Duke of Lancaster School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that one of the best things about this school is how well staff understand them. Pupils feel and are safe. Should they be worried, they trust staff to help them.

Staff are kind, patient and trained to understand the unique, autistic mind. Pupils sometimes display challenging behaviour, but staff are always on hand to help them to settle and refocus.

Pupils' experiences prior to joining the school often affect their ability to trust adults, make friends and engage in education.

Staff prepare a path to success for each pupil. They do not give up on anyone. The aim is for all to pursue full-time education.

For some pupils, this might involve ...a steady increase in the number of days they spend in school or spending part of their time engaging in different types of education. They each have opportunities to gain useful and important qualifications. However, curriculum delivery is, at times, inconsistent.

This slows pupils' learning.

Staff prepare pupils to step into the wider world with increasing confidence. They help pupils to overcome anxieties about food.

Pupils benefit from opportunities to engage with autism-friendly employers. They value the chance to take part in sports tournaments or go on residential trips. Pupils learn new skills such as sailing and geocaching.

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

Since the school opened, leaders have overcome many challenges, for example changes to staffing and the need to improve the new-build site's quality and safety. Despite these challenges, the school has quickly grown and is now at full capacity. The school has prioritised supporting pupils' behaviour, attendance, safety and well-being.

They have had some success with this. Improvements to the curriculum are underway but there is still work to do.

Pupils study a broad range of subjects, including English, mathematics and science.

Pupils are mostly taught by subject experts. The curriculum for pupils in Year 7 to Year 11 is well sequenced, less so for pupils in Year 1 to Year 6. In these year groups, the school has not clearly identified the knowledge pupils will learn or when they will learn it.

The way the school checks how well pupils are learning does not identify specific gaps in their knowledge. This means that it is difficult for teachers to adapt lessons so that pupils can catch up. Further, in some subjects, some staff have not had the training they need to teach these subjects well.

As a result, younger pupils' learning experiences do not routinely help them to learn and remember more.

The school ensures that staff understand each pupil's special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) before pupils join the school. This helps staff to support pupils with SEND to overcome barriers to learning, for example helping pupils to improve their writing skills.

Pupils have plenty of opportunities to practise reading and calculation. Younger pupils enjoy being read to. Older pupils enjoy the range of books that teachers use in lessons.

The school's simple routines help pupils stay calm as they arrive in the mornings. Leaders also monitor pupils' behaviour and adapt the curriculum in response. For example, if pupils start to use discriminatory language, then teachers teach extra lessons to remind pupils about the law and British values.

Pupils' conduct gets better over time. This is because leaders have reviewed and improved the school's strategies to support pupils with their behaviour. The school's creative approach to providing pupils with different kinds of learning opportunities helps pupils to build their self-esteem, for example learning about technology at an expert workshop.

This feeds through to improved attendance.

The school is rightly proud of the way that it prioritises pupils' personal development. Pupils learn about different cultures, beliefs and social customs.

There are safe and well-supported opportunities to connect with the local community. Teachers adapt personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons to meet pupils' needs. The school offers a range of therapies to pupils and gives advice about special needs to parents.

The school's approach to careers education gives pupils hope and aspirations for their future.

Trustees and governors know that the quality of education needs to improve. They hold leaders to account but are also mindful of staff well-being.

Staff feel supported. The school's plans for improvement include provision of professional training for staff. Most parents are happy about the school.

The school continues to listen to parents' concerns and regularly gives updates about pupils' progress and school life.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some areas of the curriculum are at an early stage of development.

In some subjects, the curriculum for pupils in the primary year groups does not precisely identify the knowledge and skills that they should learn. As a result, teachers find it difficult to plan lessons that help pupils build on what they know and can do. The school should finish its work to improve the curriculum.

• The school's methods of assessment do not sufficiently identify pupils' gaps in knowledge. This means that teachers find it difficult to adapt lessons to help pupils catch up on missing knowledge. The school should ensure that assessment closely matches the curriculum and enables staff to identify pupils' gaps in knowledge.

• Staff who are not subject experts have not had enough training to help them teach subjects well. As a result, younger pupils' learning experiences do not always help them to learn and remember more. The school should continue to train staff in how to teach all subjects well.