Heritage Park School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this school. They feel safe.

They have good relationships with teachers and trust them to help them. Pupils told inspectors that they are confident that teachers will deal with any problems that arise. For most pupils, bullying is not an issue.

Where it is does happen, adults deal with it quickly. The school is calm and purposeful. Pupils enjoy positive and respectful relationships with their teachers.

Opportunities for pupils to develop their independence are limited. There is no clear plan to help pupils take on more responsibility as they move through the school and become older. All pupils can engage in extra-curricular activities.<...br/>
However, some pupils do not take up these opportunities. The taught curriculum does not ensure that pupils' knowledge of life in modern Britain improves well enough.

The curriculum that pupils study is still in development.

Pupils' experiences in lessons vary as a result. Leaders are in the process of enacting ambitious plans to ensure that all pupils study lessons which help them to prepare for life after they leave Heritage Park School. They are designed to take account of pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders have a methodical approach to ensure that older pupils study qualifications appropriate to their needs, abilities and future plans.

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

New leaders have a clear vision of the curriculum they want pupils to study. They have acted decisively to strengthen subject leadership in subjects that they are prioritising.

There is further work to do. Leaders at all levels, including members of the interim executive board, share a clear vision. In art and design, the curriculum makes end-points clear, and detailed planning helps non-specialists to teach the subject.

Other subjects are not as well developed. In science and mathematics, for example, new leaders are at the early stages of developing the sequence of learning that they want pupils to follow. The variability in planning means that the delivery of the planned curriculum is inconsistent from lesson to lesson and subject to subject.

Staff do not have the subject knowledge they need to deliver some parts of the curriculum effectively. Leaders are aware of this. Training plans are in place to develop this.

Leaders have prioritised reading. Staff have received recent training in the school's phonics programme. This is helping to ensure that similar routines are embedded across the curriculum.

However, further staff training is required to build confidence so that all adults become expert in the delivery of phonics. Assessment is used well in reading to identify the starting points of pupils and to ensure that the books they read are appropriately challenging. Leaders have recently secured funding to improve the library facilities in the school.

In other subjects across the curriculum, assessment is not used well. Often, assessment systems do not enable teachers to accurately check whether pupils are learning the planned curriculum. This is because the curriculum planning is not complete.

Leaders are prioritising the development of the curriculum.

Pupils' behaviour is a strength of the school. Leaders have embedded a new behaviour system based on 'unconditional positive regard' of pupils.

There is a focus on pupils having positive experiences of school and positive relationships with adults. This is bringing rewards. For example, pupils' attendance improved significantly last year and continues to improve this year.

Social times are characterised by adults and pupils interacting warmly. They enjoy spending time together. Pupils are very positive about their relationships with adults.

On rare occasions, there are unkind comments between pupils. Leaders work with pupils to help them understand how this might make people feel. Leaders are aware of the specific needs of the pupils.

They create time and opportunity for pupils to speak to others about how they feel in certain situations. This helps pupils to better understand their emotions and build positive relationships. Pupils understand the need to be respectful of others but their knowledge of different faiths is underdeveloped.

The curriculum does not provide clear opportunities to develop pupils' cultural capital and understanding of different faiths. However, pupils do enjoy clubs and activities at lunchtimes. When inspectors visited, for example, pupils were enjoying the competitive nature of dodgeball.

Some pupils told inspectors about games clubs that they enjoy attending. Leaders provide support to help pupils apply to colleges and to experience the world of work. This is successfully helping pupils on to college courses and into employment.

Leaders have carefully considered the ways in which change is introduced in the curriculum. Staff appreciate this approach. They understand leaders' plans to improve the school and feel that leaders consider workload when introducing changes.

Leaders make regular contact with parents to inform them of potential issues arising and to encourage good attendance. Leaders know there is more work to do to communicate effectively with parents. Members of the interim executive board hold leaders to account effectively.

They understand the need to convene a regular governing body and are seeking to bring this about quickly.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders keep clear records.

They work closely with outside agencies to ensure that pupils get the support they need and to deliver important safeguarding messages to pupils and staff. During the inspection, pupils told inspectors they found an assembly on the 'Prevent' duty to be informative and useful.

Adults understand the heightened risks that pupils with SEND face because leaders ensure that all staff receive updates and training on their first day at the school.

Reflection meetings at the end of the day ensure that any safeguarding issues are followed up quickly and understood by staff who work with particular pupils. The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum is adapted so that pupils learn about relevant risks.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Curriculum plans are not fully developed in all subjects.

Detailed content knowledge in topics is not clearly outlined in curriculum planning in some subjects. This means that it is not always clear to teachers what the most important knowledge that pupils need in each subject is. Leaders should ensure that they develop curriculum plans with clearly defined end-points for all subjects.

• Teachers do not have the subject knowledge they need to confidently teach all the subjects they are required to. This means that, in some subjects, curriculum delivery is varied. Leaders should ensure that they help teachers to develop the key knowledge they need to confidently deliver the range of subjects they teach.

• The development of pupils' cultural capital is not clearly planned for. This means that pupils miss out on opportunities to experience the ways in which the curriculum they are taught may be relevant beyond the classroom. Leaders should ensure that they make links between the extra-curricular programme and the curriculum to provide a rich range of experiences to pupils.

• Pupils have a limited range of opportunities to develop leadership skills and take on responsibilities as they move through the school. This means that pupils will miss chances to develop independence and confidence in dealing with unknown situations. Leaders should ensure they provide meaningful opportunities for pupils to develop independence.