Keyham Lodge SchoolOfsted inspection, 6 Mar 2008

131187 Unique Reference Number Leicester City Local Authority 315744 Inspection number 5 °6 March 2008 Inspection dates Anne Orton 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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Special Type of school Community School category 11 °16 Age range of pupils Boys Gender of pupils Number on roll 47 School The governing body Appropriate authority Andrew Norman Chair Chris Bruce Headteacher 17 February 2003 Date of previous school inspection Keyham Lane School address Leicester LE5 1FG 01162 416852 Telephone number 01162 416199 Fax number

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11-16 Age group 5 °6 March 2008 Inspection dates 315744 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI). During her visit, HMI evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: - the impact of the school’s alternative and personalised curriculum on students’ progress, behaviour and future economic well-being - the effectiveness of the school’s tracking systems - the effectiveness of all leaders in evaluating the school’s work and in improving provision and the outcomes of students. HMI gathered evidence from lesson observations, scrutiny of students’ work and school documentation. Evidence from parental questionnaires, discussions with staff, students, governors and parents also contributed to the judgements. Other aspects of the school’s work were not investigated in detail but HMI found no evidence to suggest that the school’s own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have

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Introduction

been included in the report where appropriate.

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Description of the school

Keyham Lodge is a 50 place special school for boys aged 11 to 16 years with a range of social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) and other learning needs. All the boys have statements of special educational need and all have had significant difficulties in settling to learning in previous schools. Students' backgrounds reflect the diverse nature of the inner city area from which they come. More than two thirds are eligible for free school meals and nearly one in four are currently looked after by the local authority (LA). The school has gained accreditation or re-accreditation in a large number of prestigious awards including International School, Arts Mark (gold), Sports Mark and Investor in People. There is also a current strategic plan to expand the school's age-range and provision to offer assessment places and support for primary aged students.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Keyham Lodge School, 5 °6 March 2008

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Grade: 2

Keyham Lodge is a good school with many outstanding features. It transforms its students' life chances by restoring their self-esteem and helping them to see themselves as successful learners with the potential for achievement in school and in adult life. The school is very successful in promoting students' personal development by providing them with an outstanding personalised curriculum and excellent care, guidance and support. As a result, it effectively addresses the very negative experiences many of the boys have had previously and sets them on the road to a brighter future. One parent said 'Before he came to Keyham, my son was always in trouble. Now he talks about his future and going to college. He is a success, and it's all thanks to them.' Students are justly proud of their school and keen to point out how it has helped them. They enjoy their calm, purposeful lessons and speak very positively about the wide range of academic,

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Grade: 2

sporting and practical opportunities made available to them. Older boys particularly benefit from very well organised and individually targeted work experiences and college placements. The vast majority of the school's leavers go on to further education or employment with training. Students' needs are considered and catered for on an individual basis and consequently they flourish, knowing that they really matter. There is outstanding support for those with additional learning needs and some exceptional provision for students who are looked after by the local authority. One student said 'This is more like a village than a school. We all work together to help each other.' Students typically enter the school with few academic skills but, as a result of very effective teaching from the highly committed staff team, they make good gains in learning. Students' good achievements are evident in all aspects of the school's provision. The younger students

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Grade: 2

in Key Stage 3 quickly develop an enjoyment for learning and recognise the need to follow classroom rules and comply with adults' requests. Consequently, their rates of progress increase substantially; the rapid rate at which some pupils acquire the key skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) underpins this good achievement. In Key Stage 4, students' opportunities widen and very close links with local colleges enable them to return to mainstream education or take up apprenticeships. Given the nature of the students' difficulties, outcomes in national tests and accreditations are also impressive with some boys entered for GCSEs early in Year 9. However, the school recognises that some boys could take their studies even further and is beginning to develop its target setting procedures to support this goal. Students' attitudes to work and behaviour are good and often exemplary with individual

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Grade: 2

incidents dealt with promptly, appropriately and sympathetically where required. Students' attendance is good and improving and, for most boys, represents a significant turnaround from their previous schools. The school is working hard to address the absence levels of a few older boys whose attendance is more erratic. All boys have a good understanding of healthy eating and the importance of staying safe. Thanks to a very successful student-led programme, bullying is now a rare occurrence at Keyham and students are very clear about what they should do if any occurs. Students show respect for each other and their school. They take pride in their work and in their surroundings and value the opportunities they are given to take an active role in the wider community. For instance, in the last academic year alone, students have been involved in dance and music productions and have participated in the East Midlands in Bloom

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Grade: 2

competition winning an award for the best school garden. Students have also taken part in 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Keyham Lodge School, 5 °6 March 2008 local charity events and have raised funds for Disability Sports and 'toddled with the tots' for Barnardo's. Lessons are productive and stimulating. Teachers make every effort to ensure that activities are lively, engaging and matched to individual needs and interests. Staff set challenging tasks for most students, although it is recognised that, occasionally, the challenges could be even higher for some boys. All staff have very high expectations of behaviour and learning. Lessons move along at a cracking pace with a good variety of activities to maintain the students' involvement. The excellence of the curriculum is not confined to the classroom alone. Local resources and sporting facilities are exploited very well. Visits out and visitors into the school

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Grade: 2

bring learning alive and make it relevant to students' everyday lives. The school places great emphasis on extending learning beyond the school day. After school clubs are open to all and despite the transport concerns raised by a few parents these are well attended and valued by the boys. All students have the opportunity to experience residential visits and the 'school camp' is an annual event which the boys can fund through good behaviour and work credits. Keyham Lodge is a very safe and caring school and all the required safeguarding procedures are in place. There are effective arrangements for supporting students' personal and academic development through detailed monitoring and tracking sheets. Staff also use this information to plan work and to set National Curriculum level targets or examination goals for all students. The school is currently reviewing these processes 'to raise the bar' for some students and

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Grade: 2

improve their outcomes further. School leaders have an impressive record of being innovative and of taking action to improve the school. The headteacher provides outstanding leadership and is well supported, especially by the able and experienced senior management team. They promote a clear sense of working together towards a shared vision. The senior team is reflective and self-evaluation processes are accurate and rigorous. Staff development and training opportunities are extensive and some exceptional mentoring and coaching are provided. Teaching assistants are also well supported through training and are valued as equal partners in the school. The governing body provides good and much valued support to the headteacher especially in helping him forge ever-stronger links with the LA and a wide range of support agencies. These links and the careful use of resources have already helped improve facilities for the students. There is also

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Grade: 2

a well-thought out and costed strategic plan to expand the school's current capacity and age-range. This would provide more extensive facilities for art, design and technology and physical education and an assessment centre for primary aged pupils. The LA acknowledges that this plan should be accelerated further and that action is needed to address the transport problems that concern parents. The school's track record since the last inspection in maintaining high standards while improving its provision and building a substantial reserve to fund its expansion demonstrates that it provides outstanding value for money and that its capacity to improve is good.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Fine tune the school's assessment and target setting procedures to improve standards further especially for more able students. ■ Work closely with the local authority to bring the school's expansion plans to fruition and address some parents' concerns about transport. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Keyham Lodge School, 5 °6 March 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Keyham Lodge School, 5 °6 March 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? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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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 extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 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. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Keyham Lodge School, 5 °6 March 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 2 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? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Keyham Lodge School, 5 °6 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school. It was a real pleasure to talk with and to see you in lessons. You told me that Keyham Lodge is a good school and that you like being there. I can see why. I agree with you that Keyham does a really good job in helping you to develop into sensible and mature young men who are ready to move onto college or into work. You told me that you particularly like the way your school treats you as individuals and makes sure that you get the support you need to succeed. Your behaviour is good. Your attitudes to learning and the ways you help each other are very good indeed. You have a keen understanding of how to stay safe and remain healthy, and you all work hard in different ways to help the school community and others. I was particularly impressed by the bullying 'drop-in' you have set up and the 'star awards' some of you have gained. You have a great headteacher and skilled teachers, staff and governors. Your lessons are good

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

and the opportunities you are given to attend college or work placements are impressive. You told me how much you appreciate these chances. Most of you I spoke with are very clear about what you want to do in life and explained to me how the school helps to make this possible. A few of you want to aim for even higher goals and I have asked the school to help you do this. You would also like the school to have even better facilities, especially for sport, and you would like Keyham to be able to help more boys like yourselves. Because of what I saw and what you told me, I have asked the school to do two things:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Look at your assessments and set higher targets where this is possible.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Work closely with the local authority to expand Keyham and sort out some of the problems you have had with transport. You can help make sure that the school goes on to even greater success by trying hard in your lessons and continuing with your positive attitudes. I really hope that you enjoy this year's 'school camp'. I wish I could go too! 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Keyham Lodge School, 5 °6 March 2008

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Annex B

Inspection of Keyham Lodge School, Leicester, LE5 1FG

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Annex B

Thank you for making me so welcome when I visited your school. It was a real pleasure to talk with and to see you in lessons. You told me that Keyham Lodge is a good school and that you like being there. I can see why.

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Annex B

I agree with you that Keyham does a really good job in helping you to develop into sensible and mature young men who are ready to move onto college or into work. You told me that you particularly like the way your school treats you as individuals and makes sure that you get the support you need to succeed. Your behaviour is good. Your attitudes to learning and the ways you help each other are very good indeed. You have a keen understanding of how to stay safe and remain healthy, and you all work hard in different ways to help the school community and others. I was particularly impressed by the bullying ‘drop-in’ you have set up and the ‘star awards’ some of you have gained.

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Annex B

You have a great headteacher and skilled teachers, staff and governors. Your lessons are good and the opportunities you are given to attend college or work placements are impressive. You told me how much you appreciate these chances. Most of you I spoke with are very clear about what you want to do in life and explained to me how the school helps to make this possible. A few of you want to aim for even higher goals and I have asked the school to help you do this. You would also like the school to have even better facilities, especially for sport, and you would like Keyham to be able to help more boys like yourselves. Because of what I saw and what you told me, I have asked the school to do two things:

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Annex B

• Look at your assessments and set higher targets where this is possible. • Work closely with the local authority to expand Keyham and sort out some of the problems you have had with transport.

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Annex B

You can help make sure that the school goes on to even greater success by trying hard in your lessons and continuing with your positive attitudes. I really hope that you enjoy this year’s ‘school camp’. I wish I could go too!

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