Adelaide School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Embed and refine the recently introduced assessment system to enable teachers to identify even more opportunities to stretch and challenge pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The Adelaide School is an inspiring school that enables pupils who have experienced significant difficulties in their education to engage with learning and achieve excellent outcomes. All pupils in the school have an education, health and care plan. Despite this, they make outstanding progress and all move on to further education, employment or training.
• School leaders and governors have created a culture that values each individual within the school community. This culture pervades every aspect of the school and is recognised by the pupils who feel cared for, included and valued. They say that they ‘love school’ because there are ‘lots of opportunities to learn’ and there is ‘lots of support’.
• Parents trust the school. They say that leaders listen to them. They talk with great feeling about the ways in which the school has improved the lives of their children and their families. They report that the school ‘goes the extra mile’ and that the Adelaide School is ‘truly excellent in all areas’.
• School leaders at all levels are aware of the strengths and those areas for further improvement across the school. They have developed robust systems to evaluate the effectiveness of the quality of education that the school provides. Leaders use this information effectively to drive continual improvement. Self-evaluation systems are dynamic and continuous processes which have a direct impact on ensuring outstanding outcomes for pupils.
• School leaders have high expectations of pupils and staff and work tirelessly to support everyone to achieve outstanding outcomes. They identify any underperformance quickly and move decisively to tackle it. As a result, teaching is highly effective and pupils of all abilities make outstanding progress right across the school.
• The headteacher leads with openness and honesty, inviting external and internal scrutiny and challenge in order to secure improvement. These qualities characterise all leaders across the school as they reflect on how to achieve the best outcomes for the pupils. Senior leaders talk frankly about ways that they can improve the school and as a consequence improvement is decisive and rapid.
• The headteacher has skilfully engaged staff in the development of the school. The staff work as a team and value her inclusive approach. They appreciate the opportunities provided for their own development. The continual ongoing training of the staff team is a notable strength of the school and has led to the development of a highly skilled and effective workforce.
• Members of staff engage enthusiastically in professional debate about their practice. They are eager to learn and generous in their support for one another. They work well as a team and seek solutions to problems together. They are highly motivated and feel valued by school leaders who they hold in high regard.
• School leaders, governors and trustees have built leadership capacity in order to enable the school to support the local authority and other partner schools. The chief executive officer of the Adelaide Trust has a clear-sighted strategy for the development of leaders in the school. This is enabling the school to support the growth of the trust while maintaining its high standards of education.
• The school’s curriculum has been expertly designed to meet the diverse range of pupils’ strengths and needs. The subjects that are offered enable pupils to acquire core skills and engage with a rich and varied learning programme. This prepares them exceedingly well for life in modern Britain. Consequently, pupils make strong and sustained progress and achieve qualifications that support their transition into adulthood.
• The curriculum is designed to nurture younger pupils’ self-esteem and to build their confidence to engage with learning. There is a seamless transition into the secondary phase of education where pupils are taught by subject specialists. This holistic approach to learning ensures that the whole child is at the heart of the design and implementation of the curriculum. It also ensures that leaders focus their evaluation of the effectiveness of the curriculum on its impact on pupils’ learning.
• Leaders rigorously and effectively track pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development across the curriculum. This enables the school to identify the gaps in provision and address these accordingly. Displays around the school enhance pupils’ development in this area. Teachers capture evidence of pupils’ SMSC development in a book which the school produces every six months to celebrate pupils’ achievements. Teachers use individual SMSC profiles for pupils to focus on the most appropriate key areas of learning. The development and practice of SMSC is a significant strength of the school.
• School leaders, governors and trustees are focused on improving outcomes for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, and are continuously looking for new ways to break down barriers to learning. They use additional funding, including the pupil premium funding, the primary physical education and sport premium funding and Year 7 literacy and numeracy catch-up premium with strategic intelligence and common sense. Consequently, no groups of pupils fall behind and an enriching learning experience is available to all.
• Leaders use the additional funding that they receive for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities with care and precision. Consequently, pupils make excellent progress in their learning.
• School leaders have ensured that the strengths of the school are replicated in the new provision developed at the Adelaide Hub and across the Adelaide Link. Highly effective quality assurance systems, including performance management processes, are in place to ensure that very high standards of education and pupils’ behaviour and safety are maintained. Plans for the school to re-open its sixth form in response to pupil demand are well formed and strategically strong. There are currently no pupils in the sixth form.

Governance of the school

• Members of the governing body are deeply committed to the school and bring a wide range of skills, expertise and experience to the role. They support and challenge school leaders rigorously, holding them to account with an astute eye for detail and a full understanding of the specific strengths and needs of the pupils in the school.
• Governors discharge their statutory duties with precision. They are instrumental in paving the way for future developments. Governors play a pivotal role in evaluating the effectiveness of the school and in drawing together strategic improvement plans that are precise, sharp and focused

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. These arrangements are consistently effective across the Adelaide Hub and the Adelaide Link. School leaders have created a strong culture of safeguarding in which systems are robust and rigorous and pupils feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe. Staff are trained effectively and the school is constantly reviewing its policies and procedures to ensure that pupils are kept safe.
• Pupils play an active role in contributing to the strong and effective safeguarding culture in the school via the pupils’ ‘Safeguarding Group’. This innovative and empowering project enables pupils to take responsibility for their own safety and fosters a community spirit. Pupils say the purpose of the ‘Safeguarding Group’ is to ‘make school a better place for those that have had a rough time’.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Pupils love to learn at the Adelaide School because the quality of teaching is outstanding. They arrive promptly for lessons, are enthusiastic about learning, and are consistently engaged in their learning. The learning environment is bright and cheerful and promotes excellent attitudes to learning.
• Pupils speak very positively about their learning experiences at the Adelaide School and demonstrate an acute awareness of the progress that they have made in all aspects of their education. This is because teachers plan lessons that meet pupils’ individual needs. Pupils celebrate their gains in knowledge, skills and understanding because high-quality teaching enables them to make rapid progress. This is why pupils say that the school ‘is amazing’. Parents and carers endorse this view and say that the school has re-engaged their children in education. Parents from the Adelaide Hub and the Adelaide Link are extremely positive about the provision.
• Teachers understand the specific nature of pupils’ strengths and needs and combine this with excellent subject knowledge to deliver high-quality learning opportunities for pupils. Positive relationships underpin all aspects of pupils’ learning because teachers and support staff understand the pupils well and provide top-quality individual support. Behaviour strategies are carefully planned and ensure that learning is not disrupted. Teachers’ enthusiasm ensures pupils are resilient and eager to improve their skills, knowledge and understanding.
• High expectations and enjoyment characterise pupils’ learning. Teaching sessions are well structured and allow time for concepts to become embedded while ensuring that the curriculum is covered sufficiently. Teaching assistants provide high-quality support to pupils and work well with teachers to ensure that pupils progress rapidly across the school.
• The quality of work over time in pupils’ books demonstrates the strong emphasis that is placed on good-quality presentation and the challenge to pupils to make excellent progress. Marking is in line with the school’s policy and helps to embed pupils’ understanding of the key concepts being studied. Teachers make it clear to pupils how to strengthen their knowledge and move to the next step in their learning. Pupils at the Adelaide Hub receive equally supportive and effective feedback to help them to improve.
• Strong subject knowledge coupled with an awareness of pupils’ needs allows teachers to use highly effective questioning to deepen and extend pupils’ understanding. Pupils are challenged to develop their thinking and encouraged to express themselves confidently. Consequently, pupils are perceptive, articulate and politely candid in discussing their views.
• The recently introduced assessment system has enabled teachers to assess across the ability range of the school effectively. Further work in embedding and refining this assessment system is required to enable teachers to even more accurately identify the depth of understanding that pupils have acquired. Leaders recognise that this system needs to be embedded so that teachers can plan an increasing number of opportunities to stretch and challenge pupils and thereby raise achievement even higher.
• As a result of a comprehensive and widely accessible programme of professional development, teachers and teaching assistants are knowledgeable, skilled and highly effective in their practice. There are opportunities for members of staff to continually develop their practice and refine their understanding. This has produced a first-class team of professionals that is respected by parents and carers, fellow professionals and local authority officers alike.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Parents and carers speak effusively about the way in which the school has helped their children to develop. They say that the school has ‘turned around’ their child and one comment included that the school ‘has given me my child back’.
• Pupils are carefully prepared for adulthood through appropriate courses and qualifications, opportunities for work experience and a focus on life skills such as cookery and budgeting. Pupils receive important information about keeping healthy and safe. The comprehensive personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum is central to making pupils’ aware of a range of challenging issues.
• Pupils in key stage 2 are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education. Older pupils receive outstanding impartial careers advice which supports their choices about the next phase of their lives. Destinations are carefully tracked and every opportunity is afforded to pupils to make an informed decision about their future. As a consequence, all pupils move onto education, employment or training when they leave the Adelaide School.
• Pupils are typically confident in their interactions with adults and willing to discuss a broad range of topics and issues. They are ambitious for themselves and often have a clear idea about the type of work they would like to do. Many of the pupils have identified careers caring for others.
• The personal development of those pupils who attend the Adelaide Hub and the Adelaide Link is equally as strong.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They are proud of their school, proud of their achievements and proud of the changes that they have made in themselves.
• Pupils are engaging and polite. They respect and support one another and say that ‘no one should stand alone’. Pupils are confident and self-assured and greet adults in a friendly and open manner. They are willing to talk about their learning and reflect on the progress that they have made in regulating their own behaviour, crediting the school’s staff with this.
• Attendance is very high compared to similar schools because the staff go the extra mile to ensure that pupils can access learning. Innovative strategies are in place to ensure that pupils who previously had extremely low attendance are re-engaged with education. Pupils in key stage 2, including those who attend the Adelaide Hub, rapidly improve their attendance and sustain this improvement over time. The Adelaide Link is successfully providing education for pupils who until recently were not accessing any form of education.
• Exclusions are low because a range of well-considered strategies are in place to prevent the escalation of challenging behaviour. On the rare occasions that physical intervention is necessary, meticulous records provide a detailed account of the actions taken and the follow-up actions which restore relationships.
• Incidents of bullying are rare and when bullying does occur it is dealt with very effectively by the school. Pupils are alert to the dangers of bullying and actively contribute to the culture of not accepting any form of bullying.
• Staff are highly skilled in addressing any forms of challenging behaviour. They are calm and consistent in their approach and support one another effectively if difficulties occur. This approach is reflected consistently across all of the school’s sites including the Adelaide Hub and Adelaide Link.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils make outstanding progress throughout their time at the Adelaide School. From very low starting points pupils progress rapidly and in a sustained way to achieve qualifications and awards which equip them well for adult life in modern Britain.
• Almost all pupils make excellent progress from their starting points and in the small number of cases where progress is not as strong the school has identified the issues and intervened rapidly. There are no differences in the outcomes for disadvantaged pupils, including those who are eligible for the pupil premium.
• Pupils within key stage 2, including those pupils located at the Adelaide Hub, make rapid and sustained progress. By focusing on a nurturing approach at key stage 2, the school enables pupils who had previously disengaged from learning to develop the confidence and resilience to make outstanding progress. Consequently, pupils are able to make a successful transition into the secondary phase of their education.
• The school’s new assessment system identifies any underachievement and enables the school to take prompt action where pupils’ progress is not at an expected level. As a consequence, no group of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are falling behind. Outcomes are consistently strong for all groups of pupils.
• School leaders have high aspirations and pupils strive to achieve their very best. The evidence of work in books demonstrates excellent progress across all subjects and phases including the Adelaide Hub.
• The school has a holistic approach to pupils’ progress and outcomes. They consider the whole child and monitor progress not only in pupils’ academic learning but also in pupils’ social and emotional development. This enables sustained progress as each element of pupils’ development is carefully planned for, monitored and evaluated.
• Pupils who left the school in 2017 achieved a broad range of qualifications including GCSEs, vocational qualifications and entry-level qualifications. All of these pupils continued into further education, employment or training. Data from 2013 onwards indicates that all leavers over the last five years have continued into further education, employment or training. This is a strength of the school and a testament to the school’s ability to prepare pupils for adult life.

School details

Unique reference number 140457 Local authority Cheshire East Inspection number 10036757 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Special School category Academy special converter Age range of pupils 9 to 18 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 85 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair David Parr Headteacher Sarah Martin Telephone number 01270 685 151 Website www.adelaideschool.net Email address head@adelaide.cheshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Every pupil who attends Adelaide School has an education, health and care plan, designating social, emotional and mental health as their primary need. A significant proportion of the pupils have additional needs including autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• The Adelaide School is the lead school in the Adelaide Trust, which currently comprises three schools.
• There are 85 pupils on the school’s roll, which includes 51 at the Adelaide School site in Crewe, eight pupils at the Adelaide Hub, Knutsford, and 26 pupils who access the Adelaide Link.
• The school has provision for pupils at key stages 2, 3 and 4. The school also has post-16 provision. However, there are currently no pupils on roll in the sixth form.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classes, including undertaking some joint observations with senior leaders. Inspectors also carried out a work scrutiny across a range of subjects and phases.
• Inspectors met with two groups of pupils, including those pupils who are part of the pupils’ ‘Safeguarding Group’. They also spoke informally with pupils around the school. Inspectors met with 14 parents and the lead inspector had a telephone conversation with a further three parents including parents of pupils who attend the Adelaide Hub and the Adelaide Link.
• A meeting was held with seven members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. A meeting was held with the school improvement partner. The lead inspector had a telephone conversation with a senior local authority officer.
• Inspectors took account of 13 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire Parent View, 11 responses to Ofsted’s free-text service, 13 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey and 29 responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.
• Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents. These included the school’s self-evaluation and raising attainment plan, information about pupils’ progress and a selection of policies, including those related to safeguarding.

Inspection team

Martin Hanbury, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Jane Holmes Ofsted Inspector