use is made of the existing resources but there is a shortage of Big Books, resources for information and communication technology and some furniture appropriate for their age. This will limit opportunities for learning as the year progresses. • There are no opportunities for the monitoring of teaching and learning with the Foundation Stage and Year 1.

p.20

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

41. Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good . There are well-established routines and good use is made of learning aids and symbols to ensure that children have a greater understanding of what they are to learn. In this way they learn social skills and, for example, the importance of washing, cleaning teeth and combing hair in a secure learning environment.

p.20

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

42. Provision for communication, language and literacy is good . Through a range of routines, like the ‘sit still’ rhyme and the ‘hello activity’ children learn to identify and label objects and the beginning of words. Using Big Books they explore meanings and sounds before over-writing activities working independently.

p.20

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

43. The provision for mathematical development is good. Children learn to count reliably up to ten everyday objects, using the whiteboard to record their counting. Learning is practical, as they feed the puppet five bananas and four apples in turn. Tasks are broken down into small steps, which help the children to progress more easily towards their early learning goal.

p.20

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

44. The provision for knowledge and understanding is good. Children show curiosity and understanding as they examine a range of objects taken from a ‘feely bag’. They develop their sense of touch and the related vocabulary to explain their handling of objects. They are able to differentiate between soft, sticky and hard. They also experiment with paint and materials in the sandpit as they gain a greater understanding of the objects and materials they use. Marjory Kinnon School - 21

p.20

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

45. The provision for physical development is good. Children, in addition to their activities in the playground, use the soft play area daily. They plan their activities as they play with balls and cubes. There are good opportunities to develop their movement and control as well as their sense of movement, feeling and texture. All are making good progress in their movements and the development of their sense of space.

p.21

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

46. The provision for creative development is very good. Children learn to experiment with a variety of materials and paints. They explore the blending of two colours and learn the different textures and thicknesses. They learn to use big paint brushes and how to combine colours and to differentiate marks and movements on paper. They make very good progress in their exploration of colour, shape and texture.

p.21

English

Provision in English is good . It is particularly effective for younger pupils, so that they learn quickly to communicate well and share in the enjoyment of reading and writing. Provision for pupils aged 11 to 14 years has not proved so motivating, which results in a slowing down of progress, but it picks up again for pupils aged 14 to 16. Improvement since the previous inspection has been good, with better teaching and assessment and lessons more closely linked to the National Curriculum.

p.21

Strengths and weaknesses:

• Pupils’ are confident and achieve very well by the age of 11 years as a result of very good teaching. • The curriculum is very well adapted for pupils with communication difficulties and contributes strongly to social, moral and cultural development. • There are sufficient, good quality and well-used resources, which support learning well. • Opportunities for supporting literacy in all subjects are not well planned and are sometimes missed. • There is a lack of provision for the small number of pupils who are at an early stage of speaking English.

p.21

Commentary

47. Achievement in speaking and listening is good and often very good throughout the school. It is enhanced by drama productions, the input of the speech and language therapist and the high number of visits out of school, which contribute significantly to the social use of language. Pupils on the autistic spectrum achieve particularly well because knowledgeable teachers use a variety of strategies to help them communicate. For example, pupils exchange pictures to get the snack they want, they sign ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ and use speech to join in story-time. Teachers use focused questioning, have warm relationships and pupils have good attitudes to work, except between the ages of 11 and 14 years where attitudes are less positive. This means that pupils become confident communicators, at ease with each other and visitors, and are able to cope in a number of settings. By the time pupils reach the ages of 14 to 16 years

p.21

Commentary

they have the skills necessary to cope with work experience and life beyond school. Marjory Kinnon School - 22 48. Pupils’ achievements in reading and writing are good for the youngest pupils and very good between the ages of 9 to 11 years. However, pupils are less well motivated from the age of 11 and, until they are 14 years old, tend to read aloud with less expression and their achievement drops to satisfactory. This is partly the result of entrance into the secondary environment and for some is their first time in a special school. The impact of working towards nationally accredited courses for the oldest pupils is that they re-focus and achieve well. At Marjory Kinnon school pupils and adults share the enjoyment of reading. This is helped by carefully selected and well-displayed books appealing to boys and girls of all abilities and cultures and including some dual language books. The exception is the lack of multi-sensory books and

p.21

Commentary

story ‘sacks’ for the youngest children. By the age of 11 years, more able pupils read with confidence using a number of clues, including their good phonic knowledge. They select relevant information from reference books and the Internet. By the ages of 14 to 16 years, pupils show enjoyment again in reading and appreciate humour. The good use of ICT motivated one class of boys as they learned about the life of Muhammad Ali, but writing about him was then made more difficult by too much copying from the board.

p.22

Commentary

49. Drama has been well used to focus attention on writing. This has had a good impact on English lessons but is less evident across the curriculum. A consistent approach to handwriting and spelling, especially for those aged 5 to 11 years, and opportunities to write for a range of purposes, has helped to give pupils confidence to commit their ideas to paper. The good use of ICT helps to give pupils pride in their well-presented work. Pupils aged 12 to 14 years show an awareness of poetry forms as they write good quality haikus; for example: “I hate the raindrops/rain hits hard on the windows/sliding down the glass.” By the end of Year 11, the majority of pupils can produce simple but effective writing and cope with many of the writing tasks of everyday life. Less able pupils are enabled to achieve in line with their peers and according to their ability because of highly effective support staff and individual teaching by

p.22

Commentary

a well-trained learning support assistant.

p.22

Commentary

50. Teaching and learning are good, overall, but are particularly good in the primary department and satisfactory in the first stage of the secondary department in Years 7 to 9. Other significant strengths of teaching are teachers’ subject knowledge, the quality of assessment and oral assessment during lessons, so pupils know what they are doing and how to improve. The planning of stimulating lessons with clear objectives leads to good and sometimes very good progress.

p.22

Commentary

51. All of these features were observed in an excellent Year 6 lesson building on a visit to the London Aquarium. Pupils were helped to recount their experiences orally and in writing and enabled to keep up despite the high degree of challenge and fast pace through very good support and the effective use of computers.

p.22

Commentary

52. Lessons that are less successful often lack specific planning for groups of pupils or individuals so that not all pupils make the same progress and sometimes miss opportunities for independence and practising skills. This was seen in one lesson where the lack of provision for a pupil with a sensory impairment meant that much of her time was wasted. The lack of dictionaries hindered pupils’ reference skills but provision for homework in this and other lessons was good.

p.22

Commentary

53. Leadership and management are good, overall, and particularly effective for primary age pupils. This is because the co-ordinator has excellent subject knowledge and skills that she shares productively with colleagues in this and other schools. Pupils’ progress is well monitored through the collection of samples of work and the scrutiny of teachers’ planning but the co-ordinators have insufficient time to observe teaching and so identify weaknesses and help to improve learning further. The rich curriculum gives pupils the opportunity to enjoy theatre groups, poets, authors and book weeks. Marjory Kinnon School - 23

p.22

Language and literacy across the curriculum

54. The promotion of literacy across the curriculum is satisfactory but inconsistent. All teachers develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills well and many display and use words specific to topics or subjects. Very good transfer of skills was seen in an ICT lesson when pupils used correct vocabulary to recall their knowledge of ‘CD-ROMs’, brainstormed ‘search’ questions, then used their reading skills to find and transfer the information on screen. However, there are missed opportunities for pupils to read aloud or to practise their writing, as was seen in a religious education lesson where pupils coloured pictures instead of being supported to write simple sentences.

p.23

French

The quality of provision in French is good . The standard of provision has been satisfactorily maintained since the last inspection when it was also good.

p.23

Strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and the way pupils learn are very good. • Pupils’ behaviour, attitudes and involvement are very good. • A very good range of strategies helps pupils with different learning styles to learn. • Leadership, management, resources and assessment are good, with keen enthusiasm for the subject by the co-ordinator. • There is too little curriculum time allocated to the subject, but the oldest pupils in the primary department are taught French early. • The subject is not monitored by senior management, but the LEA is involved.

p.23

Commentary

55. Achievement is good for pupils aged 11. In the older classes, achievement is satisfactory over time, although pupils are currently learning well. Pupils in the primary department are learning very fast and have great fun learning about the ceremony of the giants in northern France. All pupils learn simple greetings, and answer the register in French confidently. They learn about body parts, ordering food and the names for different sports. They are able to say what they like and do not like using the phrase “J’aime” or “Je n’aime pas”. The progress of secondary department pupils is currently good, but, overall, their achievements are satisfactory because they have only just begun regular lessons this year. In the previous academic year the time allocation was fulfilled with a French week rather than regular lessons. This ensured enjoyment and confidence, but a sound rather than good development of skills.

p.23

Commentary

56. The quality of teaching is very good. The wide range of strategies to help pupils with different learning needs, supported by lively resources, means that all pupils are able to enjoy and understand some of the language. Their enthusiasm is infectious, for example, when they wait for music to stop to read sentences in French. The very high quality of relationships and the well-targeted support given means that pupils are confident to speak in French with a good pronunciation. The teacher does not speak French sufficiently as a means of running the lesson and so pupils’ lack of exposure to hearing fluent French spoken prevents even faster progress. Trips to France in past years have helped support learning and motivation for French very well.

p.23

Commentary

57. Leadership and the management of French are good, overall. The co-ordinator is very well organised and has a good vision for the subject’s development, but is hindered by the lack of curriculum time allocated. There is no involvement by management in monitoring the subject. Marjory Kinnon School - 24

p.23

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning for pupils aged 5 to 16 years are always good and sometimes very good. In the sixth form they are satisfactory. • The provision for pupils with a wide range of additional special educational needs is very good. • The planning, assessment and monitoring of work, to cater for a wide ability range, are very good for pupils aged 5 to 16 years. In the sixth form they are satisfactory. • Achievement of pupils aged 5 to 11 years is consistently good. Pupils enjoy the subject and work hard to improve. • Numeracy skills are not always well developed in other subjects.

p.24

Commentary

58. Pupils’ achievement across the school has made good improvement since the time of the last inspection when the subject was judged to be satisfactory. They achieve well in relation to prior attainment because the numeracy strategies are embedded in current practice. The assessment scheme has been very effective throughout the school for most pupils. However, because of an increase in pupils from a wider ability range, there is a lack of measures for smaller steps in learning for the least able pupils.

p.24

Commentary

59. The improvement in the teaching and learning results from clear leadership provided by the two co-ordinators. They have a shared vision for the improvement of teaching and learning and progress has been tracked with care. Staff in the newly established sixth form centre are making a start on a range of accredited courses. It is too early to make a judgement on their progress and achievement.

p.24

Commentary

60. In Years 1 to 6, pupils learn to extend their knowledge of number, shape, money and fractions. By the end of Year 6, they are able to use money for shopping and give change. They can tell the time accurately and round up numbers to 100. Lessons are always planned to include practical applications. For example, in one lesson, Year 6 pupils were estimating and checking the length of a whale (26 metres). A feature of this lesson was the accurate measurement of the whale size in the playground and the amazement of the pupils when they realised how long 26 metres represented.

p.24

Commentary

61. Teachers for pupils aged 11 to 14 years build upon the pupils’ knowledge of number operations. They become familiar with inverse functions and repeated relationships in number, learning different ways to make calculations. Lessons are divided into clear parts. For example, all start with mental work before starting group and practical activities. This is also true for pupils aged 14 to 16 years. For example, Year 10 pupils were identifying the different types of equipment used to measure long and short distances from the metre stick to the trundle wheel. The majority of pupils were able to measure accurately in millimetres and centimetres. In the sixth form centre, pupils have started a range of accredited courses, including the GCSE foundation course and Youth Award Scheme (ASDAN). Good efforts have been made to target pupils’ individual needs with suitably accredited courses in the subject.

p.24

Commentary

62. The quality of teaching is good or better for pupils in the primary and secondary department. Lessons are consistently well planned and good resources are available to support the learning. Mental work is followed by practical activities designed to develop pupils’ number and measurement skills. Pupils work productively and, at the end of lessons, assessment is made of what has been learned by the pupils. Some use is made of ICT. For example, in Year 6, pupils were finding out about the size of a whale. The teacher related their investigations to Marjory Kinnon School - 25 a mathematics programme on the Internet. Pupils were able to compare the size of the whale with other giant creatures. However, the use of ICT in mathematics lessons is at an early stage of development.

p.24

Mathematics across the curriculum

63. Although the National Numeracy Strategy has been implemented well in mathematics lessons themselves, there has been no systematically planned development of numeracy in other subjects. There are, however, some good examples of this aspect. The oldest pupils aged 16 years, in food technology, were learning to read prices on a menu and were adding together menu items highlighting particular costs. They were working out the overall costs of the meal. There are some other examples of data-handling in science and studies of shape and pattern in art and design.

p.25

SCIENCE

The provision for science is very good. Science is not taught at post-16. Improvement since the last inspection is good.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Progress and achievement are very good and pupils are well motivated. • Overall, teaching is very good. • The subject is very well led and managed.

p.25

Commentary

64. Pupils’ achievement in science is very good throughout the school. By the age of 11 years, pupils are developing very good investigative habits. They recognise the need to observe carefully and understand what constitutes a ‘fair test’. These skills are built upon and developed in the secondary department, so that by the age of 16 years many pupils are successful in the Entry Level Certificate and the highest-attaining pupils should gain a grade at General Certificate of Education.

p.25

Commentary

65. Overall, teaching and learning are very good. Teachers plan lessons in detail and prepare worksheets perceptively to match the capabilities and needs of pupils well, so that they can successfully attempt progressively challenging demands. This motivates the pupils and they respond by working hard and showing high levels of enjoyment. Teachers and learning support staff know the pupils individually and are thus able to manage classroom behaviour well, so that disturbances are rare. They take every opportunity to praise and encourage success. Relationships are very good and play a positive role in maintaining the quality of learning in science, so that pupils with complex learning difficulties are often able to join the main school classes. All pupils respond positively and are very keen to participate and show what they know, understand and can do, by answering questions, making suggestions, or

p.25

Commentary

reading aloud. Pupils are encouraged to contribute in these ways and frequently praised for their effort, so that each feels valued and there is no fear of failure or rejection. The introduction of ‘merits’ is raising the standard of effort and behaviour even higher. Teachers make lessons interesting. They provide plenty of opportunities for pupils to learn through carrying out investigations. These are often introduced in a manner that makes the discovery exciting, which assists learning. This is often consolidated by being linked with other subjects. For example, showing that some changes are reversible in science is linked to the rain cycle in geography, as pupils learn about evaporation and condensation. In lessons, frequent questioning during the experiment ensures that pupils understand what they are doing and then moves on to encourage them to make predictions about what and why things are as they are

p.25

Commentary

and how they may change. As well as demonstrating scientific method, this enables the teacher to gain a grasp of each pupil’s learning, so that misconceptions may be corrected before they have time to take root. Marjory Kinnon School - 26 66. The subject is very well led by a dynamic and proactive subject specialist in the secondary department and is very well supported by her colleague in the primary department. Together, they ensure that overall planning and provision for science throughout the school are of high quality. The end-of-module assessments provide clear information to both pupils and teachers about progress. The classrooms provide adequate accommodation for science in the primary department, but the laboratory used by pupils in the secondary department is small and can be uncomfortably crowded for the larger classes. This is difficult when pupils with ASD are included into lessons. The taught time for science is also low, preventing even better

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are very good resources both for learning and the support of a technician. • The curriculum and scheme of work have improved well since the last inspection. • There is insufficient use of ICT to support and enrich all subjects.

p.26

Commentary

67. The achievement of pupils, including those with additional special educational needs, is good. The good improvement since the last inspection is due to staff training and the school’s investment in new computers, equipment and suitable programs for use in each area of the school. All classes have access to printers and connection to the Internet. The appointment of a technician, plus a good scheme of work, provides the support needed to improve the teaching and learning of ICT skills across the school.

p.26

Commentary

68. By the age of 7 years, good achievement is evident as pupils are able to use the mouse to ‘click’ and ‘drag’ objects to suit the task. The youngest pupils can add trucks to an on-screen train. By the age of 11 years, the good achievement continues and pupils use ICT to present information in a variety of forms, demonstrating an awareness of the expected audience in their presentations. They make good use of ICT to write, decorate and print their poems as part of National Poetry Day. They also use video as part of a multimedia geography project about Wales, and record their introductions to the project to be included in their presentation. However, their use of e-mail to communicate with other pupils or schools is at an early stage of development.

p.26

Commentary

69. By the age of 14 years, pupils continue to achieve well. They know that information can be obtained from many sources, including CD-ROM, video, television and the Internet. Pupils aged 14 years are able to transfer information found on CD-ROM, using ‘cut and paste’ to put the information found, for example, ‘Where did Robin Hood live?’, into their own word files. By the age of 16 years, pupils are able to demonstrate their good achievement by using their knowledge of ICT to produce posters for the forthcoming play Macbeth and use the Internet to plan a visit to the Planetarium in London, finding how to get there and the costs involved.

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Commentary

70. The quality of teaching and learning are good. Teachers make very good use of the projector linked to the computers in one of the ICT suites, to demonstrate the skills and programs, prior to pupils working independently. Pupils work well in pairs and make very good use of the resources and the advice of teachers, support assistants and the technician to make good progress towards completing the task set. The oldest pupils quickly grasped the use of a multimedia program and produced colourful title pages for a presentation using a variety of colours and lettering. Teachers’ high expectations and good subject knowledge are reflected in pupils’ interest and their very good attitudes to work. Pupils, including those with additional special educational needs, make good progress because they are well supported by experienced support assistants. Marjory Kinnon School - 27 71. The quality of computers in departments and in classrooms is very good, as is the ratio of

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Commentary

computers, including laptops, to pupils. The new computer suites, digital cameras and appropriate software are having a positive impact on pupils’ ICT skills and achievements.

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Commentary

72. The subject is well led and managed. The subject leader is knowledgeable and has produced a good action plan, which focuses appropriately on raising standards by encouraging the use of ICT across the curriculum. She organises a popular after-school club for pupils.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

73. Although there are some good examples of the use of ICT to support pupils’ learning in the other subjects, the school has recognised that this is inconsistent between classes, year groups and subjects and requires further development.

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HUMANITIES

Provision in the humanities is satisfactory . No lessons were observed in history, but four classes were seen in geography and two in religious education. In addition, a broad sample of pupils’ work was scrutinised.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The co-ordinator has good subject knowledge. • There is good planning for the subject. • In the majority of lessons there is a good match of teaching styles to pupils’ learning needs. • Very good use is made of visits to enhance learning. • A few lessons are unstructured and not planned to take account of the range of abilities in the class. • There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to use their literacy skills in some lessons. • There is a lack of opportunity for monitoring of teaching and learning in the classrooms by the subject co-ordinator.

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Commentary

74. Achievement is satisfactory, overall. Younger pupils make sound progress and learn about their world from the localities of their own homes to aspects of the wider world. They begin to appreciate how the larger environment, beyond where they live, affects their own lives. By the age of 11 years, the most able pupils can begin to distinguish the physical features of the landscape. They understand how a river develops from its source in its journey to the sea. Less able pupils achieve to a satisfactory level and can, for example, describe how it becomes faster and then wider. Pupils in the secondary department demonstrate satisfactory learning as they make contrasts between life in Britain and in northern Canada. They can describe how the Inuit use natural resources in a harsh environment, and make contrasts with their own lives. Many pupils have good knowledge and understanding of settlements, how they began

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Commentary

and developed into villages, towns and cities. The more able pupils, by the age of 14, can use details on a map to produce simple bar charts plotting the number of settlements in one area of the country.

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Commentary

75. Teaching and learning are satisfactory, overall, and teaching quality varies from class to class. Features of some good lessons include the teacher’s ability to match teaching styles with the needs of the pupils. Activities are provided that are short and specific and continually reinforce what has already been learned. The teacher in one lesson used an imaginative technique to Marjory Kinnon School - 28 demonstrate how a river develops in its journey to the sea. Pupils joined in the practical activity with enthusiasm. Older pupils are encouraged to analyse data and make graphs. High expectations and effective use of educational visits support good learning for many pupils. Where teaching contains weaknesses, pupils are not provided with sufficiently structured activities to reinforce learning. There are no clear mechanisms by which the teacher can assess what the pupils know, understand and can do. Activities are not planned to take

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Commentary

account of the wide range of abilities in the class, particularly those of the higher-attaining pupils.

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Commentary

76. History and geography alternate on the timetable termly. As a consequence, no lessons of history were seen during the week of the inspection. Achievement, overall, is no better than satisfactory because, although some good and very good learning is taking place, this is not consistent for pupils of different abilities and work is not planned and taught in all classes to suit pupils’ different needs. Scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that the more able pupils are producing good standards of work according to their abilities. By the age of 11 years the most able pupils provide good examples of written work, which describes their visit to Hampton Court. The less able pupils, however, show limited evidence of progress over time. Their work is satisfactory, overall, according to their abilities. For example, they complete a time-line of the Tudor monarchs with some support. Tasks are not well adapted to suit the learning needs of

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Commentary

pupils with the most limited abilities and so learning is satisfactory rather than good, overall, for this age group. This is linked to a lack of assessment for pupils who need their learning measured in smaller steps. By the age of 14 years, pupils show sound achievement as they arrange lists of inventions, according to whether they were pre- or post-1900, without help. One more able pupil makes informed choices about whether he would rather have lived in 1750 or 1900. The older pupils with higher ability are beginning to show a good understanding of chronology and can sequence events. Younger pupils relate events in their own past.

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Commentary

77. The humanities co-ordinator is experienced and plans the schemes of work for both geography and history very effectively. However, currently, she has minimal opportunity to monitor teaching of humanities by other colleagues in their classroom. This leads to variations in the quality of teaching and learning and a limited overview of where the weaknesses lie. Monitoring opportunities are being planned for next term. The limits to curriculum time mean that some subjects such as the humanities do not currently offer accreditation. In addition there is limited use of ICT to support pupils when they want to find information. New procedures for assessing pupils’ abilities and progress have now been established but are not yet fully implemented for those who need their learning measured in smaller steps. Opportunities for pupils to use their numeracy skills in humanities are good. A focus on literacy skills is well

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Commentary

provided for in schemes of work in both subjects; however, not all teachers provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to use them. A wide range of visits to local venues enhances pupils’ learning well.

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Commentary

78. There has been good improvement in the provision for humanities. Planning is now very good and effective assessment procedures are in place.

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Religious education

The provision for religious education is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Older pupils show a good standard of knowledge and understanding of a range of world faiths. • Younger pupils, especially those with additional special educational needs, are beginning to have good understanding of the basic themes of religious education. Marjory Kinnon School - 29 • Planning and resources for religious education are good. • Good use is made of visits to venues of all major world faiths. • Some lower-achieving pupils are not sufficiently challenged in their written work. • In some lessons there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to use their literacy skills. • There is a lack of opportunity for the monitoring of teaching and learning in the classrooms by the subject co-ordinator to identify priorities for development.

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Commentary

79. Standards of achievement are good, overall. Younger pupils begin to have a good awareness of basic religious themes, especially celebration. They recognise that ‘Special Times’ include not only birthdays but also holidays and weddings and make choices as to which of their classmates they will design and send a greetings card. Older pupils can demonstrate how to test belief by analysing a set of statements and answering the question ‘how do you know?’ The most able pupils add some beliefs of their own. Other pupils show good knowledge and understanding of aspects of the life of Gandhi. They also recognise that there is a variety of other world faiths and are able to explain some of the basic beliefs in each. Pupils have produced good written descriptions of their visit to a synagogue.

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Commentary

80. Teaching and learning are good. Lessons are generally well planned and appropriate to the levels of abilities of the pupils. In those classes where there is a wide range of abilities, teachers prepare work that can be undertaken successfully by all. During lessons they make opportunities to engage pupils in discussions, which reinforce moral and social values. However, scrutiny of work and observations of lessons show that in a few classes too much use is made of colouring-in pictures and other less challenging activities, particularly for pupils of lower ability. They are given too few opportunities to practice their writing and extend their vocabulary.

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Commentary

81. The co-ordinator is new to the post, but is experienced in the subject and has planned a thorough and relevant scheme of work based on the Locally Agreed Syllabus for religious education. Assessment is newly in place and now provides relevant information on pupils’ progress. Resources, especially artefacts and visits to venues of all the major faiths of the world, are strengths of the department. However, the use of ICT is underdeveloped. The subject co-ordinator has no opportunity for monitoring teaching and learning, which leads to variations in quality and some of the shortcoming described above.

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Commentary

82. Improvement is good. The school has addressed the issue highlighted in the last inspection. The governors have now included a statement on the right of parents to withdraw their children from religious education in the school prospectus.

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TECHNOLOGY

Three lessons were seen in design and technology, in Years 9, 10 and 11. In addition, a small sample of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning was scrutinised.

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Design and technology

Provision in design and technology is satisfactory.

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Commentary

83. No overall judgement is made about teaching and learning, but the teaching seen was of a good quality and pupils enjoy the subject. Their attitudes and behaviour are good. Scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that they achieve well. Pupils achieve well in Years 10 and 11, completing a number of design and technology units successfully as part of an externally accredited course. Year 11 pupils produce a variety of wooden clocks to a good standard. Leadership of the Marjory Kinnon School - 30 subject is effective, and the subject leader has developed the schemes of work to integrate pupils with more complex difficulties successfully, including ASD, in the design and technology lessons. The examination of teachers’ planning suggests satisfactory coverage of the National Curriculum but the range of materials pupils use is limited to wood, food and textiles, which limits pupils’ opportunities. The accommodation and resources available for design and

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Commentary

technology are good, but ICT is not used sufficiently to extend pupils’ learning.

p.30

VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

The provision for art is good . Four lessons were seen in the primary department. It was not possible to observe any lessons in the secondary department. Art is not taught at post-16.

p.30

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and pupils’ learning are good. • Attractive displays around the school celebrate pupils’ achievement and good progress in art. • The subject is well led and managed by a teacher who is enthusiastic and committed to raising standards. • The work of other artists is used effectively to stimulate pupils’ interest and ideas. • Older pupils do not have opportunities to study for external accreditation.

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Commentary

84. Achievement for pupils aged 5 to 8 years is satisfactory and improves until, by the age of 11 years, they achieve well. This is maintained for pupils aged 11 to 14 years as they explore their ideas and bring them to life by experimenting with different processes. The recent development of an option in art for pupils aged 14 to 16 years is an improvement, as there is no opportunity for external accreditation at present.

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Commentary

85. Teaching is good and well-matched to the different needs and abilities of the pupils, so that pupils’ learning is also good. Pupils are offered good opportunities to produce work of a high standard by studying the many examples by well-known artists. Other opportunities are presented through the several visits that are made in other curriculum areas. For example, primary pupils were using a visit to the London Aquarium as the starting point for three- dimensional work and collage. Independence is encouraged, and by Year 6 most pupils can work sensibly, so that ‘accidents’ do not happen and clearing-up at the end is completed quickly and efficiently. Lessons are well planned within the module. Both teachers and learning support staff are skilled at motivating pupils, so that lessons move along at a good rate. During the practical sessions, staff move from pupil to pupil and use questions and praise well to

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Commentary

enable pupils to increase their understanding of processes and improve their work, while the teacher can take note of gains in knowledge.

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Commentary

86. The enthusiastic co-ordinator has led the subject well since the last inspection, so that an integrated scheme of work supports the curriculum. This is complemented by the very good display of pupils’ artwork, which brightens the whole school. The subject is further enhanced by good links with the art departments at local schools, the photography course at a nearby college and occasional visits from artists. Resources have been improved and are now sufficient to meet present needs, but the co-ordinator is planning to develop both the facilities and media available. The use of ICT to enhance learning in art is underdeveloped. A room for art is now in use, which is also an improvement, but it becomes congested when occupied by a large class and this restricts movement and the opportunity for individual large-scale work. Overall, there has been good improvement in the subject since the last inspection.

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Music

The provision for music is unsatisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Teaching and learning are good for pupils aged 4 to 7 years. • Progress and achievement are unsatisfactory for pupils aged 7 to 14 years. • Leadership is unsatisfactory and there has been insufficient improvement since the last inspection.

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Commentary

87. Pupils’ achievement in music is unsatisfactory by the age of 14 years. Since the last inspection a scheme of work has been formulated for the foundation and primary stages of education. However, this is not referenced to the National Curriculum, which came into force in 2000. The timetabling of four primary classes as a group compounds this weakness. A scheme of work for the secondary department is not yet written.

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Commentary

88. Teaching and learning in the lessons observed are satisfactory, overall. In Years 1 and 2 they are good as pupils make good progress through skilled and structured teaching. Good subject knowledge enables imaginative teaching. Pupils are enthusiastic musicians and beat a rhythm on their knees and recognise loud and soft. Their attitude and behaviour are good, maintained by the very good pace of the lessons and the choice of music. In Years 3 to 6 classes are taught together, which does not allow for, or match, the progressive development that is planned for in the scheme of work and, therefore, learning over these years is not secure. However, teaching and learning in the lesson seen were good, as the pupils sang tunefully and understood the difference between rhythm and beat. The vitality and enthusiasm of the teacher ensured that pupils were well motivated which, together with the praise given to them for their

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Commentary

effort, supported their learning in this single lesson well. In Years 7 to 9, teaching and learning are unsatisfactory. Although elements of the Programme of Study are planned, the management of behaviour is such that lessons are slow, activities do not motivate pupils appropriately, and pupils fail to listen to requests and therefore fail to achieve productive outcomes or learn satisfactorily.

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Commentary

89. The leadership, management and improvement in this subject since the last inspection have been unsatisfactory. Without suitable timetabling for the schemes of work and their assessment tasks, teaching cannot be monitored and evaluated to ensure that pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the subject develops appropriately. Positively, the music therapist uses the specialist room effectively and there is a lively and well-attended music club after school. There is a good variety of instruments throughout the school. Similarly, the school makes many opportunities for the pupils to listen to visiting musicians. Music is one subject that has too little overall curriculum time allocated, due in part to the short school day.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

90. Few lessons were observed and no overall judgements are offered. One very good games lesson was seen, involving three classes in Years 7, 8 and 9, and an excellent dance lesson was seen with pupils in Years 5 and 6. In both of these lessons, ASD pupils were included successfully.

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PHYSICAL EDUCATION

91. Temporary leadership of physical education by the headteacher is good. The examination of teachers’ planning and discussions with the subject leader suggests good coverage of the National Curriculum. The school makes very good use of local sports facilities, including sailing, gymnastics, climbing and swimming, and makes good use of the outdoor activities Marjory Kinnon School - 32 available on organised visits to activity centres, including a residential visit earlier this year for secondary pupils in Yorkshire. Pupils’ records show that they achieve well in swimming; last year, 6 of the 11 primary pupils involved progressed to swimming 25 metres.

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BUSINESS AND OTHER VOCATIONAL COURSES

92. It was not possible to view the vocational courses undertaken at local colleges during the inspection, because they take place on Friday afternoons. Vocational education is at an early stage of development in the school. Year 10 have an options afternoon each week, where they work for four weeks in different areas, such as art, food technology and design and technology. In addition, they go to link courses at college and stay together for the first year. In the second year they are supported in the college mainstream for different classes or courses, such as catering, or hair and beauty. Year 11 study photography and ceramics. Provision is satisfactory, overall, with some good work being undertaken to secure more choice and greater inclusion by the colleges. Young enterprise has been undertaken in the past, and is being considered for the future, but is not currently offered.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

The provision for personal, social and health education is very good. Citizenship is an integral part of that programme.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school has up-to-date policies, which cover all aspects of sex and relationships education, drugs and alcohol abuse. • The implementation of Project Achieve and the Life Skills programmes in Years 10 and 11 is having a very good impact upon pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and the preparation for citizenship. • PSHE lessons and ‘circle times’ develop social skills effectively and an awareness of other people and cultures. • The school has been given a Healthy Schools’ Award. • There has been no formal evaluation of Project Achieve and the overall programme.

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Commentary

93. The school provides an effective personal, social and educational programme, which includes the development of citizenship. Pupils from Years 1 to 6 experience opportunities to develop confidence and responsibility. The ethos of the school is essentially built upon the importance of caring and supporting one another, combined with developing an awareness of other cultures. This embraces a respect for the school environment and looking for opportunities to help others in need. These features play an important part in the preparation for citizenship. For example, Year 1 pupils during ‘snack time’ learn to say ‘please’ and ‘thank-you’, take turns and make choices. Older pupils undertake a range of responsibilities, for example, returning registers and distributing milk. Many classes have a rota system, because pupils are keen to help. Older pupils demonstrate their developing sense of responsibility as they use public

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Commentary

transport or look after school visitors on special occasions. Year 11 pupils make their own way to colleges using bus passes.

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Commentary

94. The School Council provides opportunities for representation from across the school to develop pupils’ own ideas on whole-school matters. For example, what they would like to change and how can the help new pupils joining the school. Another feature of the programme is the emphasis given to developing a healthy life style. The Health Authority provides an occasional talk to focus on specific topics for specific year groups, such as healthy eating in year 7. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 participate in role-play, visit the courts and the police station, as well as receiving talks about future jobs. Marjory Kinnon School - 33 95. The quality of teaching and learning is very good. Teachers plan a range of experiences, including role-play on topics like safety issues. In one Year 10 lesson, pupils were planning a safety video about ‘Dangerous Situations’. Pupils were required to develop their ideas logically

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Commentary

and make decisions. They responded with enthusiasm. Pupils in Year 8 to 9 were reflecting on a music lesson when one or two pupils were behaving badly. It was a very good example of how the school works hard to show pupils the consequences of their actions.

p.33

Commentary

96. At the time of the inspection, there was no co-ordinator available in school to discuss the management and monitoring of the programme. Marjory Kinnon School - 34

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SUBJECTS AND COURSES IN THE SIXTH FORM

In the inspection, no subjects were inspected in detail. Work in the subjects and courses sampled contributed to the overall picture of teaching and learning in the sixth form. Four sessions were observed, students, staff and the speech therapist were interviewed and a community-based activity was inspected. The new sixth form centre opened four weeks ago with a small initial intake of seven students. It is specifically for students with autistic spectrum disorders. It is too early in the term and in the development of education for students, post-16, to judge the overall quality of provision and achievement securely. The following strengths and weaknesses have been identified during the inspection:

p.34

Strengths and weaknesses

• The accommodation is very good. • Relationships and behaviour are very good. • The leisure opportunities provided, self-help skills and physical challenges are very good. • The personal help and guidance given to the students is good. • The basic accredited courses provided are insufficiently challenging for the most able students, although they are enabled to join the main school for GCSE courses. • The students lack opportunities for mixing with their mainstream college peer group. This is unsatisfactory, although the school has sought such placements regularly and continues to do so.

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Strengths and weaknesses

99. The accommodation is purpose built and offers attractive and appropriate facilities for good post-16 education, including social areas, kitchen, dining-room, computer room and library. In all the lessons, activities, and during the coffee morning that inspectors attended, the behaviour of the students and the relationships with staff and between students was exemplary. Good humour, a keen sense of purpose and hard work are usually evident and students are always willing to discuss what they are doing and are hoping to achieve.

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Strengths and weaknesses

100. The leisure opportunities provided, where students go swimming, cook their own food, do yoga and attend the local fitness suite for example, are very good. The support, advice and guidance given are good, overall. Students’ views and those of their parents are taken into consideration, they are supported in their intentions and future plans and are helped to develop their basic skills. Assessment for those students with good basic skills, however, is not yet carried out early enough in the first term to ensure that more challenging work is in place where appropriate.

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Strengths and weaknesses

101. The sixth form curriculum is based upon the needs of the students who attended Marjory Kinnon school last year. It is suited to the needs of those particular students and provides a good structure to build upon, leading to a Youth Award Scheme (ASDAN) qualification. However, for some students the curriculum is too narrow and does not challenge them sufficiently or enable them to make full use of all the skills they possess. The school is aware of this problem and has arranged for them to join higher-level courses in the main school until more suitable college-based courses are in place. Several students feel keenly that they want to mix with their mainstream peers. Both of these issues are complicated by the fact that it takes time to link with suitable college courses now that the student abilities and aptitudes are becoming clear. Relevant courses this term are currently full. In addition, the colleges request

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Strengths and weaknesses

that Marjory Kinnon students are taught as a separate group and their right to individual placements on main college courses have yet to be negotiated. Added to these barriers are tight staffing and funding issues. These difficulties are partly due to the newness of the provision and the small number of students; the staff are working very hard to secure a fuller range of appropriate courses and qualifications for the new students. Admissions criteria and the prior collection of information when students come into the centre are currently underdeveloped. Marjory Kinnon School - 35

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspection judgement Sixth form grade School grade

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the sixth form and the school 0 3 How inclusive the school is 2 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 8 3 Cost effectiveness of the sixth form / value for money provided by the school 8 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 3 Pupils’ achievement 0 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 2 Attendance 4 4 Attitudes 2 2 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 2 2 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 0 3 How well pupils learn 0 3 The quality of assessment 0 3 How well the curriculum meets pupils needs 4 3 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 3 Accommodation and resources 2 4 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 2 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 2 2 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 2 2 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 2 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 2 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 3 The governance of the school 4 4 The leadership of the headteacher 3 The leadership of other key staff 0 3 The effectiveness of management 3 3

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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).

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