Turney Primary and Secondary Special School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Strengthen the early years provision by ensuring that:
  • staff monitor children’s progress precisely to provide activities which enable them to make strong progress in the different areas of learning
  • a greater emphasis is placed on promoting children’s skills in literacy and mathematics

leaders explore professional development opportunities for staff, so that the quality of provision matches that seen in the rest of the school.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• Leadership at all levels has improved significantly since the last inspection. Senior and middle leaders are highly effective in making sure that the school continues to succeed. Nurturing potential leadership within school and across the federation is a key strategy which has secured rapid improvements.
• Staff benefit from high-quality individual training and guidance, including coaching and mentoring. Collaborative working with specialists and external agencies secures individualised academic and personal programmes for pupils. This leads to tangible improvements in the quality of teaching, learning and pupils’ behaviour.
• Securing continuous improvement is at the heart of leaders’ work. Leaders and staff know what is working well and what needs further attention because all aspects of the school’s performance are monitored effectively.
• Leaders review and refine their work to maximise the impact this has on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Leaders are reflective and honest and, as a result, so are staff. Best practice is shared across both schools on a formal and informal basis. The new assessment system, initially trialled in the secondary phase, has now been implemented successfully in the primary classes. However, this effective system is not replicated in the Reception class.
• The curriculum includes a wide range of subjects which are taught very effectively. Pupils’ experiences are enriched by many visits and visitors, providing a relevant context for pupils to make important links in their learning. Pupils learn to cooperate with each other, manage their anxieties, and engage with people from different ethnic backgrounds. Pupils explore different cultures and are taught to respect differences between themselves and others. Older pupils study the effects of child poverty, child abuse and civil rights. This contributes remarkably well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and helps to prepare them for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders and governors make sure that additional funding is used wisely to ensure that disadvantaged pupils achieve well. Interventions, such as one-to-one support for reading and activities to promote social and communication skills, remove some significant barriers to pupils’ learning. The sports premium funding is used very well to extend the range of sporting opportunities, including swimming, and specialist activities such as yoga sessions. It is also used to provide a range of different therapies.
• The school has bolstered communication with parents and carers because leaders know that a strong partnership is critical in improving the life chances of pupils. For example, leaders provide regular parent evenings, a variety of workshops, and arrange parental support from multi-agency professionals. Parents are particularly complimentary about how the school shares its expertise in promoting their children’s communication and language skills. This gives them the confidence to try out the same strategies at home.

Governance of the school

• Governors have high aspirations of leaders and staff. They explain that ‘There’s a thirst for improvement, so that pupils are the best they possibly can be.’ Governors have made sure that the school’s capacity to continue to grow and develop is very strong. They have successfully overseen the school’s federation with Lansdowne Special School, and have been instrumental in securing the post-16 provision. Both talent and expertise at leadership and teaching levels is shared successfully across both schools to improve educational, personal and life chances of pupils.
• Governors are exceptionally knowledgeable about all areas of the school’s work. They gather information from a wide range of activities. They are fully aware of the impact teaching and other specialist provision has on pupils’ outcomes. Governors monitor this carefully and routinely question leaders on how well improvement work is proceeding. They make sure that all finances are used to improve learning opportunities and pupils’ outcomes.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders make sure that staff consistently put into practice safeguarding and child protection policies. All staff benefit from up-to-date training so that appropriate action is taken to address safeguarding and child protection concerns. Everyone understands that it is their duty to promote and protect pupils.
• The designated safeguarding lead has an exceptional understanding and insight into children and families. She and staff are extremely vigilant, spotting any potential signs of pupils who may be at risk from abuse, or parents who need support. Training enables staff to recognise all the potential signs of abuse, including domestic violence, female genital mutilation, neglect and child sexual exploitation. Staff understand their role in protecting pupils from the dangers associated with radicalisation and extremism.
• Well-coordinated work with health specialists in school and other external agencies, including referrals, secures the right level of support and advice for families.
• The school follows the procedures outlined in the latest government guidance regarding allegations against staff, including referrals to the local authority and the Disclosure and Barring Service.
• A whole-school approach is in place to monitor and review the strategies used for pupils who sometimes display challenging behaviours.
• All the required checks are undertaken to make sure that staff are suitable to work with children before they start work at the school. Governors keep a close check on all safeguarding procedures.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Staff assess pupils’ progress effectively. They know if pupils’ understanding is secure, and when pupils need further activities to deepen their learning.
• Staff provide key vocabulary verbally and through the use of symbols to secure strong connections in pupils’ learning as well as strengthening pupils’ language and communication skills. Staff promote pupils’ learning very effectively, building their knowledge and understanding in small but vital steps. Information and communication technology is used skilfully to enable pupils to communicate their ideas, as well as promoting their reading and writing skills.
• Highly effective teamwork enables staff to adapt the classroom, resources and activities to meet pupils’ individual needs exceptionally well. They are responsive to each pupil’s learning styles and levels of understanding. They provide one-to-one support, collaborative work in groups and opportunities for pupils to work independently.
• Adults are highly attuned to pupils’ needs and adapt activities to sustain or re-direct pupils’ concentration, or to coax pupils to take time out if their anxiety levels rise. Increasingly, pupils are able to self-select time out in a quiet room if they begin to feel frustrated or anxious.
• Timely feedback promotes pupils’ confidence and self-belief in their abilities. Older pupils are encouraged to assess the extent of their own success by using symbols. Teachers reinforce this very effectively by identifying pupils’ next steps in learning. This contributes to pupils’ excellent progress over time.
• The teaching of phonics, spelling, punctuation and grammar enables younger pupils to begin to read unfamiliar words, and to write their own sentences. Older pupils are increasingly able to write for a purpose in English and across the curriculum.
• The school’s communication team works closely with the speech and language therapists to support staff and parents very effectively. The small group work and one-to-one sessions promote pupils’ communication skills and understanding well.
• The new assessment system enables staff to have a better picture of pupils’ strengths, next steps and whether they are on track to achieve their end-of-year targets. Pupils’ progress is reviewed effectively and targets revised if necessary. All this ensures sustained and substantial rates of progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Senior leaders have raised aspirations for pupils’ personal development. Training has secured a coherent and consistent approach in promoting pupils’ personal skills, as well as their mental health and welfare.
• Daily sessions support pupils’ personal development, including music and art therapy, sensory activities and one-to-one intensive support from therapists. These strategies, together with a constant focus on promoting pupils’ communication skills, prove to be powerful tools in promoting pupils’ social and emotional skills, as well as diminishing pupils’ potential frustrations.
• Effective work between educational and health specialists secures a holistic approach to meeting pupils’ personal needs. It also provides much needed additional support for parents, including respite care.
• Staff are skilled in reducing pupils’ anxieties and providing a calm and consistent learning environment, with well-established routines. This means pupils begin to develop self-regulation and greater self-awareness, decreasing pupils’ reliance on adult support. As a result, pupils are able to cope with new challenges in their learning and interact more effectively in school and at home.
• Pupils feel safe, secure and valued as staff reward their good behaviour and attitudes to learning. This recognition engenders positive self-esteem, and in turn enables pupils to begin to appreciate the need to treat others with respect. There is no bullying in school as a result.
• Pupils learn how to stay safe in personal, social, health, citizenship and economic lessons, including when online, and when they are out and about in the local community. Pupils trust adults to keep them safe from danger. Cultivating a healthy lifestyle is a strong feature in many activities.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Little time is wasted on addressing inappropriate behaviour. Pupils’ conduct is exceptional, given their complex social and emotional needs. They remain focused on their work and this has a considerable impact on their progress and development.
• Time in lessons is used to maximise pupils’ progress. Approaches to managing pupils’ behaviour are flexible and responsive to the individual needs of pupils. Relationships are warm and supportive, enabling pupils to feel secure and relaxed.
• Those pupils who need additional and intensive support have detailed personal behaviour plans. A new system to analyse challenging behaviours enables the school to identify potential triggers, and to implement the most effective strategies in order to defuse these behaviours. As a result, the number of incidents has reduced dramatically this year.
• Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons and around the school. They are very proud of their school and try their best to meet adults’ high expectations. As a result, most pupils attend school regularly.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• The school’s records, including assessments of when pupils start school, demonstrate that there is little variation in the progress of different groups of pupils. The work in pupils’ books reflects leaders’ accurate assessments of pupils’ outcomes.
• Pupils in all key stages, including disadvantaged pupils, the most able and those with complex learning difficulties, make outstanding progress from exceptionally low starting points.
• Tailored activities meet individual needs with precision. As a result, pupils make very strong progress in communication and language, reading, writing, mathematics and subjects across the curriculum.
• Teachers are skilled in making sure learning proceeds in small steps, which builds carefully on what pupils know and can do. Each pupil has a ‘progress pathway’ to make sure they reach challenging targets. Effective assessments ensure that pupils achieve their full potential. Teachers identify any pupils at risk of underachieving and put in place additional support.
• The most able pupils make outstanding progress because of the flexibility in provision. Pupils sometimes attend a mainstream primary adjacent to the school and, at the end of Year 6, some move permanently to the federated secondary school. Some secondary-aged pupils also learn on a temporary basis with most-able pupils at the federated school.
• All key stage 4 pupils achieve nationally recognised qualifications, boosting their sense of achievement. These qualifications include English, mathematics, science, and non-core subjects, such as information and communication technology.
• Year 11 pupils attend college each week to develop their employability and personal capabilities. Staff develop pupils’ horticultural and retail skills through a bespoke ‘Roots and Shoots’ programme. Careers advice and guidance is provided through work experience, which includes post-16 students. Pupils are given support in practising interview skills, and local businesses talk to pupils about their work.
• The school is exceptionally effective in making sure pupils experience academic success and rapid improvement in their personal development. Year 11 pupils are well prepared for their next stage of education and go on to either post-16 provision at this school or post-16 provision at the secondary school within the federation.

Early years provision Good

• Staff foster warm and caring relationships with children. Children grow in confidence and willingly explore interesting activities in the classroom, the outdoor learning area and beyond the school, for example in the local park.
• Staff provide a wide range of practical activities to encourage children to learn and develop well. They engage with children in their play to sustain their interest and concentration, role-modelling how to work and play appropriately. Staff observe children closely in order to adapt activities to sustain children’s attention, and to plan their next steps in learning.
• Effective provision ensures that children make good progress, particularly in their personal, social and emotional development, physical development and in their communication and language skills. This is clearly evidenced in children’s learning journals, and inspection observations confirm this. Children are well prepared for the challenges of Year 1.
• However, assessments do not provide leaders with an accurate picture of the good progress children make. They are not refined enough to measure the small steps children make in their learning and development. This prevents staff from intervening quickly to secure substantial and sustained progress. Leaders, including governors, are not able to hold staff fully to account for their work.
• There is clear evidence that staff promote children’s literacy and mathematical skills. Although staff promote children’s literacy and mathematics skills well, sometimes they miss opportunities to adapt activities in order to fully extend these skills. There are some inconsistencies in how well staff record children’s progress in these two subjects. This prevents staff from planning work to promote outstanding progress.
• Effective partnerships with parents, and other specialists, including occupational, speech and language therapists, mean that children and families are fully supported.
• Leaders have a good understanding of what constitutes effective early years practice. The executive headteacher has already identified the right strategies required to secure swift improvements to move the provision to outstanding.

16 to 19 study programmes Outstanding

• The teaching team tailors activities precisely to meet students’ often severe and complex needs. There is a continuing emphasis on developing students’ English, mathematics and communication skills, as well as essential life and independence skills. As a consequence, students make excellent progress in all areas of learning and in their personal development.
• Students’ learning is promoted through a range of practical and purposeful activities. There is an emphasis on ‘leisure for life’, with many activities occurring within the local community. These include swimming, cycling and visits to places of interest. Students learn how to travel safely, shop independently, grow their own vegetables, and prepare healthy meals for the café.
• Students also undertake work experience, at the ‘Cubitt play centre’ and through a myriad of activities, such as volunteering in the community, and developing workplace skills, in school and further afield. All students achieve nationally recognised accreditation, including that which recognises the progress students make in their personal development.
• The school assists parents and students with personalised information so that they can make informed decisions and choices for their future destinations when they leave key stage 5. Parents confirmed that they feel a great deal of relief and greater confidence that their children are being well prepared for their next stage of development.
• Leadership of the provision is very strong. Leaders make sure that students are prepared for their place in society. The foundations of effective behaviour management in prior key stages is extended still further in this key stage. Students are diligent and cooperative in their work. They become increasingly able to persevere and to be self-reliant. They are keen to work on their own and with their friends.
• Students are safe and say that they feel safe. They confidently greet each other and visitors, initiating conversations with self-assurance and maturity.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 100643 Lambeth 10052805 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school All-through special School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Gender of pupils in 16 to 19 study programmes Number of pupils on the school roll Of which, number on roll in 16 to 19 study programmes Community special 4 to 19 Mixed Mixed 127 15 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Executive Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Susan Osborne Linda Adams 020 8670 7220 www.turneyschool.co.uk office@turney.org.uk Date of previous inspection 25–26 September 2014

Information about this school

• In January 2016, Turney School became part of a hard federation with Lansdowne Special School, which is also in Lambeth. The schools share a governing body and an executive headteacher. Each has a head of school. Lansdowne Special School is subject to a separate inspection.
• In September 2015, the school opened a post-16 provision for students with complex learning difficulties up to the age of 19.
• Pupils have autistic spectrum disorder or speech and language difficulties. Most pupils have other associated learning difficulties. All have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.
• Almost all pupils are eligible for the pupil premium funding. Four out of five pupils are boys. Pupils are from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, with half the pupils speaking English as an additional language.
• There are currently nine Reception-aged children.
• The school uses one alternative provider, Roots and Shoots, in Lambeth.
• There have been a number of staffing appointments since the last inspection, including several new teachers, a head of school and assistant headteacher.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited lessons in most year groups and observed a variety of activities, undertaken with senior leaders.
• Pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at playtimes and around the school was observed. Inspectors also scrutinised the school’s records of behavioural incidents, including bullying logs.
• Inspectors spoke formally to a group of pupils and informally to pupils in lessons about their learning. Inspectors observed pupils reading in class.
• Inspectors held meetings with leaders to evaluate the impact of their work on pupils’ outcomes and the quality of teaching.
• Meetings were held with members of the governing body, including the chair. A telephone discussion was held with the local authority representative.
• Inspectors reviewed work in pupils’ books to evaluate the quality of learning in different areas of learning over time. They also scrutinised the school’s current assessment information on how well pupils achieve.
• A range of documentation related to safeguarding was scrutinised. This included the single central record of pre-employment checks and records related to the school’s work to safeguard pupils.
• Inspectors spoke to a group of parents, considered the school’s parent questionnaires, and the 22 responses to the Ofsted staff questionnaire. There were no parental or pupil responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

Inspection team

Mary Hinds, lead inspector Jason Hughes

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector