Rosehill School

122964 Unique Reference Number CITY OF NOTTINGHAM LA Local Authority 314442 Inspection number 8 °9 November 2007 Inspection dates Alan Lemon 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 School category 4 °19 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 85 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs L Harrison Chair Mr J K Pearson Headteacher 17 January 2005 Date of previous school inspection St Matthias Road School address Nottingham Nottinghamshire NG3 2FE 0115 9155815 Telephone number 0115 9155816 Fax number

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4-19 Age group 8 °9 November 2007 Inspection dates 314442 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 pupils have autism spectrum disorders including a few pupils at each key stage with Asperger Syndrome. Provision for Foundation Stage children with autism was re-established in September 2007 and in the last few weeks three children in the Foundation Stage were added to the school's roll. The attainment on entry of the large majority of pupils is well below 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: Rosehill School, 8 °9 November 2007

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school making exceptionally effective provision for pupils with autism. On a modest budget, the school achieves excellent value for money. The school has substantial expertise in dealing with pupils' learning difficulties. An essential element to its provision is the school's very strong partnership with parents. They are offered a considerable amount of help in supporting their children at home. Through training and guidance, parents are extending at home the work begun at school, and this is contributing significantly to their children's progress. Parents' views of the school's effectiveness are very positive. The school is led and managed extremely effectively as a result of a sharp focus on, and total commitment to, perfecting the work on meeting pupils' needs. The school was judged to be very good in its previous inspection and its enduring drive for improvement underpins the

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Grade: 1

achievement of excellence in its work. The school is led and managed superbly well. The headteacher and deputy headteacher set a very clear direction and high expectations. The leadership roles performed by many other staff are equally effective. In this respect staff are very motivated, achieving substantial success from improving their expertise and in the initiatives they take to develop new ideas. Improvement is driven strongly by rigorous self-evaluation which is established throughout the school. The capacity for further improvement is outstanding. Governors, who are mainly parents, take a serious interest in the school's success and their perspective in evaluating the direction and success of the school's work is very supportive and challenging. Teaching and learning are excellent as a result of the expertise shared by all the staff in classrooms. Their teamwork is superb and it leads to pupils engaging in learning at a really high

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Grade: 1

level. Pupils' enjoyment in learning and of school is outstanding. The curriculum is planned very precisely and ensures pupils, and children at the Foundation Stage, gain the knowledge and skills they most need. They are prepared exceptionally well for the future. The curriculum is very well tuned to helping pupils apply what they learn in useful, practical ways. Frequent opportunities for choosing good food and keeping fit mean they develop especially healthy lifestyles. They spend a good proportion of time on visits, undertaking challenging tasks and through this they make significant contributions to school and the community. Within the context of their particular needs, pupils acquire an awareness of how to stay safe. However, the assessment of their progress on activities away from school is not as rigorous as assessment otherwise and records are not entirely complete. The programme for post 16 students, enterprise

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Grade: 1

education in particular, is an excellent contribution to the school's very relevant programme of learning opportunities. Through the highest quality of care, guidance and support the school has a very positive impact in promoting pupils' independence. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exceptional. Within the context of their particular needs, pupils' personal development is outstanding, especially in respect of the excellent extent to which pupils make relationships, behave, and become self-confident. Although standards are well below average, with all of these strengths supporting and encouraging them, they achieve outstandingly well. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Rosehill School, 8 °9 November 2007

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Grade: 1

Until very recently the school has not admitted any children of this age. The three children who have been attending school for a matter of weeks are thriving and are making exceptional progress as a result of the outstanding provision for autism in their classroom. In this respect, teaching and learning are excellent. While learning opportunities are very appropriate to children's learning difficulties, lesson planning is yet to be fully aligned with the early learning goals expected at Foundation Stage.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure the assessment procedures in place are used effectively to measure and record pupils' progress towards their objectives for activities undertaken away from school.

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Grade: 1

Achievement is outstanding as a result of the exceptionally high level of expertise applied by all staff in meeting pupils' needs. Thorough assessments of progress in school ensure learning opportunities are sharply focused on pupils' achieving as much as they can. In particular, all pupils make very significant progress in reducing their barriers to learning. While standards are well below average due to pupils' learning difficulties, the monitoring of progress done by teachers shows pupils achieve exceptionally well in relation to challenging individual targets. A very appropriate curriculum, which is exceptionally well taught, means pupils manage routines, take part in learning and develop very good levels of knowledge and skills. Strong programmes in English, mathematics, science and personal, social and health education promote excellent progress in these subjects, equipping pupils with much of what will be essential for them in

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Grade: 1

later life. Children at the Foundation Stage are beginning to benefit enormously from the school's excellent provision. A thoroughly well developed programme of vocational and life skills education for post 16 students means they make substantial progress in applying their knowledge and skills in many useful and practical ways. Their success is fully reflected in the range of accreditation they gain in Key Stage 4 and in the post 16 stage.

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Grade: 1

The outstanding aspect of pupils' development, and one greatly valued by parents, is how their children adapt to, and cope with daily demands. Pupils find success in integrating into many different situations and relating well to others, particularly in places outside school. Pupils are exceptionally well accustomed to coping with everyday challenges and acting safely within the context of their needs. One pupil spoke confidently about how he had tackled a climbing wall on one of his trips out. In dealing assuredly with such things as busy streets and shops, with adult support and supervision, pupils contribute significantly to the community and are also very well prepared for life in the future. Pupils take part happily in daily physical exercise and invest considerable efforts in physical education. They enjoy runs and, impressively, many jog around the school grounds with minimal assistance. The majority eat a healthy snack at break

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Grade: 1

times and they gain the confidence to eat new foods. Behaviour is very calm and orderly. Attendance is very high because parents hold the school in high esteem and know that consistent routine is important to their children's progress. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Rosehill School, 8 °9 November 2007

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Grade: 1

Learning is thoroughly well supported by the extremely effective teamwork of staff. All staff are highly trained and expert and therefore they engage pupils extremely well. The use of visual resources to reinforce communication is a strong and consistent feature of lessons. In this respect, information and communication technology, interactive whiteboards in particular, is used very effectively. Pupils' behaviour is very well managed so in lessons pupils are calm and relaxed. This strengthens their confidence to take an active part in lessons and learn. The praise and encouragement they get from staff motivates them more. The exceptional rapport with pupils means they really enjoy lessons and they make considerable efforts with their work as a result. Every classroom is well resourced with adults and pupils receive a high level of help with learning. Teaching is sharply focused on challenging each pupil. Thorough assessment

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Grade: 1

and the detailed planning of lessons ensures the variety of work in each classroom is a very good match to pupils' capabilities.

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Grade: 1

Throughout the school a consummate level of skill is used in adapting the curriculum to the needs of pupils. Much has been invested with great success in refining effective provision for teaching pupils to communicate, interact and to think and work constructively. Provision for literacy and numeracy is strong. The school's own reading and writing programme gives pupils the building blocks to help them read and understand words. The curriculum is enriched and extended well. The school's multi-sensory interactive learning environment is very successful in promoting learning through a new sensory curriculum. Numerous visits out of school are highly valuable to what pupils need to learn. Science, physical education and creative activities, because of their practical and tactile qualities, all make significant contributions to learning. Personal, social and health education figures very significantly and is constantly reinforced

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Grade: 1

through all the school's work. The whole curriculum is sharply focused on preparing pupils for the future. There is a good range of accredited courses, especially the personal projects that are part of the school's enterprise education for Key Stage 4 pupils and post-16 students.

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Grade: 1

Parents are highly appreciative of this area of the school's work. A typical parental view is that the school is fantastic at giving parents the training and guidance they need, and its support for them and their children has been a lifesaver. The expertise and dedication with which staff help pupils are real strengths. The whole staff in their commitment and determination go to considerable lengths in building rapport with pupils, consistently making breakthroughs in helping pupils make progress. Thorough assessment of pupils' progress in school allows adults to keep a particularly sharp focus on planning the next steps of learning. However, the assessment of pupils' progress on activities away from school is not as rigorous as assessment in school. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Rosehill School, 8 °9 November 2007

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Grade: 1

The headteacher and deputy headteacher are sharply focused on what is essential for meeting the needs of pupils and how to improve provision. Governors have high aspirations for the school and keep a clear view of its success. As a result, the whole staff are inspired, expectations are very high and the school achieves considerable success in providing for its pupils. Furthermore, leadership throughout the school is excellent. Staff are highly committed and motivated. Teamwork is of an exceptionally high order and all staff carry out their work with diligence and expertise. This results in many staff taking a very effective lead in developing new initiatives which improve provision in school and to services for autism more widely. In particular, curricular developments in English, sensory learning and enterprise education stand out. The school knows itself extremely well through systematic monitoring and evaluation. It

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Grade: 1

gains considerable strength from self-evaluation being shared practice throughout the school. This leads to a well defined culture of continual improvement and gives the school an excellent capacity to maintain the fast pace of development. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Rosehill School, 8 °9 November 2007 .

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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: Rosehill School, 8 °9 November 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? 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 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 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: Rosehill School, 8 °9 November 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 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: Rosehill School, 8 °9 November 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

12 November 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Rosehill School, Nottingham, NG3 2FE We appreciated greatly your welcome when we visited your school recently. We were very impressed with how well you coped with inspectors being in school and coming into your classrooms. By the end of our visit we were completely convinced your school was outstanding in all it does for you. 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 excellent progress in lessons and in your personal development because your school cares for you superbly well. ■ All staff have an enormous amount of skill to support you in making progress and they all work really hard to ensure you succeed. ■ Your lessons are outstanding because they help you learn exceptionally well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ All of the great many activities you take part in are planned thoroughly and really help you learn what you need to know and do. ■ Your headteacher and all the staff are exceptionally good at making sure you have the best possible school for meeting your needs. There is very little we need to say to the headteacher that would improve the school further. However, we have asked that:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ When you are on trips away from school, staff assess and make a record of how well you achieved your objectives for the trip. Alan Lemon Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Rosehill School, 8 °9 November 2007

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