Alder Brook

Inspection Report Primary Partnership Centre

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133678 Unique Reference Number Salford Local Authority 294098 Inspection number 25 January 2007 Inspection date Angela Westington HMI 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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Canterbury Gardens School address Pupil referral unit Type of school Eccles New Road, Salford Pupil referral unit School category Manchester M5 3AG 4 °11 Age range of pupils 0161 7867904 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0161 7867905 Fax number 18 Number on roll (school) Ms Michele Cowperthwaite Headteacher The local authority Appropriate authority 15 February 2005 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 294098 25 January 2007 4 °11 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 of Her Majesty's Inspectors.

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Description of the school

The Primary Partnership Centre is a pupil referral unit for boys and girls aged 6 to 11 years who live in the City of Salford. There are currently 18 pupils on roll, one of whom is a girl. The centre provides mainly for pupils who have been excluded from, or are at risk of exclusion from, their mainstream primary schools. The centre's remit is to assess pupils and to prepare them for reintegration into mainstream or special schools wherever possible. Four of the pupils currently on roll have been assessed as being able to return eventually to mainstream schools; of the remaining 14, eight have statements of special educational need and the others have statutory assessments of their special educational needs pending or requested. Four of the pupils are in public care and one has English as an additional language. Three quarters of the pupils are entitled to free school meals. The centre is housed in a former nursery school on a

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Primary Partnership Centre, 25 January 2007

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Grade: 2

The Primary Partnership Centre is a haven for young, vulnerable pupils who have found coping with mainstream schooling difficult. It provides a good quality of education and outstanding care for its pupils. Its commitment to ensuring equality of opportunity for all learners is outstanding and leads to every child feeling highly valued and achieving well during the time at the centre. Staff work tirelessly with other agencies and partners to provide a complete package of support for their pupils. The quality of teaching and the curriculum are good. A strength of the provision is the interweaving of training for pupils on their behaviour and academic targets. All members of staff are consistent and positive in supporting pupils to achieve their goals. As a result, pupils make good progress whilst at the unit, especially in reading. The care, guidance and support provided by the centre's staff are excellent. The

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Grade: 2

recently established tracking system is well thought-through and has the potential to help pupils make even faster progress. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher, rightly, has the respect of staff and the local authority. The issues identified in the previous inspection have been dealt with and the unit is due to move to newly refurbished premises by the beginning of the next academic year. Given all this, the centre has good capacity to improve even further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Use the newly introduced tracking and targeting systems to tighten even further the match of planning to individual pupils' academic needs. • Use the systems to provide clear evidence of pupils' progress over time in core subject areas and in behaviour and attitudes.

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Grade: 2

The vast majority of pupils arrive at the centre with skill levels below or well below the expectations for their age. Despite this, they make good progress overall during their time there. This is because a rigorous assessment regime begins on pupils' entry to the centre and follows an agreed timeline. Teachers assess pupils' basic skill levels and national curriculum levels in the core subjects and plan an individual programme accordingly. Very detailed assessments of reading and subsequent teaching plans have led to some pupils making considerable gains in their reading ages, for example, gaining 12 months or more in 3 months of teaching. The assessments have highlighted that some older pupils have good levels of reading ability and the centre has ensured that they are provided with reading material of a suitably challenging nature. Recent changes to groupings have allowed teachers to focus their lesson planning more sharply and

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Grade: 2

thus ensure individual pupils make better progress within lessons. 2 Inspection Report: Primary Partnership Centre, 25 January 2007 In summer 2006, of the 19 Year 6 pupils on roll, 10 took the national tests for 11 year olds. Of these, two pupils gained the expected Level 4 in English, four attained this level in mathematics and two in science.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy coming to the centre and display mostly positive behaviour and attitudes to their work. The centre is successful in re-engaging pupils with their learning and attendance is very good in comparison to similar centres. Staff use consistent and positive strategies to promote good behaviour and, as a result, pupils' self-esteem is improved and they have a good understanding of the consequences of their actions on themselves and others. They respond well to praise and feel valued. Their spiritual and cultural awareness is developing and the centre promotes social and moral development extremely well. Special achievements and good work are celebrated in class and assemblies and pupils are given a range of opportunities to work collaboratively, develop social skills and make responsible choices. Pupils understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle because the centre promotes exercise and fitness despite the limitations of the external environment. Extremely

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Grade: 2

positive relationships exist between staff and pupils, which result in a strong atmosphere of mutual respect.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching is good overall. Strengths of the teaching include: • the very strong focus on assessment and the improving match of lessons to pupils' needs and targets • the range of activities used in lessons to engage pupils and keep them motivated, such as the mix of direct teaching, practical activities, use of the interactive whiteboard and formal recording of work • the very good relationships between pupils and staff • teachers' high expectations, their good subject knowledge and their skill in combining a focus on behaviour and personal development targets alongside academic targets. As a result, pupils are engaged, interested in their work and motivated to achieve well. Teaching assistants are well deployed to support pupils, frequently taking a lead in rewarding good behaviour and attitudes. Staff continue to hone their skills and increase their knowledge through a variety of development courses on, amongst other subjects,

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Grade: 2

reading, phonics, speech and language and behaviour management. 3 Inspection Report: Primary Partnership Centre, 25 January 2007 The centre staff know that the next step is to develop further the use of the tracking system to tighten the match of provision to pupils' needs and thus improve individual rates of progress.

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Grade: 2

The centre provides a good curriculum which meets the needs of its pupils and compensates for the lack of suitable outdoor facilities. There is an appropriate emphasis on the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and personal, social and health education. The curriculum is enlivened by a good balance of other subjects, including strong provision in art, which pupils particularly enjoy, and information and communication technology (ICT). The strong focus on reading, writing and numeracy enables teachers to 'plug the gaps' in basic skills, allowing those pupils who are aiming for this to be successfully reintegrated into mainstream schools. Literacy skills are promoted through other subjects, for example, in a geography lesson which included the shared writing of a story based at the North Pole. The centre looks constantly for ways to improve provision in order to meet pupils' needs more effectively, such as in the recently introduced

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Grade: 2

setting across the age range for phonics work. An extensive range of physical activities is arranged to take place at local venues. These include football, trampolining, judo and swimming. Other good opportunities offered within the centre's curriculum include: learning Spanish; visiting a music and performing arts venue; having regular visitors, including a professional storyteller; and taking part in performances alongside the staff, such as in the Christmas concert.

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Grade: 1

Staff at the centre care for pupils outstandingly well. They know each individual and display sensitivity in supporting pupils with their difficulties, whether in learning or behaviour. Good enrichment activities are linked effectively to the centre's behaviour management, reward and incentive systems. These are very successful in motivating pupils to make the extra effort with their behaviour so that they can earn the right to participate. The very effective links with a range of external agencies support pupils and their families very well. Review meetings for looked after children and family action meetings take place regularly, frequently led by the headteacher. These valuable discussions between the many agencies involved in the pupils' lives contribute substantially to the high quality care and support which they receive. The centre meets requirements for safeguarding pupils, health and safety and risk assessments.

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Grade: 1

Teachers guide pupils' academic progress well by making good use of assessment information to plan work and set clear targets for improvement. Each pupil has an individual education plan which is checked and updated appropriately. Pupils understand the small steps they need to make to move forward in their learning. 4 Inspection Report: Primary Partnership Centre, 25 January 2007 The centre's carefully thought-out pupil induction and reintegration programmes ensure that staff from the centre and from the host schools have a shared and detailed knowledge of pupils' needs and can adapt provision accordingly. A measure of the centre's success is that of the 35 Year 6 pupils who have attended over the previous two years, only two have needed eventually to attend the Key Stage 3 pupil referral unit.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher provides good, strong leadership for the centre. She is committed to the pupils in her care, has a clear vision for the centre and is ably supported in this by the deputy headteacher. The very positive relationships amongst staff in the centre are testimony to the commitment of all staff and to the leadership of the headteacher and senior managers. Since the previous inspection there has been a focus on developing the role of other managers: the senior management team has been restructured with an additional post created to develop, amongst other initiatives, the centre's outreach work with schools. Subject leaders now play more of a role in the development of the centre through their action planning. Senior leaders have an accurate view of the centre's strengths and weaknesses and strive for continuous improvement. For example, much work has been done on developing teachers' planning, improving assessment and the composition of teaching

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Grade: 2

groups. The impact of their drive is visible in the improvements in the quality of assessments and teaching, which are better than reported at the time of the previous inspection. The tracking system now has the potential to record more methodically progress made by pupils, over time, in core subjects and towards behaviour targets. Governance of the centre is good. The local authority management committee oversees this pupil referral unit along with others in the city. The systems and procedures for monitoring the work of the centre are more rigorous than they used to be and the headteacher's reporting requirements to the committee are tighter. The centre receives good support from the local authority school improvement officer. His notes of visits to the centre are clear and unambiguous, pointing out the areas for improvement and timescales for action. The centre has good capacity to improve even further.

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Grade: 2

5 Inspection Report: Primary Partnership Centre, 25 January 2007 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Primary Partnership Centre, 25 January 2007

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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? 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 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?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 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: Primary Partnership Centre, 25 January 2007

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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: Primary Partnership Centre, 25 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

As you know, Mrs McCloy and I visited your school recently and we would like to thank you for talking to us, telling us about your school and making us feel so welcome. We looked at many of the things you do and talked with your teachers and some of the people who help you. We thought that you behaved very well and we could tell that you like being at the centre. These are some of the things that we really liked. • The people in school work extremely hard to make sure that you learn how to be good, sensible and caring and you showed us that you can live up to their high expectations. • Mrs Cowperthwaite, the teachers and helpers all look after you really well. They take care of you and want the very best for each of you. • You enjoy being with each other and get on well with the adults in school. You are trying hard to be healthy and eat sensibly. • You work hard in the centre. You are making good progress towards your targets and some

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

of you are doing particularly well in your reading. Well done! Keep it up! We have asked Mrs Cowperthwaite and the teachers to become even better than they already are (!) at finding out where you are up to in your learning so that they can make sure that you all make as much progress as you possibly can while you are at the centre. When they do this, we are sure that you will help as much as possible and work even harder to reach your targets. 9 Inspection Report: Primary Partnership Centre, 25 January 2007

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