Foreland Fields School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Foreland Fields School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy place. Pupils are welcoming to visitors. They are proud of their school, their achievements, and their teachers.

Friendships are strong, particularly between older pupils. Students in the sixth form are noticeably confident, benefiting from the school's caring culture and excellent provision to support their personal development.

Pupils are kind and caring.

Poor behaviour is rare. Relationships are respectful and positive. This includes between pupils themselves and especially in classrooms, where successes are celebrated triumphantly.

Staff act as... role models. They know pupils well. Children in the school's early years provision are also supported well.

Staff are keenly aware of the additional anxieties created by the transition into a school setting for children with complex special educational needs and/or disabilities.

One noticeable feature of the school is the sense of consistency in approach from leaders and staff across the school and its three satellite sites. As a result, pupils feel safe and cared for.

When asked what could be better in their school, most pupils struggled to think of anything. However, the lead inspector could hardly get a word in edgeways when pupils were asked what was great about Foreland Fields.

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

This is a school where pupils and staff openly display a great sense of belonging.

Members of the senior leadership team are very 'present' throughout the school. They lead by example. Parents and staff appreciate the care and dedication that they put into their work.

Leaders and parents are also appreciative of the 'amazing' pool of expertise and experience available across the staff base, including within the multi-disciplinary team of support staff. The outcome is an environment where children, pupils and students across all phases of the school thrive.

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is fit for purpose and meets the needs of pupils well.

Middle leaders responsible for different aspects of the curriculum are open minded in their approach. This is an outward-looking school. Much work is put into ensuring that the curriculum evolves as pupil cohorts change year on year.

Governors also play their part in questioning senior leaders' decisions around the curriculum. This helps to ensure that pupils enjoy their learning across the five different pathways available to them.

Teaching pupils to read has a high priority here.

Leaders are aware of the additional challenge that pupils' complex needs brings to this aspect of the school's work. They know that developing pupils' early reading skills is important, no matter what pathway pupils are following. The school has recently switched to a new phonics programme.

Staff have received additional training. They also have access to dedicated resources as part of the programme, but not all staff use these consistently. This is partly to do with the availability of sufficient books from the programme.

Additionally, not all staff are delivering the new programme with complete fidelity. Leaders are aware of this. Additional resources are coming.

More training and support for staff are planned.

All aspects of the school's work are dependent on building pupils' communication skills. Simple concepts such as bigger or smaller, or developing children's early mathematics skills, are all underpinned by this.

High-quality communication pervades all aspects of teaching, curriculum subjects and learning pathways. It supports pupils' social and emotional development, and builds self-esteem, independence and confidence. Staff are experts in this field.

As a result, pupils, including those with severe and profound learning difficulties, make good progress against personalised targets within their own pathways.

Pupils' personal development is equally as important as their academic progress. The school's work in this area is exceptionally strong.

A carefully adapted scheme of work is in place for personal, social and health education (PSHE). This includes appropriately targeted relationships and sex education. Careers education is in place.

An extensive menu of extra-curricular opportunities is available, which staff use to stimulate and extend pupils' understanding of life in modern Britain and of traditions and cultures further afield.

Students in the sixth form in particular benefit from individualised support to help them on their journeys towards college places and life after leaving school. Building life skills, including shopping or using different modes of transport, is an important aspect of this work.

Staff make sure that these activities are more than just fun things to do. Pupils were subtle in sharing opinions when discussing the pros and cons of different local supermarkets in front of an inspector. Price, quality or convenience were not overtly mentioned, but it was clear that pupils had more than a simple understanding of what different outlets offered.

Older pupils talk proudly of their achievements within the Duke of Edinburgh's Award programme, their recent trip to Finland being a highlight. Watching the sun rise, walking on snowshoes and the importance of wearing a face mask when travelling on a dog sled were all experiences that have left a lasting impression. Taking part in the recent Global Peace Games in Belgium has broadened horizons and nurtured new friendships for some pupils.

Other pupils speak equally enthusiastically about playing music at lunchtime, ballet lessons, horse riding and swimming.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The school's work to keep pupils safe is ongoing and has a high profile.

Staff at all levels understand their responsibilities in this important area. They are well trained, well informed and vigilant. Policies and systems to safeguard pupils are known, understood and adhered to.

Record-keeping is tight. Leaders with additional responsibility for safeguarding know what to do when they have concerns. Their links with outside agencies are well developed.

Those in positions of governance are equally well informed about their role in keeping children, pupils, students and staff safe at this school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Not all staff are delivering the school's new phonics programme with complete fidelity. There is also an inconsistent approach in the way staff are using resources linked to the programme.

This is particularly the case with some of the books that pupils are given to help develop their early reading skills. Leaders need to provide staff with additional resources linked to the programme They also need to provide additional training and support for staff so that all pupils benefit from a consistent approach to learning to read across all phases of the school.

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 June 2013.

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