St Andrew's School

113048 Unique Reference Number City of Derby LEA LEA 279080 Inspection number 29 September 2005 to 30 September 2005 Inspection dates Mr. Alan Lemon LI Reporting inspector

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

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St Andrew's View School address Special Type of school DE21 4EW Community School category 5 to 16 Age range of pupils 01332832746 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01332830115 Fax number 62 Number on roll Mr.Richard Betts Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Mike Dawes Headteacher 27 March 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279080 29 September 2005 - 5 to 16 30 September 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

St Andrew's is a special school for pupils and students with severe learning difficulties. This means their attainment is well below the standards expected for their age. They all have statements of special educational need. There has been a steady increase in recent years in the number of pupils with autism. There are 62 pupils on roll, including 17 students in the further education department. The school has boarding provision and currently 18 pupils board during the week. Very few pupils arrive or leave school at unplanned points in their education. Up until 2003, St Andrew's had pupils with an age range of 2 to 19. The age range is now 11 to 19, although the nursery did not close until July 2005. The composition of the senior leadership team altered in 2004 when the post of deputy headteacher was replaced with two assistant headteachers. Pupils' family backgrounds are quite varied and many are disadvantaged. Over a third

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Description of the school

of pupils are eligible for free school meals. The number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds has been increasing over the past few years. Fourteen pupils are of Indian or Pakistani heritage and an assistant is employed especially to support 11 of these pupils. However, all pupils speak English.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St Andrew's School, 29 September 2005 to 30 September 2005

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Grade: 2

The school's effectiveness is good and it gives good value for money. This matches the school's evaluation. Leadership and management are good but governors could be more effective in checking how well the school is doing. The new senior leadership team has had a positive impact, setting an ambitious direction and raising expectations. Much progress has already been made through harnessing the energy and skills of staff but there is a need to analyse pupils' progress more thoroughly to confirm they are always challenged sufficiently. Strong links have been made with parents. The pace of improvements has quickened and there is a good capacity to go on developing many new ideas. Staff are purposefully engaged in school improvement work and are successfully reshaping the school to meet the needs of its new age range. The subject co-ordinators still need to check more thoroughly on the quality of teaching and

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Grade: 2

learning. The provision for autistic pupils is good and the curriculum for students in the further education department has expanded into a good range of relevant learning opportunities. Pupils and students, including those of minority ethnic heritage, achieve well and their acquisition of valuable skills to help them become self-sufficient is a strength. This is a principal aim for the school and its success is applauded by parents. Personal development is very good as a result of the very attentive approach to pupils' care, welfare support and guidance. Teaching is good with strengths in literacy and personal, social and health education.A Commission for Social Care inspection was carried out in July 2005. Its overall conclusion was favourable on the quality of boarding provision. A number of non-compliance issues were identified largely related to health and safety standards and standards on boarders' protection. There have been further

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Grade: 2

visits from the inspectorate to assess progress on meeting the standards. Inspectors are satisfied with the school's progress and that the non-compliance issues they identified have already been, or are well in the process of being, resolved.

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What the school should do to improve further

-Continue refining the analysis of information about pupils' progress. -Improve the involvement of governors in evaluating the school's strengths and weaknesses. -Increase the frequency of monitoring teaching, particularly through the use of subject leaders. Ensure feedback from observations recognises and helps to eliminate any remaining weaknesses. -Ensure effective action continues to fully address all issues highlighted in the last boarding inspection.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. The majority of pupils and students make good progress by the end of Year 9, 11 and through their post-16 years as a result of well planned and effective teaching. The information the school gathers on pupils' performance shows this clearly. Although good overall in English, mathematics and science, the rate of progress picks up sharply from Year 9 by which time pupils have developed into 2 Inspection Report: St Andrew's School, 29 September 2005 to 30 September 2005 interested and confident learners. Students in the further education department frequently practice using money in the community. Pupils progress well towards achieving the targets in their individual education plans. These and whole school attainment targets use good assessments to ensure they are appropriate and challenging. There is no significant variation in the progress of different groups. Pupils with minority ethnic heritage, because they are so well-integrated, and autistic pupils

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Grade: 2

because they are taught effectively, achieve as well as others.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' attitudes to school are very good as they thoroughly enjoy its friendly and supportive atmosphere. As a result, attendance is high. Behaviour is very good and the school successfully helps pupils to reduce instances of challenging behaviour. Pupils acknowledge the possibility of bullying but know this is rare and that staff would be effective in dealing with any occurrence. Autistic pupils make friends as a result of the open and welcoming attitudes of other pupils. Spiritual, moral and social development is very good. Pupils sit and eat together each lunchtime in a very sociable manner. They understand why a healthy diet is important and the school promotes this very well through teaching and good lunchtime menus. As a result of the school's high expectations in relation to personal development, pupils are self-confident and outward looking. They are very helpful and contribute widely by serving on the school

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Grade: 1

council where they make mature decisions. Pupils take part in many fund-raising activities and they are proud of this contribution. Cultural development is good. Throughout the year pupils are involved in a good variety of arts activities from in school and beyond and these reflect well the different cultural interests of pupils.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Teachers and their assistants know and assess pupils well and use this effectively to plan. This ensures each pupil's work provides them with the appropriate challenges. To help achieve this, teachers often divide classes into smaller groups of different abilities. In the best lessons, thorough planning of work and the well-organised use of teaching assistants leads to sharply focused learning. Staff are extremely skilled in gaining and keeping pupils' attention. This approach led to considerable success in a literacy lesson where very good planning and expertise provided each group of pupils with lively, enjoyable work. Their concentration and effort was of the highest order and they made very good progress in reading and writing sentences. In this and other lessons, the expertise of teachers and assistants resulted in very good communication with pupils. In a personal, social

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Grade: 2

and health education lesson, this enhanced pupils' attention and the level of their thinking which meant they remembered the names and locations of many parts of the 3 Inspection Report: St Andrew's School, 29 September 2005 to 30 September 2005 body. Good approaches are used with autistic pupils so that they concentrate and take part well in lessons.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum provides a good range of learning opportunities that serve well the needs and interests of pupils. The curriculum is broad and the opportunities in the arts and sports are good. The opportunities for pupils to develop and pursue their interests through extra activities are satisfactory. The curriculum is well aimed at equipping pupils with the important knowledge and skills they will need in later life. Personal, social and health education is sharply focused on providing pupils with the knowledge and skills to be healthy and stay safe. The further education department builds on this learning. Here, students' work often takes place in the community and is closely linked to real life experiences. Activities such as 'World of Work Week' and mini-enterprises make a good contribution to students' understanding of earning a living. The provision for literacy is very good. What is taught over the year is planned

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Grade: 2

thoroughly, providing pupils with well-organised learning experiences that match their different abilities. Numeracy, science and information and communication technology are good. The opportunities for pupils and students to pursue accredited courses are adequate. Currently, there is a drive to extend the range of accreditation to include Entry Level Certificate for the higher attaining pupils and students.

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Grade: 1

The care provided for all pupils is very good. This comes primarily through the close attention and supervision given by all staff to each pupil's welfare and safety. The school nurse makes a good contribution to learning about health and relationships. Pupils are very well supported in their personal development. Self-confidence grows rapidly as a result of the encouragement and recognition they receive. Pupils take their role on the school council very seriously and believe it is an effective way of them influencing the school. The planning and preparation of meals, independent travel and handling everyday transactions like shopping all figure prominently in pupils' work. The curriculum in the further education department prepares students very well for future training and education. A range of effective assessment ensures teachers are aware of each pupil's next steps of learning and this is well linked to pupils' targets.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The senior leadership team of the headteacher and two newly appointed assistant headteachers has established itself effectively, giving fresh impetus to adapting the school to cater for a narrower age range. This has the full backing of staff and parents and has strengthened morale and raised expectations. While governors stay closely involved and are very supportive, they are 4 Inspection Report: St Andrew's School, 29 September 2005 to 30 September 2005 not doing enough to test the school's effectiveness. Management responsibilities are widely delegated. Several working groups are energetically pursuing improvement initiatives. The monitoring role of subject leaders is a fairly recent innovation, which is being well supported by a clear action plan. Their overview of curriculum and pupils' progress is adequate but their evaluation of teaching is yet to get underway. The

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Grade: 2

school's process for reviewing and developing the performance of all staff has been tightened up. The school's checks on its effectiveness are satisfactory. However, greater rigour is required in the analysis and use of information on pupils' performance. There is not a detailed look for patterns in the achievements of groups of pupils and subjects, although subject leaders have made a good start to examining the results in their subjects. 5 Inspection Report: St Andrew's School, 29 September 2005 to 30 September 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: St Andrew's School, 29 September 2005 to 30 September 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 NA The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 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 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 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 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 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 3 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

Thank you for giving me such a warm welcome and for all the help you gave me in doing my job. I really enjoyed seeing your work and talking to you. A special thanks to the pupils and students who have served on the School Council who explained so clearly and enthusiastically what you think about your school and all the things you enjoy about it. This is what I found out about your school. - Your school is good and it helps you do well. - You are very helpful in school, especially to each other and in raising money to help others. - You enjoy everything about your school and have no worries when you are there. - Your parents really like the school because it is a very safe place and the staff always look after you very well. - The headteacher and all of the staff work hard and run the school well. Even though your school is good, there are some things which the headteacher can do to make it better. - Make absolutely sure that

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

everyone is making as much progress as they can. - Help teachers to make sure you always work as hard as you can in your lessons. - Ask the school's governors to pay close attention to the progress you all make and help the school where this could be better. - Make sure everything required is in place to make safe and protect pupils who board at the school. Thanks again for all your help.

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