Castlebar School

101966 Unique Reference Number Ealing LEA LEA 276623 Inspection number 9 May 2006 to 10 May 2006 Inspection dates Mike Smith AI Reporting inspector

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

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Hathaway Gardens School address Special Type of school Ealing Community School category London W13 0DH 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 02089983135 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02088107597 Fax number 97 Number on roll Mrs Mary Delger Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Paul Adair Headteacher 14 February 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276623 9 May 2006 - 4 to 11 10 May 2006 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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Castlebar is a maintained local authority day special school in a very multi-cultural borough. Pupils come from a broad range of socio-economic backgrounds. A significant group of pupils come from the Asian community. Almost half of pupils receive free schools meals and a third has English as an additional language. All pupils have statements of special educational needs. These needs include low moderate, or severe learning difficulties, as well as autism, hearing impairment and challenging behaviour. There are almost twice as many boys as girls on roll.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Castlebar School, 9 May 2006 to 10 May 2006

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Grade: 1

Castlebar is an inclusive school that provides an excellent education for all its pupils. It has a positive learning environment where all pupils are challenged to achieve their best, and where they make good progress. There is good provision for children in the Foundation Stage and although they arrive with very low ability, they make good progress. The school meets its aims including 'to encourage mutual respect and an appreciation of the worth of others within a multicultural community'. The school modestly judged its own effectiveness as good. The inspection found the school to be outstanding in many areas and its capacity to further improve is excellent. Team work is a strength and significantly contributes towards the pupils' outstanding care, guidance, support, welfare and personal development. The headteacher has a clear vision for school improvement and is effectively supported by a very able deputy and a hard working team. Parents are overwhelming positive

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Grade: 1

about the school and the progress their children make. One parent wrote, 'I am very happy with my son's increased confidence and attainment in all areas.' Teaching is good overall with some examples of excellence. Teaching and learning are carefully monitored, although the very best practice is not shared widely enough across the school. The good curriculum is relevant to pupils' needs and interests and is well supported by additional activities. There has been excellent improvement since the last inspection. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

andmiddot; Share the outstanding practice in teaching and learning more effectively across the school.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good, but standards are very low because of pupils' particular learning difficulties. All pupils, including those for whom English is an additional language, make good progress and meet their challenging targets relating to communication, basic skills and personal development. One parent said, 'I am very, very happy with his progress. His speech, understanding and reading skills have progressed, and his concentration is much better.' The pupils in the Foundation Stage make good progress, particularly in their social and communication skills and developing their self-awareness and enjoyment for learning. Pupils build successfully on this good start during the rest of their time in the school. Pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and those with severe learning needs make good progress in communicating and in developing their social skills, helping them towards independence in learning.

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Grade: 2

The school has successfully developed its own rigorous system for tracking pupils' progress and achievement which makes target setting more effective. Parents are very pleased with the progress their children make. One parent's comment was typical of 2 Inspection Report: Castlebar School, 9 May 2006 to 10 May 2006 many, 'The school has not only helped our son to settle emotionally, but has also brought about great improvements in reading, writing, maths and social skills. We cannot praise the school enough.'

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Grade: 1

The personal development and well-being of pupils are outstanding. Pupils love coming to school and parents say their children eagerly await the transport which takes them there. Attendance is satisfactory. Pupils particularly like to use the splendid outside play facilities. One boy remarked that he could not wait until lunchtime to play football everyday with the visiting pupils from the local primary school. Pupils enjoy the wide range of activities which take place in the community. They value praise and rewards when they have tried hard and, consequently, their behaviour is excellent. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. Pupils express their feelings and think of others less fortunate than themselves in response to strong encouragement from staff. Pupils enjoy celebrating the rich diversity of cultures within the school and wider community through festivals, art, music and food. They show

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Grade: 1

real spiritual awareness when taking part in African drumming. Pupils increase their independence and self-confidence, particularly through opportunities to attend residential visits. They are very good at keeping themselves safe and are very well equipped for the future because of the good skills they develop in response to good teaching. The school council, besides being involved in a number of projects, are also 'helpers' or 'buddies' who look out for the welfare of others. Pupils show outstanding enthusiasm in the way they take up healthy eating habits and participate in physical and sporting activities.

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Grade: 2

Teaching is consistently good across the school with some examples of excellence. Pupils do well in their lessons as all staff work as an effective team to ensure that work is well matched to their learning needs. Personal targets are challenging, ensuring good progress. Relationships are excellent, and staff ensure that pupils are confident and happy. Staff have worked hard to sharpen their skills in meeting the learning needs of pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and those with severe learning needs. This shows in the imaginative approach to planning and in the provision of adapted materials and methods. The effective partnership with therapists is helping pupils to communicate more successfully. There is good use of signs and symbols to support pupils' progress in communication. One parent said, 'My son is starting to say more words now and he is saying them more clearly.' There is regular monitoring of lessons

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Grade: 2

by senior staff who give supportive feedback to help teachers improve. 3 Inspection Report: Castlebar School, 9 May 2006 to 10 May 2006 The outstanding features in a number of lessons observed are not shared widely enough across the school. In the best lessons, teachers enthusiastically provide a wide range of stimulating and motivating activities with very effective use of supportive resources, including the interactive white board. Support is effectively deployed, pupils' needs are met, and there is effective monitoring and recording of pupils' progress which is integrated into further planning. There is a positive reward and celebration ethos in lessons where learning is made fun and it is made very clear to pupils how they may improve.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and provides relevant experiences for all pupils. The Foundation Stage curriculum is good because of its strong focus on developing pupils' competence in relating to and communicating with others. The emphasis on developing pupils' communication skills across the school contributes very effectively to their progress. One parent said of her son, 'His vocabulary is improving and he can understand better now and hold conversations with others'. The emphasis on personal and social development means that pupils make great progress in learning to follow instructions, improving their concentration and working well with each other, and alone, when required. Pupils have good opportunities to develop self-confidence and enterprise skills, for example, classes cooking scones and muffins for the coming school fete. There is also an appropriate emphasis on pupils' skills in literacy, numeracy and information and

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Grade: 2

communication technology. Pupils' experiences are further enhanced by visitors coming to the school and visits by pupils into the community. Football coaches run an after school club and other opportunities, such as swimming and access to adventure playgrounds, enrich pupils' learning.

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Grade: 1

The quality of care, guidance and support provided by the school is outstanding, ensuring that pupils work in a positive and secure environment. Staff know pupils really well and effectively support their physical and emotional needs. One pupil said, 'I get all the help I need and the school looks after me'. Staff encourage pupils to develop awareness of keeping themselves safe and healthy. The arrangements for child protection are very well managed and all assessments of risk are carefully considered. Individual education plans (IEPs) include clear, challenging, but achievable targets. This information is shared with parents, whose own support for their children is written into the plans. Pupils' progress is carefully monitored, assessed and recorded and parents are very complimentary about the information they receive. One parent said, 'The staff have shown great patience with my child and this has clearly contributed

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Grade: 1

to his progress in spite of his learning difficulties.' Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of everything the school does. 4 Inspection Report: Castlebar School, 9 May 2006 to 10 May 2006

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. Staff effectively promote the well-being of all pupils through the excellent care and good education they provide. Teamwork is of a high quality and staff create a positive environment that encourages pupils' confidence. The inspirational headteacher has high expectations of his deputy and leadership team, who are all committed to continued school improvement. Innovation and personal development are encouraged. School self-evaluation processes are very well established and the school has an accurate view of its strengths and areas for further development. Monitoring procedures are in place to assess the effectiveness of teaching and learning but the outstanding practice is not shared widely enough. The school fully consults with the parents, governors and a range of external providers about its work. It is actively involved in external initiatives to improve the opportunities

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Grade: 1

for learners. Governance of the school is excellent. Governors know the school well and take a full and active part in its strategic management. There has been excellent improvement since the last inspection and overall, the school is an exciting and dynamic place for pupils to thrive. The leadership and management continue to provide the school with an excellent capacity to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Castlebar School, 9 May 2006 to 10 May 2006 .

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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: Castlebar School, 9 May 2006 to 10 May 2006

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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 1 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 1 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 1 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 1 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 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 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 1 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 1 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

Pupils I really enjoyed visiting your school and I would like to thank you for making me feel so welcome. I would particularly like to thank the school council for telling me all about their activities. There were lots of things I like about your outstanding school: * You, and your parents and carers are right to think that you go to a very good school.* You work really hard and learn about important things, like how to talk to each other, be kind and behave well.* You enjoy your work in lessons and you are getting better at reading, counting and working on computers.* Your teachers and support staff work very hard. They know you really well and help you to learn as well as looking after you.* Your headteacher runs the school very well and has helped to improve lots of things that make your life in school so enjoyable.* Your school knows what it is good at and how it can improve even more. There is one important thing the school can do to make it even better:* The excellent teaching

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

in many of your lessons should be shared between teachers more effectively.Once again, thank you for your help and making my visit such a pleasant one. Yours sincerely M.J Smith Lead Inspector

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