Clarendon School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. Highly effective leadership has created a culture of high expectations.

The headteacher and all other leaders have been instrumental in developing the school to become outstanding. All pupils achieve exceptionally well because : staff know each one very well. Pupils make excellent progress from their starting points.

They make significant gains in improving their reading, writing, communication and mathematics skills. Teaching is outstanding as staff have consistently high expectations and skilfully enable pupils of all abilities to make excellent progress. Staff set work at the right level for all pupils.

Pupils' exempl...ary behaviour makes a significant contribution to their learning. This is because they feel happy, safe and valued by all staff. Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning and love being in school.

Staff have created a very safe environment for pupils to thrive. Parents and carers agree that their children are cared for extremely well. High-quality partnerships exist with other educational providers to improve the quality of teaching and pupils' achievement.

The interesting range of subjects enables all Year 11 pupils to leave with relevant qualifications that prepare them well for the world of work, training and further education. Members of the governing body care deeply about the school. They provide a valuable level of challenge and support to leaders.

They ensure that government funding for improving learners' basic skills and sport is well spent for the benefit of all groups of pupils. Leaders and governors regularly check pupils' progress, the quality of teaching and the success of new initiatives. Governors have provided very high-quality support to senior leaders and this has contributed to the school's improvement.

Information about this school

Clarendon is a special school for young people with moderate learning difficulties, many of whom have additional complex needs. A third of all pupils have a diagnosis of autism, and a few pupils have physical disabilities. Two thirds of pupils are admitted from maintained schools in the borough, with a third coming from other boroughs in West London.

All pupils have a statement of special educational needs. The majority of pupils are from White British heritage. The proportion of pupils from ethnic minority heritages is above average.

The proportion of pupils at the early stages of learning English as an additional language is also above average. The large majority of pupils are boys. At almost half, the proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for additional government funding, known as the pupil premium, is above average.

The funding is used to support pupils who are eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after. All Year 7 pupils are eligible for the Year 7 catch-up premium. A small proportion of pupils across the school are involved with the local Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) as a result of their behavioural needs.

All Year 11 pupils access off-site training at Richmond College, which helps them prepare for their post-16 education. The school manages the Gateway Centre, a 20-place unit for pupils aged 11 to 16 who have a diagnosis of autism. This centre is based at the Twickenham Academy, a mainstream secondary school.

Since 2011, the school has managed the Peripatetic Learning Support Assistant (PLSA) on behalf of the local authority to support pupils who have physical and sensory difficulties. The school provides outreach advice and support to mainstream schools throughout Richmond. In the last year this has included training for mainstream staff in autism and 'Team Teach', and advice on effective teaching for pupils working at below National Curriculum levels.

From September 2014, the school will begin to manage the Newhouse Centre, a 20-place unit for secondary-aged pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. There are plans to expand the Gateway Centre to include 12 post-16 places, from September 2015. Also, planning is at an advanced stage for the school to move into new, purpose-built facilities on two sites from September 2017, and to increase the roll to 197 places.

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