Fairmead School

123940 Unique Reference Number Somerset LEA 281595 Inspection number 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005 Inspection dates Sarah Mascall RISP Reporting inspector

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

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Mudeford Road School address Special Type of school Yeovil Community special School category Somerset BA21 4NZ 5 to 16 Age range of pupils 01935 421 295 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01935 410 552 Fax number 63 Number on roll Mrs E Jardine Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Valerie Brookham Headteacher 23 February 1998 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 281595 19 October 2005 - 5 to 16 19 October 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 two inspectors.

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Description of the school

Fairmead is a special school for boys and girls aged between 4 and 16 with moderate learning difficulties who live in and around Yeovil. An increasingly large number of pupils have more complex needs including autistic spectrum disorders, social and behavioural difficulties and speech and language difficulties. All pupils have statements of special educational need and almost all are from White British backgrounds. There is one pupil for whom English is not their first language. At the time of the inspection there were no pupils under the age of five. The majority of pupils are in Years 7 to 11 and there are only 14 pupils in the primary department. Five pupils are looked after by the local authority.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Fairmead School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005

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Grade: 2

The inspectors agree with the school’s own evaluation of its effectiveness and judge Fairmead to be a good school. Leadership and management are good and have enabled the school to go through a considerable period of improvement over the last three years. The headteacher has a clear vision of what she wants to achieve and is well supported in achieving this by her senior management team and governors. Parents are very positive about what the school has done for their children. Pupils make good progress because teaching is good overall. Although teachers know pupils very well, they do not ensure that lesson planning is sufficiently focused on meeting the specific needs of individual pupils and limited use is made of pupils’ individual education plans (IEPs). The personal development of pupils is good and they make excellent progress in developing an understanding of healthy lifestyles and build skills that will assist them well in later life.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ experiences are enriched by a good curriculum that supports them in developing independence particularly well. The care and support of pupils is good overall but there are shortcomings. For example, the recording and procedures for checking on the use of restraint, on the rare occasions it happens, are inadequate. The school has appropriate systems for considering the data it has gathered on pupils’ progress but is not yet using this effectively to evaluate areas that could be improved further. The governing body make a very good contribution to the life of the school and is extremely well led by the chair of governors. Governors and the senior management team, though, have a good understanding of the strengths of the school and areas that need to be improved. The school is well placed to continue with its improvements and provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

To bring about further improvements to its effectiveness, the school should: •make better use of the range of data on pupils’ progress to analyse more closely what is successful and what could be improved •establish effective recording systems when staff need to physically hold pupils and ensure that these are monitored carefully •ensure that pupils’ IEPs are more effective in supporting teachers’ planning and to meet the range of needs in each class

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Grade: 2

All pupils, regardless of their special educational needs, make good progress in their learning and achieve well. They make good progress in learning to read and many improve their writing skills well. Pupils do very well in developing their communication skills and are able to express their ideas and thoughts clearly. Progress in mathematics is good, particularly for those pupils in the primary years. Progress in science has been satisfactory; however, the appointment of a specialist teacher is enabling pupils to 2 Inspection Report: Fairmead School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005 now make better gains in their learning. Pupils across the school are confident in their use of information and communication technology (ICT) and by the time they leave school they understand how to use the Internet and publishing programmes. Pupils’ good progress is reflected in the range of accreditation they are achieving in Year 11.

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Grade: 2

Last year all pupils gained GCSE in art and all achieved passes in entry level examinations in a range of subjects. There are high expectations that several of the present Year 11 group will gain GCSEs in English, mathematics and art as well as accreditation in ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) bronze award. The targets the school sets itself, although satisfactory, could be more challenging. A lot of work has gone into gathering a range of data on pupils’ progress but as yet the school is not making full use of all of this to look at areas that could be developed further and improved upon.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development is given high priority within the school through the personal, social and health education programme. Pupils enjoy school immensely and are full of praise for the school. This positive attitude is reflected in their good overall attendance. Parents’ views confirm how much their children love going to school. Behaviour is good and pupils understand the rules and what is expected of them. They clearly know the difference between right and wrong and the number of exclusions is gradually reducing over time. Pupils make very good gains in their social development and develop into mature, sensible young adults. All pupils have many opportunities to take on responsibilities and are rightly proud of their successes. They are keen to celebrate their and others’ achievements in assemblies and have appropriate opportunities to consider their own actions and those of others. The opportunities for

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Grade: 2

pupils to improve their spiritual development although satisfactory, could be improved further. There is a good awareness by pupils of life in different countries and this is well supported through the very good links with a school in Zambia. Visits to the theatre and places of interest ensure that pupils have a good awareness of other cultures but they do not yet have a good understanding of life in a multicultural society. Pupils have a very good understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles and ways of ensuring their own safety and well-being. Pupils learn to cook in the primary department and develop their skills in food studies as they get older. They have a very good understanding of a healthy diet and appreciate the healthy focus of the tuck shop. The active role pupils play in the life of the school is reflected in the excellent school council. It has a strong voice and is proud of its achievements in bringing about

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Grade: 2

change. Pupils are involved in the community very well and work hard to raise money for a range of charities. Mini-enterprise schemes such as the Fairmead Horticultural society and the good opportunities for pupils to experience the world of work ensure pupils are well prepared for life when they leave school. 3 Inspection Report: Fairmead School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005

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Grade: 2

A strength of teaching lies in the good understanding teachers have of the range of special needs in the school. They have benefited from a number of training courses and staff, particularly in the primary department, put this knowledge to very good use. There are excellent relationships with pupils and humour is used well to encourage and support pupils so that they gain in confidence. Staff use ICT well, including the interactive whiteboards. As a result pupils are confident in their use of computers to help them learn successfully. There is very good teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants. Teachers make good use of the assistants in working with individuals, ensuring that those, for example, who are struggling in a class environment are able to complete the same work as their peers but on a one-to-one basis. Staff know pupils very well but they do not always use this knowledge to help them plan

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Grade: 2

to meet the needs of the wide range of ability within each class. Part of the problem in meeting pupils’ individual needs is the fact that IEPs have been changed several times over the last few years. Until recently they were not helpful in enabling teachers to focus on pupils’ academic targets. Teachers generally make helpful comments on pupils’ work and assessment overall is satisfactory. However, although primary staff are confident in the use of performance descriptors (P-levels), that are designed to provide a common basis for measuring the progress of pupils for whom the early levels of the National Curriculum are not appropriate, secondary teachers are only now beginning to assess pupils’ progress in this way. As a result, the school has recognised that there is room for improvement in the accuracy of teachers’ assessments.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum provides a wide range of activities that supports pupils well and has been improved considerably since the last inspection. There is a very good range of accreditation and the introduction of the ASDAN award is appropriate. This was confirmed by a parent who commented on how happy her son was doing the ASDAN course and how much confidence it has given him. There are good opportunities for pupils to go to college and attend work experience placements. These pupils are also well supported by the effective personal, social and health education and citizenship programme and as a result they are well prepared to move on to the next stage of life after school. There are good opportunities for pupils to work alongside those in mainstream schools and the school is successful in returning a number of pupils back into mainstream. Pupils are well supported through the school’s outreach work which also provides

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Grade: 2

support and training for mainstream schools. The school is keen not to be isolated and these links together with those with other special schools ensure that staff and 4 Inspection Report: Fairmead School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005 pupils benefit from sharing their skills with others For example, the good links with local schools enable pupils to use their facilities for science and physical education. Good use is made of the community to enrich pupils’ experiences and there is a good range of visits that enhance learning. A very good range of clubs both before during and after the school day is available, as well as residential trips that enable pupils to develop their skills both socially and academically.

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Grade: 2

The care and guidance, as well as the support for pupils’ independence, are seen as a priority by the school. The systems in place to encourage pupils to develop healthy lifestyles are excellent. There are good procedures for child protection and pupils’ health and safety is promoted very well. A lot of work has been done on risk assessments since the last inspection and the new electronic recording system is very effective. However, the recording of incidents in which staff have to restrain a pupil is unsatisfactory. At present, records are disorganised and are not properly monitored by a member of the senior management team. There are very good links with multi-agency professionals and pupils benefit from the very good specialist knowledge of staff. Parents are particularly appreciative of the support their children and families receive from the school. A considerable amount of work has gone into improving pupils’ IEPs and the school

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Grade: 2

has now established a new format which is appropriate and which they plan to continue improving. However, the quality of the targets within the plan are variable and they are not being used as working documents by all staff.

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Grade: 2

A considerable amount of work has been done in the last three years to improve the school. A lot of this is a direct result of the very hard work and dedication of the headteacher and her commitment to staff and pupils. Her style of management ensures that all those involved within the school, including governors, parents and pupils, have a say in what goes on and feel a part of the process of development. The headteacher is very keen to ensure that staff develop their skills and she has empowered them to take on wider responsibilities and access training to help them fulfil their roles. This is very evident in the very good initiative involving two support staff in monitoring aspects of pupils’ progress and in checking that the wide range of special needs within the school is being met. Senior staff are very aware of their roles and responsibilities and carry these out well. There are appropriate systems in place to check on the quality of teaching but the

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Grade: 2

school recognises that these need to be more rigorous. The result of this is that there is insufficient attention being given to improving the quality of teaching throughout the school. 5 Inspection Report: Fairmead School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 2005 The governing body is a very effective group. There is a very good working relationship between the headteacher and chair of governors that is both supportive and questioning. Finances of the school are managed very well. The school has a very good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses and this is reflected in the accuracy of its self-evaluation. In spite of the amount that has already been achieved since the headteacher was appointed, staff and governors are keen to develop the school further and there is a good capacity for improvement. 6 Inspection Report: Fairmead School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 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. 7 Inspection Report: Fairmead School, 19 October 2005 to 19 October 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 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 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 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 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?

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 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

No 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 making my team and I so welcome in your school. We very much enjoyed meeting and talking to you. We were very impressed by how many of you take an interest in staying healthy and hope you will continue with this. These are some of the things we liked best: •The headteacher and the senior staff work hard to make sure the school runs well. •You clearly like coming to school and because of this nearly all of you attend every day. •Because your teachers are good at what they do and know you very well, you learn well. •The school is excellent at helping you understand about looking after yourselves and keeping safe •The school has found lots of ways to help you understand what it is like to go to work and prepare you for life when you leave school. To make things even better we have suggested three things that the school should now do: •The teachers know a lot about how well you do; they need to use this information to help you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

to do even better •When a few of you get very upset you need to be held by staff to stop you hurting others or yourself. At present records are disorganised and are not properly checked by a member of the senior management team. •The school has improved your individual education plans but teachers need to use them more to make sure that each of you learn in the way that suits you best. Thank you again for all your help. We wish you well for the future.

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