Mayfield School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Mayfield School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils arrive at school in the morning happy and smiling. They receive a warm welcome from staff who take the time to ensure that pupils have a positive start to their day.

Staff make learning enjoyable and fun. They make sure that each individual pupil has their personal and learning needs met. Staff have high expectations of pupils' achievement.

This helps pupils to be successful in their learning. Parents and carers are positive about the school. Many commented that their children are always supported to reach their potential.

Staff know pupils extremely well. They know what s...ensory or emotional support pupils will need in order to manage their behaviour. This ensures that pupils are settled and ready to learn.

Pupils feel safe and secure in school. Staff are quick to intervene if pupils fall out and help them to resolve any problems, including incidents of bullying.

Pupils enjoy a wide range of activities to support their physical development, including swimming.

Such activities help to improve pupils' muscle use, body movement and posture. Pupils enjoy these activities and are proud of their achievements.

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

The curriculum is highly ambitious for all pupils.

It is shaped carefully to meet their individual needs and it enables pupils to achieve well. Staff design learning that allows pupils to practise or repeat learning so that they can make progress through their individual curriculums. For example, over time, some pupils have strengthened their core muscles to be able to sit upright for longer periods.

Some pupils have learned to walk with frames or unaided.

Through the curriculum, pupils who are non-verbal learn to communicate and interact with their peers and adults. Staff are skilled in the use of sign, visual, verbal and technical communication.

They have patience and give pupils the time to respond to questions. Staff encourage all pupils to make choices, express their emotions and have opinions.Assessment information is used effectively to identify what pupils can do and what they need to do next to reach their individual long-term goals.

There is a strong culture of reading in school. Pupils enjoy songs, rhymes, poems, stories and non-fiction texts throughout the day. Staff ensure that children in the early years and pupils who are in the early stages of reading have time to read to adults frequently.

Staff take every opportunity, including during playtimes, to tell stories, sing songs and communicate with pupils. This helps to develop a love of reading among pupils.

Pupils in key stage 4 and students in the college work towards nationally recognised qualifications.

The curriculum for these pupils and students has a strong focus on independence and life skills. This means that pupils are well prepared for their next stage in education. Pupils enjoy vocational subjects such as horticulture and learn to shop for ingredients and cook lunch together.

Through The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, pupils have taken part in outdoor activities including canoeing, camping and outdoor learning. Although pupils have many opportunities in school to undertake work experience, the COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted work experience opportunities outside of school.

The opportunities to promote pupils' broader development are gradually increasing.

For example, some pupils access a local youth centre as part of their curriculum. This has encouraged some pupils to attend on a Sunday as well. Pupils enjoy singing and socialising in the karaoke club.

Inspectors observed other pupils taking part in role play in a simulated hospital environment. However, the range of activities to broaden pupils' experiences and knowledge of the world are underdeveloped. This hinders some pupils from expanding their interests and talents as well as they should.

Pupils learn about other cultures and religions through the curriculum. They celebrate festivals throughout the year. For example, pupils took part in the Jubilee celebrations.

They baked cakes and enjoyed a street party in the playground.

The school caters for a broad range of special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff know all pupils extremely well.

The school is well resourced to meet the needs of all pupils. Pupils' physical development is supported through a number of specialist programmes and delivered by trained staff. Staff are skilled in managing the emotional and sensory needs of pupils, and consequently low-level disruption is rare.

Staff reported that they have confidence in the newly appointed leadership team. They feel listened to and valued by leaders. The introduction of a streamlined and improved assessment system has reduced workload.

Governors know the school well. They acted swiftly to ensure the school has a leadership team in place to continue to drive improvements.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in school. Staff are highly alert to the vulnerabilities of their pupils. Any concern is shared with leaders and recorded in a timely manner.

Leaders are quick to respond and take swift action, including referrals to the local authority.

The curriculum helps pupils to think about the different social contexts, influences and beliefs that affect personal behaviour and the strategies and skills that they need to stay healthy and safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils do not access a sufficiently broad range of enrichment activities which meet their wider learning needs.

This prevents some pupils from developing their talents and interests as fully as they could. Leaders should evaluate the range of enrichment opportunities that are on offer to pupils and seek to extend these further so that pupils' wider learning and development needs are met fully.Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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 good in November 2012.