Mayfield School

113641 Unique Reference Number Torbay LEA 279207 Inspection number 15 February 2006 to 15 February 2006 Inspection dates Andrew Redpath HMI Reporting inspector

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

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Moor Lane School address Special Type of school Torquay Community School category Devon TQ2 8NH 2 to 19 Age range of pupils 01803 328375 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01803 326 761 Fax number 107 Number on roll Mr Chris Sumner Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs June Palmer Headteacher 25 September 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279207 15 February 2006 - 2 to 19 15 February 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 of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Mayfield School is a special school providing education for pupils with severe learning difficulties (SLD) and profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD). It is larger than the average size nationally for such schools. Almost all pupils are of White British origin and their home language is English. There are approximately twice as many boys as girls attending the school. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is above the national average. The school moved to its present site in September 2002 and there has been a period of disruption whilst the building works have been completed. In recent years the school roll has steadily increased.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Mayfield School, 15 February 2006 to 15 February 2006

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Grade: 2

Mayfield School is a good school. Pupils and students make good progress in relation to their capabilities and become increasingly independent. Children in the Foundation Stage are carefully introduced to the school, settle in quickly and make good progress. Post-16 students are well prepared for their next stage. Parents hold very positive views of the school and appreciate the high standard of care provided by staff. Inspection evidence suggests this view is well-founded. There are excellent links with other professionals to support pupils’ education and well-being. The very strong teamwork amongst staff is a positive feature of the school. Teaching is good. Staff establish good relations with students and use praise to encourage them to achieve. Learning support assistants are deployed thoughtfully and work effectively with individuals and small groups. There are good resources, which are used well to support pupils’ and students’ learning and communication

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Grade: 2

needs. There are good systems in place for recording progress although assessment information is not used consistently to inform teachers’ lesson plans. This results in some tasks not being closely matched to pupils’ needs and progress is slower. The school is well led. The headteacher and senior leaders have successfully steered the school through a challenging period involving the school’s relocation. Issues identified for improvement in the last inspection report have been addressed. The school has a good understanding of its strengths and areas for further development. However, the school’s judgements of its own performance are sometimes slightly higher than inspection evidence suggests. The monitoring of teaching is satisfactory but in some cases there is a lack of detail to help teachers improve further. Given the effective management of recent changes and the high quality of education provided,

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Grade: 2

the school demonstrates the capacity to get even better. It gives good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

•monitor more thoroughly the quality of teaching •make better use of assessment information to ensure all lessons are suitably challenging.

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Grade: 2

Good support and encouragement ensures pupils and students try hard. As a result they make good progress in relation to their special educational needs (SEN) and enjoy their education. Children in the Foundation Stage settle in quickly and make good progress. This is due to the close and supportive links between the school and children’s families. Most pupils start school with communication difficulties and are working 2 Inspection Report: Mayfield School, 15 February 2006 to 15 February 2006 within Level 1 of the National Curriculum. There are good systems in place for recording pupils’ progress. These include the use of National Curriculum levels and ‘P’ levels (performance descriptors used for recording the attainment of pupils with SEN working towards the first level of the National Curriculum) to show progress in numeracy and literacy. School data shows that pupils are gaining higher ‘P’ levels over time. The rate

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Grade: 2

of progress is better than the average for pupils attending similar schools. Some pupils are reaching the early levels of the National Curriculum. Pupils and students also have targets for improving their communication skills, behaviour and information and communication technology (ICT) skills. They are making good progress in these areas and becoming increasingly independent. Post-16 students complete the Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network (ASDAN) course and the school’s ‘lifeskills certificate’. They learn to shop, prepare meals, and make choices with varying degrees of independence. Students are well prepared for their next stage beyond school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ and students’ personal development is good. They enjoy coming to school and several commented that they worked hard. This positive outlook is supported by parents and is reflected in pupils’ good attendance. In lessons pupils and students concentrate well, some for quite long periods of time. Pupils and students develop a good understanding of what is right and wrong. As they grow older they learn to modify their behaviour and recognise how to behave in different situations. Behaviour is good overall and there have been no exclusions. Pupils expressed some concerns about behaviour in the playground but the school has already recognised this and has recently introduced a good range of activities at lunchtime to resolve this. There is a good focus on developing pupils’ independence skills and this is particularly evident amongst the older pupils who take on responsibilities within school as well as on work place activities. Pupils are encouraged

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Grade: 2

to make choices throughout the day and the recent establishment of a school council is helping them to become more involved in developing the school. However the school has only recently given students in Year 8 and above the opportunity to contribute to their annual reviews. Regular assemblies enable pupils and students to celebrate each others’ successes and they have good opportunities to develop an understanding of cultural development through activities such as art week. The school has been awarded the Healthy Schools Award and this is reflected in pupils’ and students’ good awareness of healthy foods and their access to fruit and drinking water. They develop a good understanding of environmental issues and are actively involved in recycling. Pupils and students become involved in the community from an early age through visits to shops and by using local facilities such as the gym. Opportunities for them to be involved in activities with other schools are developing,

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Grade: 2

for example through the recent musical production. Students have good opportunities 3 Inspection Report: Mayfield School, 15 February 2006 to 15 February 2006 to learn about life in the workplace and have been involved in mini-enterprises, which has helped to develop their literacy and numeracy skills.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good. Staff establish good relationships with pupils and students and use praise and encouragement effectively to help them achieve. Staff employ a good range of resources to aid communication, which include symbols, pictures and switches, and the use of signing. Teachers use electronic whiteboards to present lessons and capture pupils’ and students’ interest. Learning support assistants are deployed thoughtfully and work effectively with individuals and small groups. There are good arrangements for recording pupils’ progress and identifying the next targets for improvement. In some lessons this information is not used effectively to inform lesson planning. As a result tasks are not closely matched to the next steps to be achieved and progress is slower. The school has identified this as an area for development. Photographic evidence is used extensively in classes across the school

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Grade: 2

to record pupils’ and students’ achievements.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. There is an appropriate range of activities to support the learning of pupils and students who have PMLD and SLD. These include sensory experiences, hydrotherapy, ICT and the provision of speech and language therapy and physiotherapy. There is a good focus on ensuring that the curriculum for older pupils and students is flexible and promotes independence. Students in Years 10 and 11 and in the post-16 classes have appropriate opportunities to gain accreditation through the ASDAN course. There are also good opportunities for pupils to experience college and work activities. The school has recently reviewed its extra-curricular programme and pupils and students appreciate the range of clubs that are now in place. There are good opportunities for attending residential trips and visits out of school. The school recognises the need for closer checking of activities that take place out of school, such as the regular weekly

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Grade: 2

trips in the minibus, to ensure that they are closely linked with the development of pupils’ and students’ skills.

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Grade: 2

The care, guidance and support for pupils and students is good overall. The care and guidance is very good. This is a direct result of the excellent teamwork between teachers, therapist and other professionals. Their close working relationship ensures 4 Inspection Report: Mayfield School, 15 February 2006 to 15 February 2006 that pupils’ and students’ needs are met very well. All staff benefit from a high level of training and show considerable commitment to extending their knowledge and understanding in order to support pupils’ and students’ well-being. Parents also benefit from support given by these professionals. The introduction of workshops, which bring together parents of pupils attending similar schools in Devon, is a very positive initiative. There is a good range of strategies to support pupils and students in learning to manage their own behaviour. Child protection procedures are thorough and all staff

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Grade: 2

receive very good training in this area. The use of targets to help pupils and students improve their learning is satisfactory. Pupils have targets for improvement in communication, ICT and behaviour and these are well displayed in all classrooms. However targets for literacy and numeracy are not included in pupils’ and students’ education plans. As a result the focus on these areas varies between classes.

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Grade: 2

The school is well led and managed. The headteacher provides strong leadership and is ably supported by the senior management team. Their sense of purpose has successfully maintained high staff morale during a difficult period following the school’s relocation to the present site. The school has a good understanding of its strengths and areas for development. The views of parents and other professionals are sought regularly through questionnaires and discussions. Parents are extremely positive about the work of the school and the support offered by staff. Recent changes in the curriculum have been evaluated to assess their impact on learning. A computerised data system is used effectively to record pupils’ and students’ progress in numeracy and literacy. This enables senior managers to check achievement over time and identify areas of concern. There are appropriate plans to extend the scope of this system to cover other areas of learning.

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Grade: 2

Arrangements for monitoring teaching are satisfactory although in some cases these lack sufficient detail to help teachers improve further. Resources are deployed effectively to support learning and the new accommodation is being developed successfully to provide a pleasant learning environment. There are good arrangements for the induction and training of staff which ensure they have the necessary skills for teaching young people with severe and profound learning difficulties. Governors are supportive of the school and ensure that all statutory requirements are met. They provide a strategic overview of the school and ensure financial efficiency. 5 Inspection Report: Mayfield School, 15 February 2006 to 15 February 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: Mayfield School, 15 February 2006 to 15 February 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?

1 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 3 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation Yes Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

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

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Achievement and standards

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

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learners?

2 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 2 The behaviour of learners 2 2 The attendance of learners 2 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community 2 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?

2 2 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?

2 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 3 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review 2 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can 2 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money 2 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes 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

Recently I visited your school with another inspector. We enjoyed being in your school. I am writing to let you know what we think about your school. Here are the main points: •you try hard and improve because adults praise you when you do things well •adults care for you very well •there are good resources to help you learn and say what you think •both you and your parents are very happy with the school. Your school could get even better by: •letting teachers know more about how well they teach •checking you are set the right level of work in all lessons. You can help by talking with teachers about your work

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