Baginton Fields School

Baginton Fields School Inspection report

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103765 Unique Reference Number Coventry Local Authority 308412 Inspection number 5 March 2008 Inspection date Elizabeth Bull 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 11 °19 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 98 School 35 6th form The governing body Appropriate authority Peter Raine Chair Simon Grant Headteacher 20 September 2004 Date of previous school inspection Sedgemoor Road School address Coventry CV3 4EA 02476 303854 Telephone number 02476 304247 Fax number

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11-19 Age group 5 March 2008 Inspection date 308412 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

Baginton Fields School is a special school for students aged 11 to 19 with severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties and those with an autistic spectrum disorder. The school has been oversubscribed for the past five years. Around one third of students come from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds and 25% of these do not speak English as their first language. All students have a statement of special educational need and about two thirds are boys. The proportion of students eligible for free school meals is above the national average. There are four students in the care of the local authority. The catchment area is wide, as is the socio-economic background. Implementation of the strategy for inclusion in Coventry will result in the school buildings being closed and Baginton Fields School students relocated on the site of mainstream schools by 2011.

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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: Baginton Fields School, 5 March 2008

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Grade: 2

Baginton Fields is a good school where students achieve well and make excellent progress in their personal development. Provision in the sixth form is also good. The school has been very successful in developing close links with a range of partners so that the care, guidance and support the students receive are excellent. Students' enjoyment of lessons is very evident in their excellent behaviour, good attendance and in the enthusiasm they have for their work. Parents hold the school in high regard and their responses to the questionnaires were overwhelmingly positive. They are happy for their children to attend, knowing that the school has high expectations of their success. One parent's comment was typical, 'I am particularly impressed with the range of facilities offered by the school and by the leadership the headteacher provides. This is a well managed and well organised school with caring teachers and excellent

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Grade: 2

provision.' Students are taught how to stay safe, make healthy choices and become responsible young citizens. Most achieve these skills well. They value the school and this is evident through the very good relationships they have with staff and their positive attitudes to learning. Students enjoy the many opportunities they are given to take on roles of responsibility. For example the student council is rightly proud of its role in improving the school and raising funds. The standard of teaching is closely monitored. This helps to sustain the good quality of teaching throughout the school and ensure that lessons are interesting and well managed. Students say the best thing about school is the teachers and that this is because teachers make lessons fun and are always there to help them if they get stuck. The good curriculum, which is outstanding in the sixth form, has a positive impact on students' learning and motivation. Students enjoy topics

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Grade: 2

that teach them about how to take care of their bodies and consider the needs of others. They take part enthusiastically in the many lunchtime activities that support their excellent personal development and improve their skills significantly in sport, music and dance. The school has developed strong links with other schools and local training providers. Students' learning is enriched by the many excellent opportunities they have to work alongside their mainstream peers and in the outstanding work-related learning for older students. These activities are very effective in preparing the students for their future pathways on leaving school. The school is diligent in keeping people safe both within school and when out in the community. Safeguarding procedures meet the regulations and current practice is good. The school evaluates its own work accurately. Strategic planning is good and good leadership and management are

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Grade: 2

effective in securing improvement. Target setting and individual education plans are relevant and meaningful and support students' progress. However, whilst much has been put in place with regard to tracking students' progress and recording achievement, the school's use of data does not yet provide a full picture of the progress made by different groups of students or of progress across the school. Governors support the school well and carry out their statutory duties effectively. The school has a track record of sustained improvement and has a good capacity to continue.

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Grade: 2

Provision in the sixth form is good. Students make excellent progress in their personal development as a result of the outstanding curriculum, care and academic guidance they are offered. Activities include the development of basic skills, work experience, the fostering of 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Baginton Fields School, 5 March 2008 independence and social skills, and the use of mainstream schools, community sports and leisure facilities. Students benefit from good teaching and a carefully organised curriculum personalised to meet individual needs. As a result, achievement is good and students are well prepared for life beyond school. Standards remain well below average because of students' learning difficulties.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Refine the use of data so the school is able to present a clearer picture of progress in general and of different groups of students.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

Standards are significantly below average owing to the nature of students' learning difficulties. Their good progress can be attributed to the commitment of school staff in providing a caring and stimulating environment and a personalised curriculum which focuses on all aspects of students' development. Consequently, students make excellent progress in their personal development. Different groups achieve equally well in lessons, although the comprehensive information that is collected about students' achievements is not yet used effectively to track and compare their progress. Older students gain impressive results in a range of accredited courses, preparing them well for further study or training beyond school. Individual education plans provide relevant and challenging targets for students to work towards and they rise to these challenges well, particularly those relating to their personal development. Because of the

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Grade for sixth form: 2

strong focus on language provision, students make very good gains in their speaking and listening skills. Lessons are carefully planned taking into account the needs of each student. Teachers use a good range of strategies that make learning interesting and keep students focused. As a result of this, achievement throughout the school is good.

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Grade for sixth form: 1

Students love school, concentrate hard in lessons and are rightly proud of their achievements. They are quick to say how much they value teachers' help because as one student put it, 'They're always there to help us'. They have an excellent understanding of the need to live healthily and how to stay safe. Students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well supported by assemblies, special events and their personal, social and health education programme. Students think deeply about their time at school and develop a strong sense of wonder as they take part in activities such as incubating eggs and watching chicks hatch. They have a highly developed sense of right and wrong and, as a result, behaviour is excellent, showing a good awareness of others' needs. Students, including those in the sixth form, feel very well prepared for the future by their good progress in school and their successes in employment related

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Grade for sixth form: 1

courses. The school council is a very good way that elected students contribute towards the improvement of their community. Good curriculum provision ensures students gain valuable learning experiences in the local community. Older students are involved in relevant and interesting enterprise projects. Through activities such as these, students make very good gains in self-esteem and learn skills that help to prepare them well for their next stage of education. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Baginton Fields School, 5 March 2008

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Grade for sixth form: 2

Teaching and learning are good throughout the school, including the sixth form. Teachers have high expectations of students' work and they respond well by trying hard to succeed. Staff manage students' behaviour very well, which means lessons are calm and productive. Teachers work hard at making lessons interesting so that students enjoy learning. For example, they use large computer smartboards to illustrate much of the work and students delight in touching the screen to move on to the next activity. Occasionally, however, the pace of teaching slows and students start to lose track of what they are supposed to learn. Teachers plan lessons well to meet the wide range of abilities in the class so all students make equally good progress. The outstanding partnership between teachers and highly skilled teaching assistants ensures that students who need help are supported very well in their learning. Assessment is good and

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Grade for sixth form: 2

teachers always make sure that students know what to do to improve.

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Grade for sixth form: 1

A significant strength of the curriculum lies in the excellent provision for personal, social and health education. As a result, students' progress in their understanding of how to live a healthy lifestyle is exceptional. Sixth form students, for example, gained a valuable and memorable experience when investigating what a difference brushing your teeth makes after eating a cream cracker. The curriculum has a valuable emphasis on developing students' communication, social and independence skills which explains why they make such good progress in their speaking and listening skills and personal development. Recent changes to curriculum provision for students with profound and multiple learning difficulties are having a positive impact on their engagement and consequently on their learning and achievement. Students have great fun and learn much in the weekly 'Crossphase' sessions when they choose activities such as

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Grade for sixth form: 1

dance, information and communication technology, music or photography. The curriculum is enriched well through lunchtime clubs, visitors into school and visits into the community. It also provides good opportunities for students to take part in dramatic productions that are highly acclaimed by audiences. Older students and sixth form students benefit from an excellent range of college courses and work experience placements that prepare them very well for leaving school and provide opportunities for them to gain appropriate accreditation for their work.

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Grade for sixth form: 1

Considerable attention is given to each individual student's needs and the school has a strong commitment to knowing and supporting all the students. The very positive relationships throughout the school, with home and with other agencies, add greatly to this. Parents fully appreciate the high quality of care and support; they feel students are safe and well looked after. As one parent commented, 'I am extremely happy with the level of education and care 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Baginton Fields School, 5 March 2008 my son is receiving. The transition to Baginton Fields was managed excellently and his needs addressed with strategies to suit him personally and ensure his well-being.' Outstanding links with mainstream schools and colleges further support students' academic and social development and prepare older students well for adult life. Very good academic guidance enables all students to achieve as well as they can. Individual education plans are well used to personalise the

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Grade for sixth form: 1

curriculum for each student and these make a significant contribution to the students' good progress in personal, social and independence skills. Daily 'circle time' provides an opportunity for students to be involved in reviewing their progress towards the targets set. Child protection procedures and arrangements for safeguarding students are effective and reviewed regularly. Health and safety procedures and risk assessments for visits and trips are thorough and well attended to. Extensive liaison with other agencies, professionals and local schools successfully ensures students' needs are well met.

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Grade for sixth form: 2

The headteacher provides good leadership and is well supported by his senior team. They have established a happy, purposeful environment where all students and adults thrive, and where all students achieve well and make excellent progress in their personal development. The school's outstanding commitment to equality of opportunity has enabled students with more complex needs to engage more fully in their learning. Consequently, these students are making faster progress than previously. Good self-evaluation informs strategic planning well, resulting in the accurate identification of the main areas for improvement. The school has established an effective system for tracking individual students' progress. However, it does not yet use this information to clearly show the progress of groups of students with similar needs or progress across the school. Subject coordinators play a key role in monitoring the effectiveness of their

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Grade for sixth form: 2

subject and feedback offers good guidance to staff as to how to further improve their practice. Leadership and management of the sixth form are good. Provision ensures that students are well prepared for the future. Governors are very professional and effective in the way they support and challenge the school. There has been continued improvement since the previous inspection and the school has good capacity to improve even further. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Baginton Fields School, 5 March 2008 .

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Grade for sixth form: 2

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

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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? Yes Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection 1 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 2 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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well-being of the learners?

1 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 2 The attendance of learners 1 1 The behaviour of learners 1 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community 1 1 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?

1 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Baginton Fields School, 5 March 2008

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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 leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 2 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 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: Baginton Fields School, 5 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Recently we visited your school to see how you were getting on and whether we could suggest anything to make the school better. We were only with you for one day. That was long enough for us to realise that you go to a good school. We really enjoyed our visit and learned a lot about your school. Thank you for telling us about the things you do and how you think your teachers and other staff are helping you to learn. You made us very welcome and we enjoyed meeting some of you. Your school is a good school with some excellent features. Here are its strengths.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The school is a happy place to be and you really enjoy being there.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You work hard and make good progress in your work and excellent progress in your personal development. ■ You are well looked after and staff do their best to make sure your lessons are interesting.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have an excellent range of activities, which make lessons fun and teach you about the local and other communities. ■ The older students amongst you have lots of opportunities to learn skills which will be useful when you leave school. You also have the chance to mix with students from other schools. This will help you to be more confident when you go into new situations. ■ Your school is well run.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We have asked staff to do one thing to make your school even better.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make better use of information about how well you do to make sure that everyone can see clearly the progress you make. Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly. We wish you every success in the future. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Baginton Fields School, 5 March 2008

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Annex B

Inspection of Baginton Fields School, Coventry, CV3 4EA

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Annex B

Recently we visited your school to see how you were getting on and whether we could suggest anything to make the school better. We were only with you for one day. That was long enough for us to realise that you go to a good school.

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Annex B

We really enjoyed our visit and learned a lot about your school. Thank you for telling us about the things you do and how you think your teachers and other staff are helping you to learn. You made us very welcome and we enjoyed meeting some of you.

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Annex B

Your school is a good school with some excellent features. Here are its strengths.

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Annex B

• The school is a happy place to be and you really enjoy being there. • You work hard and make good progress in your work and excellent progress in your personal development. • You are well looked after and staff do their best to make sure your lessons are interesting. • You have an excellent range of activities, which make lessons fun and teach you about the local and other communities. • The older students amongst you have lots of opportunities to learn skills which will be useful when you leave school. You also have the chance to mix with students from other schools. This will help you to be more confident when you go into new situations. • Your school is well run.

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Annex B

We have asked staff to do one thing to make your school even better.

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Annex B

• Make better use of information about how well you do to make sure that everyone can see clearly the progress you make.

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Annex B

Thank you again for being so helpful and friendly. We wish you every success in the future.

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