The Pines Special School

The Pines Special School Inspection report

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103622 Unique Reference Number Birmingham Local Authority 308366 Inspection number 5 June 2008 Inspection date Arnalena Bee 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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Special Type of school Community special School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 88 School The governing body Appropriate authority John Philips Chair Steven Tuft Headteacher 26 April 2004 Date of previous school inspection Dreghorn Road School address Birmingham B36 8LL 01214 646136 Telephone number 01214 643149 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 5 June 2008 Inspection date 308366 Inspection number .

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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 Additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

The Pines mainly educates pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). A few pupils have complex communication disorders. All pupils have statements of special educational need. As a result of these learning difficulties and/or disabilities, pupils are working well below national expectations. The majority of pupils come from White British backgrounds. The remaining pupils come from a number of minority ethnic groups with the largest being from Pakistani backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language and are at the early stages of learning English is well above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: The Pines Special School, 5 June 2008

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Grade: 1

The Pines is an outstanding school. All who work there have the same belief, that all of the pupils deserve the very best. Parents commented about their children 'coming on in leaps and bounds' and many parents took the trouble to write and say that they felt that the school did a very good job in educating their children. Many pupils find it hard to explain how much they enjoy their time in this calm, exciting and safe environment that is created for them. However, from the look on their smiling faces, it is obvious that pupils thoroughly enjoy the time they spend in school. They develop excellent relationships with the adults who help them and their enthusiasm to take part in the activities they are offered speaks louder than any words. Pupils are treated as individuals and the adults who work with them value everything they do. As a result, pupils' personal development is outstanding. They gain confidence as they gradually

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Grade: 1

learn about respect and the importance of getting on with each other. Attitudes to learning are very positive. The children in the Foundation Stage get off to a very good start. Links with the outside world are excellent and enhance learning. Pupils' awareness of different beliefs and cultures is enhanced very well through visiting different places of worship and listening to visitors, for example those who came in and played classical Indian music. As pupils get older, they gain an excellent idea of the reasons why they should try to follow a healthy lifestyle and take regular exercise. They enjoy physical education lessons despite the limited space in the hall and outside. Very good links with the primary school on the same site enable pupils to use its facilities as they get older. Leadership and management are outstanding. Senior leaders and managers and governors regularly check to see how well the school is doing. Everyone has very high expectations for

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Grade: 1

all pupils. One parent said 'Our son has progressed beyond our expectations. We strongly believe that this is due to the hard work, dedication and teachers' understanding of autistic children.' Achievement is outstanding. The checking of pupils' progress is comprehensive. Teaching is good and often outstanding.Challenging targets that are set, especially in literacy and numeracy, are reached. Pupils' speaking and listening skills are especially well promoted in all that the pupils do. As a result, many of them confidently try speaking despite their difficulties. The curriculum is effectively organised to meet the needs of all pupils and enable them to flourish. However, the school acknowledges that on occasions cramped accommodation limits opportunities for practical activities, including physical education. Classroom areas are small and this was an issue at the previous inspection. Pupils receive the very best care, support and

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Grade: 1

guidance possible and those who look after them at home agree.

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Grade: 1

Achievement is outstanding because children receive very good teaching and support, with a very effective focus on the needs of each child. Personal and social skills are very well promoted . At all times, praise is used skilfully to show the children how well they are doing. Very good links with the community enhance learning opportunities, for example children buying the ingredients for the pizza they planned to make later in the day. The children behave very well because that is what is expected of them. Instructions are always clear and pupils are given very good opportunities to think for themselves. The care and support each child receives are exemplary. Parents are very pleased with this and say how much their children enjoy school. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: The Pines Special School, 5 June 2008 One parent wrote, 'Although my child cannot tell me verbally, I know she enjoys school and has progressed very well.'

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve accommodation so that pupils have more space, especially when they take part in physical education and other practical activities.

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Grade: 1

The achievement all pupils make, both in their academic and personal development, is outstanding, due to the high quality of the teaching and the support they receive. Targets are challenging and progress is very carefully tracked to make sure that pupils reach the levels expected of them. Pupils make excellent progress in becoming more responsive and in developing their communication skills, especially the ability to talk during discussions in the classroom. The excellent progress of higher attaining pupils is due in part to the very good opportunities for pupils to integrate into mainstream primary schools. Boys and girls do equally well. Pupils who use English as an additional language similarly do as well as their classmates, due to the individual support they receive.

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Grade: 1

Pupils, despite their difficulties, get on very well with each other and with the adults who help them. Behaviour is excellent during lessons and when they play outside during breaks. The school has a history of good attendance because pupils of all ages enjoy all that the school has to offer. Pupils speak excitedly and very knowledgeably about different fruits and vegetables that are good for you and that exercise 'makes the heart pump blood around the body fast'. They know they are safe in school and develop a good awareness of the need to be careful when they are on busy roads and when they go swimming. Their contribution to the community is outstanding. Pupils take responsibility sensibly and very seriously. One boy who was a 'Playground Pal' for the day said, 'I saw someone sitting alone and thought he was lonely so found him a friend.' The work of the school council is excellent and many changes have been

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Grade: 1

instigated by it in and around the school. The more articulate pupils spoke proudly of raising money for different charities. By the time pupils leave the school in Year 6, they have achieved very well academically and developed an excellent range of personal and social skills. They are very well prepared for their next school and beyond.

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Grade: 1

Parents are very pleased with the excellent quality of teaching and learning that goes on in this school and inspection evidence agrees with them. Teaching is underpinned by very careful attention to the needs of each pupil. Assessment information is used very well to inform planning. There is a very strong focus on individual targets for pupils that provide a high level of challenge and on ensuring that they are met. Teachers routinely ask searching questions to challenge pupils. Teaching assistants give high quality support and contribute significantly to the very good learning that goes on in lessons. All pupils' contributions are valued and speaking 5 of 11 Inspection Report: The Pines Special School, 5 June 2008 and listening skills are constantly focused on. As one parent said, 'It is amazing to see that after little more than a year in the school our little 'non-verbal' child is now ordering us about

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Grade: 1

at home.' A very good example of pupils being encouraged to speak was seen in Year 1 when the teacher allowed pupils to talk over a microphone. This was done skilfully and the other children responded very positively with very good sitting and listening.

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Grade: 2

The school's curriculum is good. A very good selection of educational visits and interesting visitors enrich and promote pupils' personal and social skills. Pupils speak excitedly about the visit where they 'sleep away from home'. Provision for literacy and numeracy is very good, in particular it focuses on ensuring that pupils practice articulating their thinking and speaking skills. Activities are very effectively tailored to suit the needs and abilities of all pupils enabling them to make the good achievements that they do. Since the previous inspection, provision for information and communication technology (ICT) has improved well and is now good. The previous inspection reported that classrooms were cramped. This is still the case and, on occasions, this, together with the limited space in the hall and outside, limits opportunities for pupils to undertake practical activities, including physical education. Despite this, the school

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Grade: 2

does its very best with what it has. Discussions are taking place with the local authority but at present, there is no definite solution to solving accommodation issues.

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Grade: 1

One of the key factors as to why this school is so successful is the high quality care, guidance and support that is provided for its pupils. The school meets requirements for safeguarding pupils. Parents comment that their children are very well cared for and inspectors agree. Academic and personal guidance and support are excellent. Very good links have been developed with many outside agencies to support pupils' specific needs. Links with parents are very good. Parents think the home °school books are useful documents that keep them in touch with school. In everything they do, pupils are very well supported whether it is in The Pines or when they are integrated into mainstream primary schools. Pupils are given extremely good verbal feedback from adults. Guidance through marking is very effective and pupils say they like receiving the stickers that teachers give them. Pupils' books show that teachers go to a lot of

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Grade: 1

trouble to stick in photographic evidence, which reminds the pupils what they have been doing as well as showing what the next step in learning is.

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Grade: 1

The headteacher, along with staff and governors, works tirelessly to make sure that each pupil receives and achieves the very best . Leadership has been very effective in achieving a very strong whole-school focus on pupils' individual needs. Consequently, pupils' academic and personal progress is outstanding. There is a shared and accurate view of the school's strengths and areas that could be developed further. Systems for monitoring and evaluating the work of the school are thorough. For example, the subject leaders collect detailed information from monitoring activities and use this to inform their subject action plans. As a result, they have an accurate understanding of achievement and the quality of teaching in their subjects. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: The Pines Special School, 5 June 2008 Governors in turn check how well subject areas are developing. They are very well informed and involved in the work of the school. Consequently, they support and challenge the school

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Grade: 1

extremely well. The excellent outcomes for pupils demonstrate the school's outstanding capacity for further improvement. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: The Pines Special School, 5 June 2008 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: The Pines Special School, 5 June 2008

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 1 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

1 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 1 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: The Pines Special School, 5 June 2008

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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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: The Pines Special School, 5 June 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

6 June 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of The Pines Special School, Birmingham, B36 8LL I am writing to let you know what we found out about your school when we came to visit you recently. We were very pleased to see how much you enjoy coming to school. We think you all work hard in lessons and the people who look after you at home will be pleased to hear about that. We really liked talking to you about what you have learnt. You are all lucky to go to such an excellent school. These are the main things we found out about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You make outstanding progress in your subjects and personally.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The teaching you receive is outstanding.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The way you are looked after in school is excellent.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your behaviour is excellent and you are all very kind towards each other.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The way the headteacher and his staff lead and manage the school is excellent and your parents agree. ■ The adults plan exciting visits, which we know you enjoy, and invite lots of interesting visitors to come in and talk to you. These make learning even more fun. We have asked the school to do one thing to make it even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Keep thinking of ways in which they can improve the accommodation to give you better opportunities for practical activities including PE. Keep working hard and having fun as you learn. Best wishes Nina Bee Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: The Pines Special School, 5 June 2008

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Annex B

Inspection of The Pines Special School, Birmingham, B36 8LL

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Annex B

I am writing to let you know what we found out about your school when we came to visit you recently. We were very pleased to see how much you enjoy coming to school. We think you all work hard in lessons and the people who look after you at home will be pleased to hear about that. We really liked talking to you about what you have learnt. You are all lucky to go to such an excellent school.

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Annex B

These are the main things we found out about your school.

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Annex B

• You make outstanding progress in your subjects and personally. • The teaching you receive is outstanding. • The way you are looked after in school is excellent. • Your behaviour is excellent and you are all very kind towards each other. • The way the headteacher and his staff lead and manage the school is excellent and your parents agree. • The adults plan exciting visits, which we know you enjoy, and invite lots of interesting visitors to come in and talk to you. These make learning even more fun.

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Annex B

We have asked the school to do one thing to make it even better.

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Annex B

• Keep thinking of ways in which they can improve the accommodation to give you better opportunities for practical activities including PE.

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Annex B

Keep working hard and having fun as you learn.

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