Phoenix Arch School

101581 Unique Reference Number Brent LEA LEA 276543 Inspection number 4 October 2005 to 4 October 2005 Inspection dates Stuart Charlton AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Drury Way School address Special Type of school London Community special School category NW10 0NQ 5 to 11 Age range of pupils 02084516961 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02088301352 Fax number 28 Number on roll Ms P Anderson Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr G S Davidson Headteacher 12 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276543 4 October 2005 - 5 to 11 4 October 2005 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one additional inspector.

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Description of the school

Vernon House is a small day Special School for pupils with complex emotional, behavioural and social difficulties. There are 28 pupils on roll, all of whom are boys. Pupils come from a wide area and approximately half are from Brent Local Education Authority (LEA). An increasing number of pupils are referred to the school after residential psychiatric assessment. The educational records of many pupils when they are admitted to the school are fragmented, but overall attainment on entry is very low. Most pupils are eligible for free school meals.The school is subject to ongoing re-organisation proposals which have been in place for a number of years.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Vernon House School, 4 October 2005 to 4 October 2005

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Grade: 2

The school judges itself to be good. The inspection team agree with this and was able to identify aspects of its work which are outstanding. It enables all pupils to make very significant progress in managing their own behaviours and re-engages them in learning. It is effective in helping them to develop the learning skills that they will need when they re-enter mainstream education. It has dealt with the changing needs of its population very successfully. The needs of the pupils have changed significantly since the last inspection and the way in which the school has responded to this shows that it has good capacity to improve further.All pupils achieve at least well and for some pupils, achievement is outstanding. The quality of teaching is good which promotes good learning. The headteacher sets a very clear vision for the school which is shared by all staff and he provides effective leadership and management. In the light of its

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Grade: 2

success in re-integrating pupils into mainstream education, the school provides good value for money.The way in which the school records pupils' progress are informal but do not allow it to easily quantify and celebrate its success and provide a firm base for rigorous self evaluation.

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What the school should do to improve further

The school must continue the work which it has already identified to:* formalise the systems which it uses to judge its success so that it can more easily celebrate its achievements;* develop a more robust and rigorous system to record pupils' progress.

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Grade: 2

Given their very low starting point, all pupils achieve well and for some their achievements are outstanding. However, because so many have been out of education for extended periods of time, even by the time they leave Vernon House, many have not fully managed to catch up in terms of their basic skills development. This means that the standards they attain are below what would be expected, although there are a few pupils who attain standards which align closely with those expected. Formal targets for improvement are not set, but the staff know their pupils very well and are adept in challenging them to manage their own behaviour. They re-engage pupils to the extent that most enjoy their learning and all are eager to come to school. The success which the school enjoys in re-integrating pupils into mainstream education fully justifies this approach. For example, this September, seven of the eight Year 6

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Grade: 2

leavers were re-integrated into mainstream secondary schools.

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Grade: 1

The school is very effective in promoting pupils' personal development and well being. Through its calm and consistent use of well-tried behaviour management strategies, 2 Inspection Report: Vernon House School, 4 October 2005 to 4 October 2005 the school enjoys great success in challenging pupils to address and modify their behaviours. All adults who work with them provide stability and a consistency of approach. Consequently, behaviour overall is good, but given the starting point for most pupils the improvement they make in managing their own behaviour is excellent.The school places great emphasis on developing pupils' self-esteem through providing a safe and secure environment where learning is highly valued. A significant aspect of this is the rewards system of stamps and stickers. Pupils value this and respond very positively, significantly improving their general attitudes and particularly their attitudes to learning. Across the school, pupils' attitudes are good and for the

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Grade: 1

older pupils their attitudes are excellent.The school has very good systems in place to help pupils, and their parents, to understand the need for regular attendance and these contribute very well to ensuring that overall attendance rates are very close to those which would be expected nationally. This represents very good improvement for all pupils. All adults provide good role models for the pupils enabling them to challenge and develop their moral and social skills. Parents commented very positively about how their child had become much more able to integrate socially into their local community. The school very successfully celebrates the diversity of the cultural backgrounds of its pupils. The school provides good opportunities through lessons and assemblies for pupils to develop their spiritual awareness. Overall, the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is excellent. Through lessons, and the

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Grade: 1

Speed and Quickness (SAQ) programme, pupils are encouraged and enabled to adopt healthy lifestyles. In all aspects of its work the school places great emphasis on safety and developing pupils' understanding of the need for safe practice in all areas of life. Pupils are well prepared for life after Vernon House through being taught to co-operate effectively with others and through developing their independence. The school actively engages with its local community by providing a site and facilities for a local Youth Club once a week and holds an annual winter musical and drama production.

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Grade: 2

The overall quality of teaching and learning is good and much is very good. All adults are very experienced in working with pupils who have extreme emotional and behavioural difficulties. A significant strength is the totally consistent way in which they apply the school's behaviour management strategies and the rewards system. This establishes a secure and stable learning environment in which pupils feel valued. They know the pupils very well and use this to successfully nurture and develop their learning. The small class sizes and high ratio of adult to pupils enable this approach to be successful, but the only records which the school keeps pupils' progress is through their work books. This does not enable quantifiable targets to be set through which the school can quickly evaluate its effectiveness and celebrate its achievements. 3 Inspection Report: Vernon House School, 4 October 2005 to 4 October 2005

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Grade: 2

The curriculum has been well adapted to meet the needs of pupils. There is very strong emphasis across the school in developing pupils' literacy, numeracy and basic learning skills. The school uses music very effectively to establish a purposeful learning environment and develop pupils' skills. The introduction and use of the SAQ has been very successful in engaging pupils' interest and developing their self-esteem. All pupils are brought into school by bus and this limits the extra-curricular activities which can be offered. However, the school football team trains regularly and has won the Cedars Special Schools cup for the last two years. Regular trips are made to local firms and supermarkets as well as to places further afield such as the Tate Modern art gallery. These are an integral part of developing pupils' social skills and are highly valued by both pupils and their parents.

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Grade: 1

Pupils and parents speak very highly of the excellent care and guidance which the school provides. The nature of pupils' needs means that the school has to pay attention to a very wide range of statutory requirements including the use of restraint and the administration of medicines. All these requirements are fully met and all adults receive regular update training where this is required. The school meets the requirements of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice in full and is very successful in engaging parents in helping to map the future of their child. The effectiveness of these procedures and strategies is seen in the safe and secure environment which the school provides. Pupils speak very highly of the staff and value the care and support they receive. These strong relationships and mutual respect are an important aspect of the school's success.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school is good. The headteacher provides a very clear vision for the work of the school and all staff fully support this. All adults worked together as a team very well and this is an important factor in the school's success. By working closely with individuals the headteacher has established a very experienced and very stable staffing base. The way in which the school has responded to the changing needs of the pupils has been very well managed and this demonstrates clearly that the school has good capacity to improve. The Governing Body support the school well. Since the last inspection, it has incorporated several new members to strengthen the core of experienced and long standing personnel. It now holds the school to account and has identified the need to formalise the systems the school uses to monitor and evaluate its performance. The school regularly canvasses the views of

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Grade: 2

parents and these are supplemented by informal contacts with the many parents who visit the school. The wide ranging needs of the pupils has meant that the school has 4 Inspection Report: Vernon House School, 4 October 2005 to 4 October 2005 developed very good relationships with many outside agencies including Social Services and the LEA and local NHS Trust Mental Health Psychological Services.The school's considerable strength in its staff is also a weakness. The experience and stability in staffing has lessened the need for the school to formalise and develop quantifiable systems to record pupil progress through which it can monitor and evaluate its provision. Although at present these systems are informal and successful, they would not serve the school well if the number of pupils on roll were to increase, or staff were to leave. 5 Inspection Report: Vernon House School, 4 October 2005 to 4 October 2005

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Vernon House School, 4 October 2005 to 4 October 2005

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 4 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for all the help you gave to me when I visited your school on 4 October. My discussions with you ensured that I had a clear view of how much you appreciated what the school is doing to help you. You told me that Vernon House is a good school and that it cares for you and supports you very well indeed. I agree with you and could see how well it was doing in helping you to manage your behaviour and get you back into learning about a wide range of subjects. You explained very well how the school is helping you to develop your literacy, numeracy and other basic learning skills. You all told me how much you enjoyed music and SAQ lessons and the music assemblies. These are undoubtedly helping you to develop healthy lifestyles and giving you the chance to try out new skills. All of you were very quick to tell me how good your teachers are. They are good and they make lessons enjoyable and interesting. More than that they know

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you and what makes you tick very well but they are always fair and honest in the way that they work with you. There are two things which the school needs to improve. Teachers need to keep more detailed records about how you are doing rather than relying on your work books. Mr. Davidson needs to use these records to show people outside school how well it is doing in helping you to get back into a mainstream school.

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