William Henry Smith School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment further, by ensuring an even-greater consistency of outstanding teaching across all age groups and subject areas, especially in English and mathematics.
• Continue to maximise the attainment and progress of all pupils to diminish the differences from national averages for schools further, especially in English and mathematics.

What good practice recommendations should be made in relation to residential provision?

• Policies for administration of medication should reflect all guidance provided by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (Handling of Medicines in Social Care). In particular, the school should ensure that the recording of the administration of controlled medication takes account of all elements of recommended best practice.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Outstanding

• Leadership and management of the school continue to be outstanding. Although the principal and senior leadership team are recently appointed, there has been no slowing in the pursuit of excellence. This is because all new appointments were internally promoted from the well-established and highly effective existing leadership team. The significant investment in succession planning over time by the outgoing principal and governors, coupled with a well-organised transition period for the new principal, has ensured that improvements have continued at a rapid pace.
• Leaders, including governors, have nurtured a strong and effective ethos that enables pupils to excel, from their typically low starting points. Strong relationships between staff and pupils are evident throughout all aspects of the school and residential setting. They are underpinned by a firm belief and shared philosophy that empowers all students into ‘becoming the best that they can be’.
• The principal’s uncompromising focus on pupils’ achievement, irrespective of pupils’ complex needs, reflects her highly ambitious vision for the school. The detailed and accurate approach to assessment identifies pupils’ needs precisely. This ensures that even the smallest gains ’can be measured. This rigorous approach informs leaders’ monitoring activities throughout the year. It enables leaders to have an accurate view on how well pupils are doing in relation to their ambitious personal targets. Such is the attention to detail that pupils are making exceptional progress from their relative starting points.
• Leaders and governors have an extensive and increasingly accurate understanding of the school’s effectiveness. In particular, increasingly robust systems have been established to enhance the monitoring, challenge and accountability of teaching, learning and assessment. Information gathered is utilised to tackle any emerging issues effectively and assess the effect of wider school improvement initiatives.
• Staff overwhelmingly feel that they are well supported and that they are treated fairly and with respect. They are wholly committed to the school’s values and are proud members of the staff team. Staff morale is high, and this is reflected in the stability of staffing since the last inspection.
• Leaders facilitate high-quality professional development to encourage, challenge and support all members of staff to improve their practice. For example, a whole-school focus on the development of writing has led to significant improvements in the quality and quantity of pupils’ recorded work. In key stages 3 and 4, all teachers now teach English and mathematics in addition to their specialist subject areas. This is a change since the last inspection and has brought about greater consistency for pupils. Such initiatives have each contributed to the improving outcomes in these subject areas.
• The whole-school curriculum offer is broad, extensive and exceptionally well balanced. It is heavily skills based, in order to meet the needs of all pupils. There is a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills in all subjects, with a clear focus upon preparing pupils for the next stage of their education and training. This is supplemented by an equally strong personal and social curriculum and extensive extra-curricular experiences. As a result, all pupils have their academic, social and emotional needs met effectively, to ensure maximum holistic progress.
• Pupils’ strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is supported through all aspects of the curriculum, as is the promotion of fundamental British values. A strong programme of targeted lessons, school council activities and a broad range of themed assemblies supports this work.
• Leaders promote equality of opportunity and diversity exceptionally well. They ensure that all pupils have access to the curriculum and that any adaptations are completed carefully and sensitively. Consequently, all pupils thrive in this wonderful school regardless of their presenting needs.
• Senior leaders utilise their pupil premium funding exceptionally well. It is used to provide bespoke, targeted educational and therapeutic interventions to minimise the barriers to learning that pupils experience. Progress measures indicate that disadvantaged pupils make equally outstanding progress to that of other pupils in the school.
• Senior leaders also utilise sports and physical education funding effectively for key stage 2 pupils.
• Leaders are actively involved in a range of partnerships, most notably the National Association of Special Schools. Such links allow staff to share good practice with other settings. The school positively supports over 30 local schools in a range of other initiatives and developments. For example, sharing effective practice in relation to General Data Protection Regulations has ensured that many other schools in the area are well prepared for this change in legislation.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. This is reflected in evidence routinely gathered as part of the school’s own consultation activities. All parents who completed Ofsted’s online survey Parent View would recommend the school to another parent. Several parents and carers referred to the school as ‘amazing’, while other individuals described it as ‘astounding’, ‘revolutionary’ and a ‘miracle worker’. This indicates the exceptionally high regard many families hold for the school.

The effectiveness of leaders and managers in the residential provision Outstanding

• The management structure in the residential care provision is extremely effective. The new learning leaders’ drive and expectations are high. They are exceptionally ambitious for the pupils. The staff mirror this exceedingly positive approach. The learning leaders drive new initiatives forward and help the pupils to become involved in a range of community projects.
• Managers’ monitoring of social progress is strong. Pupils’ progress is tracked through awards and through official accreditation for independence skills. An independent visitor supports the management in monitoring and overseeing this service. The visitor carries out thorough checks and produces clear and detailed reports, which are subsequently followed up.
• The staff are fully committed to their work. Staff rarely leave their positions, which provides consistency for the pupils. Staff feel supported by their managers and valued. Consequently, they enjoy their job and take pride in their work. Staff benefit from regular supervision, which assists them to focus on their practice and identify areas they wish to develop.
• Staff have excellent knowledge about pupils’ very complex needs. They benefit from an ongoing range of training which is tailored to the young people’s needs.
• The management team has very strong relationships with other professionals, such as the police and social workers. They work in partnership to ensure that the pupils receive complete and holistic care at the right level that they need. The management team is quick to challenge, where necessary, to ensure that pupils are safe and get the most appropriate service they need and deserve.

How well children and young people are helped and protected in the boarding/residential provision Outstanding

• Staff have a very detailed understanding of each individual’s risks. The staff follow personal behaviour plans for each pupil, which have been compiled by both the pupils and staff. This helps the pupils to voice their opinions and understand the support provided in times of crisis. This promotes a consistent approach to managing behaviours. As a result, individuals’ behaviour incidents reduce over time, as do their risks.
• Pupils’ behaviour significantly improves as a result of the routine and structure provided. The staff utilise their strong relationships with the young people to reduce anxieties and manage any issues of challenging behaviour. When physical intervention is used, this is a very last resort and is for the safety of the pupils and staff.
• The practice around the pupils going missing from residential care has significantly improved and now meets all national minimum standards. Pupils rarely go missing from residential care. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of procedures to follow when the situation arises. They take immediate action and work closely with families and the police to make sure that the pupils are located as quickly as possible.
• Staff are equipped with the knowledge to keep pupils safe. They undertake a range of regular training around safeguarding issues which could affect the pupils, such as on radicalisation, child sexual exploitation and staying safe online.
• Staff have an outstanding relationship with the local police. The pupils learn to understand the role of the police and become less fearful of them. The staff and the pupils have helped to set up community learning projects, which help the young people to access education out of the classroom. Here, the pupils work with the police and care staff. They learn how to keep themselves safe. The pupils undertake learning around a range of risks that they may encounter, for example the dangers of online abuse, knife crime, child sexual exploitation and the dangers of going missing from home.

Governance of the school

• Governors systematically provide effective challenge and support to school leaders. They are ambitious for the school and passionate that staff and resources are deployed effectively to enable all pupils to succeed.
• Governors are highly skilled and provide a wide range of expertise that contributes to the governing body’s high level of effectiveness. The chair of the governing body capably leads it. Together they have steered the school effectively through its considerable changes of leadership.
• Governors know the school well. This is facilitated by a detailed programme of monitoring which is undertaken by governors. Outcomes of their visits are shared at full governing body meetings. Governors state that such activities have enhanced their specific understanding of the school’s effectiveness, which has assisted them to support and challenge even more effectively.
• Governors reported the positive impact that the energy and drive from the newly appointed principal has brought. Governing body meetings follow a new structure and format, which focuses their efforts into more effectively challenging pupil achievements, academically and socially. This is reflected in the minutes of governing body meetings.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders and managers ensure that safeguarding is high priority within the school. They have created a strong culture of vigilance where pupils’ welfare is actively promoted. Safeguarding practice is continually reviewed and updated, following any incidents that may occur.
• Staff and governors receive well-planned and regular training to ensure that they are up to date with current legislative changes. This ensures that all staff are fully aware of their responsibilities for keeping pupils safe in school. Staff and governors know precisely what to do if they receive a disclosure from a pupil. Checks made by inspectors of leaders’ records endorse this. Pupils reported that they are listened to, there is a ‘good atmosphere’ and they feel safe in school.
• Leaders and staff maintain highly effective relationships with external agencies and uphold strong ties with families. This ensures that leaders at all levels are doing their utmost to keep pupils safe and to respond swiftly to any concerns that may arise.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding.
• Excellent subject knowledge and an incisive understanding of how pupils with complex needs learn typify teaching in the school. Teachers are highly skilled in their use of questioning to enable pupils to demonstrate understanding and extend their learning. Consequently, pupils with wide-ranging needs and abilities make exceptional progress from their relative starting points.
• Teachers plan activities well to accommodate the specific learning needs of pupils in their class. They skilfully amend tasks to ensure that learning remains accessible throughout lessons. As a result, pupils’ attitudes to their learning are highly positive, and they are well supported to be successful.
• Learning support staff work successfully with teachers and are deployed effectively. They deliver a raft of interventions and in-class support to enable pupils to access learning and catch up as appropriate. Positive, effective relationships are evident between staff and pupils and make a strong contribution to pupils’ achievement.
• Assessment is accurate and all staff follow the school’s approach to assessment consistently. Information stored within the school system is highly detailed and is used effectively to plan for the next steps in pupils’ learning.
• Teachers set homework in line with the school’s policy and as appropriate for the needs of pupils.
• Teachers develop pupils’ reading, writing, communication and mathematics skills exceptionally well, in a range of subjects beyond English and mathematics. Key skills also form a central element of the 24-hour curriculum for those pupils in residential care.
• Highly structured phonics teaching provides effective support for those pupils in the earliest stages of learning to read. Extensive reading initiatives support pupils’ acquisition of reading skills further. For example, reading buddies, reading club and ‘love learning’ weeks all contribute to raising the profile of reading in the school and nurturing a strong desire in pupils to want to read.
• The teaching of writing has improved markedly since the last inspection, because of extensive staff training and development. This is reflected in the continued improvements in pupils’ outcomes. There is now a clear approach to the teaching of writing, which is highly structured and consistently applied. This allows pupils to develop extended writing in manageable amounts. The input of external visitors, including an author, has supplemented this work further.
• Teachers are determined that all pupils will achieve well. They all share consistently high standards, while recognising the difficulties some pupils present in their attitudes to learning. Teachers encourage pupils to try their very hardest and continually recognise the efforts pupils make.
• High-quality, impartial careers guidance is offered to pupils throughout their education, which, alongside tailored work experience, assists pupils to make informed choices to best suit their needs and aspirations. The vast majority of pupils state that they received the right amount of helpful information in relation to their next steps for the future.
• Parents are provided with clear and timely information on how well their child is progressing in all aspects of their development. Parents are given advice, support and guidance about how to best support their child’s social, emotional and mental health needs, alongside how to improve their learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Leaders have nurtured a warm and caring environment where all pupils thrive emotionally and socially.
• Pupils’ welfare requirements are addressed by the exceptional quality of the wide-ranging support that they receive. The multi-disciplinary therapeutic team offers pupils specialist support including art, drama and music therapy, alongside targeted occupational and speech and language therapy. This comprehensive approach is highly effective in both addressing and supporting pupils’ complex social, emotional and mental health needs.
• Additionally, the highly effective family support team ensures that the holistic needs of pupils and wider families are remarkably well met. One carer acknowledged that the relationship with her child and herself would have broken down if it were not for the support offered by the team.
• Pupils demonstrate a strong understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe in different situations, including online. They expressed overwhelming confidence that, should they have any concerns or worries, there is a trusted adult in whom they could confide.
• Pupils can explain accurately and confidently how to keep themselves fit and healthy. Outcomes from the pupil survey showed that the vast majority felt the school encouraged them to look after their physical as well as their mental health. This assists pupils to make informed choices to support their general well-being.
• Within school and the residential homes, pupils regularly discuss and debate issues in a considered way, showing respect for others’ ideas and points of view. Staff also challenge pupils’ thinking when required to effect positive change, for example when boys feel that cooking should only be done by women.
• A wide range of enrichment experiences support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Daily assemblies and cross-curricular activities work in conjunction with the 24-hour curriculum to support this further. There is a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ community awareness. This develops pupils’ understanding of their role and the contribution that they make to wider society. For example, pupils recently raised funds for toys for a children’s hospital at Christmas, and more recently became a task force to clear pavements for local residents during the severe weather. All these activities equip pupils to be thoughtful, caring and active citizens in school and in wider society.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. This school has created a culture that encourages calm and orderly conduct and is aspirational for all students.
• From the start of this year, leaders introduced a new positive behaviour approach to manage students’ behaviour, which includes strategies of restorative practice and mediation. This approach is already having an effect in significantly reducing the number of behaviour incidents in school.
• Staff share exceptionally high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. While they recognise some pupils experience significant difficulties in managing themselves, staff do not shy away from tackling any incidents of inappropriate behaviour or language. As a result, incidents of low-level disruption are rare and, when they do occur, they are dealt with calmly and effectively and with minimal disruption to learning.
• All pupils have a high-quality individualised ‘positive intervention support plan’. This summarises effectively what makes pupils happy and upset, and acknowledges key triggers for inappropriate behaviour. It also reflects the support pupils access from therapists and outlines targets for improving their behaviour. Such plans are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that pupils’ needs are managed effectively.
• Evidence viewed by inspectors indicates that there is a strong correlation between the time pupils attend the school, and their self-confidence. Pupils’ behaviour also improves over time and their attitudes towards learning become increasingly positive. This supports their outstanding academic and social progress.
• Pupils value their education and the vast majority rarely miss school. The attendance of all pupils, including residential pupils, has improved greatlyover recent years. Attendance in 2017, although just below the national average at 94.91%, marks a considerable improvement. Individual’s’ attendance also improves significantly on entry to the school when compared to their previous settings.
• Leaders’ actions emphasise the importance of good attendance among pupils. They target support to those pupils who are regularly away from school so that they can re-engage and attend regularly. Consequently, persistent absence is reducing and, in 2017, this was lower than the national average for schools.
• Pupils’ positive conduct around school reflects the effective strategies to promote high standards of behaviour. Movement in and around school is calm, well ordered and managed exceptionally well by all staff.
• Leaders and governors are continually striving to reduce the number of occasions when staff use restraint. Incidents are always reported to senior members of staff and recorded in extensive detail on the school system. An independent consultant who analyses trends and hotspots externally monitors all restraints. As a result, the number of restraints has reduced significantly over the past few years from over 300 in 2015 to around 60 so far this school year.
• Pupils have a strong awareness of all forms of bullying and work cooperatively with the staff to mitigate this happening. Inspectors’ discussion with students and their review of the school’s documentation indicate that, when any issues do arise, teachers and key workers deal with these swiftly and effectively.

Outcomes for pupils

• Outcomes for pupils are outstanding.
• In all year groups and in all subjects within the curriculum, staff support pupils to make substantial and sustained progress in their development of knowledge, skills and understanding. The school’s internal achievement targets and work reviewed in pupils’ books demonstrate that the vast majority of pupils are making at least good progress from their starting points and many pupils are making rapid progress.
• Most pupils are disadvantaged or have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities. Many have previously failed placements in mainstream education. While pupils’ attainments are generally low, they make rapid progress in a range of measures, both academically and socially, from starting school onwards.
• Formal accreditation commences in key stage 2. This both provides an early sense of achievement and prepares pupils for future accreditation to be taken in key stages 3 and 4.
• Within key stage 4, pupils undertake a range of nationally recognised accreditation, including GCSEs, entry-level qualifications, functional skills and BTEC awards. Although attainment remains well below national average, in 2017 the average number of GCSE qualifications obtained increased. This indicates the ongoing improvement in pupils’ achievement.
• Positive outcomes are evident for the vast majority of pupils in relation to improving social, emotional and mental health indicators from entry onwards. Other significant achievements have included engagement in activities such as running a half marathon, climbing Ben Nevis, and a trip to Kathmandu. This indicates the ongoing commitment of staff to maximising all aspects of pupils’ achievement.
• Considering their needs, pupils are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. They attain relevant qualifications to enable them to access, and acquire qualifications to support them in, their future learning. Last year, out of eight leavers, five went on to further educational establishments to study a range of level 1 courses and one went on to higher education. This reflects the appropriateness of courses offered to pupils and strongly supports their career plans. This is a substantial improvement on previous years.
• A review of destinations for pupils who have left the school in the last three years indicated that many have successfully completed training, are now in employment and are living fruitful and successful lives.
• Several parents expressed their joy at the remarkably positive and improved outcomes for their children, particularly in relation to giving their children hope and aspirations for the future. Almost all pupils currently in the school say that they would recommend the school to others.

Overall experiences and progress of children and young people in the residential provision Outstanding

• Staff have an excellent understanding of the pupils’ complex needs. They go to great lengths to personalise each individual’s residential experience. As a result, the pupils trust staff and are able to maintain excellent relationships with them. The bonds between staff and pupils remain strong and a number of the pupils keep in touch with the school and come back to visit after they have left.
• Pupils’ emotional health significantly improves due to the therapeutic support offered by specialist therapists throughout the 24-hour curriculum.
• Pupils’ health is given the utmost priority. Pupils learn how to keep themselves fit and healthy and learn the importance of a maintaining a balanced diet. The school nurse monitors pupils’ medication.
• The school implements appropriate policies for the care of pupils who are unwell and promotes pupils’ physical and mental health and emotional well-being effectively. Relevant policies are in place for first aid, care of those with chronic conditions and disabilities, administration of medicines and dealing with medical emergencies. However, minor changes are needed to the administrative recording of controlled drugs to make it fully compliant with current guidance.
• Pupils’ personal interests and skills are nurtured. They enjoy a wide variety of new experiences, such as mountain climbing, canoeing and camping. The pupils are encouraged to engage in new hobbies and many access local clubs and engage in social activities such as local youth groups. Many pupils make new friends and become part of a social group for the first time.
• Pupils make exceptional progress with their independence skills. They learn a range of skills such as cooking, home maintenance and travelling self-reliantly, which will help them to be as self-sufficient as possible in later life. The pupils are supported to undertake work experience both on site and off site. They are supported to prepare for interview and learn the skills to apply appropriately for jobs. As a result, some of the pupils are successful in gaining outside work experience at local restaurants and charity shops. This improves their confidence and provides them with skills to gain useful employment in later life.
• Pupils receive a complete package of tailored care, which ensures that they make exceptional progress in all areas of their development. The seamless crossover of the 24-hour curriculum ensures that the skills they learn at school are reinforced in the evenings. The school provides outreach work that supports families and the pupils outside the school. Consequently, pupils transfer the skills they learn in school into their home life. This strengthens family relationships and helps family functioning. One parent commented `The school is absolutely amazing. It’s not an exaggeration to say they have saved our family.’
• Refurbishment of one house and redecoration in others has significantly improved the quality of the houses where the pupils live. The pupils personalise their rooms and some communal areas. This provides a homely and welcoming feel. The pupils enjoy the extensive school grounds and excellent range of on-site facilities such as the farm, new park and go-kart track.

School details

Unique reference number 107589 Social care unique reference number SC001038 Local authority Inspection number Calderdale 10044558 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection of residential provision was carried out under the Children Act 1989, as amended by the Care Standards Act 2000, having regard to the national minimum standards for residential special schools. Type of school Special School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Number of pupils on the school roll Number of boarders on roll Appropriate authority Chair Principal Telephone number Website Email address Non-maintained special 7 to 19 Boys 62 39 Calderdale local authority /Board of trustees Roger Tilbrook Sue Ackroyd 01484710123 www.whsschool.org.uk general@whsschool.org.uk Date of previous inspection 10–11 December 2014

Information about this school

• The William Henry Smith School is a non-maintained residential and day school for up to 64 boys all of whom have an education, health and care plan (or statement) which categorises social, emotional and mental health as their primary need. The majority of pupils also have additional needs, which include speech, language and communication needs, autism, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and specific learning difficulties.
• There are currently 62 pupils on the roll aged 7 to19 years. 23 are non-residential, 8 are part residential and 31 are residential.
• The five post-16 pupils are only resident at the school, and all are educated on the roll of local mainstream colleges, where they are studying appropriate courses such as level 1 BTEC National Diploma in Construction and level 1 music. The school undertakes rigorous quality assurance checks of providers, to ensure the highest quality education is provided.
• The principal was appointed in September 2017 from her previous post as deputy principal and she has worked in the school for many years. Her previous roles have included vice-principal for care.
• The majority of pupils are of white British heritage.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.
• Many pupils have either been excluded or failed in previous educational settings.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors met with the principal, senior and middle leaders and groups of other teaching, non-teaching and care staff.
• Inspectors met with or spoke to governors, the school improvement advisor, the local authority designated officer and local police.
• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in nine lessons, involving seven different teachers. Seven lessons were observed with the principal. Sampling of pupils’ work was also undertaken.
• Inspectors analysed a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation summary, the school improvement plan, and minutes of governing body meetings. Records and procedures were examined in relation to the safeguarding of pupils. Inspectors also analysed information about behaviour and attendance, the school’s own assessment and tracking information and records of the monitoring of teaching and learning.
• Inspectors observed pupils in and between lessons, arriving at school, during assembly and at break and lunchtime. Inspectors also observed and spoke to pupils during evening and breakfast routines in the residential setting.
• Inspectors observed and spoke to pupils and staff in school and in the residential setting.
• Inspectors consulted with the school nurse and checked health arrangements for students while they are in school. Inspectors also consulted with the therapy team.
• Inspectors spoke to a range of parents, carers and social workers. The lead inspector also evaluated Ofsted’s online surveys including 32 responses to Ofsted’s online survey Parent View, 32 pupil survey responses and 80 responses to the staff questionnaire.

Inspection team

Chris Lingard, lead inspector Jamie Richardson Tricia Stevens

Ofsted Inspector Social Care Regulatory Inspector Ofsted Inspector