Melland High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Melland High School continues to be an outstanding school.

The principal of this school is Sue Warner. This school is part of Bright Futures Educational Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school.

The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), John Stephens, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Daniel Rubin.

What is it like to attend this school?

Melland High School is an inspirational and vibrant place. Pupils flourish socially and academically.

The school is ambitious for every pupil. Pupils know that their views and opinions matter. They develop effective strategies that enable them to communi...cate with confidence.

Pupils feel safe, happy and well cared for.

All pupils have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. Expectations for their achievements are high, no matter what pathway they follow.

Determined staff do everything that they can to ensure that pupils enjoy school and that they benefit from a carefully adapted curriculum. Pupils thrive personally and academically.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary.

Highly effective classroom and social time routines mean that pupils know exactly what to expect and when. This helps pupils to feel calm and secure, and it adds to the harmonious atmosphere that pervades throughout the school.

At the heart of the school's work is the continual focus on equipping pupils with the skills that they need to make a valuable contribution to society.

This is also true for students in the sixth form. Right from the start, the wider experiences offered to pupils focus on developing their independence and social skills. This offer includes activities such as outdoor pursuits, theatre trips and performing arts projects.

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

Pupils receive an ambitious curriculum. This covers a broad range of subjects and enrichment through intelligently designed curriculum pathways. Within each, the school has coherently mapped out the ambitious knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should learn over time.

Importantly, pupils follow a curriculum that is highly personalised to their individual needs. This helps all pupils, including those with profound and complex needs, to learn well.

There are thoughtful learning environments to suit each learning pathway.

Staff draw extensively on the information in pupils' EHC plans to design engaging and appropriate activities. They use this information to adapt curriculum delivery responsively. Additionally, they check that pupils receive the right resources and equipment to help them to enjoy their experience in the classroom.

Staff model new learning clearly and break it down in ways that pupils understand. Assessment is continually used to fine-tune pupils' learning. Across subjects, learning is frequently revisited to ensure that pupils build their knowledge over time.

The school prioritises the development of pupils' reading, language and communication skills. Staff work closely with speech and language therapists. They are trained in the use of a wide range of techniques and communication strategies and tools.

Pupils learn to answer questions and express their desires and requests. Reading is used extensively. For example, staff create social stories to help pupils to relate to the world around them.

Staff are highly trained in skilfully teaching the school's phonics programme. Pupils read from books that are matched to the sounds that they already know. This helps pupils to become confident and fluent readers.

Pupils attend well. Staff develop strong and trusting relationships with pupils. They have a deep knowledge of their needs.

Extensive training in behaviour management enables staff to respond sensitively and kindly when pupils feel overwhelmed or become dysregulated. Classrooms are typically hives of activity, where pupils relish their learning.

Pupils' personal development is at the heart of the school's work.

Staff make the most of every opportunity to teach pupils the skills that they will need later in life. For example, students in the sixth form benefit from learning how to take a bus, write a shopping list and join a gym. Pupils have a rich understanding of respect, tolerance and diversity.

For example, they represent the school in city-wide initiatives, where they are proud to talk about special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and inclusion. Pupils develop their leadership skills as house captains and student leaders.

Education about next steps, careers and the world of work is interwoven into all that the school does.

Careers events provide pupils with meaningful encounters with local employers. Students in the sixth form, where appropriate, benefit from carefully selected programmes of work experience, vocational pathways and independent living skills.

Trustees and governors have strong strategic oversight of the school.

They offer highly effective support and challenge to the school. Leaders at all levels are open and reflective. Staff said they are valued and supported well to develop and share their expertise.

They work as a team and are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.Background

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

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 outstanding in February 2013.

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