Epinay Business and Enterprise School

Inspection Report Epinay Business & Enterprise School

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108741 Unique Reference Number South Tyneside Local Authority 288174 Inspection number 14 °15 November 2006 Inspection dates Andrew Margerison Reporting inspector

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

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Clervaux Terrace School address Special Type of school Jarrow, Tyne and Wear Community special School category NE32 5UP 5 °16 Age range of pupils 0191 4898949 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0191 4837417 Fax number 106 Number on roll (school) Mrs Dawn Miller Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Hilary Harrison Headteacher 1 March 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 288174 14 °15 November 2006 5°16 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

Epinay School caters for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. However, a significant proportion has additional needs such as emotional, social and behavioural difficulties, autistic spectrum disorders and specific learning difficulties. The school draws its pupils from across the borough and the majority are transported to school. Pupils join the school at different times in their school careers. Many receive most of their schooling at Epinay, but a significant proportion join the school in Years 8, 9 and 10, because they have had problems coping with a mainstream setting. Most pupils have a statement of special educational need. At the time of the inspection there were no pupils in the Foundation Stage. The school is a specialist school for Business and Enterprise and is also a creative partnership school.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Epinay Business & Enterprise School, 14 °15 November 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school with many outstanding features. Inspection evidence confirms the school’s view of its own performance in most areas. This reflects the excellent procedures the school has established for evaluating the quality of its work and for identifying priorities for improvement. Since the last inspection the school has made very good progress. Underpinning these improvements is the outstanding leadership and management of the school. This is founded on the vision of the senior staff for the future of the school and the outstanding teamwork between all staff. The fact that the school gained specialist status and has recently opened a business and enterprise centre is testimony to this vision for its future. Although it is too soon for this facility to have had a full effect on pupils’ academic achievement, it has begun to have a very positive effect on the pace of pupils’ personal development, particularly

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Grade: 2

in Years 10 and 11. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for leaving school and moving on to the next phase of their lives. Relative to their starting point, pupils achieve well. Pupils who are at the school for most of their schooling make exceptional progress in their reading and communication skills. They also make excellent progress in science. The school has established very thorough procedures to check the progress pupils make from year to year and to set them targets to aim for. Pupils are fully involved in this process. However, the wealth of assessment information is not always analysed in enough detail to identify any inconsistency between the progress pupils are making in different subjects. As a result, progress in mathematics, though good, is not as consistent, particularly in Years 7 to 11, as it is in English and science. Pupils who join the school do well in developing their work-related skills, owing to

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Grade: 2

the excellent opportunities they have to follow work-related, vocational programmes. Teaching and learning are good with some exceptionally strong features. All staff are very consistent in their approach to learning. They have extremely high expectations and use questions very well to challenge pupils and to fully involve them in lessons. Support staff make a major contribution to the pace of pupils’ learning. The majority of lessons are managed well, challenging and provide enjoyable learning experiences for pupils. As a result, pupils really enjoy being at school. They behave well and are extremely keen to take part in the excellent range of opportunities provided for them through the outstanding curriculum that extends before and after school, at lunchtimes and during school holidays. This ensures that they develop an excellent understanding of how to stay safe and lead healthy lifestyles. The contribution of external agencies and individuals to all aspects of the curriculum

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Grade: 2

is a major feature in the success of the school and is another example of the school’s innovative approach to meeting pupils’ needs. Parents are right to be extremely confident that the school takes excellent care of their children. Governors share the vision for the future of the school with the staff, although there is scope for them to be more proactively involved in evaluating the effect of the new initiatives on the quality of education provided for pupils on a day-to-day basis. However, all those associated with the school are highly committed to playing their part to make sure 2 Inspection Report: Epinay Business & Enterprise School, 14 °15 November 2006 that new ideas, dreams and initiatives become reality. As a result, the school is extremely well placed to continue to build on its extensive strengths further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Analyse assessment information more closely to ensure that all pupils make consistently good progress across subjects. • Develop the governors’ monitoring of the work of the school on a day-to- day basis.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ achievement is good and overall they make good progress. The school judged this aspect of its work as outstanding. Inspection evidence supports this view for those pupils who spend most of their school careers at Epinay School. They make excellent progress relative to their starting point. Most join the school with low levels of skills, knowledge and understanding, particularly in their basic communication, literacy and numeracy skills. It is testimony to the consistently good quality of teaching that all these pupils leave school with a good range of external qualifications including GCSEs, college certificates and other externally accredited qualifications. Underpinning this good achievement is the exceptional progress pupils make in Key Stages 1 and 2 in speaking, listening and reading. Pupils continue to make good progress in English in Years 7 to 9 and most go on to gain external qualifications. Not all pupils make as

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Grade: 2

rapid progress in mathematics as they do in other subjects, such as science. Pupils who join the school late on in their school careers ° for example, half of the Year 11 group in 2006 ° make good progress in their work-related skills. This is achieved through the vocational courses they follow in school and courses supplied by external providers. Last year, all of the Year 11 pupils left school with a range of qualifications. Understandably, their achievement in academic subjects is not as good as those pupils who have been at the school for longer.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. Pupils really enjoy being at school and join in with the wealth of activities, events and opportunities the school provides with great enthusiasm and zest. This is reflected in their good attendance at school and the high numbers that join in with the extra activities. The behaviour of the vast majority of pupils is excellent. However, the school does not tolerate any inappropriate behaviour; this resulted in a relatively high number of exclusions last year. The school has now introduced new procedures to manage any incidents and, as a result, very few pupils have been excluded this year. Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to work in a safe way in different situations and how to lead a healthy lifestyle. The opportunities that result from the specialist status of the school make an extremely

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Grade: 1

3 Inspection Report: Epinay Business & Enterprise School, 14 °15 November 2006 strong contribution to pupils’ personal development, particularly for those pupils who join the school in Years 9 and 10. As pupils move through the school, they become increasingly independent and responsible for their own work and are well prepared for leaving school.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall with a number of outstanding features. Inspection evidence confirms the school’s view that there is no whole school area for improvement in teaching, but there are aspects that individual teachers could work on to improve their practice even further. Across the school, teachers are very clear about what new skills or understanding they expect pupils to learn and ensure that pupils know exactly the purpose of each lesson. Teachers’ extremely effective use of questions to challenge and engage pupils of all abilities is another consistently strong feature. As a result, the majority of lessons are brisk and very challenging and all pupils are fully involved in their learning. The close teamwork between teachers and support staff complements these key factors and contributes to pupils’ learning in many ways. Lower down the school, a very strong emphasis is placed on developing pupils’ basic

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Grade: 2

skills which is reflected in the exceptional progress pupils make in their reading and communication. Across the school, teachers plan plenty of opportunities for pupils to use their basic literacy and information and communication technology skills, but fewer opportunities are provided for pupils to extend their numeracy skills.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is outstanding. It is very broad and reflects the full range of abilities, aptitudes and interests of pupils within the school. It is enhanced by an excellent range of additional activities. The contribution of external staff has a very positive effect on pupils’ learning across the school. The excellent links the school has established with colleges, local schools and other training providers enable the school to provide an excellent range of externally accredited courses for older pupils. However, the school is currently working on extending these further, particularly the range of GCSE courses available in Years 10 and 11. The opportunities provided for pupils to develop their work- related skills are particularly notable and have an extremely positive effect on pupils’ personal development, particularly those who join the school late on in their school careers. The school is planning to build on existing programmes to give pupils

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Grade: 1

even more opportunities to use their academic and personal skills in practical situations, by developing the new business and enterprise centre as a focus for the local area. 4 Inspection Report: Epinay Business & Enterprise School, 14 °15 November 2006

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Grade: 1

The school provides an outstandingly high level of care, support and guidance for pupils. The school’s procedures meet the most recent legislation for child protection and safeguarding pupils. Ensuring the health and safety of pupils is an extremely high priority, but equally significantly, the school places a very strong emphasis on encouraging pupils to take responsibility for themselves in different situations. For example, the very detailed ‘Travel Plan’, operated on a day-to-day basis by one of the support staff, has resulted in a rapid increase in the number of pupils who travel to school on their own. Currently, a quarter travels to school independently despite the wide geographical area their pupils come from. The school’s procedures for tracking the progress pupils make from year to year are very thorough. However, there is some scope to refine these further so the school can measure progress more accurately over

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Grade: 1

the longer term to make sure that it is consistent across all subjects. Pupils are fully involved in reviewing their own learning and in setting the targets in their individual education plans.

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Grade: 1

The leadership and management of the school are outstanding. All aspects of this area of the school’s work are good with several being exceptional. Underpinning the success of the school is the vision of the senior management team. They have an extremely clear view of how they see the school developing. It is their vision that has created the ethos of innovation and change, all designed to increase the opportunities for pupils to achieve as well as they can, whatever their skills, interests or aptitudes. However, making this vision a reality would be impossible without the support and commitment of all the staff. They have succeeded in creating an exceptional degree of teamwork across the school. All staff are involved in identifying, implementing and evaluating new initiatives which has created a real momentum, shared drive and enthusiasm for new ideas within the school. As a result, the school knows itself

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Grade: 1

extremely well, school improvement targets are highly relevant and many are imaginative and innovative. Governors provide good support for the school, know what the school is striving for and several have established good links with staff. However, their role in helping to evaluate the effect of new initiatives on the day-to-day work of the school is less well developed. The school provides good value for money. Document reference number: HMI 2507 01 September 2006Inspection Report:Epinay Business & Enterprise School, 14-15 November 20067Document reference number: HMI 2507 01 September 2006

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Grade: 1

procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 5 Inspection Report: Epinay Business & Enterprise School, 14 °15 November 2006 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Epinay Business & Enterprise School, 14 °15 November 2006

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 4 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Epinay Business & Enterprise School, 14 °15 November 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Epinay Business & Enterprise School, 14 °15 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

14 November 2006 Epinay Business & Enterprise School Clervaux Terrace Jarrow Tyne and Wear NE32 5UP Dear Pupils Thank you for welcoming me to your school this week for the inspection. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time in your school. I am pleased to tell you that I think you go to a good school that has lots of outstanding aspects. I was particularly impressed by your attitudes to learning and how much you enjoy school. You are exceptionally well cared for, guided and supported in your work. I think that you make good progress in your learning. However, in some subjects such as reading and science, those of you who attend Epinay for a long time, do extremely well. This is because you are taught well and the range of opportunities and activities the school provides for you in lessons, after and before school is outstanding. I think the business and enterprise centre is a very important improvement to your school and helps make sure that you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

are well prepared for leaving school. All of this happens because your school is extremely well led and managed. All the staff work very closely together and share a vision for your school. To help you do even better, I have asked the school to analyse the assessment information more closely to make sure you all do as well as you can in all subjects. To help improve the school further, I have also asked the governors to become more involved in checking how all the new things that are provided for you effect how well you learn. Thank you again for helping me with the inspection and I wish you all well for the future. Yours sincerely Andy Margerison (Lead inspector) 9 Inspection Report: Epinay Business & Enterprise School, 14 °15 November 2006

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