Beverley School

111773 Unique Reference Number Middlesbrough Local Authority 289046 Inspection number 1 °2 March 2007 Inspection dates David Smith 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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Beverley Road School address Special Type of school Saltersgill, Middlesbrough Community special School category TS4 3LQ 3 °19 Age range of pupils 01642 277444 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01642 277453 Fax number 92 Number on roll (school) 14 Number on roll (6th form) Mr Keith Harland Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Nigel Carden Headteacher 1 April 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 289046 1 °2 March 2007 3°19 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

Of the 106 pupils on roll, 14 are girls and 7 are children who attend the Nursery part-time. All of the pupils have a statement of special educational need for autism or are undergoing assessment. Most of the pupils are White British and six pupils have English as an additional language. Two pupils are in public care and a high percentage of the pupils are eligible for free school meals. The school has received a wide range of national awards including Investors in People, ActiveMark and a Bronze Eco Award. The school has successfully applied to become a Specialist Technology College.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Beverley School, 1 °2 March 2007

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Grade: 2

Beverley School provides a good education with outstanding features. Leadership and management are good and, as result, the school has made good improvements since the last inspection. The school provides good value for money. The quality of teaching and learning is good and, consequently, pupils thoroughly enjoy their learning and achieve well. Pupils achieve realistic yet challenging targets. Pupils make good progress in their basic skills. However, many pupils make satisfactory rather than good progress in writing. Pupils make good progress in information and communication technology (ICT), but it is not used sufficiently to extend pupils’ learning in other subjects. The staff team are very good role models for the pupils and they encourage pupils’ positive work ethic. The staff’s strong teamwork helps to promote very good relationships and provides consistent management of challenging behaviour. At times, outstanding teaching inspires pupils to make exceptional progress.

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Grade: 2

Occasionally, expectations are lower and when this is the case, pupils make only satisfactory progress. Opportunities for pupils to work alongside their peers in mainstream schools are particularly good and many of these pupils work at, or close to, national expectations. Teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage are outstanding and, as a result, the children’s achievement is excellent. Children make particularly rapid progress in their communication skills and very quickly develop the confidence to become more independent learners. The sixth form provision is good. Teaching and learning are good and students achieve well. They are provided with good care, guidance and support and, as result, their personal development and well-being are good. Good leadership and management ensure that the students experience a good curriculum that is enhanced by effective links with local schools and colleges. There are limitations in the provision for students

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Grade: 2

who spend most of their time in school and, as a result, their achievement and personal development are adequate. There is a very strong focus on ensuring that equality of opportunity is pursued for all pupils. Consequently, despite the barriers posed by pupils’ autism, their personal development and well-being including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are outstanding. Pupils say they thoroughly enjoy their time in school and their attendance is good. Pupils have very positive attitudes and behave exceptionally well. They have a keen awareness of the need to care for the environment and this has helped the school to gain an Eco Award. Pupils respond extremely well to the school’s promotion of healthy lifestyles. The school has gained a number of national awards to celebrate their commitment to healthy lifestyles and this reflects their very successful involvement of pupils in this initiative. Pupils make a major

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Grade: 2

contribution to day-to-day aspects of the school and are confident their views are listened to and respected. Very good links exist with parents and other agencies to reinforce the outstanding care, guidance and support provided for the pupils. The curriculum is good. It is managed imaginatively to ensure that pupils’ complex learning needs are met. Specialist teaching facilities are used effectively to promote 2 Inspection Report: Beverley School, 1 °2 March 2007 pupils’ good achievement. Consequently, pupils make particularly good progress in practical subjects, such as physical education and design and technology. The school day is too short for the older pupils and this restricts the number of courses they can follow. The headteacher and senior leaders, effectively supported by the governing body, provide a vibrant sense of purpose and promote the school’s good capacity to improve. The successful bid for Specialist Technology College status is a major step in the

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Grade: 2

school’s continual development. Strengths and areas for development are well known and openly acknowledged and this information has helped to focus the effective staff training programme. Self-evaluation is rigorous and informs planning but the school improvement targets do not have clear enough measures by which to judge the success of its initiatives.

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Grade: 2

The sixth form provision is good. Good leadership and management provide students with a good curriculum. The quality of teaching and learning is good and pupils achieve well. Many of the students have good individual programmes that give them access to a wide range of courses in local schools and colleges. These include academic and vocational courses that provide good levels of challenge and lead to external accreditation. Their programmes also include access to a good range of work placements and the opportunity for independent travel to college. These opportunities help to build students’ confidence and promote their good personal development and well-being. These students enthusiastically discuss their courses and have ambitious plans for the future. Some students make particularly good progress and enrol on full-time college courses. However, the provision for the students that spend most of their time in school has limitations, a point that has been highlighted by a small number

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Grade: 2

of parents. In particular, the available accommodation does not provide an age appropriate learning environment. Also, the available courses for a few students do not fully meet their complex and wide range of learning needs and, consequently, their achievement is satisfactory rather than good.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure ICT is used effectively in other subjects. • Ensure that the older pupils and students have sufficient lesson time. • Clarify the measures of success for meeting the school’s priorities for improvement.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

Boys and girls achieve well. The extent of their learning difficulties means that they do not attain national expectations, but they make good progress towards their 3 Inspection Report: Beverley School, 1 °2 March 2007 challenging targets. Pupils eligible for free school meals, and those in public care, achieve as well as their peers. Children in the Foundation Stage make exceptional progress. The use of assessment for these children is very skilled and this ensures that activities are planned very precisely to meet their learning needs. The children gain confidence very rapidly and achieve targets beyond parents’ expectations. A very high priority is placed on promoting children’s communication skills and this works exceptionally well as they engage more easily with others. Pupils achieve well in English across the school. They make good progress in their communication skills, although many of them remain

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Grade for sixth form: 2

reluctant writers and this slows down their progress. There is a strong focus on numeracy skills and pupils make good progress; for example, they extend their skills during their enterprise activities. Pupils make good progress in science and enjoy taking part in experiments. Their achievement in ICT is good; for instance, some Year 9 pupils have worked hard to produce high quality animations. However, there is too little use of ICT in other subjects and this limits, for example, pupils’ opportunities to practise and extend their writing skills. The pupils in Years 10 and 11 achieve well in a widening range of external accreditation.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are outstanding. Pupils have very positive attitudes and despite their autism behave exceptionally well and, as a result, the use of exclusions is a rarity. They thoroughly enjoy their time in school and attend well. They feel safe in school and relate very positively to the staff and therefore have confidence to let staff know if they have any concerns. Pupils respond very well to the opportunities provided in the school to promote healthy lifestyles. This includes healthy eating and the very good opportunities provided to take an active part in physical activity. Pupils make giant strides in their independence skills and accept increased responsibility. Pupils have made a major contribution to the organisation of the common room and manage the tuck shop as an enterprise initiative. Staff agreed with pupils’ suggestion to use more videos to help them understand their work. They

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Grade for sixth form: 2

talk enthusiastically about their residential trips and involvement in activities after school. Older pupils make good progress in their work-related skills.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Typically, teaching is enthusiastic with high expectations and pupils achieve well. No time is wasted and activities are split 4 Inspection Report: Beverley School, 1 °2 March 2007 into small sections to maintain pupils’ interest. Staff work very well together and the teaching assistants help to boost pupils’ progress and personal development. Relationships are very strong and this helps to ensure that challenging behaviour is well managed. Pupils make good progress when staff have good subject expertise and the specific skills required for teaching pupils with autism. Assessment is used effectively to ensure that pupils’ wide range of learning needs is met and pupils are made aware of how to improve their work. At times, inspirational teaching enthuses pupils and they are challenged to make outstanding progress. For example, Year 9 pupils make outstanding progress in their analysis of the different characters in a

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Grade for sixth form: 2

Shakespeare play. Occasionally, the pace of learning slows, the expertise required to manage pupils’ autism is less developed and pupils make satisfactory rather than good progress in these lessons.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

The quality of the curriculum is good and is tailored to meet the varying learning needs of the pupils. The curriculum for pupils in the Foundation Stage is very stimulating with an excellent focus on ensuring that each child makes rapid progress. The curriculum is rich and stimulating. Improvements in accommodation, including good specialist rooms in science and technology, are having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. A host of imaginative opportunities are provided to boost pupils’ personal development as, for example, they play together in well-designed play areas. Pupils are proud of their work and ask staff to display their artwork. The school makes particularly good use of the locality to boost provision in subjects such as physical education. An extensive range of educational visits is used very effectively to boost pupils’ enjoyment of their learning. Activities after school and residential trips make

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Grade for sixth form: 2

a very valuable contribution to pupils’ outstanding personal development. The school day is too short for the older pupils and this limits, for example, the introduction of GCSE art and design.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

Pupils are provided with outstanding care, guidance and support. The staff show outstanding levels of commitment to ensuring that pupils are kept healthy and safe. Thorough arrangements to safeguard learners are rigorously applied. Pupils who show signs of underachieving are quickly identified and appropriate action is taken to help promote their good achievement and outstanding personal development. This is helped by the extensive training provided for the staff team to ensure that they meet the complex learning needs of pupils with autism. The school works very closely with other agencies involved in the support and care of the pupils. Staff are involved in very positive initiatives, which help to provide very effective support and guidance for 5 Inspection Report: Beverley School, 1 °2 March 2007 parents. Parents are very confident in the quality of care provided by the school and this parent’s view reflects that of many parents: ‘Whatever problem arises the staff

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Grade for sixth form: 2

will do their utmost to help whether it is in or out of school’.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has very successfully developed a school ethos with a very strong regard for the equality of opportunity for the pupils. Consequently, despite their autism, pupils make good progress and achieve well. The headteacher is well supported by effective senior leaders who share the vision and determination to remove barriers to pupils’ achievement. Middle managers are responding well to their increased responsibilities; for example, they have improved the accuracy of target setting. Performance management is well established and is effectively linked to an extensive programme of professional development for all staff. Consequently, following effective induction and training, the staff have the skills and confidence to meet pupils’ complex needs. Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They have a good range of expertise and provide an effective balance

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Grade for sixth form: 2

of support and challenge. However, the priorities for school improvement are too vague and have insufficient reference to pupils’ achievement and personal development. There are positive working relationships between the school and parents and the vast majority are supportive of the school. Links with other schools are particularly strong and provide good opportunities to extend pupils’ academic and personal development. The school also provides high quality support and guidance to staff in mainstream schools. This is valued and includes training for staff and working with pupils that helps maintain pupils’ placement in a mainstream school. Document reference number: HMI 2507 1 September 2006Inspection Report:Beverley School, 1 °2 March 20077Document reference number: HMI 2507 1 September 2006

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Grade for sixth form: 2

procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Beverley School, 1 °2 March 2007 .

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Grade for sixth form: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 Inspection Report: Beverley School, 1 °2 March 2007

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Inspection judgements

16-19 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

2 2 How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? 2 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 1 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 2 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 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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well-being of the learners?

The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 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 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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range of needs and interests of learners?

2 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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range of 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 to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 8 Inspection Report: Beverley School, 1 °2 March 2007

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achievement 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 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? 9 Inspection Report: Beverley School, 1 °2 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Beverley School Beverley Road Saltersgill Middlesbrough TS4 3LQ 1 March 2007 Dear Pupils I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Beverley School. You made me feel very welcome and I understand why you are very proud of your school. You help to make the school such a happy, busy and caring place. This is what I found out about your school. • Your headteacher, with good support from the governors and the staff, ensures that you do the very best and make good progress in your learning. • You thoroughly enjoy your time at the school and behave exceptionally well. • The children in the Foundation Stage make outstanding progress. • Many of you in the sixth form have good opportunities to follow courses in local colleges. • Members of staff have high quality training and, as a result, develop the skills to ensure that you are able to make good progress. • Members of staff provide you with excellent care, encouraging you to stay healthy and

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

keep safe. Even though I thought your school was good it could still be improved. I think that the following things would help to do this. • You should have more opportunities to use ICT in other subjects. • The school should ensure that the older pupils have more lesson time. • Staff and governors need to ensure that planning for the further improvements in the school has clear targets. Yours sincerely David Smith Lead inspector 10 Inspection Report: Beverley School, 1 °2 March 2007

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