Lisburne School

106170 Unique Reference Number Stockport LEA 277499 Inspection number 16 March 2006 to 16 March 2006 Inspection dates Mr John Atkinson CfBT Lead Inspector Reporting inspector

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

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Half Moon Lane School address Special Type of school Stockport Community special School category Cheshire SK2 5LB 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 0161 4835045 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0161 4564220 Fax number 52 Number on roll Mrs Joan Pritchard Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Deborah Woods Headteacher 11 September 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277499 16 March 2006 - 4 to 11 16 March 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

Lisburne is a small special school for pupils aged from four to eleven years. The school caters for a wide range of special educational needs including moderate and severe learning difficulties, autistic spectrum disorders and pervasive developmental disorders. Five pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and two have a first language other than English. Two pupils are looked after by the local authority. The school has the Healthy Schools Award and the Stockport Inclusion Quality Mark awarded in 2005.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Lisburne School, 16 March 2006 to 16 March 2006

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Grade: 2

Lisburne School is accurate in its view that it is a good school with some outstanding features. Pupils' personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. As a result, pupils enjoy coming to school and are confident and well behaved with a desire to learn. All pupils achieve well in reaching the challenging targets that are set. Teaching is good and the expertise of teaching assistants is invaluable in ensuring the progress of pupils. The school has responded well to the challenges of the increasing diversity of pupils' learning difficulties and recognises the need to develop its teaching of communication skills to pupils with complex needs. The outstanding curriculum is enriched with extensive opportunities for creative development and is appropriately matched to the pupils' diverse needs. Provision in the Foundation Stage is good and children get an effective start to their education.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher and deputy headteacher, together with the governing body, provide a clear sense of purpose and direction to the school. The school is accurate in its self-evaluation and has a thorough approach to its monitoring; the staff respond enthusiastically to the excellent professional development opportunities made available. The school has a good capacity to improve and gives good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Develop the expertise of staff in the teaching of communication skills to pupils with complex needs.

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Grade: 2

It is not appropriate to compare the standards of pupils' work with all schools nationally. However, pupils' achievement, including those who learn English as an additional language, is good; the progress of a small but significant number is outstanding. Children in the Foundation Stage make good progress in all areas of learning. In Key Stages 1 and 2 pupils' progress is good in speaking and listening, reading and writing skills. They progress well in mathematics, particularly in their understanding of numbers and shape, space and measurement. Challenging targets are set for each pupil every year and their step by step progress is checked very carefully. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6 most pupils reach their targets and a minority exceed them. Pupils make outstanding progress in their personal development and in their attitudes to learning; these are the foundations on which all their other learning depends.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve very well in creative subjects such as music, art and drama because of the innovative ways in which these subjects are taught and the additional support of specialist teachers. Pupils achieve well because of the clarity of the targets and the impact of the good teaching. Pupils with complex communication difficulties make good progress, particularly when taught using specialist techniques, although this is an area for further professional development. 2 Inspection Report: Lisburne School, 16 March 2006 to 16 March 2006

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Grade: 1

Pupils' personal development and well-being are outstanding. The school is very successful in promoting a high level of self-esteem in pupils and encouraging them to eat healthily and exercise regularly. Pupils feel safe and secure in school and this instils in them the confidence to tackle new challenges. As a result, pupils enjoy school and fully participate in the extensive range of activities provided in school and the community. Attendance is good; behaviour is outstanding with pupils respecting the school's rules and understanding the consequences of their actions. Pupils have outstanding relationships with adults and this fosters their readiness to learn with enthusiasm and undertake responsibilities maturely. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. This is reflected in the way they work collaboratively, listen to each other and appreciate different cultures and the arts, such as dance, drama and music. Pupils are very well prepared

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Grade: 1

for the future by the progress they make in basic skills and the care and attention given to planning their move to secondary school. Pupils express their views confidently in class discussion groups and the school council. They feel their opinions are valued and understand why their suggestions are accepted or not. As a result, pupils are growing into mature and responsible young people who have a desire to take advantage of the learning, sporting and social opportunities made available to them.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good and this is reflected in the pupils' progress. Lessons are thoroughly planned with challenging and appropriate objectives. Teachers have a good knowledge and understanding of pupils' individual needs because they check on them regularly. Teachers are increasingly challenged by the complexity of some pupils' communication skills and ways to address this have not been fully developed. Work is well matched to the pupils' different levels of attainment and multi-sensory approaches are skilfully adopted to make activities and tasks match pupils' needs. Information and communication technology (ICT) is used very effectively and makes learning interesting, enjoyable and accessible. Interactive whiteboards are a common tool in teaching and pupils respond with enthusiasm and confidence when learning is presented through this approach. Teachers have high expectations of pupils and constantly challenge them through

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Grade: 2

skilful questioning. This has a very positive impact on pupils' speaking, listening and communication skills by ensuring they explain their views and justify their answers. Teachers and teaching assistants are energetic and enthusiastic in lessons and establish a positive learning climate in which pupils feel both challenged and supported. Teachers set targets and pupils clearly know what they are, resulting in determined approaches to achieve them. 3 Inspection Report: Lisburne School, 16 March 2006 to 16 March 2006

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Grade: 1

The school provides an outstanding curriculum. There is an appropriate emphasis on developing pupils' basic skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT. Teachers make very good use of their knowledge of pupils' individual needs in planning very effective links in different areas of learning. The Healthy School Award illustrates the success of pupils' awareness and understanding of how to achieve a healthy and safe lifestyle. The enrichment of the curriculum is outstanding and provides many opportunities for pupils to achieve well in creative and sporting activities. Regular 'creativity weeks' spark an excitement in pupils that vibrates through the school and results in significant progress in pupils' personal, social and academic skills. Visits and visitors provide experiences that enthuse and excite pupils and generate an enjoyment and purpose in learning. The substantial range of extra-curricular activities develops pupils' talents

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Grade: 1

and interests and motivates them to reach new heights.

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Grade: 1

Pupils, including the most vulnerable, are very well cared for. Rigorous systems are in place to ensure pupils' safety. Incidents of bullying are rare and tackled thoroughly. Pupils know they should always tell an adult of any concerns they have and have considerable respect for and trust in all the adults in school. There are very effective partnerships with other professional services and this ensures that pupils' individual needs are met. Child protection procedures are in place and supported with regular training. The school liases closely with the local authority in ensuring that all staff are subject to comprehensive vetting procedures. Pupils' individual education plans are very detailed and target setting is a significant strength in the progress that pupils make. Pupils receive good support to achieve their potential because of the effective ways that teachers and teaching assistants plan consistently to meet the individual personal and learning needs of each pupil.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the school, including governance, are good. The headteacher provides very strong leadership in setting out a clear vision for the school, identifying its priorities for development and improvement and acting as an exemplary role model. The headteacher and deputy headteacher are a powerful leadership team in providing direction and purpose to the school. They have created a very positive ethos where staff have high expectations and aspire to high standards. The monitoring of all aspects of the school's work is thorough and shared by all staff. This results in an open and honest climate where strengths and areas for development are accurately identified. It is through this system that the school realised more needs to be done for those pupils with communication difficulties. The leadership of the school motivates 4 Inspection Report: Lisburne School, 16 March 2006 to 16 March 2006

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Grade: 2

the staff in teaching an enriched and vibrant curriculum and being as inclusive as possible with all pupils. The support available for staff to benefit from professional development is excellent and its impact on teaching assistants is exceptional. The impact has been significant in enhancing the quality of provision for the pupils. The senior leadership team engages effectively with parents and pupils and regards their involvement and support as crucial in ensuring the continuing success of the school. The governing body is becoming increasingly involved in the work of the school and is actively involved in the monitoring of the quality of provision. The governing body gives good strategic support to the leadership, ensuring that its development is well planned and financially secure. The outcome is a school with a united sense of purpose and a good capacity to improve. 5 Inspection Report: Lisburne School, 16 March 2006 to 16 March 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: Lisburne School, 16 March 2006 to 16 March 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 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 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 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 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 2 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

I really enjoyed the day I recently spent in your school. Thank you for making me welcome and sharing your opinions about the school. I hope the changes that are going to be made to your school building will give you more space to learn and play in. I agree with your views that you go to a good school because of the many strengths it has. - The staff and the children get on really well and adults always want you to do your best. - They expect you to behave well, be confident and work hard - and I was very impressed with how hard you do work. - You have many opportunities to do exciting things in dance, drama and music. - The teachers and teaching assistants help you to do better in your work. - The headteacher and staff are always planning ways to make school better for you. I had a long chat with the headteacher and other staff and we agreed that you could do even better if the school knew more about how to help pupils who have difficulties in communicating

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

with people. I know how much improvement you have made since going to Lisburne School and if you continue to give your very best in every lesson, then you and the school will have much to be proud of.

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