College Park School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

College Park School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want pupils in the school to be the best they can be.

They work closely with parents and carers to plan for their child's needs. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. One parent comment typified many 'The school has given me hope for the future of my child.'

Leaders have set out a curriculum that helps pupils become more independent. Cultural capital, such as work on Black History Month, is skilfully woven into the curriculum. Leaders and staff plan lots of opportunities for pupils to learn about the wider world.

Pupils go out into the community as mu...ch as possible, for example to the Royal Albert Hall to perform their work in music. They also benefit from work experience to help them be more independent, for example working at the local coffee shop or the Cartoon Museum.Staff understand pupils' needs very well.

They make sure that these needs are met in the classroom. Staff work hard to build good relationships with pupils. This means that pupils feel less worried.

Staff help pupils to express their emotions and to behave well. Pupils are safe and expressed confidence that if bullying did occur then it would be dealt with by staff.

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

At College Park School most pupils have communication and interaction needs, including a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Leaders make sure that the development of pupils' social and personal skills is a priority. Much emphasis is placed on how to help pupils to communicate and develop independent living skills. Consistent routines based on words such as 'now' and 'next' mean that pupils feel secure during lessons.

Pupils behave well in school. In the early years, children are well supported to settle in. They learn about expectations of behaviour through play and social interaction.

Throughout the school, routines to support learning are established quickly. This means that learning is rarely disrupted. Leaders and teachers work hard to help pupils develop friendships with each other.

Some pupils use a communication book to help them tell adults how they are feeling when they become overwhelmed.Leaders have structured the curriculum into three pathways. They have designed these to meet pupils' particular needs.

These are called the informal, semi-formal and formal pathways.Within the semi-formal and formal pathways, the English and mathematics curriculums are well structured, and help pupils to become secure in their knowledge and understanding. Other subjects are covered through a topic-based approach.

For these subjects, leaders do not consistently identify the key knowledge that pupils need to learn with sufficient precision.The informal pathway curriculum is still at the early stages of implementation. On this pathway, sometimes teaching activities are not thought through carefully enough to ensure that pupils learn exactly what leaders intend them to.

Pupils learn about real-life situations in their mathematics lessons. For example, they learn about how to use mathematics when shopping or in the café. Most pupils attend a residential visit, which is an important aspect of the school's provision to develop character.

Teachers help pupils to enjoy reading. Most pupils acquire reliable reading skills. However, there are some variations in phonics teaching, which leaders are rightly keen to address.

These variations arise because some staff lack the subject knowledge needed to teach phonics consistently well.Staff regularly check pupils' progress through the curriculum in English and communication, mathematics and personal development well. Pupils' progress is also checked against the aims identified in their education, health and care (EHC) plans.

Pupils, parents and school staff all contribute fully, so that each pupil's plan reflects their current needs.Students in the sixth form enjoy a curriculum that prepares them well for adulthood. They study academic courses and learn how to look after themselves, so that they can be as independent as possible.

The qualifications studied recognise essential everyday life skills for students, such as being able to type their name into a form and using the calculator on their mobile phone. Leaders consider the labour market when choosing work-based opportunities. For example, students experience the construction industry as part of the development of a local shopping centre.

Governors are knowledgeable and highly supportive of the work of the school. Teachers are also fully committed to making sure pupils receive a high-quality education. However, in some instances, staff feel that they would like further support in managing their workload and pupils' behaviour.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Staff are well trained and highly vigilant. They support each other to keep pupils safe at all times.

Teachers and leaders share information well. This means that help is given to pupils quickly. In personal, social, health and economic education, pupils learn successfully about keeping themselves safe.

For example, pupils learn how to stay safe when using the internet.Staff are swift to identify any potential safeguarding issues, because they know their pupils very well. They seek advice from each other and from leaders, even if they have very minor concerns.

Leaders make sure that they use appropriate external services to safeguard pupils and to support families. Leaders ensure that the checks made when staff are recruited are thorough.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, leaders have not set out precisely what pupils should learn and in what order.

This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum is in place across the school that meets the needs of all pupils and enables them to succeed in each subject. ? The approach to reading is not yet embedded across the school.

Expectations are not high enough in some classes. Leaders should ensure that all staff are trained in the delivery of phonics, so that pupils of all ages achieve well in reading.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2013.