Broadmeadow Special School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Broadmeadow Special School is warm and welcoming to everyone. Pupils are well cared for and staff go the extra mile to make pupils feel safe and happy. This embodies the school's mission that 'together we enable and motivate'.

The school takes time to build caring relationships with pupils and they receive effective support when they join the school. As a result, parents are confident that the school has their child's best interest at heart. Staff keep parents updated with important information because they know the pupils well.

These positive relationships continue throughout school.

Staff understand that sometimes pupils can get upset when they cannot quick...ly communicate their needs to others. As a result, right from the start, staff work hard to give pupils an effective communication system which works for them.

This ensures pupils keep focused on their learning in lessons and behave well in school.

Pupils enjoy going to visit local places of interest, such as the park and local shops. This helps them to practise important basic skills for life, such as paying for things and crossing the road.

Pupils say that trips are 'lots of fun'.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has developed a well sequenced and ambitious curriculum that identifies the important information that pupils need to learn. Leaders have provided staff with helpful 'curriculum maps' that identify the order that learning is delivered.

Staff use these maps well and most adapt learning so that pupils build their skills and knowledge over time. However, in some subjects learning is not always broken down into small enough parts so pupils can understand. Additionally, resources are not always used well enough so that pupils can gain the most from their use.

This slows the learning of some pupils.

The curriculum for reading is delivered effectively throughout the school. Staff are well trained to teach the school's phonics and early reading scheme.

The school robustly monitors how well pupils learn to read. This means that any gaps in learning are addressed quickly. Pupils enjoy learning to read.

As a result, those at an early stage of reading become confident, fluent readers.The school develops staff's skills and expertise effectively. Staff appreciate the opportunities given to them to learn and take on new responsibilities.

For example, new teams for behaviour and emotional health are supporting pupils well. Pupils value this support and those who need emotional support get it quickly. This is helping them to improve their attendance at school.

The behaviour policy and systems are clear and tailored to the needs of pupils. Staff are well trained and know how to support the wide-ranging needs of the pupils in this school. The school has recently taken the decision to review how they teach pupils about their emotions.

They have launched a new 'colours of me' approach. This allows pupils to identify through colours how they are feeling. This means that staff can better support pupils when they need it.

This new approach is working well. As a result, pupils generally behave and get along well together.The school's personal development curriculum teaches pupils how to be healthy, stay safe and gain self-help skills.

Pupils learn about different cultures and life in modern day Britain. Pupils practise being in social situations, something they often find difficult. This is helping them to build their resilience when meeting new people and making new friends.

The school collects a wealth of information on all aspects of the school. Leaders use the information about individual pupils to make effective decisions. However, the school does not always analyse and evaluate the impact of specific aspects of the school's work.

This means that they do not have a full picture of the impact of the school's actions on the quality of education.Trustees and school governors take a keen interest in everything that happens in this school. Through regular visits they know the school well.

The trust and governors support and challenge leaders in equal measure. Leaders at all levels are passionate about improving the life chances of all pupils in the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school does not always provide pupils with the activities or resources they need to learn the important information set out within the curriculum. This means that some pupils are not gaining the knowledge they need in all subjects. The school should ensure that all staff receive training so that they can deliver the intended curriculum in ways that ensure pupils remember the explicit knowledge identified in the curriculum.

• The school does not consistently use the information it collects to evaluate the impact of its work. As a result, leaders cannot assure themselves that everything they are doing is effective. The school should evaluate all of the important information they hold to assure themselves that their strategies are working and, where needed, identify further areas for improvement.