Kingfisher Special School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. This school goes from strength to strength. High quality performance has been sustained over a long period of time.

Governors and all staff are relentless in pursuing the highest learning aspirations for every child. Pupils of all abilities make huge strides in their academic, personal and social development. The quality of teaching is outstanding and never less than good; it does not fall below this consistently high standard.

The behaviour of pupils is exemplary and this reflects how happy and safe they feel in school. Provision in the early years is outstanding. The headteacher provides leadership that is second to none.
<...br/>Her attention to every detail is complemented by intelligent systems to monitor and evaluate pupils' and the school's performance. There are leaders throughout the school, and professional development and coaching means that all staff work very effectively together. Governance is exemplary, providing expert challenge to school leaders; the Chair and vice chair of the Governing Body are outstanding role-models.

The morale of staff is high and parents are rightly delighted with how well their children learn and are cared for. The local authority's excellent partnership with the school ensures that other schools benefit from the expertise of several of its staff, as well as its Chair of the Governing Body.

Information about this school

The school caters for pupils who are supported by a statement of special educational needs.

The main groups are pupils with severe or profound and multiple learning difficulties. Other groups have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties, speech, language and communication needs and multi-sensory impairment and physical disability, including visual impairment. Approximately one-half of the pupils are White British, with several minority ethnic groups, mainly Bangladeshi or Pakistani.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for school support through the pupil premium is well above average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those pupils who are looked after by the local authority.) All pupils come from Oldham and the majority are transported to and from school.

Children attend the Nursery provision on a part-time basis and full-time from Reception onwards. The headteacher and Chair of the Governing Body have been in post since the previous inspection. The Chair of the Governing Body is a National Leader of Governance (NLG).

The headteacher is a National Leader of Education (NLE). The Chair of the Governors, the headteacher and several other staff are deployed by the local authority to provide a strategic lead and support for other schools. The school is a National Teaching School.