Applefields School

134727 Unique Reference Number York Local Authority 328961 Inspection number 5–6 February 2009 Inspection dates Christine Emerson 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 129 School (total) 53 Sixth form The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Adrian Cook Chair Mr G Gilmore Headteacher 3 May 2006 Date of previous school inspection Bad Bargain Lane School address Burnholme York North Yorkshire YO31 0LW 01904 553900 Telephone number 01904 553901 Fax number

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11–19 Age group 5–6 February 2009 Inspection dates 328961 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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Applefields School, 5–6 February 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Applefields School is the City of York's secondary special school provision. The school also includes some pupils from North Yorkshire and the East Riding of Yorkshire. All pupils have a statement of special educational needs. Two thirds of the pupils have severe or moderate learning difficulties with a growing number of pupils having more complex needs, such as profound and multiple learning difficulties or autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). A significant number of the pupils with ASD have additional challenging behaviour. As a result of pupils' learning difficulties and/or disabilities, attainment on entry to the school is exceptionally low. The school serves a mixed socio-economic population. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage. Five pupils are looked after by the local authority.

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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: Applefields School, 5–6 February 2009

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Grade: 2

Applefields is a good and improving school with outstanding features. The school is now well established with a stable and committed staff. A culture of high aspirations is evident and this is reflected in the good improvement since the previous inspection. Overall, care, support and guidance are good. Very good care and support, in conjunction with a very strong programme of personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE), enable students to achieve exceptionally well in their personal development. They make excellent progress in learning to stay safe and healthy. Procedures to keep pupils safe, including child protection procedures, are robust and all current safeguarding requirements are fully met. The strong emphasis on developing functional and independent living skills prepares pupils well to succeed in adult life. The school council is very active and effective. Its members are rightly proud of the way

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Grade: 2

they have held, and used, a budget to purchase equipment to enliven break times. The strong links with other secondary school councils in the city help to promote a positive picture of disability. This supports community cohesion well. Pupils, including those with challenging behaviour, make extremely good progress in improving their behaviour because of the very carefully thought out systems for behavioural management. Pupils are very clear about what their targets are for improving their social skills and behaviour. However, they are sometimes not involved as well as they could be in setting and reviewing individual targets for learning. As a result, pupils occasionally do not understand exactly what their learning targets are. Pupils' and students' achievement is good because they are well taught. Pupils make good progress in learning the key skills of literacy, numeracy, and information communication

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Grade: 2

technology (ICT). Excellent relationships and high expectations for behaviour result in very purposeful lessons where pupils try very hard and make good progress. Staff are particularly skilled at teaching pupils to communicate using signing, symbols or speech. As a result, pupils achieve well and become confident communicators. Teaching is very well adapted to meet the needs of learners with more complex difficulties, such as profound and multiple learning difficulties or ASD. As a result, these pupils make as good progress as other pupils. The school fully implements its policy to promote equality and diversity and makes careful checks to ensure that all groups of learners are achieving equally well. Assessment has improved well since the previous inspection and teachers are now working effectively together to ensure that information gained from assessment is accurate. However, in a small minority of lessons, teachers do not

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Grade: 2

make full enough use of this information to ensure that work set precisely meets the needs of all learners and provides a good level of challenge for the more able. The curriculum is good and outstanding in the sixth form. Pupils access a good and developing range of externally accredited courses. Pupils enjoy school very much because of the interesting range of lessons and activities, which include a very good variety of enrichment activities. In particular, there are very strong programmes for performing arts and physical education. Pupils' enjoyment of school is reflected in their outstanding attendance with almost half the pupils having an attendance rate of 98% or more this school year. The school is well led and managed. Since the previous inspection, the role of subject leaders has developed well. This has improved monitoring and delivery of the curriculum and helped to improve pupils' achievement. Members of the senior leadership team are ambitious and are

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Grade: 2

moving the school forward at a good pace. The headteacher has very successfully managed the merger of the four existing special schools to create a happy and aspirational school. His skills have been complemented very well by the deputy headteacher who has driven the improvements 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Applefields School, 5–6 February 2009 in key areas such as assessment and tracking of pupil progress. Governance is good. The governing body provides a good level of support and is an effective critical friend. The school has a good capacity to improve further. Resources are well managed and the school provides good value for money.

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Grade: 2

Provision in the sixth form is good with some outstanding features. It is well led and managed and has continued to improve since the previous inspection. Students access an outstanding curriculum with an extremely good focus on developing important social and independent living skills, such as how to use public transport. Consequently, their personal development is excellent. Very strong links with several local colleges of further education prepare students very well to move into the next stage of their education. For example, as a result of these links, in 2008 a high attaining student was able to achieve GCSEs at a neighbouring secondary school. A well planned enterprise scheme, where students make packed lunches and sell them to staff members, and good opportunities for work experience, prepare students effectively for the work place. The range of accredited courses has developed well this year so that all students, including

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Grade: 2

those with more complex needs, can now achieve nationally recognised qualifications. In 2008 students achieved well and gained a variety of useful qualifications including entry level certificates in adult literacy, adult numeracy and preparation for employment. Teaching is good and teachers and support staff are particularly skilled at relating to students as young adults. As a result, students demonstrate mature attitudes in lessons and make very good progress in learning how to take responsibility for their own behaviour and learning. The quality of care and support is very good. As in the main school, on a small minority of occasions students do not have a clear enough understanding of their targets for learning.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that all pupils, including higher attainers, are challenged by setting work that is always precisely matched to their individual learning levels. ■ Help students to understand and use their targets for learning as confidently as they use those for social development and behaviour.

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Grade: 2

Because of pupils learning difficulties and/or disabilities, standards of work are exceptionally low for pupils of their age. However, their achievement is good. The school now holds a growing amount of information gained from assessment and this is carefully moderated to ensure that it is accurate. It indicates that pupils make good progress and generally achieve well against the targets set in their individual plans and when compared to pupils with similar learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Analysis carried out by the school indicates that all groups of pupils, including those with more complex needs such as profound and multiple learning difficulties or ASD, make good progress overall in English, mathematics and science. However, on a small number of occasions, pupils, particularly those who are more able, make slower progress because they are not set work that is sufficiently challenging. Pupils make very good

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Grade: 2

progress and achieve very well in PSHCE because they are given very good opportunities to practise their personal and social skills. A focus on communication permeates all lessons and other activities and staff are skilled at promoting alternative methods of communication. As a 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Applefields School, 5–6 February 2009 result, all pupils make very good progress in communicating using methods suitable for their individual needs such as signing, symbols, speech and technical aids. In 2008 around half the Year 11 pupils attained entry level passes in a range of subjects including English, mathematics, ICT and science.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' attitudes in lessons and behaviour around the school are generally excellent because they respond very well to the very strong systems to promote good behaviour. Pupils told the inspectors that there is virtually no bullying. Relationships throughout the school are very good. Because of excellent provision, pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Uplifting experiences, such as the very inclusive choir and excellent assemblies, promote pupils' personal qualities exceptionally well. Pupils and students develop into very responsible and caring young people and make an exceptionally strong contribution to the school. Initiatives, such as participation in a consultation group which meets regularly with research staff from the University of York, benefit the wider community very well as they help to improve provision for children with disabilities and their families.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning in Years 7 to 11 and in the sixth form are good. Relationships between staff and pupils are very good and consequently the pupils are highly motivated to learn. Teaching methods are very well adapted to the particular needs of learners with more complex difficulties. Pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties remain highly alert and engaged with learning because of excellent and creative use of interactive whiteboards. The very well planned routines and consistent management in the specialist classes for pupils with ASD ensure that the pupils feel secure and learn well. Staff are highly effective in managing any incidents of challenging behaviour. As a result, lessons proceed smoothly. Pupils are supported very well to develop their communication skills. This was evident in an English lesson where pupils made very good progress in learning how to frame an argument about the relative

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Grade: 2

rights of farmers and animals. Teachers are assessing work more accurately and using information gained from assessment much more effectively than at the previous inspection. However, in a small minority of lessons work is not always sufficiently adapted to provide a good level of challenge for all pupils.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum has improved well since the previous inspection and is now good with a very good variety of exciting enrichment activities, including residential trips for students. The curriculum is well planned to ensure a good balance between developing key skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT and giving pupils a variety of creative and physical experiences. Personal and social development, including pupils' and students' understanding of how to stay safe and healthy, is promoted very well. The school places a very good emphasis on developing functional living skills to enable pupils and students to become as independent as possible. Class groupings ensure that the curriculum is well matched to the particular needs of groups of learners with 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Applefields School, 5–6 February 2009 different learning difficulties and/or disabilities. For example, in the specialist classes for pupils

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Grade: 2

with ASD, there is an effective emphasis on providing a 'low distraction' environment where visual symbols are used well to promote communication.

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Grade: 2

Strong pastoral systems and excellent links with outside agencies ensure that all pupils, including particularly vulnerable pupils such as those who are looked after by the local authority, are very well cared for. Parents and carers value the quality of care and support which their children receive and regard it as a strength of the school. Pupils told the inspectors that relationships are very good and there is always someone to turn to if they have a problem. There are very good procedures in place to keep pupils safe and healthy and all current safeguarding requirements are met. Pupils and students have well planned targets for behaviour and social development which are shared well with them. However, pupils are not yet always fully involved in setting and reviewing their targets for learning. This means that they sometimes do not fully understand exactly how they can improve their work.

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Grade: 2

The quality of leadership and management has improved at all levels since the previous inspection. The headteacher and deputy headteacher are a very effective team who are driving the school forward at a good pace while maintaining a happy and stable school. They are well supported by the senior leadership team. Subject leaders are more effective and are increasingly involved in closely monitoring the quality of provision in their subject areas. Whole-school assessment procedures and the use of information gained from assessment to set targets and evaluate progress have considerably improved. However, the school rightly recognises that this is an area which could still be developed further. The school has a good understanding of how well it is doing. For example, the school's records regarding monitoring the quality of teaching fit very closely with the judgements of teaching made by inspectors. The school promotes

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Grade: 2

equality, diversity and community cohesion well, both through providing a positive view of disability in the community and through ensuring that provision is well adapted for pupils with different needs. Governors continue to provide the high quality of support and challenge noted at the previous inspection. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Applefields School, 5–6 February 2009 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Applefields School, 5–6 February 2009

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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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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 2 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 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: Applefields School, 5–6 February 2009

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well-being of the learners?

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 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 1 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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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full range of learners' needs?

1 2 How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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: Applefields School, 5–6 February 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I know that some of you find reading very difficult, so your teachers will tell you about this letter. Thank you for being so friendly and helpful when inspectors visited your school. We enjoyed finding out about the things you are doing and talking to you. It was very useful to know what you think about your school. We both thought the choir sang really well and I liked the Chinese dragon in assembly! Your parents and carers think you go to a good school and we agree with them. There are some things that are particularly good in your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your excellent behaviour – you try very hard in lessons and make excellent progress in learning to improve your behaviour. ■ Your school has outstanding links with outside agencies. These help to ensure that you are very well cared for. ■ You make very good progress in learning to communicate and in developing your independence skills. ■ You take part in interesting activities, especially in sport and performing arts.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You make excellent progress in learning how to stay safe and healthy.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

All of this is possible because the headteacher, staff and governors do a good job and try their best to make the school as good as they can for you. I have asked your teachers to improve two things.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Make sure that all work set is challenging and is at just the right level for each of you.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Help you to understand and use your learning targets as well as you use those for your social development and behaviour. We hope you carry on enjoying what you are doing and continue to help your teachers all you can. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Applefields School, 5–6 February 2009

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