Northgate School

NORTHGATE SCHOOL

Lead inspector: Ms Margaret Julia Goodchild

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NORTHGATE SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated.

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NORTHGATE 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. Northgate School - 3

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIT

Type of school: The unit provides for patients in an acute and a chronic psychiatric clinic School category: Pupil referral unit Age range of pupils: 13 – 19 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 25

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIT

School address: Edgware Community Hospital Burnt Oak Broadway Edgware Middlesex Postcode: HA8 0AD

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIT

Telephone number: 0208 732 6400 Fax number: 0208 732 6401

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIT

Appropriate authority: The local education authority Name of designated officer: Valerie Standen

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNIT

Date of previous inspection: The unit has not been inspected before

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE UNIT

Northgate School is designated as a pupil referral unit 1 and has been located within Edgware Community Hospital since November 1998. The student population is made up entirely of patients at either Northgate Clinic or New Beginning Crisis Recovery Unit (CRU). These clinics and the unit provide for 13 to 19 year olds. Northgate Clinic serves the needs of patients who have over a period of time exhibited behaviour associated with mental health difficulties and have given their consent to be admitted into a community based therapeutic programme for a period of up to 12 months. Part of the programme consists of periods of time in education should members of their medical team agree with them that they are well enough to attend the unit. New Beginning CRU was officially opened in February 2004 for patients who have been admitted under the Mental Health Act and have experienced an acute or critical episode associated with mental health difficulties. This clinic offers

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE UNIT

secure accommodation, and patients are only able to remain on the ward for up to 42 days, with admission and discharge occurring rapidly. These patients are encouraged to attend the unit as part of their overall programme. Students who were previously enrolled at mainstream school or college remain on the roll of that establishment during their time at Northgate School. Most students come from North London local education authorities and the Primary Care Trust purchases places in either Northgate Clinic or New Beginning CRU; a minority of students come from local education authorities further afield. Until October 2002, Northgate School was a 12-place unit. It then grew in line with health expansion to a 21-place unit. The agreed maximum number of students is now 33. There are currently 12 students in Years 8 to 11, the majority of whom are girls, and a further 13 post-16 students across both clinics. Of these, five are completing AS level courses (four of whom

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE UNIT

are dual-registered with other providers) and the remaining eight students undertake Key Skills activities. A small number of students are of ethnic minority heritage; none speak English as an additional language. Two students have a statement of special educational need for social, emotional and behaviour difficulties. One student is in public care. Standards on entry are highly variable from student to student, ranging from above to well below average.

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE UNIT

1 Reflecting its designation as a pupil referral unit, Northgate School is referred to as a ‘unit’ in this report. Northgate School - 4

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

15918 Margaret Julia Goodchild Lead inspector English Art and design Citizenship Religious education 19727 Eric Langford Lay inspector 2901 Gulshan Kayembe Team inspector Science Design and technology Information and communication technology Music Physical education English as an additional language 23886 Declan McCarthy Team inspector Mathematics Humanities Special educational needs

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

6 East Point High Street Seal Sevenoaks Kent TN15 OEG

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE INSPECTION TEAM

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). Northgate School - 5 REPORT CONTENTS

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PART B: COMMENTARY ON THE MAIN INSPECTION FINDINGS

Standards achieved in subjects and courses

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PART B: COMMENTARY ON THE MAIN INSPECTION FINDINGS

Students’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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PART B: COMMENTARY ON THE MAIN INSPECTION FINDINGS

QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE UNIT 11-16

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PART B: COMMENTARY ON THE MAIN INSPECTION FINDINGS

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

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PART B: COMMENTARY ON THE MAIN INSPECTION FINDINGS

PART C: THE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN SUBJECTS AND COURSES 19-26

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SUBJECTS IN KEY STAGES 3 and 4 and at post-16

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS 27 Northgate School - 6

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The overall effectiveness of the unit is satisfactory, and improving . Standards vary significantly from student to student, ranging from work by higher-attaining students that is above average to work that is below average. Students’ achievement is satisfactory. Although teaching was good in many of the lessons seen, teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. The very good leadership of the newly appointed headteacher is enabling the unit to overcome previous weaknesses and to give satisfactory value for money.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The unit’s main strengths and weaknesses are:

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OVERALL EVALUATION

• The headteacher provides dynamic leadership and has a clear vision for establishing the unit as a centre of excellence. • Students who attend regularly have begun to achieve well, especially in English and mathematics in Years 10 and 11 and in art; some individual students at post-16 make good progress in preparing for more advanced study. • There are productive links with other educational establishments, and induction arrangements are good. • Students with statements of special educational need are supported well. • Its designation as a pupil referral unit, when it clearly fulfils the role of a hospital school, hampers the unit’s work. • Unsatisfactory funding arrangements impede development and there is a history of poor leadership and management by the local education authority. • Provision for ICT is unsatisfactory and computer resources are inadequate. • Aspects of assessment, recording and reporting of students’ achievement are effective but

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OVERALL EVALUATION

assessment procedures require further development.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This is the first time that the unit has been inspected.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Students’ achievement is satisfactory . Those students who attend the unit regularly make good progress in some subjects. Standards vary significantly from student to student, ranging from work by higher-attaining students that is above average to work that is below average. Overall standards are below average in Years 8 and 9, but close to the national average in English and mathematics in Years 10 and 11, and in line with course expectations at post-16. Standards in science are below average overall, although students are now making good progress in lessons. In ICT, standards and students’ achievement are adversely affected by inadequate resources and by unsatisfactory teaching and co-ordination. Students achieve well in art throughout the school. Students with a statement of special educational need make good progress.

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Students’ personal qualities, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural

development, are satisfactory . Behaviour is good. Students are not obliged to attend the unit, so attendance is deemed to be satisfactory overall. Where clinicians have agreed to students’ attendance, some do not do so regularly and these students make less progress than they could. Punctuality to sessions is unsatisfactory. The unit has begun to work to improve punctuality and attendance.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is satisfactory . Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall , with weaknesses in marking, although most of the teaching seen during the inspection was good. Some gaps in assessment mean that it is unsatisfactory; the unit is working currently to develop assessment, recording and reporting systems in order to raise standards. Northgate School - 7 The curriculum is satisfactory. A good range of subjects is provided, but opportunities for enrichment – that comes from visits out and from the involvement of visitors – to students’ learning are unsatisfactory. The unit cares for its students satisfactorily and works increasingly closely with staff in the two psychiatric clinics it serves. Partnership with parents is underdeveloped, whilst that with other educational establishments is good.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory . The newly appointed headteacher provides very clear direction to the unit’s work and has the potential to become an outstanding leader: she is working to transform every aspect of the unit’s work and has been quick to identify what needs to be done. Most others in posts of responsibility have taken on roles quite recently, so that their leadership is satisfactory overall, although most have made a good start in developing provision. Internal management of the unit is good. The local education authority has provided poor leadership and management. Arrangements for monitoring the work of the unit are at a very early stage of development and a management committee has only just been established. Statutory requirements for performance management are not met. Funding arrangements – whereby the unit has direct access to very little money – hamper development and have led to an inadequate level of resourcing.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The designation of Northgate School as a pupil referral unit does not reflect accurately the nature of its work. The fulfilment of the headteacher’s vision for the unit, including restructuring of staffing, is dependent on these factors being remedied.

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PARENTS’ AND STUDENTS’ VIEWS OF THE UNIT

It is not possible to comment on parents’ views, because too few parents expressed an opinion via the parents’ questionnaire and none attended the pre-inspection meeting. Those students who attend regularly have positive feelings about what the unit has to offer.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the unit should do to improve are to:

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• Re-designate Northgate School as a hospital school rather than a pupil referral unit, in order to reflect the existing nature of its work and enable its profile to be raised. • Improve the local education authority’s strategic leadership and management of the unit, so that necessary development is properly supported and monitored. • Reorganise the funding to enable the unit to improve the quality of education and to restructure its staffing arrangements. • Improve provision for ICT. • Strengthen partnership with parents. • Develop further methods of assessment, recording and reporting and ensure that students’ work is regularly marked.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

• Ensure that suitable arrangements are introduced for the performance management of staff. Northgate School - 8

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Standards vary significantly from student to student, but they are generally below average in Years 8 and 9, close to the national average in Years 10 and 11, and in line with course expectations at post- 16. Achievement is satisfactory overall.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Recent improvements in the curriculum mean that students are now making better progress than they did previously in the unit; in most lessons seen, students achieved well. • Students who do not attend regularly or who are allocated a small amount of curriculum time make less progress than they could. • Achievement is good in English and mathematics in Years 10 and 11 and in art; achievement in ICT is unsatisfactory. • Students with special educational needs achieve well.

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Commentary

1. The unit has a good record of returning students to mainstream schools, or enabling them to go on to further education or employment. GCSE results in 2003 show that many students met and some exceeded their predicted grades. The highest-attaining student gained eight A* to C grades. Other students gained between one and four A* to G grades, but with most performing in the A* to C range.

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Commentary

2. Recent improvements in provision mean that students who attend regularly have begun to make good progress, as they did in many of the lessons seen during the inspection. A significant minority of students attend irregularly and they get less benefit than they could from the educational programme on offer. Students from the Northgate Clinic have the widest range of learning opportunities provided for them and spend most time in the unit. They therefore make better progress academically than students from the New Beginning CRU, who have just a few sessions of education a week.

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Commentary

3. The unit has only a small number of students in Years 8 and 9 on its roll. Currently, standards in Year 9 are below the national average although students’ achievement is satisfactory. In Years 10 and 11, some students are admitted who have been high attainers before developing psychological problems in the later stages of their GCSE courses. These students are working above the national average. Achievement in Years 10 and 11 is good in English and mathematics, where teaching is consistently at least good. Students’ achievement is satisfactory overall in science, although students have begun to make good progress in lessons as a result of improvements in the curriculum.

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Commentary

4. Most students at post-16 who are working on Key Skills are performing in line with course requirements, but many of these have missed significant amounts of schooling and therefore exhibit skills in literacy and numeracy that are below average for their age. The remaining students, who are working in preparation for more advanced study, including AS-level, or in preparation for further education courses, are operating in line with the expectations of the early stages of such courses. Achievement at post-16 is satisfactory overall and good for individual students who attend regularly and apply themselves well. A small minority of students following the Key Skills course would benefit from a greater level of challenge in some aspects of the work. Northgate School - 9 5. Throughout the unit, students achieve well in art in response to good teaching by an experienced teacher who is a specialist in the subject. Standards in art are variable but they

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Commentary

are broadly in line with national expectations. In lessons seen, students also made good progress in work-related learning and citizenship, again as a result of good teaching.

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Commentary

6. In ICT, standards of work are well below average by Year 9 and below average by Year 11. Achievement is unsatisfactory across Years 8 to 11. Much of the work done is of a low level or produced by following instructions on a worksheet, because the co-ordinator lacks knowledge of the subject and resourcing for ICT is inadequate. ICT does not, therefore, support learning in other subjects as much as it should.

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Commentary

7. Students with special educational needs make good progress towards the targets in their individual education plans, because they receive good support from the learning support assistant and benefit from the very favourable student to teacher ratio.

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

Students’ attitudes to learning are satisfactory and their behaviour in the unit is good. Relationships between staff and students are good. Students are provided with a satisfactory range of opportunities for their personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Attendance is judged to be satisfactory but punctuality to lessons is unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good relationships between students and staff underpin the positive ethos of care and purpose that exists in the unit. • The good behaviour of students contributes greatly to their progress in lessons. • The late arrival of a number of students to their lessons, and the reluctance of some to attend regularly, has a negative impact on their learning.

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Commentary

8. A number of students are motivated to attend their lessons and display a good level of commitment to their continued learning. These students work hard, collaborate well with each other and respond in a positive way to good teaching. Of note are former school phobic students who have been successfully encouraged to join in lessons in the unit. Most high- attaining girls work well, with a number successfully completing their written coursework in preparation for GCSE examinations. Students like and respect their teachers and most are willing to follow their direction. However, there exists a significant group of students who display less interest in pursuing their learning and this is reflected in the low rate of attendance at some sessions.

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Commentary

9. Teachers’ high expectations for behaviour are well evidenced by the overall good behaviour of students observed during the inspection. The new headteacher has, appropriately, raised expectations for standards of behaviour. Inspection evidence suggests that bullying is not an issue in the unit. Given the varied social and cultural backgrounds of the different students prior to attending the unit, staff are dealing as effectively as possible in monitoring and managing any incidents of harassment that may arise. Inspectors were impressed with the courteous and polite manner in which many students responded to them during the inspection.

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Commentary

10. The good relationships that exist between students and staff help to promote an ethos of respect, care and purpose within the unit and the ongoing development of trust that is present when staff and students work together.

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Commentary

11. Satisfactory opportunities for personal development are currently embraced within each student’s individual programme. Plans are in place to establish a student council to canvas Northgate School - 10 students’ views and involve them in improvements to their learning environment; opportunities for students to express their views are limited at present.

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Commentary

12. Provision for students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is satisfactory. Students are given opportunities to discuss and reflect on issues such as ‘conflict’ and ‘racism’ within citizenship and there is evidence that prejudices held by some students have been eroded as a result of these well structured debates. Teachers and support staff provide good role models, display a high level of respect for the students and encourage them to think about, and consider the needs of others.

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Commentary

13. Students in Years 10 and 11 have good opportunities to explore their feelings by writing about their own experiences. Through working expressively in art, students are given a powerful means of communicating their inner reality. Individual students respond well to such opportunities in English and art, and there are examples of some pieces of work that have clearly served an important therapeutic purpose as well as fulfilling syllabus requirements. The unit makes very little use of community resources, in the way of organised off-site visits and planned visitors into the unit to work with the students, to enrich their personal development.

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Commentary

14. All students are residential and under the care of medical clinicians who determine whether or not they are fit to attend the education part of their programmes. Their attendance is not mandatory and can be affected by medical treatment routines, therapy sessions or by their state of mind. As a result, attendance is judged to be satisfactory overall, although there is a higher than expected unauthorised absence of students from lessons and too many continue to arrive late for their lessons.

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Commentary

15. The unit has recently introduced a good system of recording and monitoring attendance and is working hard to promote the benefits of good attendance to students. There are no formal follow-up procedures for unit and health service staff to review student absence. Closer liaison with health service nursing staff and the unit’s continued use of absence management strategies should help in reducing unauthorised absence and increase the students’ access to quality learning experiences.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education is satisfactory. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall. The curriculum is satisfactory. The unit cares for its students satisfactorily and works increasingly closely with staff in the two psychiatric clinics it serves. Partnership with parents is underdeveloped, whilst that with other educational establishments is good.

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Teaching and learning

Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall, with weaknesses in marking, although much of the teaching seen during the inspection was good. Assessment is unsatisfactory; the unit is working currently to develop systems for assessment, recording and reporting in order to raise standards.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Lessons are planned well and teachers try to motivate students through making learning interesting. • In most subjects, teachers have specialist knowledge that enables them to challenge students appropriately; this is not the case in ICT, where teaching and learning are unsatisfactory. • Some students are dependent learners and there are few opportunities for independent learning. • The learning support assistant’s role is clearly defined. • The unit has begun to develop its assessment system but assessment and marking are unsatisfactory at present. Northgate School - 11

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 15 lessons Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very Poor

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Commentary

- 4 7 3 1 - - The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons.

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Commentary

16. Teachers plan their lessons well and identify learning objectives. Where planning is at its best, different objectives are identified for higher-attaining, average and lower-attaining students. Teachers ensure that lessons are lively and stimulating, and that they proceed at a brisk pace. They have begun to implement the Key Stage 3 Strategy, especially in their use of lesson introductions and by bringing learning to a conclusion with a plenary where they recap on what students have learnt. Teachers are encouraging and positive, and their knowledge of students’ psychological difficulties and personality traits means that they are able to relate to each individual with sensitivity. As a result, students generally enjoy good relationships with the staff.

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Commentary

17. The unit has a team of teachers who are specialists in most of the subjects taught. As a result, their knowledge of the subjects they teach is generally good. This is the case in art, design and technology, English, mathematics, science and citizenship. In these subjects, teachers instil confidence in students and provide a good level of challenge. Their questioning is probing and challenging, and their expectations are usually appropriate. Where teaching is very good, as in two lessons in mathematics, teachers match work very closely to the needs of their students and adjust their teaching continuously to students’ response. Their own very good understanding of what they are teaching enables them to explain procedures clearly and to recognise the next step in each student’s learning. However, where teachers lack subject knowledge – which is the case in ICT – expectations are too low and work is dull, requiring

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Commentary

students to complete worksheet-based activities that provide little opportunity for creativity and problem solving.

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Commentary

18. Students who attend education sessions are engaged and work productively, but some tend to be dependent learners. At times, this is exacerbated by some teachers’ tendency to hold back from challenging students to think for themselves and to use their own initiative. There are few opportunities for independent learning. Homework is rarely set and doing so is problematic because the unit lacks basic learning resources so that students are not able to take textbooks into the clinics or home at the weekends. Opportunities for independent learning are further restricted by the inadequate ICT resourcing and lack of access for students to the Internet.

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Commentary

19. The learning support assistant makes a good contribution to students’ achievement and personal development. Appointed in September 2003, her role has been clearly defined since the new headteacher took up post in January of this year. The learning support assistant is involved in planning lessons that she supports and is particularly instrumental in liaising between the unit and the clinics. She meets with some success in encouraging students, who are initially uninterested in continuing their education, to attend the unit. She provides good academic and behavioural support to students with statements of special educational need, enabling them to make good progress.

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Commentary

20. The unit has begun to develop its methods for assessing and recording students’ attainment and progress. It is improving its systems for assessing students at the time of admission, for instance, through the use of past Year 9 National Curriculum test papers as well as other standardised tests to arrive at a starting point from which progress can be measured. A programme of study is drawn up with students from Northgate Clinic within two weeks of admission, which records individual strengths and areas for development. Some targets in these programmes are specific but others are too vague to enable achievement to be measured. The involvement of students in their own assessment is at an early stage. At Northgate School - 12 present, most marking at GCSE is undertaken by mainstream schools with whom students are dual registered. It is intended that unit teachers should assess work for accredited courses

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Commentary

and have their marking moderated by mainstream staff, but this is not yet happening in practice. Some of the work that students do is ticked and they receive informal feedback, but marking does not provide students with any written information about how they are doing or what they need to do to improve. Students’ progress has begun to be recorded on daily sheets. Some entries on these relate to academic achievement, but frequently the focus is on the activity in which the student engaged and their attitude, rather than the progress they made or any aspects of the task that proved difficult. At the weekly student progress meeting, staff raise issues about individual students and review daily sheets, but again the focus is mainly on personal development and issues specific to liaison with mainstream schools, with limited attention given to assessing or tracking students’ academic achievement.

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The curriculum

The curriculum is satisfactory. An appropriate range of subjects is provided, but opportunities for enrichment are limited. Accommodation is satisfactory overall, but learning resources and staffing are unsatisfactory.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There has been a great deal of recent improvement in curriculum planning, although more work needs to be done to match the curriculum fully to students’ needs. • A good range of subjects is provided for Northgate Clinic students but educational opportunities are limited for students from the New Beginning CRU. • Curricular liaison with mainstream schools is good and this supports students in gaining qualifications or preparing to embark on accredited courses in further education. • Provision for students with special educational needs is good; a system for supporting potential students with English as an additional language has yet to be developed. • Learning resources are inadequate to support curriculum development. • There are important gaps in staffing and the level of staffing does not support some necessary developments.

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Commentary

21. Since the headteacher took up post at the beginning of last term, a series of changes have been introduced, including the establishment of a timetable that better reflects the needs of individual students and offers a broad and balanced curriculum. Prior to this, the way curriculum time was spent depended very much on the day-to-day choices of individual students. This is still the case to a great extent for New Beginning CRU students, whose work is kept in the clinic, but Northgate Clinic students now follow a structured timetable. In support of this, teachers have been given subject and form tutor responsibilities and have begun to formulate policies, schemes of work and lesson plans for their subject areas. Whole school policies are being written to reflect these changes. The unit has not, as yet, looked at ways of enriching students’ learning through the use of visits – which are rare at present – or visitors.

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Commentary

This is partly because the unit has direct access to very little funding to extend curricular opportunities, and there is little time for students to take part in educational activities beyond the teaching day as they are necessarily involved in therapeutic programmes in the evenings.

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Commentary

22. The curriculum is broadly satisfactory, except for ICT where provision is unsatisfactory. It covers a suitable selection of subjects, but students from the Northgate Clinic have access to many more hours a week and to a wider range of learning opportunities than those from New Beginning CRU. To some extent, this is reasonable and reflects the differing needs of the two groups of students: Northgate Clinic students are resident in the clinic for up to a year, whereas those in the New Beginning CRU Clinic are admitted for a relatively short time-span following an acute episode. The educational provision for this latter group of students is very limited at Northgate School - 13 present, however, and many would doubtless benefit from access to a wider range of learning experiences as part of their overall programme. To this end, the headteacher is looking to extend the time allocated to them. Offering additional sessions for these students is, however,

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Commentary

partly dependent on an increase in staffing and improved access to teaching accommodation within the clinic.

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Commentary

23. Good liaison takes place between the unit and mainstream schools and colleges in planning to meet the needs of individual students. The unit is proactive in seeking out information from schools about the GCSE courses students have been following, and in finding out exactly what else needs to be covered to get them up to examination standard. Systems could usefully be improved for the reintegration of students into mainstream school and for those preparing for discharge. The unit has a mechanism for initial visits when students reintegrate and alerts social services when a student is discharged, in an attempt to prevent a pattern of non- attendance developing. There is, however, no clear system of follow-up support to students who reintegrate into schools where there is no mental health worker, which amounts to most of the situations into which students transfer.

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Commentary

24. Good, targeted support for students with special educational needs is provided in lessons, which ensures that they make good progress. Provision is good because teachers take account of the nature of students’ particular learning difficulties in planning activities and approaches. Assessment systems for students with special educational needs, and their use, are satisfactory. Provision specified in statements of special educational need is used well to inform individual education plans and set specific and measurable targets. Teachers and support staff make good use of this information to match tasks closely to students’ needs. Consequently, students make good progress towards their targets. Statutory requirements are appropriately met.

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Commentary

25. Currently, there are no students for whom English is an additional language in the unit. However, there is no provision in place should such a student be admitted. The headteacher is aware of this and the need to have some curriculum planning and resources, including a named co-ordinator in place, to meet such needs should they ever arise. As yet, there are no links with the local education authority’s support team for minority ethnic achievement.

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Commentary

26. Learning resources are inadequate and teachers are frequently obliged to provide materials themselves and then claim back the costs, or borrow resources from elsewhere. Limited resources particularly affect students’ achievement in ICT but also restrict teaching and learning, for example, in English, where there are insufficient literary texts for even a small group of students to study the same book. As a result, teachers frequently have to photocopy sections of text – which is, in itself, inefficient use of time and money – and are not able to allow students to take books home should they feel inclined to continue with reading or other work.

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Commentary

27. Staffing arrangements enable the current curriculum to be taught but hamper potential curriculum development. There is currently no co-ordinator for English but the full-time appointment of the mathematics co-ordinator from the next term will enable her to put a series of well-conceived developments into practice. At the time of the inspection, there was no administrative assistant – the temporary officer having left – and there was no special educational needs co-ordinator. Broadly satisfactory accommodation is made attractive by displays of students’ work. This ensures that they work in a positive learning environment and makes the unit a bright and uplifting place: an important factor for students who are often depressed or reluctant to attend.

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Care, guidance and support

The unit ensures students' care, welfare and health and safety in a satisfactory manner. Overall, the unit provides them with satisfactory pastoral support and guidance. The involvement of students in aspects of the unit’s work and development is unsatisfactory. Northgate School - 14

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good admission procedures enable students and parents to become familiar quickly with the unit’s education routines and contact arrangements. • Good quality relationships help develop high levels of trust and confidence between students and adults in the unit. • There is insufficient involvement of students in the development and improvement of provision. • Provision of support through the Connexions Service is limited.

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Commentary

28. Historically, the unit has been subject to National Health Service regulations for the care and welfare of students and has worked to these in a satisfactory manner. Recent organisational changes, child protection arrangements to name but one, suggest the need to agree and implement care and welfare policies that are unit specific and more relevant to the needs of an education establishment.

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Commentary

29. The newly appointed headteacher, who is the named person for child protection, is fully trained and ensures that staff are aware of, and familiar with, the need for vigilance in monitoring the well being and welfare of the students in their care. Risk assessment techniques are becoming embedded into unit routines, and satisfactory health and safety procedures are in place.

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Commentary

30. Teachers know their students well and provide them with a good level of pastoral support. They are kindly and sensitive to their needs. Effective induction procedures ensure that new students and parents are quickly introduced to the routines of unit life. Recent changes in practice mean that teachers are beginning to keep records of students’ attainment. Still at an early stage of development, pastoral monitoring and support have yet to provide students with information about their progress that reflects their individual targets. Students have access to basic careers and vocational guidance; the unit has not so far been able to access the full range of support normally provided by the Connexions Service.

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Commentary

31. The unit has no procedure for the involvement of students in commenting on, or reviewing, the quality of provision. However, plans are in place for the establishment of a student council to seek views and suggest possible improvements in the workings of the unit.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

Parental involvement and parents’ contribution to students’ learning are unsatisfactory. The unit’s links with the local community are under developed. The unit has established good links with mainstream schools and colleges.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Good links with the unit’s feeder schools enables students to continue their studies in preparation for their examinations. • Good links with colleges have enabled students to access appropriate further education opportunities. • Parents are not involved in the work of the unit as much as they should be. • Unsatisfactory community links deprive students of valuable learning experiences. • There is no formal process for canvassing parental views or for their involvement in the work of the unit.

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Commentary

Northgate School - 15 32. The lack of parental support is well evidenced by the fact that no parents attended the pre- inspection meeting and only two parental questionnaires were returned. The inspection team is, therefore, unable to judge parents’ views about the work of the unit due to a lack of relevant evidence. The two questionnaires returned showed that the parents concerned have generally positive views about the unit. The only points of criticism concerned lack of homework and not being kept informed about how well their children are achieving academically. The inspection team supports these criticisms. There is no practice of formally inviting parents into the unit or of regular open days when parents and others can see the work of the unit and of its students.

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Commentary

33. The unit provides good information to parents as part of its admission procedures. The prospectus is informative and a useful reference document for use by parents when contacting the unit. There is no system of regular communication between the unit and parents. During the inspection, the progress of only two students was being reported directly to their parents on a weekly basis. There are no newsletters produced and student progress reports are subsumed within the health staff progress reports sent home to parents. The education part of these reports is unsatisfactory, as it does not focus sufficiently on what students know, understand and can do or on their personal development within the unit. Only occasionally do teachers contact parents at home about their child’s time in the unit, with regular parent contact being mainly undertaken by health service staff.

p.15

Commentary

34. The unit has established good working links with mainstream schools and colleges that provide significant benefits for its students. Examples include:

p.15

Commentary

• Providing pre-planned accredited coursework for students to complete within the unit, which is marked by their host school, and prepares students well for their GCSE examinations. • Working with a further education college that advises on appropriate resources to support a student at post-16 who is preparing to join a BTEC National course in Music and Theatre. • And, through close partnership working with teachers at a local secondary school, delivering a curricular programme that enabled a Year 9 student to be successfully reintegrated back into his school after nine months in the unit.

p.15

Commentary

35. The unit’s links with the community are undeveloped. Members of the community are not invited into the unit to work with students and enrich their learning, and there are few organised visits out of the unit to places of educational, cultural or environmental interest.

p.15

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The newly appointed headteacher is already providing very clear direction to the unit’s work. The leadership of others in posts of responsibility is satisfactory overall and most are developing their roles well. The internal management of the unit is good. The local education authority has provided poor leadership and management and only just begun to initiate some improvements in the contribution it makes to the unit’s work.

p.15

Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher is a dynamic leader with high expectations for the unit. • The local education authority’s strategic leadership and management of the unit have not provided proper direction, support and monitoring. • Northgate School is designated as a pupil referral unit, which does not reflect the nature of its work and has already begun to impede the headteacher’s attempts to raise its profile. • Funding arrangements are unsatisfactory and restrict necessary development, including the restructuring of staffing. Northgate School - 16

p.15

Commentary

36. The school was line-managed by a senior teacher, until July 2003, when she left. Interim arrangements were made for the autumn term of 2003, with another senior teacher providing temporary cover, until the newly created post of headteacher was filled in January 2004.

p.16

Commentary

37. In her short time in post, the new headteacher has established herself as a very good leader and manager with a clear vision of how to develop and improve the unit. Her particular combination of insight and rigour points to someone who has the capacity to become an outstanding leader. She has already begun to look beyond the local education authority – including liaising with headteachers of leading hospital schools – for examples of best practice that can be used in remodelling provision and transforming the unit’s work. She has monitored and evaluated all aspects of the unit’s work since she was appointed and arrived at a very accurate assessment of what needs to be done. This is expressed in a clear development plan, which has already begun to be implemented.

p.16

Commentary

38. Most others in posts of responsibility have taken on roles quite recently, so that their leadership and management are satisfactory overall, although – with the exception of ICT – subject co- ordinators have made a good start in developing provision. Their enthusiasm has led to rapid improvement in curriculum planning and in identifying ways in which their subjects could be developed further.

p.16

Commentary

39. The headteacher is active in negotiating with clinicians to improve procedures that affect the work of the unit, and this has enabled her to make a real impact on provision in a short period of time. Her membership of the Executive Committee of Primary and Secondary Headteachers in Barnet provides an opportunity for her to extend her influence and communicate the work of the unit. She has rightly identified the need to raise the profile of the unit and to make mainstream schools better informed about what the clinics and unit, in combination, could provide for any of their students who are in need of such support. This and other tasks are made unnecessarily difficult because the unit does not appear in the local education authority’s directory of educational establishments. It is only now beginning to be added to lists that are circulated to schools, although it has been in existence since 1998.

p.16

Commentary

40. The local education authority’s strategic leadership and management of the unit have been poor. It is clear that lack of direction and monitoring by the local education authority contributed to weaknesses in provision prior to the very positive appointment of the current headteacher. Even though the unit has been separated from the medical outreach teaching team, with whom it was originally joined, and clearly fulfils the role of a hospital school in every respect, it remains designated as a pupil referral unit. Despite this, a management committee was convened and met for the first time just a week before the inspection. Of the ten potential Northgate School - 17 members, only four attended the meeting, which did not include anyone representing either of the clinics that the unit serves. Since January 2004, the local education authority has provided some support to the headteacher – for example in lesson observation – but, otherwise, there

p.16

Commentary

has been no system whereby the local education authority has monitored the unit’s work. Furthermore, arrangements for performance management have lapsed, which constitutes a breach of statutory requirements.

p.17

Commentary

41. There are plans to delegate the budget to the unit and to provide the headteacher with relevant training in its management; funding arrangements are currently unsatisfactory. The unit is given direct access to a very small amount of money to the extent that staff have to pay for even small items out of their own pockets and claim back what they have spent. Co-ordinators do not have a budget for the development of their subjects and a number of areas, in particular ICT, are under-resourced. The fulfilment of the headteacher’s vision for the unit, including restructuring of staffing, is dependent on this inadequate funding situation being remedied.

p.17

Commentary

Financial information for the year April 2003 to March 2004

p.17

Commentary

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 183,671 Balance from previous year - Total expenditure 180,929 Balance carried forward to the next - Expenditure per pupil 6,959 Northgate School - 18

p.17

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are generally below average in Years 8 and 9 but the work of some higher-attaining students in Years 10 and 11 is above average. • Teaching seen during the inspection was good. • Recent developments are leading to improvement in provision which will be consolidated only if a subject co-ordinator is appointed. • There are currently weaknesses in the assessment and marking of students’ work, and resources for the subject are poor.

p.18

Commentary

42. Students’ attainment varies widely from work that is below average, particularly in Years 8 and 9, to some work that is above average in Years 10 and 11. Overall achievement is satisfactory and students who attend regularly make good progress at GCSE. This reflects the good level of success at grades A* to C for a number of students in 2003. Students with special educational needs achieve well.

p.18

Commentary

43. In Years 8 and 9, work by higher-attaining students is set out in clear paragraphs with some precise choice of vocabulary to define key features, but creative writing would benefit from the use of more detailed description. Some written work is well presented, using word-processing, although there is little evidence of drafting and redrafting. Sentence structure and basic punctuation are broadly average for higher-attaining students. Not all students have the confidence to record their own ideas, instead dictating while an adult writes for them. In a lesson in Years 8 and 9, the two students present read aloud fluently and the higher-attaining student did so expressively. Both students were able to scan the text to find similes but their further progress was hampered by their emotional difficulties.

p.18

Commentary

44. Higher-attaining students in Years 10 and 11 write fluently, especially when communicating their own feelings and experiences. Their writing captures and holds the reader’s attention, as in the account of a dream using ‘stream of consciousness’ techniques. More able students sustain their argument well when analysing literary texts, exploring themes, and when commenting on advertisements. They use quotations well and understand how authors use particular linguistic features to achieve a certain effect. A higher-attaining student in Year 10 has almost completed her GCSE coursework, a year ahead of time, and is working above expectations for her age. A minority of students – currently boys – including those with statements of special educational need, require support in organising their ideas and find recording difficult, although they are sometimes verbally quite lucid. The written work of lower-

p.18

Commentary

attaining students is brief and their understanding of set pieces is superficial. Students at GCSE increasingly make use of techniques such as spider diagrams to plan their work. Insufficient evidence was seen at post-16 to make a judgement about students’ achievement in the communication element of Key Skills. Students are gaining some valuable skills, for instance, learning how to prepare a curriculum vitae , but for some individual students, aspects of the work could be more challenging.

p.18

Commentary

45. In lessons seen, teachers’ planning was good and they made expectations appropriately clear. Good questioning helps to focus students’ thinking and enables teachers and the learning support assistant to check their understanding. Teachers provide good, purposeful Northgate School - 19 introductions and encourage students to work as independently as possible. Higher-attaining students do so successfully and show a pride in their written work, but others tend to be dependent learners. Students in Years 10 and 11 and in post-16 have a positive attitude to the subject and generally apply themselves well. Younger students are less well motivated and are sometimes reluctant to engage with particular tasks.

p.18

Commentary

46. In lessons seen during the inspection, teaching was good and the subject is well placed to develop further if the unit is able to appoint a subject co-ordinator. Teaching and learning are satisfactory overall, however, because good practice is not yet embedded. Teachers are at an early stage in implementing the Key Stage 3 Strategy. A long-term scheme of work has been developed but only a term’s worth of work is planned in detail. In Years 10 and 11, the curriculum is suitably informed by GCSE syllabus requirements. In Years 8 and 9, stimulus materials are being collected to support a scheme of work. When students are admitted, they complete a short piece of free writing and other tasks that indicate their level of comprehension and grasp of vocabulary. The use of testing at the end of blocks of work is at an early stage, and there are weaknesses in the assessment and marking of students’ work.

p.19

Commentary

47. At present, English is taught by a number of members of staff and overseen temporarily by the headteacher; this is a satisfactory arrangement only in the short term. Resources are poor. Teachers are frequently obliged to photocopy chunks of text because there are insufficient books for students’ use. Apart from access to word-processing facilities, resourcing for ICT – including computer software, videos and CDs – is unsatisfactory.

p.19

Language and literacy across the curriculum

48. The promotion of language and literacy across the curriculum is satisfactory. Literacy is promoted effectively in science, where students write up experiments. In history, written work tends to take the form of short answers or sequences of a few sentences, rather than extended writing on a given topic. In mathematics and art, good attention is paid to subject vocabulary and to ensuring that students have grasped and understood the key words by the end of a lesson. Students’ literacy skills are variable. Most of those who are studying accredited courses have sufficient skills to support their learning, expressing their views fluently in writing, and setting out information and ideas clearly. A minority of students need help in recording their ideas.

p.19

MATHEMATICS

Provision in mathematics is satisfactory .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Although achievement is satisfactory overall, students made very good progress in some lessons during the inspection. • Good use is made of ongoing assessment within lessons to move students forward in their learning. • Leadership of mathematics is good and has led to rapid improvement in the subject over a relatively short period of time.

p.19

Commentary

49. Students’ attainment varies widely from work that is below average, particularly in Years 8 and 9, to some work that is average in Years 10 and 11. Most students are achieving satisfactorily, but some could achieve more if they attended more regularly. By Year 9, students order numbers to four decimal places, they convert fractions into decimals and understand cubed numbers and square roots. By Year 11, students simplify fractions, have a good understanding of place value and calculate factors and multiples of given numbers accurately. Higher- Northgate School - 20 attaining students show a good understanding of ratio and proportion and solve problems involving weight, volume and length using standard measures. Low-attaining students plot data on a bar graph accurately. In a Year 10 and 11 lesson seen, involving translating shapes, students achieved very well and worked productively towards their GCSE examination. In a

p.19

Commentary

lesson in Year 12, the student also achieved very well in response to very good teaching. He was able to answer questions relating to the volume of different sized cubes and developed a very good understanding of mathematical vocabulary.

p.20

Commentary

50. Although students’ work shows that teaching and learning are satisfactory, the recent appointment of a subject specialist has ensured that those students who attend lessons regularly have begun to learn very well as a result of some very good teaching, For example, in a Year 10 and 11 lesson where teaching was very good, the teacher set high expectations for learning, made very good use of praise and encouragement and the lesson proceeded at a lively pace. As a result, students worked hard, tried their best and remained focused throughout the lesson. A particular strength in teaching was the good use made of assessment within lessons to clarify any misunderstandings students had and move them on in their learning as quickly as possible. In the Year 10 and 11 lesson, as soon as the teacher saw that a student needed help with translating shapes, she quickly intervened to explain the task by providing a concrete example of the correct procedure. As a result, the student learned

p.20

Commentary

very quickly and experienced repeated success. Furthermore, in the Year 12 lesson, the teacher checked the student’s method of calculating answers, using her skills to clarify his understanding of the process and steps involved. This enabled the student to become more confident as the lesson progressed.

p.20

Commentary

51. Good leadership by the recently appointed co-ordinator has led to improvements in planning the subject, particularly in Years 8 and 9, and regular meetings with other teachers to review planning. The co-ordinator has also carried out an audit of resources and, realising that these are unsatisfactory, has taken active steps to increase them for the benefit of students’ learning. She has clear priorities for developing the subject, particularly the use of ICT to promote teaching and learning, and has the potential to become a very good subject co-ordinator. Part- time at present, she is about to take up a full-time appointment at the unit which augurs very well for the future.

p.20

Mathematics across the curriculum

52. Numeracy is satisfactorily promoted within other subjects, such as science, where students consolidate their understanding of handling data, through for example, plotting results from investigations accurately. In design and technology, students measure dimensions accurately, for example in making a garden bench.

p.20

SCIENCE

Provision in science is satisfactory and improving.

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Standards are below average overall, although there is a wide range of attainment and students’ achievement is satisfactory. • There is a good focus on investigative and experimental science work. • The teacher’s good subject knowledge, enthusiasm and creative use of resources motivate and engage students’ interest. • Boys in particular are not sufficiently independent in their learning. • Limited resources, including those for ICT, limit curricular coverage. • The recently appointed subject co-ordinator has already begun to improve provision.

p.20

Commentary

Northgate School - 21 53. Standards of work are below average by Years 9 and 11, although achievement is satisfactory overall. A new syllabus has recently been put into practice so that students are now working systematically through a graduated course. As a result, they are advancing rapidly in their knowledge and understanding of science. This was not the case previously, as is evident from the very limited range of written work available, the bulk of which has been completed recently.

p.21

Commentary

54. GCSE results for 2003 were broadly average but included a wide range of performance. Current attainment levels reflect a similar range. In discussion and when giving oral responses, most students demonstrate sound levels of knowledge and understanding of scientific ideas. However, the quality of written work is variable. For instance, some examples of Year 11 students’ investigative work demonstrate secure skills in putting forward a hypothesis and justifying it, whilst others show a limited grasp of these analytical skills. Inspection evidence indicates that achievement is improving and, in the lessons seen, students were achieving well. For example, Year 10 students made good progress in identifying and explaining how animals such as polar bears or camels had physically adapted to their habitats. In another lesson, students in Years 8 and 9 consolidated well their knowledge and understanding of plant

p.21

Commentary

structure and organs and made good progress in learning about carnivorous plants. However, their overall attainment was below average largely because they are not yet functioning independently enough of the teacher. This is particularly the case with boys who, in both Years 8 and 9 and Years 10 and 11, require staff to help them record key ideas and provide relevant explanations.

p.21

Commentary

55. Taking all the inspection evidence into account, the overall quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory. The limited range of written work indicates that there has not been enough focus on recording information and ideas. However, the quality of teaching and learning in lessons was good. The teacher has strong subject knowledge and uses it well to question and probe students’ understanding. Questioning is stimulating and challenging, thus helping to extend students’ thinking. Preparation of materials and resources is very good. For example, in a Year 10 lesson, the teacher had prepared a number of packs with good quality information and pictures about a specific habitat in each pack for students to explore. These positive features of teaching encourage and motivate students well. However, further work needs to be done to develop students’ skills of independent learning, especially for boys who are more reluctant to

p.21

Commentary

write, for example, or sit and work on their own. The teacher makes as much use of ICT as she can, but at times the resources are insufficient or computer systems do not work well enough. There is no equipment for data logging. Limited science equipment to some extent dictates what can be covered. The teaching assistant is well deployed.

p.21

Commentary

56. The co-ordinator is new in post and has made a good and enthusiastic start. She has a clear direction for development though it is at an early stage of implementation. The new scheme of work places strong emphasis on experimental and investigative work, and this approach helps to engage students’ interest. It also makes science more accessible to them. Assessment systems are being developed further to promote the use of National Curriculum levels in assessing students’ progress. Currently, past National Curriculum test papers are used effectively to assess students when they first arrive and there is good ongoing assessment of students to inform lesson planning.

p.21

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is unsatisfactory .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Resources are inadequate and this has had an adverse impact on students’ learning. • Standards are low by Years 9 and 11, and students are not achieving as well as they should. • The teacher lacks sufficient subject knowledge and this leads to students progressing at too slow a pace. Northgate School - 22 • Activities in lessons are not challenging, imaginative or creative enough and constrain what students can achieve rather than promoting learning. • The use of computers across the curriculum is underdeveloped.

p.21

Commentary

57. Standards of work are well below average by Year 9 and below average by Year 11. Achievement is unsatisfactory across Years 8 to 11. Little ICT work was in evidence in students’ folders. Much of the work done is of a low level or produced by following instructions on a worksheet. For example, students have used word-processing to advertise a house or produce a simple menu for a restaurant. The demands made by such exercises lack challenge and do not provide relevant contexts for students’ use of ICT. Hence, students do not achieve as much as they could. Whilst some work, such as analysing simultaneous equations using a spreadsheet, provide opportunities for older students to work at a level suitable for their ages, the lack of sufficient explanation of the way the spreadsheet can be used to carry out this analysis or the underpinning mathematics results in learning not being systematic or secure

p.22

Commentary

enough. Students require too much help from the teacher and are too dependent on following instructions from a worksheet. As a result, they are not developing their own capability sufficiently. Weaknesses such as these, together with the teacher’s lack of subject knowledge and insufficient work of quality in students’ folders mean that the overall quality of teaching and learning is unsatisfactory. Whilst students like using computers, they do not always enjoy or engage positively with the activities that are provided.

p.22

Commentary

58. Key Skills work for students at post-16 is at the appropriate level to meet syllabus requirements. There is insufficient evidence to make a clear judgement as to how well students at post-16 are achieving.

p.22

Commentary

59. The subject co-ordinator, recently appointed, has been effective in identifying issues concerning resourcing and in drawing up an action plan to address these. However, the co-ordinator is not a subject specialist and lacks knowledge of how to develop the curriculum. This has impacted adversely on the quality of curricular provision and on teaching and learning. A general scheme of work is in place, but it lacks detail and does not focus enough on the Key Stage 3 Strategy. The activities provided lack depth. Assessment systems have yet to be put in place for students in Years 8 to 11, though the Key Skills assessment criteria are being used to assess the work of students at post-16.

p.22

Commentary

60. Resources for ICT, software and hardware, are currently inadequate though there are plans to upgrade equipment. An appropriate action plan is in place to address the issues of resourcing and accommodation. However, currently, these factors are contributing to the underachievement of students in ICT.

p.22

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

61. The use of ICT across the curriculum is underdeveloped and currently unsatisfactory. The lack of up-to-date and easily accessible computers has had a negative impact on the use of ICT in subjects, and teachers require further training in how to apply ICT to the teaching of their subjects. There is some satisfactory use of word-processing in English, and word-processing and clip-art have been used effectively in citizenship to produce posters. In science and citizenship, computers are used alongside electronic whiteboards to present information to students. A good example of this was seen in a Year 8 and 9 science lesson, where a short video clip of a Venus Flytrap was shown. Students also use ICT in science to research information. Good use is made of scanning in art but access to an appropriate range of resources restricts the development of ICT within this subject. There is little evidence of use of

p.22

Information and communication technology across the curriculum

ICT in other subjects, and very little evidence of ICT work in students’ folders other than word- processing in English and a curriculum vitae produced in Key Skills lessons.

p.22

HUMANITIES

Northgate School - 23 62. It was only possible to sample history and religious education, so no overall judgements can be reached about the quality of provision, students’ achievement, teaching and learning.

p.23

HUMANITIES

63. It was not possible to observe any lessons in history . The subject has recently been introduced into Years 8 and 9, and a long-term scheme of work and a subject policy have been developed. Detailed curriculum planning and learning materials are currently in place for one topic, on ‘Black Peoples of America’, which links with work in citizenship. Assessment opportunities are integrated suitably within the planning. Two further topics have been identified for development, one on ‘why it took so long for British women to get the vote’ and another on ‘the role of the individual for good or ill’.

p.23

HUMANITIES

64. Religious education is taught once a week to students in Years 8 and 9 who are very reluctant to engage with the subject. In order to cover a relevant range of topics and motivate students, the co-ordinator has adopted an innovative approach. This involves the creation of a ‘big book’ that could be used by young children, but which – through their involvement in combining images and brief written explanation – gives students access to the key elements of a number of world faiths. So far, they have learnt about Judaism and Christianity, concentrating on religious buildings. Topics on celebrations and beliefs are planned. Students have worked with the teacher in making a game, which links religious education and design and technology, to familiarise them further with religious imagery. In order to engage students’ interest and cover the Locally Agreed Syllabus and national guidance on the subject, the teacher is putting in

p.23

HUMANITIES

a great deal of preparation time. The unit has no religious education resources, so she is obliged to borrow items and use the Internet as a source of images and information. The amount of preparatory work reveals a high level of dedication on the part of the co-ordinator. A simple system has been introduced for testing students’ knowledge of what they have studied and a scheme of work is now in place.

p.23

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

65. It was possible to sample art and design and design and technology in some detail, including scrutinising work by students and observing a small number of lessons. Music is not a timetabled part of the curriculum and physical education is led by the occupational therapists (OTs) as part of students’ therapeutic programme, rather than by the unit. It is not possible, therefore, to make any comment on provision in these two subjects, except to say that unit staff support the OTs in taking students to the leisure centre for a physical education session each week.

p.23

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

66. Art and design was not inspected in depth but sufficient work was seen, together with a lesson in Years 10 and 11, to judge that achievement, teaching and learning are good. Art is taught by an experienced subject specialist who has a genuine enthusiasm for her subject. As a result, she is able to provide a subtle balance of challenge and support that is carefully tailored to students’ individual needs. In the one lesson seen, teaching and learning were very good. A student who had arrived recently with little confidence in the subject had already produced an effective piece of work, which had clearly raised his self-esteem. Very good, clear guidance on technique enabled another student to gain a secure understanding of linear perspective, and to consider how this skill could be applied to a number of GCSE questions. Students at GCSE and post-16 make good progress and produce some innovative work, such

p.23

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

as that inspired by Munch’s work. They combine and manipulate imagery effectively, in a range of media, sometimes arriving at work that is powerfully expressive of their feelings.

p.23

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

67. The subject is led and managed well. Teaching is underpinned by a good scheme of work, linked to the National Curriculum, and close liaison with mainstream schools. The teacher assesses work with National Curriculum criteria in mind and is an art examiner, but does not record her assessments. ICT is used in art, generally for scanning, but limited access to hardware and software prevents the further development of computers as a learning resource. There are plans for GCSE students to visit a leading art gallery, but there have been no other Northgate School - 24 recent visits or visitors into the unit to enrich students’ learning. Students’ work has, however, been exhibited in the hospital and in the Barnet Professional Development Centre.

p.23

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

68. Design and technology was not inspected in depth but was sampled. Four lessons were observed, a food technology lesson in Years 8 and 9 and three lessons in resistant materials at post-16. Other than a small amount of photographic evidence, no students’ work was available for analysis in Years 8 to 11. There is insufficient evidence to make overall judgements on standards, achievement, teaching and learning.

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

69. The quality of teaching in the lessons seen was mostly good. In the Year 8 and 9 lesson, students made good progress in learning how to make pasta dishes as part of an overall topic on flour products. Good emphasis was placed on the clients’ needs, so, for example, one of the two students surveyed staff to establish the numbers requiring vegetarian or meat sauce with the pasta. Key terms such as ‘gluten’ were explained well and lesson planning had very clear learning outcomes. Questioning was used very well throughout the lesson to help students’ understanding of the key processes involved in creating food products and the rationale behind them. Good use was made of the teaching assistant.

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

70. Two students at post-16 are working, respectively, on designing a bench and a costume for a character from A Midsummer Night’s Dream . Work so far on both of these shows promise. A sound start has been made in identifying needs in designing a bench and establishing a design that is aesthetically pleasing and ergonomically friendly. Some good analysis is evident, such as that the areas of the bench which come into contact with the body need to be smooth. However, photographs of existing benches have yet to be analysed and commented on. The student working on costume design is considering carefully materials that could be used to achieve a particular effect and has produced pleasing early drawings. In the lessons at post- 16, teaching was mainly good because it facilitated and supported students well and encouraged them to be creative. As a result, students made sound progress in developing

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

their own ideas though one tended to be dependent on the teacher and could have been challenged more.

p.24

CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

71. The subject co-ordinator has made a good start and is enthusiastic about applying her specialist subject knowledge to developing provision. Good work has been done in linking with other schools and researching relevant topics to be taught in the unit. Students enjoy the opportunity for practical work and effective use is made of the limited facilities for food technology.

p.24

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

72. It was only possible to sample provision for personal, social and health education and citizenship, so a judgement cannot be made about students’ achievement or the quality of teaching and learning. Students from the Northgate Clinic have a timetabled session of citizenship each week, in which they explore topics such as ‘conflict’ and ‘racism’. This provides them with the opportunity to formulate and express their opinions and to reach a more informed understanding of the consequences of particular types of behaviour. In the one lesson seen, teaching was very good and students engaged in valuable discussion.

p.24

PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

73. A policy for personal, social and health education and citizenship has been written and a scheme is in place which covers a year’s work, based on the topics of ‘crime’, ‘human rights’ and ‘conflict’. This is satisfactory in the short term, but needs to be developed further to cover a wider range of topics. For the minority of students who study accredited courses that relate to this curriculum area, such as health and social care – which focuses on health and nutrition – or who are preparing for AS level government and politics, topics provide them with an additional understanding of issues related to citizenship. Within sessions on work-related learning, students engage in activities that teach them about the world of work, and Key Skills students have opportunities to take part in a ‘mini-enterprise’ initiative within the hospital community. Northgate School - 25

p.24

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 4 How inclusive the school is 3 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 8 Value for money provided by the school 4

p.25

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 4

p.25

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 4 Attendance 4 Attitudes 4 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 4

p.25

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

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

p.25

PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the unit 4 The governance of the unit 6 The leadership of the headteacher 2 The leadership of other key staff 4 The effectiveness of management 3

p.25

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); not applicable (8).

p.25