Pennine View School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

At Pennine View school, the pupils and staff work, play and learn together.

The excellent relationships between the pupils and staff are grounded in care. Pupils learn in a calm, supportive environment.

Pupils enjoy school.

They arrive keen to learn. Attending school is important to them. The curiosity they have, to learn more and see their friends, motivates the pupils to attend school regularly.

Behaviour in school is calm and orderly. Help and support from an adult is on hand should the pupils need it.

The school provides pupils with a diverse set of learning experiences in a wide variety of different subjects.

The breadth of the... school's curriculum supports the high aspirations staff have for all pupils. Pupils experience success. They leave school well equipped for their next stage in life.

The extra-curricular offer is open to all pupils. This includes the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, theatre club, trips to the seaside and sporting opportunities. Pupils recall and describe their favourite activities.

The pupils at Pennine View have a voice through the pupil parliament. Leaders take their views on board. For instance, the pupils asked for a school dog.

They now have a dog that visits the school regularly.

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

The school has implemented a revised curriculum with clear end points in all subject areas. Leaders have broken down subject curriculums into small steps of learning.

For example, in mathematics, pupils learn number bonds before moving on to two-step number problems. Teachers link learning to real-life examples such as using money in shops. This helps pupils to focus on their learning.

Staff teach pupils how to think like scientists, geographers and mathematicians. The new curriculums are at an early stage of implementation. The full benefits of the changes are still to be seen.

The school uses a systematic phonics programme to help pupils at the early stages of reading. Staff have regular training on how to deliver this consistently well. In phonics sessions, pupils are active learners.

Pupils use their phonic strategies well for words they do not know. Pupils and staff read to each other regularly. The school library contains a range of diverse texts which supplement the curriculum well.

For example, pupils read books that introduce different religions and faiths. Pupils have favourite books. They talk with accuracy about the stories and characters in these books.

The school's focus on positive relationships and positive mindsets is easy to see throughout the school. School educational visits support learning well. For example, on the visit to Hornsea, staff support pupils to spot geographical features on the coastline that they have studied in class.

Lunchtime clubs and the enrichment afternoon create a positive atmosphere among the pupils. Drama productions, cookery bake-offs and fitness training are just a few of the many activities the pupils enjoy.

All pupils in the school have an educational, health and care (EHC) plan.

The staff know the pupils very well. They understand the barriers to learning that pupils may have. Staff instil a sense of belief and a can-do attitude in the pupils.

The school creates individual support plans to help staff understand the specific needs of each pupil. However, at times, the targets in these plans are not linked clearly enough to the EHC plan targets for the pupil.

Behaviour in school is positive.

Staff use subtle strategies to manage and maintain pupils' focus calmly. Time in lessons is focused on learning. Pupils demonstrate a consistently positive engagement in their learning.

The school is a valued member of the trust. Trust-wide staff work in close partnership with school staff. They have the same educational values.

Meeting the needs of pupils is at the forefront of all decisions. The trustees and members of the local academy council understand the roles they have well. They offer challenge and support to leaders.

Accountability and support go hand in hand at Pennine View school. Staff feel valued and supported by senior leaders on the journey of continual school improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some aspects of the revised and restructured curriculum are at an early stage of implementation. As a result, pupils do not have a secure understanding and recall of the most important subject knowledge. The school should continue to embed the revised curriculums and review the impact of the changes made.

• Pupils' individual support plans do not align closely to the targets in their EHC plans. This means that the design of the educational provision is not as precise as it could be. The school should ensure that the staff understand how to identify small steps of learning from the longer-term targets in the EHC plans, including how and when these should be reviewed.

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