Corbets Tey School

102362 Unique Reference Number Havering LEA LEA 276702 Inspection number 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 Inspection dates Melvyn Blackband AI Reporting inspector

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

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Harwood Hall Lane School address Special Type of school Upminster Community special School category RM14 2YQ 4 to 16 Age range of pupils 01708 225888 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01708 220430 Fax number 103 Number on roll Mr John H Parker Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Colin V Arthey Headteacher 15 May 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276702 15 June 2006 - 4 to 16 16 June 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 one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Corbets Tey is a special school providing for pupils with a range of complex learning needs. These include pupils with moderate and severe learning difficulties and pupils with language difficulties and autism. The pupils are mainly White British and the proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is average for the type of school. In recent years the school has achieved Investors in People status and the Healthy Schools award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Corbets Tey School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Corbets Tey is a good school with many outstanding features. The pupils love being there. They feel happy and supported and they make excellent progress in their personal development. Parents are very happy for their children to attend, knowing they will be safe, free from bullying and make good progress. Many parents commented on how their child had 'flowered' since joining the school. Because of their learning difficulties, the standards reached by pupils are below national averages but all pupils make good progress. The school's monitoring of achievement is good but assessment does not always clearly identify the next small step in the pupils' learning and planning is therefore not as sharp as it should be. The curriculum is outstanding because it is very well adapted to the pupils' needs, for instance it appropriately emphasises the acquisition of basic skills, particularly in communication. Teachers and assistants

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Grade: 2

confidently use signing and symbols to support pupils' work and staff make good use of information and communications technology (ICT) throughout the school to enhance learning. Provision in the Foundation stage and for pupils with severe autism is outstanding. Some pupils from the school are able to attend lessons in mainstream schools thus promoting their achievement and personal development. The school is well led and managed. The headteacher provides very good leadership and is supported by a very competent deputy headteacher and an efficient leadership team. The school is well aware of its strengths and weaknesses and is realistic and accurate in its evaluation of provision. There has been very good progress since the previous inspection and there is a good capacity to improve further. The school's finances are well managed and daily routines are efficient in ensuring the pupils' well being. Within the budget constraints placed on it, the school gives good value for

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What the school should do to improve further

• Make better use of assessment to more clearly identify the small steps in pupils' learning and to sharpen up some aspects of teaching and planning.

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Grade: 2

There are good procedures for measuring and recording the progress which pupils make. The quality of assessment when pupils first start is very good and is excellent in the Foundation Stage. Pupils' progress is efficiently tracked. The achievement of most pupils is good. Pupils in the Foundation Stage and those with significant difficulties caused by autism achieve particularly well. Several pupils with severe autism have made sufficient progress in a short space of time to successfully rejoin their normal groups. Where possible, the pupils are helped to raise their achievement by attending lessons in local mainstream schools. The assessment of each small step in learning which pupils make, however, is not consistent. This leads to individual education plans and learning targets which are sometimes insufficiently focused on 2 Inspection Report: Corbets Tey School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 the pupils' most important learning needs. Results show that most pupils reach

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Grade: 2

appropriate targets, culminating in the success of pupils in Year 11, who achieve their potential through a wide range of Entry Level qualifications. Pupils throughout the school make good progress in literacy and numeracy, which has led to a few pupils achieving success at GCSE in mathematics.

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Grade: 1

Pupils behave exceptionally well, reflecting the school's strong management of behaviour and the exemplary emphasis on the spiritual and moral values which the school upholds in every part of its work. The pupils' social development is outstanding. The pupils are very well supported as they gradually learn the rules of social interaction and many instances were observed during the inspection where pupils were helpful to each other, were able to take turns and to work co-operatively in lessons. As one boy commented 'I like my class because the children make me feel important'. The pupils' social and moral development is further supported by outstanding programmes in sex and relationships and in elements of personal, social, moral and health education (PSMHE). Attendance is very good because pupils love coming to school. The pupils feel safe because there is very little bullying or intimidation and when it does occur,

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Grade: 1

the school deals with it very effectively. The school ensures pupils eat healthily and have many opportunities to take part in physical activities. Pupils make regular visits to the community and are very well supported in contributing to the family atmosphere of the school. The good progress pupils make in literacy and numeracy, together with opportunities to take part in work experience helps to prepare them for adult life. Communication with parents is excellent. Many parents emphasised the support the school gives them and their children. One parent praised 'the important part you play in all our lives'.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good and are outstanding in the Foundation Stage. Teachers have good subject knowledge and there is growing expertise in signing techniques and in the use of symbols. Teachers know their pupils very well and this helps them to plan interesting and well paced lessons. Teaching by every member of the team in the special class for pupils with severe autism is outstanding. There are good relationships between classroom teams and the well trained teaching assistants support the pupils effectively. The pupils like and respect their teachers so their behaviour is very good and they work hard. Pupils in Year 4 tried exceptionally hard to respond to the teacher's questions and to practise their language skills in asking each other about the weather and 'How do you feel today?'.Teachers' use of assessment is not consistent. While some teachers regularly record progress, often in discussion with pupils, other

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Grade: 2

teachers do not maintain detailed records and thus they are less effective in planning 3 Inspection Report: Corbets Tey School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 and adapting work for individual pupils, relying instead on their general knowledge of the pupil's abilities.

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Grade: 1

Pupils enjoy purposeful and interesting activities which are very well structured to meet their needs. The curriculum is carefully monitored by senior staff. The many displays of pupils' work around the school and the evidence in their books demonstrate that they maintain a high level of interest and involvement in their work. Pupils with complex needs make very good progress because staff adjust the curriculum to provide support which breaks down barriers to the pupils' learning. The pupils benefit from excellent provision in ICT. Their communication is very well supported through the use of computer assisted learning and the teachers' confident use of signing. The outstanding provision for PSMHE, has a significant and positive effect in developing the pupils' personal skills, their knowledge about personal safety and the advantages of a healthy lifestyle. There is a wide range of activities to take pupils out of the

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Grade: 1

classroom, teaching them that new things can be learned in all sorts of situations. Pupils especially enjoy the trips to France as part of their experience of a modern foreign language.

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Grade: 1

Parents recognise that the school provides an extremely safe and caring environment where their children flourish, a view shared by the inspector. Child protection procedures are excellent and there is rigorous monitoring of health and safety issues and of risk assessment. The school has developed a very strong partnership with Social Services Children with Disabilities Team and this makes a significant contribution to the school's extended work. The pupils are encouraged into healthy lifestyles and they respond well to the exercise programmes and healthy food which is offered. Support for pupils is exemplary through the excellent programmes for PSMHE and through the school's very clear ethos of nurturing each pupil, which is followed by all staff. Pupils are aware and proud of their achievements through a successful reward system and the teachers' good use of praise and encouragement. Pupils have a good

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Grade: 1

understanding of their general progress, although not each small step in their learning. Their targets are displayed prominently in the classrooms and some pupils are able to self evaluate their own achievement. Parents confirm that they are very well informed about progress and future targets. The pupils receive high quality advice and support about careers when they are about to leave school.

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Grade: 2

The leadership of the school has established a safe and happy environment. It provides an excellent standard of support for pupils and their families and promotes good 4 Inspection Report: Corbets Tey School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 2006 progress in the pupils' core skills and outstanding progress in their personal development. The head teacher leads with passion and a very strong commitment to school improvement. He is well supported by a very able deputy headteacher and a strong management team. The governing body has a good knowledge of the school and is able to both support and hold the leadership to account. Parents feel involved and knowledgeable about the school. Communication with parents and within the school is excellent. Staff feel consulted and valued. The quality of professional training is good and is becoming well focused on aspects of provision for autism and the development of the pupils' speech and language. Because of this the

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Grade: 2

opportunities for pupils to succeed have been significantly enhanced since the previous inspection. The school's leadership has developed extensive monitoring systems, both formal and informal, which enables the rigorous evaluation of each aspect of the school's provision. Subject leaders, for example, are helped to be more effective because their work is closely reviewed by the senior team. The tracking and analysis of pupils' achievement is well developed and this has a significant impact on the pupils' good progress. However, the recording of each small step in the pupils' learning is not well managed or consistent and this detracts from the teachers' ability to focus on each aspect of their pupils' achievements. The present leadership has had a significant impact on standards throughout the school. The provision for pupils with severe autism is excellent and the school is moving forward very quickly in improving provision for other pupils with complex learning

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Grade: 2

needs. There is a clear vision for the future and a very good capacity to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Corbets Tey School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 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: Corbets Tey School, 15 June 2006 to 16 June 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 1 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 1 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 1 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 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 1 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 1 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 Yes Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form Yes 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 Not long ago I came to the school to see how you were getting on and whether there was anything I could suggest that would make the school better. You made me very welcome and I enjoyed meeting some of you. Thank you and well done! I was only with you for two days. That was long enough for me to realise that Corbets Tey is a good school. One of the reasons is that you make very good progress in learning how to get on with others. I particularly enjoyed visiting you in the classrooms and seeing the good work you were doing. There were lots of other things that I liked. Here are a few:* You obviously enjoy school and do well* The many different people working at the school do their best to look after you* You are able to be as independent as possible and to take responsibility for your own actions. There is one thing I felt would make the school better. Teachers should agree on the best way to write down the progress you make in each lesson.Best wishes and good luck!

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Yours sincerely, Melvyn Blackband Lead Inspector

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