Evergreen School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Evergreen School is a calm and caring community. Staff know their pupils incredibly well.

They understand their needs and help them to thrive. Pupils enjoy school. They take delight in their learning and have positive relationships with adults.

Leaders are determined that all pupils will be well prepared for adulthood. They teach them to be as independent as possible. Leaders make sure that the curriculum is relevant and well suited to the needs of pupils.

For example, in mathematics, all pupils learn about money. In some classes, pupils are taught to recognise coins and in others they are learning about addition and subtraction when shopping. Some sixth-form... pupils are learning how to budget.

This helps to prepare all pupils for their next steps.

All pupils have extensive opportunities to develop their interests and talents. They can attend residential experiences, take on leadership roles and perform in local music concerts.

Pupils enjoy outdoor learning in the forest school and eco garden. The playground is built to encourage all pupils to be able to develop their physical skills. Every moment of school life is focused on making sure that all pupils are acquiring the new knowledge and skills they need.

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

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils. The curriculum develops pupils' communication skills, helps pupils to learn how to keep safe and prepares all pupils for adulthood. Leaders have meticulously identified what pupils need to know in all subjects.

In most lessons, this learning is adapted skilfully to meet the needs of pupils. However, at times, the teaching of the curriculum is not fully effective. This means that some pupils do not make as much progress that they could.

Leaders are aware of this and have detailed plans to make sure that all teachers have the subject knowledge they need to deliver all aspects of the curriculum well.

Children are taught to communicate well from the early years. Staff work with children to develop the communication skills they have.

Staff make sure that they always use the communication tools that best meet their needs. Pupils are encouraged to share their opinions and to express their wants and needs. Leaders make sure that all pupils are heard.

Leaders want all pupils to enjoy reading. Pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) enjoy sensory stories. In the early years, children learn about books through sensory play and story times.

Pupils are taught phonics. They enjoy reading. However, teachers do not always have good enough phonics knowledge and pupils do not learn sounds in a consistent way.

This prevents pupils from learning to blend sounds well. In the sixth form, students read frequently. They enjoy visiting the library and sharing books.

Children tend to start school finding it difficult to self-regulate. Staff work carefully with parents to identify what children like and do not like. Staff develop detailed plans to help pupils be able to identify their feelings, and later to begin to regulate their behaviours.

Most staff are very accomplished at spotting the smallest signs that pupils are experiencing difficulties. For example, they act promptly to move pupils' positions or change their activities. Inspectors saw no incidents of poorly managed behaviour.

However, there is a very small number of staff who say that they are not confident to implement the behaviour policy well. Leaders are aware of this and have clear plans to deliver more training to ensure that all staff are expert in managing behaviour well.

Leaders' approach to making sure that all pupils are prepared for adulthood is exemplary.

They have developed a very carefully considered personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum. Learning is matched to needs and this is built into pupils' individual learning profiles. This helps all pupils to develop an age and developmentally appropriate understanding of the world around them.

All pupils of secondary age have a high-quality careers education. Pupils, including those with the most complex needs, learn about the world of work through excellent employer links. Students enjoy a wide range of work experience opportunities that are well-tailored to their individual needs and aspirations.

Leadership is exceptionally strong. Leaders know their school well. They have worked assiduously to make sure that the new school meets the needs of all pupils.

Governors are well-qualified and experienced. They provide the right challenge and support to leaders to make sure that the school continues to flourish.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders know the risks that their pupils may face. They make sure that all staff are trained well to identify any harm that pupils may experience. Staff report all concerns, no matter how small, and leaders follow these up diligently.

Leaders make sure that staff are recruited safely.

Leaders rightly focus on making sure that pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. From the early years, pupils learn to express their needs and wants through an appropriate range of communication tools.

They learn to make choices about the things that they do and this helps them to learn about consent in an age and developmentally appropriate way. Pupils learn how to stay safe online and in the community.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Staff are not sufficiently expert in delivering the phonics curriculum.

They do not always use pure sounds and do not always focus their teaching on the needs of the pupils well enough. This means that some pupils do not learn to read as quickly or as well as they should. Leaders should make sure that all staff have the subject knowledge they need to deliver the phonics curriculum well.

• A very small minority of staff do not feel confident that they can meet leaders' high expectations, particularly in how to manage the behaviour of pupils who have increasingly complex needs. This sometimes creates upset in the staff team. Leaders should continue to provide sufficient opportunities for training on behaviour so that all staff are confidently able to meet leaders' expectations of how to manage behaviour well.

Also at this postcode