Laurel Park School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the way the behaviour in this school has improved and how this has helped them to learn more effectively. Pupils who attend this school now behave very well.

They describe the new rules as 'strict but fair' and have positive relationships with staff. They are recognised and rewarded when they are successful. Pupils like that it is a small school where everyone knows each other.

As one pupil said, 'We are small, and we are known and understood as individuals.' They are kept safe.

Pupils typically live up to the school's expectations to work hard and to allow everyone to learn and achieve their best.

Caring staff help pupils who struggle t...o meet these expectations to do so.

Pupils have a say in the way the school is run. They designed the new school uniform, decided on the new school's name and helped to create the school's values.

Pupils develop their leadership skills as playground prefects, peer mentors and sports coaches. The school council help to make key decisions and attend meetings with school leaders.

Pupils are supported with their well-being.

They learn about mental and physical health and how to keep safe online and in the community.

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

The curriculum on offer is broad and ambitious. The school has made sure that all subjects cover the national curriculum.

The school has made appropriate decisions about what teachers should teach and when. They ensure that pupils learn key knowledge in an order that means it easier for them to understand and remember it. For example, in science, pupils learn about types of energy before they learn how it is transferred through different reactions.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the curriculum alongside their peers and are successful. This is because expert staff identify pupils' needs and communicate helpful strategies to teachers who apply these recommendations.

Teachers present information clearly and regularly check that pupils have understood.

They correct misconceptions quickly. Teachers set tasks and activities that enable pupils to practice and reinforce what they have learned. This helps pupils to secure new knowledge, so it becomes part of their long-term memory.

Some pupils do not consistently complete all work, which means that they are missing opportunities to embed learning.

The school has significantly improved on what, when and how pupils are taught over the last two years. Pupils are now able to talk confidently about their learning.

Work in books demonstrates pupils are progressing through the intended curriculum and produce work of good quality. However, previous pupils did not benefit from these improvements. Published outcomes do not reflect the positive impact these changes are having on pupils' learning.

Reading is prioritised for everyone at Laurel Park School through reading in tutor time. Pupils who need additional help to improve their reading or English language skills are identified early and helped by expert staff.

Behaviour in lessons and around the school is calm and orderly.

Well-established routines and adult supervision mean pupils move around the school safely. Everyone understands the behaviour expectations; pupils know the rules and staff apply the behaviour policy consistently. At assemblies and rewards ceremonies, pupils are celebrated for positive behaviour, exhibiting the school's values and academic achievements.

The school has maintained a strong focus on pupils' personal development. Pupils are taught about different cultures, faiths, families and relationships. They are taught through the lens of British Values and rewarded for showing positive character traits and living up to the school's values.

The careers offer is well thought through and extends into the sixth form. Pupils learn about work and next steps through work experience opportunities, individual advice and careers fairs. Their cultural capital is enriched through a series of 'trips for all' to the theatre, galleries and museums.

Leaders, including governors, have taken the school on a journey of rapid improvement. They have stabilised staffing and made significant improvement on pupils' behaviour, SEND provision and curriculum delivery and design. Staff feel that their well-being and workload have been considered, despite high levels of change, and welcome these improvements.

The sixth-form provision was launched this September to support a small number of students to access vocational courses that would not otherwise be available to them locally. It has got off to a strong start. Students are demonstrating enthusiasm for their learning and for the wider opportunities that are available to them.

They learn about different careers and independent living skills, such as cooking and money management. The nurturing environment is helping students to overcome their barriers to coming to school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils are not completing work designed to help them to embed key knowledge over time. This means that some pupils do not learn essential knowledge securely, and gaps in their learning persist. Leaders must ensure that teachers check all pupils' learning to ensure that they know and remember the intended curriculum securely.