Hallmoor School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

These are very exciting times at Hallmoor School.

Inspirational leaders, caring staff and an exciting curriculum are driving improvements. Communication and independence are priorities. This is a community focused on helping young people find their voices and their place in modern-day Birmingham.

Relationships are kind, caring and supportive. Pupils were excited to welcome the inspectors into school and to wish them a great day. They told inspectors that 'everyone is welcome at Hallmoor'.

Staff act quickly to support when pupils need help to remain calm, regulated or focused. Consequently, behaviour is calm across lessons and at other times.

Pupils a...re happy and content.

This is because the school treats pupils with kindness and care. Autism, sensory processing, language, communication and other varying needs could make learning harder for pupils at Hallmoor. However, staff, parents and carers work together to overcome any barriers caused by those needs.

Pupils are valued as individuals, and this inspires learning.

An impressive range of subject options and school clubs enrich pupils' hobbies and ambitions. The choir is one of many strengths.

Here, pupils find their voice, sing tunefully and sign clearly.

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

Since the last inspection, several changes have occurred to the leadership team at Hallmoor. The current leadership team has added enthusiasm, drive and excitement to the school.

Supported by an attentive local academy council and multi-academy trust, the team has driven improvements.

Across all subjects, staff have high expectations for what skills and knowledge pupils will learn and how. The school's curriculum pathway model ensures that pupils work alongside those with similar needs and are taught by staff with specialised skills in meeting those needs.

Written sequences of lessons are well-planned to build knowledge and skills over time.

Recently, there has been a significant increase in the number of pupils with autism. The school has acted quickly and adapted its work to meet these needs.

Classroom environments are precisely adapted, and staff are well trained to support pupils' understanding and access to learning. Workstations and pop-up sensory tents support pupils' ability to self-regulate and focus on learning.

Staff work together in task groups to develop sequences of lessons and provide subject training for colleagues.

Most subject leaders are skilled and experienced in monitoring the curriculum and making changes when needed. However, some subject leaders have not yet had the chance to review how their curriculum is implemented. This means they do not always know what needs to change or which staff need further training.

Class teams work hard in lessons to ensure that pupils learn the necessary knowledge. Students could confidently tell inspectors about what they had learned in retail, cooking, or employability lessons. Staff act quickly when some pupils might have forgotten things from the past in order to reinforce that learning.

Communication is rightly a priority. Speech and language therapists support staff in identifying what is needed for each pupil to give them the tools to communicate. Pupils were confident to use communication devices to talk to inspectors about their school, who helps them and even to tell jokes.

However, in some cases, staff do not consistently implement the school's agreed communication strategies. This makes it harder for some pupils to understand or communicate.

Staff are well trained to help pupils learn to read.

They work hard to develop a love of reading in all pupils. Staff have access to a wealth of books that they share with pupils. The way in which phonics is taught is mostly consistent but, at times, some staff miss opportunities to model sounds or display resources as clearly as they might.

This is a calm and purposeful environment. Staff work hard to understand when pupils might need help or support. The school's work with occupational therapists is impressive in supporting sensory processing needs, emotions and feelings.

This helps pupils to regulate their emotions and feelings and stay calm and focused in lessons.

Pupils are confident, happy and have real strength of character. Lessons help pupils develop those skills needed for the world around them.

Work experience for older pupils provides opportunities to work in the school's snack shop or operate the school's help desk. During the inspection, the school had its own winter fair, where staff and pupils worked together to raise money and the profile of the school in the local community.

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, some pupils have not attended school as much as they should have in the past.

However, leaders, staff, and the members of the family support team are working hard to address this. Consequently, attendance is improving quickly.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, curriculum leaders have not yet had sufficient opportunities to monitor the impact of their new curriculums. This means they are not yet able to know what changes might need to be made to the curriculum or what additional training might be needed for some staff. The school needs to ensure that all subject leaders have the opportunity to review the curriculum's implementation in their subjects so they can evaluate what changes might need to take place.

• In some classes, staff do not consistently implement the school's agreed communication strategies. This means that in some cases, pupils' progress with speech, language and communication needs is limited due to difficulties in understanding the information presented to them by class teams. The school needs to ensure that all staff consistently implement the preferred and agreed communication systems for each child so the pupils can understand and respond to what they are learning in class.

• In some classes, all staff members do not consistently implement the reading curriculum. This limits how quickly pupils learn to read and understand what they have read. The school should ensure that staff have the necessary training and resources to teach reading in ways that quickly give pupils the reading skills and fluency they are capable of attaining.