Rawtenstall Cribden House Community Special School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that the governing body continues to provide a high level of support and challenge in the future as they move through a period of transition.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• Leaders and governors have been relentless in improving the school since the last inspection. The ‘oasis of calm’ is still a key part of the school’s culture and is a very strong feature of this school. However, leaders have enhanced this key strength with a successful drive to improve further pupils’ outcomes both academically and socially.
• Leaders at all levels have an accurate view of the school’s performance. They analyse information meticulously and regularly gather views from parents, staff and pupils. This enables them to plan next steps to improve provision. They seek external views to ensure that their judgements are correct. This means that they identify the correct priorities to move the school forward. The recent focus on developing leadership at all levels has paid dividends. Every member of staff will ‘step up’ if necessary to ensure that the school continues to run effectively.
• Leaders have clear processes, procedures and policies for strong behaviour management. The headteacher routinely analyses incidents of behaviour and ‘positive handling’ to improve provision. Documentation shows that incidents of behaviour and ‘positive handling’ continue to reduce. The orderly conduct of pupils around school is testimony to this work.
• Leaders manage the performance of teachers and teaching assistants thoroughly. There is a strong focus on the development of the staff’s personal skills, to improve the provision for pupils. For example, coaching training for teachers enables them to lead their class teams more effectively.
• Leaders carefully consider every aspect of the pupils’ day in order to minimise potential problems. For example, the slick morning drop-off routine helps pupils to start the day in a calm manner. Effective lunchtime routines enable pupils to interact socially in a quiet area and then play group games supported by an adult.
• Subject leaders embrace their roles. They liaise with colleagues from other schools to ensure that their judgements on pupils’ outcomes are correct. They train teachers in school, checking teaching and pupils’ workbooks to ensure that pupils are learning well.
• Leaders provide a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum that engages and motivates pupils to learn. There is a strong focus on developing core skills in reading, writing and mathematics, alongside the focus on PE and PSHE. The therapeutic sessions enhance the curriculum and assist in the development of pupils’ personal and social skills. Pupils enjoy outdoor learning, dog walking, horse riding, yoga, construction, art, food, music and sensory therapy.
• The strong focus on PE supports the link between exercise and improved mental health. Pupils are active every day. They access skiing, climbing and swimming as part of the curriculum. Teachers facilitate group games at break and lunchtime. For example, pupils play cricket and football and some pupils use go-karts.
• Leaders cater well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Teachers deliver discrete PSHE sessions and religious education lessons, where pupils learn vital skills. The school council members are able to talk about British values and how they relate to their lives. A current project with another school enables pupils to compare different cultures, lifestyles and religions.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school well and support specific aspects of school improvements. For example, one governor has supported improving online communication with parents. Another governor attends school council meetings regularly to hear and take forward the views of pupils in order to improve provision.
• Governors challenge leaders’ decisions and proposals vigorously. Governors have high expectations and want the best for the school’s pupils. They use special educational needs and/or disabilities funding effectively. The minutes of the governing body meetings show that they question leaders’ reports rigorously as well as ensuring that key actions provide value for money.
• Leaders and governors use the pupil premium grant effectively to ensure that disadvantaged pupils have access to additional English, mathematics and therapeutic support. Leaders and governors scrutinise pupils’ outcomes to see how effective the funding has been. They link their evaluation of impact to pupils’ academic and personal and social skills.
• The governors recognise the need to plan for succession so that the high levels of support and challenge they currently provide can be maintained and built upon. They are foresighted and have already recruited new governors who add to the skill set of the governing body.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are highly effective. Systems and staff are in place to make sure that pupils are safe. Records are meticulous. Leaders follow procedures relentlessly and are persistent in the care of pupils. They work well with other professionals in the interest of all pupils.
• Staff liaise well with families, going to great lengths to ensure that communication is effective. Recently, leaders have appointed a family support worker to strengthen further provision. The use of modern technology has improved communication between the school’s staff and pupils’ families.
• Teachers use the PSHE curriculum to talk to pupils about all aspects of keeping themselves safe. Pupils from the school council were able to talk confidently about healthy food, exercise and safety on the internet.
• Parents who responded to the survey feel that their children are safe in school. The high adult-to-pupil ratio means that teachers supervise pupils closely. All pupils who responded to the survey stated that they have an adult to talk to if they are worried.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teachers and teaching assistants know pupils exceptionally well. They develop and nurture very good relationships with pupils. This builds pupils’ self-esteem and helps them feel good about themselves. Pupils want to come to school to learn because teaching is highly effective and they know that staff really care for them. Positive relationships are the foundation stone to the school’s success.
• Teachers use talk effectively. They model language so that pupils’ vocabulary increases continually. They ask skilful questions that enable pupils to think more deeply. Teachers allow pupils to rehearse their learning with support so that they can succeed when they try things independently. Pupils’ presentation of their work is of a high quality. Pupils’ work shows the positive effect of carefully planned teaching strategies on their learning and progress.
• Teachers use effective assessment information to plan pupils’ next steps in learning. This personalised learning programme enables teachers to consider and effectively minimise any barriers to learning. For example, teachers set up the classrooms to enable pupils to have their own space. They provide word banks to support pupils’ writing.
• Teachers reinforce appropriate classroom behaviour and social skills, which have become embedded though practice. This consistent approach means that the transition from one activity to another is highly effective. For example, pupils leave the hall after assembly quickly and quietly. Teachers demonstrate consistent high expectations of their pupils. This enables pupils to make maximum use of their learning time, which in turn supports their exceptional progress.
• Teachers have developed their skills and knowledge of the growing number of pupils who have autistic spectrum disorder in school. Teachers have taken on board effective strategies to support pupils’ learning. For example, teachers use timers to count down to the end of an activity. They also use symbol timetables effectively to help pupils know what is happening next.
• Teachers provide opportunities for older pupils to extend their writing, through correcting errors and redrafting their work. Teachers weave literacy opportunities across the curriculum. For example, older pupils wrote about how the heart works. Younger pupils completed a sentence about their ‘top moment’ from the last year.
• Teachers deliver phonics using real objects to enable younger pupils to make links between the meaning of letters and their sounds. Older pupils were keen to read books on their computer. The most able pupils were fluent and the least able pupils used phonics to decode words. One boy was able to provide more facts about his fiction book, demonstrating strong progress.
• Pupils’ numeracy workbooks show the variety of activities that they complete. Teachers prepare practical lessons to engage pupils and to deepen pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding. A younger group worked outside with leaves to compare the size of objects. They were effectively supported and made rapid progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Relationships between all adults and pupils are exemplary. Adults speak to each other and pupils respectfully. They listen to and value the views of the pupils. For example, pupils are involved in discussing their individual behaviour plans. Pupils help to identify and reflect on the most effective behaviour strategies that will enable them to flourish.
• Teachers help pupils to improve their skills for learning. They practise these skills and reflect on them. For example, debriefing after any behaviour incident supports pupils to make better choices in the future.
• Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning in class. The overwhelming majority of pupils are confident to talk about their work. For example, one pupil spoke about the ‘superhero’ model she had made from bricks and read what she had written about this activity.
• Pupils’ welfare is extremely high on the school’s agenda. A singing assembly gave pupils a sense of space and calm, preparing them for learning. This enabled them to excel. A teacher modelled a new song to pupils. They learned it quickly, showing the familiarity of this routine. Pupils sang the lullaby in two parts demonstrating clear progress, a sense of enjoyment and togetherness.
• Teachers develop personalised transition plans to ensure that pupils are ready for the next stage of their education. The many different individual pupil needs mean that there are several different pathways. The family support worker engages with pupils and their families, making them aware of choices and supporting visits to schools. This has a positive effect on pupils. Parents also value this support. The parents with whom I spoke felt that their children were ready for the move to secondary school. Transition arrangements are very strong.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They understand the ‘golden rule’ not to hurt other people. The school council was able to explain the consequences if they broke this rule.
• Teachers give pupils the strategies to self-regulate their behaviour. Teachers build trusting relationships with pupils, enabling them to debrief after any incident in a non-judgemental way. This allows pupils to reflect on their own behaviour. When this is used consistently over time, it helps pupils to manage their emotions and prepares them well for their future.
• Staff deal with incidents of poor behaviour with a measured approach. Individual behaviour plans are personalised and detailed. Adults follow the school policies to help pupils to exhibit acceptable behaviour. Teachers demonstrate an impressive, calm approach to dealing with any issues that may arise. Members of staff use appropriate de-escalating strategies, including non-confrontational body language, to ensure that situations requiring intervention are resolved effectively.
• Attendance overall has remained excellent for the last two years and is going up each year. The family support worker is liaising closely with a very small minority of pupils and their families to increase their attendance. Procedures for dealing with any absence from school are appropriate and robust.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Teachers measure outcomes for pupils academically and in terms of their emotional literacy with great precision.
• Leaders have devised a system to measure pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics that is fit for purpose. The information gathered shows that pupils are making very strong, and often exceptional, progress from their starting points. Many pupils have made rapid progress and are now working at standards expected for their age.
• Each pupil has individual learning targets. Teachers monitor these regularly to ensure that pupils make the best possible progress in their learning. If a pupil is identified as not making excellent progress, the staff team will consider how to remove any barriers in order to facilitate learning. As a result, pupils catch up quickly.
• All groups of pupils achieve exceptionally well from their starting points. All of the most able pupils achieve or exceed their targets in reading and mathematics. However, as leaders said: ‘When pupils reach a target, we make it more challenging.’
• Children looked after do particularly well. The virtual head stated that if pupils are educated at Cribden House, she has no concerns about their academic progress or emotional health. Inspection evidence supports this view.
• Teachers use effective strategies to ensure that pupils who have autistic spectrum disorder are successful in their learning. These strategies ensure that this group of pupils perform tremendously well.
• The school places great value on pupils’ social, emotional and mental health. Meticulous records show the strong, positive impact therapeutic activities have on pupils’ social and personal skills.
• Pupils make outstanding progress in self-regulating their behaviour over time. This is a credit to the very effective work of all the staff at the school.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 119879 Lancashire 10012587 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community special 5 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 54 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Mr Nick Pilling Mrs Siobhan Halligan Telephone number 01706 213048 Website Email address www.cribdenhouse.lancs.sch.uk head@cribdenhouse.lancs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13–14 March 2013

Information about this school

• The school provides for pupils who have social, emotional and mental health difficulties, speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactive disorder.
• All pupils have an education, health and care plan.
• The majority of pupils are boys.
• There are eight children looked after.
• Over half of the pupils are disadvantaged.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language and who come from minority ethnic groups is small.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team observed teaching and learning in all classes, accompanied by the headteacher or the deputy headteacher.
• Inspectors met with four pupils formally, received nine responses from the pupils’ survey and spoke with several pupils informally during the inspection. Inspectors heard four pupils read.
• Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ workbooks and observed their behaviour in and out of lessons.
• Inspectors considered 21 responses from the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, and spoke with three parents on the telephone.
• Inspectors received 18 responses to the staff survey and spoke with teachers and teaching assistants in school.
• Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documentation relating to all aspects of the school’s work, including minutes of governing body meetings, self-evaluation, improvement planning, leaders’ monitoring of teaching and learning, and documents relating to safeguarding.
• Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the chair of governors. Inspectors spoke with another governor, the local authority representative and the virtual head by telephone.

Inspection team

Jean Robinson, lead inspector Linda Griffiths

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector