Lindsworth School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where staff provide high-quality care for pupils. Relationships are strong throughout the school. Pupils trust staff to help and support them.

When issues such as bullying arise, staff deal with them well. Pupils are safe in school and most enjoy attending.

Leaders and staff are determined that all pupils should achieve well academically.

Pupils study a full range of subjects in all years. Their learning usually builds well from year to year. However, some pupils could be doing better.

This is because staff do not consistently take into account pupils' full range of additional difficulties when planning and delivering learning.
<...br/>Pupils' difficulties often result in challenging behaviours. However, staff manage behaviour well.

Over time, the support that the school provides helps pupils to learn how to understand their feelings and manage their own behaviour.

The school has a strong focus on preparing pupils for life after school. Its aim is for pupils to have appropriate qualifications, alongside the skills and attitudes they need to thrive in their next stage of education.

The school is successful in this aim. For example, almost all pupils move to further education or training when they leave.

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

The school is well led.

The headteacher and senior leaders provide strong, principled leadership. They know the school well, including its strengths and the areas that need to improve. Following a period of turbulence, leaders and governors have set the school on a trajectory of improvement.

The school's staff share leaders' commitment to providing the best possible education for pupils. Staff appreciate leaders' work to improve the school and their efforts to ensure that workload is manageable. Working at Lindsworth is demanding because of the challenging behaviours that pupils often exhibit.

However, staff are proud to belong to the school. They support each other and enjoy their work.

Leaders and teachers have worked hard to develop the curriculum.

Pupils study a broad range of subjects in key stages 2 and 3. Older pupils choose options that interest them. Most achieve well.

Pupils in Year 11 spend one day each week studying for a vocational qualification at an alternative provision. This helps pupils in their transition from school to college.

The curriculum is well planned in all subjects.

Pupils are taught new knowledge in a sensible order so that their learning builds steadily. Staff regularly revisit key knowledge, and this helps pupils to remember it. However, staff do not consistently teach the curriculum as effectively as they could.

For example, they do not always present information in a way that pupils understand. They do not always check pupils' understanding effectively.All pupils have an education, health and care plan (EHC plan) with their primary need identified as social, emotional and mental health (SEMH).

Staff plan well to address this primary need. However, many pupils have other needs, such as difficulties with communication and understanding. Staff are not always sufficiently aware of these needs.

They do not plan to meet these needs consistently well. Consequently, some pupils do not learn as well as they could.

Reading is promoted effectively throughout the school.

Staff are determined that all pupils should be proficient readers and should enjoy reading. They provide good support for pupils who find reading difficult.

The school promotes pupils' personal development well.

There is a comprehensive and well-planned personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme. Pupils receive high-quality, personalised careers education that helps them make informed decisions about their future. The school provides a wide range of activities and off-site visits.

These help to broaden pupils' horizons and develop their self-confidence and character.

Leaders have put in place effective procedures to support parents and carers. For example, too many pupils do not attend school regularly enough.

This is partly a legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders are acutely aware of this issue. Staff telephone and visit families regularly to encourage better attendance.

A small number of parents believe that the school does not support them or their children well. Inspectors found no evidence to support this view.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff know that keeping pupils safe is their top priority. All staff are well trained and alert to the signs that pupils might need extra help. Staff pass on to leaders any concerns they have, and leaders deal with these appropriately.

They involve external agencies when needed. Leaders endeavour to make sure that pupils get the support they need in a timely manner.

Pupils feel safe and well cared for in school.

Many praised the school's pastoral staff to inspectors. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. This aspect of the curriculum is comprehensive.

The school has an effective focus on helping pupils to maintain positive mental health.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Staff are not sufficiently aware of pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) beyond their primary need of SEMH. Consequently, staff do not consistently take account of all pupils' needs when planning learning.

This means that pupils sometimes do not make as much progress as they should. Leaders should ensure that staff understand pupils' full range of SEND. They should ensure that staff make good use of this understanding when planning learning.

• Staff do not always use the most effective approaches when teaching the curriculum. When this is the case, pupils do not grasp new content or concepts as quickly or effectively as they could. Leaders should ensure that staff consistently use effective approaches that help pupils to understand and remember what they are taught.