Brent Knoll School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Brent Knoll School

Following my visit to the school on 5 June 2019 with Ofsted Inspector Francis Gonzalez, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in July 2015. This school continues to be good.

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since taking up the post of headteacher in January 2019, you, along with your school leaders, have been ambitious to move the school forward and secure the best outcomes for the pupils. You and the school's leaders have ...created a culture of high expectations.

You have put robust systems and processes into place. You have worked to create and promote a strong middle leadership team. This has had a positive impact, strengthening the quality of teaching and learning across the school.

Middle leaders are confident in their roles and are creating an ethos of collaboration where good practice is shared across all key stages. The governing body has a strong insight into the school's strengths and where improvement is needed. Time is needed to allow the systems and processes to be securely established and strengthened to secure the best outcomes for pupils.

Parents and carers view the school positively and they speak highly of the support provided to both children and families in terms of both learning and well-being. A parental comment expressed the view of many parents: 'Thorough and innovative teaching approaches are clearly demonstrated in school, which have clearly helped my child progress.' A strength of the school is the level of home-school support that staff provide.

You have made sure that pupils benefit from early support where it is needed. You have strengthened trusting relationships with families, staff and other multi-agency professionals. Across the school, there is a calm and purposeful atmosphere.

You have made sure that all pupils are fully included in all that school has to offer. This was evident across the school through the display of pupils' work and celebration of their achievements. Safeguarding is effective.

Safeguarding procedures and protocols are secure and fit for purpose. All staff receive relevant and up-to-date training, including governors. Governors also complete training provided by the local authority.

Leaders responsible for safeguarding make timely referrals to social services and are persistent, where necessary, in order to involve outside multi-agency teams. Most pupils travel to school by school transport. The start and end of the pupils' school day are very well managed and supported by the school staff, including the senior leadership team.

Pupils arrive and leave the school site safely, with health and safety and safeguarding procedures securely established. Pupils' behaviour is generally positive and incidents of poor behaviour are reducing over time. You use a systematic approach that develops pupils' social communication alongside behaviour intervention support for selected pupils.

Attendance rates are positive and are steadily increasing over time. Class teachers and senior leaders provide support to pupils that effectively encourages regular attendance. Inspection findings ? The inspection focused on the school's work to ensure that pupils' progress is consistently measured by leaders to improve pupils' outcomes across key stages.

This was a priority for the school identified at the time of the last inspection. We considered the quality of the curriculum from the early years to key stage 4. This was an area for development identified by the last inspection.

We also explored the school's work to promote pupils' confidence in expressing their views about their learning. ? You make sure that pupils' progress is measured through various systems. You emphasise pupils' academic learning and their personal and social development.

Leaders have developed an approach which measures all aspects of pupils' progress and is based on the school's strong knowledge of the pupils as individuals. However, leaders do not routinely ensure that the assessment information that is gathered about pupils' academic and personal development over time is used cohesively to identify the next steps in their learning. ? You make sure that the school works in partnership with the local authority, local schools and other specialist schools for special educational needs and/or disabilities so that the school's systems and practices are moderated, relevant and clear for parents.

• Together with leaders, you have put a broad curriculum programme in place that meets the varied learning needs of pupils across all key stages. You ensure that the curriculum is suitably adapted to the learning needs of the pupils. There is an appropriate range of key stage 4 accreditation that prepares pupils well for their next stage of education.

All pupils leave school with at least 10 qualifications, some of which include GCSEs and entry level qualifications. Middle leaders are secure in their knowledge and understanding of their curriculum areas. They identify and provide appropriate support where staff development is needed across subject areas.

• The pupils at the school speak confidently about the positive impact that the school has on their lives and their learning. They told us that they feel listened to and valued. Pupils confirmed that they feel safe and empowered.

The most able pupils said that they understand the need to be role models and look out for younger or less-able pupils. Pupils are supportive of one another. The personal, social and health education curriculum responds well to the needs of individuals and increases pupils' awareness and understanding of autism spectrum disorder.

The school day extends beyond classroom learning and pupils are also supported to learn during less structured times and activities. Staff listen carefully to pupils. They use appropriate and purposeful communication strategies which help pupils to participate in activities and prepare them well for their next stage of learning.

Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? assessment information is used across the school to identify pupils' next steps in learning to secure even stronger outcomes. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Lewisham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

Yours sincerely Lori Ann Mackey Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection Inspectors met with you, senior leaders, middle leaders, governors, including the chair of the governing body, and members of the school council. A telephone discussion was held with the local authority officer for Lewisham. Jointly with senior leaders, inspectors observed learning across most year groups and scrutinised pupils' work in their workbooks and current progress information.

Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including that relating to school improvement and safeguarding. Inspectors also took into account eight parental responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View, as well as seven responses to the Ofsted staff survey. Inspectors looked at published information on the school's website.