Manor Mead School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Manor Mead School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Across both of the school's sites, pupils are valued as unique individuals. Staff are united in their ambition to deliver the very best provision and education for every child. This begins right from the start in the early years classes and continues throughout the school.

The school's carefully designed curriculum ensures that all pupils flourish and make strong progress from their starting points.

Kindness flows between pupils and adults. The school is very inclusive.

It works hard to ensure that pupils and their wh...ole family feel part of the school community. Parents and carers consistently remark on the care and commitment that the school shows to them and their children. Lessons are designed to promote curiosity.

Pupils demonstrate great enjoyment and engagement in their learning. Adults support them to develop play skills using the impressive array of sensory equipment and outdoor areas. Pupils' behaviour shows that they feel safe and at ease.

Attendance is high because pupils love coming to school. Staff get to know and understand pupils' preferences and special interests. They use these skilfully to motivate them to learn.

Staff consistently help pupils to understand their own emotions and help them to develop their own strategies to regulate their behaviour. This means the school environment is calm and purposeful.

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

Since the last inspection, leaders have successfully continued to deliver a high standard of education and provision for pupils, while establishing a second site for the school.

All pupils across both sites have their varied needs met exceptionally well.

The school keeps the curriculum under continuous review to ensure that it is tailored to meet the individual needs of each pupil. Pupils' education, health and care plan outcomes are integrated into the broader curriculum through pupil's bespoke, individual learning plans.

Therapists and other specialists collaborate with class staff, which means that class teams develop a wealth of specialist knowledge and expertise. As a result, the joined-up approach to meeting pupils' individual communication, sensory and physical needs is truly exceptional. Pupils achieve well across all curriculum areas.

This approach creates a genuinely integrated curriculum and there are no limits on what pupils can achieve.

Communication sits at the heart of all the school does. In the early years classes, children eagerly engage with the adults around them.

They develop trusting relationships quickly with adults through joyful and supportive interactions. Pupils learn to read or recognise objects, symbols or words successfully, at a level that is appropriate for them. This enables pupils to access the world around them.

Teachers and teaching assistants have an impressive level of in-depth knowledge about the different ways in which pupils in their class learn to communicate. Staff adapt teaching activities skilfully, to teach pupils with vastly different learning needs successfully. There is a clear aim to support all pupils to positively engage with texts and stories.

This includes sensory stories, symbol supported texts and independent reading. Older pupils enthusiastically demonstrated how they have learned to retell familiar stories with confidence and flair.

A predictable daily routine and well-established high expectations help pupils to behave well.

Staff take responsibility for understanding the communication that lies within any behaviours that pupils may exhibit. Staff know what motivates and supports pupils to make positive choices. They work thoughtfully with pupils to help them develop their own strategies to regulate their behaviour.

Pupils who need more personalised support have their own bespoke emotional engagement support plans. This helps everyone to provide the right support. All pupils are treated with respect, and they are remarkably understanding of one another.

A high value is placed on helping pupils to be well prepared and included in life beyond school. As pupils move through the school, they spend increasing amounts of time out in the community. For example, shopping for ingredients for a cookery lesson or posting a letter they have written in an English lesson.

Pupils play an active role in local sporting and art competitions. Older pupils are then well prepared to participate in a residential trip. The school goes to great lengths to collaborate with families to share what approaches work best for the children.

This helps parents to feel more confident to carry out day-to-day activities, such as visiting the dentist or going to a restaurant.

Staff are proud to work here, they feel valued. They work collaboratively with a strong ethos of teamwork and feel they are well supported to manage their workload.

Those responsible for governance work strategically to support leaders to deliver their ambitious plans. This shared determination helps everyone in the school to continuously make a positive difference to the pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in February 2015.

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