SGS Pegasus School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience variability in the quality of education and provision at the school. The new curriculum is not taught and adapted sufficiently well in all subjects to meet pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Sometimes, pupils complete work that they can do easily yet they are not moved on in their learning.

Positive relationships exist between staff and pupils. This helps pupils feel safe in school.

Most pupils attend school regularly. Pupils are happy and supported by staff to build friendships. However, opportunities to support and develop pupils' social skills are sometimes missed.

Students welcome the chance to be resp...onsible for school activities and they contribute to new school initiatives. Sixth-form students like to organise the school's tuck shop. Pupils enjoy spending their school value awards, 'Pegasus Pounds', in the shop.

Older pupils enjoy work experience and the carefully planned preparation for adulthood lessons.

Shared expectations between the school and parents and carers for pupils' behaviour, personal, social and academic achievements are increasing. This helps shape pupils' ever more ambitious education, health and care (EHC) plan targets.

Most parents are happy with the school's provision. Nevertheless, the school recognises there is more to do to ensure all pupils flourish and attain the best outcomes.

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

Since the previous inspection, significant turnover of trust and school staff has slowed school development.

This period of instability has now settled. The trust is committed to investing in pupils' education and provision. For example, staff are benefitting from high-quality training.

The new staff and leadership team are working tirelessly to implement the necessary changes to improve the school's quality of education.

Trust and school leaders have accurately identified the priority areas for school development. The school improvement plans are well thought through.

The trust is working with the school to embed these developments into daily practice. Several sustainable improvements to the school's quality of education and provision are already in place. For example, staff are being supported to use the school's approach to communication with pupils.

Carefully selected songs, rhymes and books are shared with pupils to nurture their love of reading. Pupils read books that match their phonics knowledge. The school has recently introduced a new phonics programme.

Previously, pupils progressed through the phonics curriculum but did not secure a deep knowledge and understanding of the letter sounds. Careful checks now identify and are beginning to rectify gaps in pupils' phonics knowledge. The school's intention to raise the standards of phonics teaching and learning is clear.

However, the impact of staff training and of the new curriculum on pupils' phonics knowledge is not yet evident.

The school is starting to identify pupils' needs with greater precision. This information is beginning to help staff, parents and pupils write EHC plan short-term targets that successfully meet pupils' needs and aspirations.

Improvements to staff's knowledge of how to adapt the curriculum and use assessment information successfully is starting to have a positive impact. For example, staff know how to teach and check pupils' understanding of their learning in mathematics. Staff knowledge is not as well developed in some subjects such as personal, social and health education (PSHE).

The development of staff's knowledge to adapt the curriculum and check pupils' understanding is new. The quality of education, including pupils' EHC plan short-term targets, is inconsistent.

Staff welcome the changes to the school's policies and practices to improve the quality of education and provision for pupils.

However, leaders are mindful of the impact whole-school changes can have on staff. Leaders have listened to staff concerns. For example, to support staff's well-being and to help staff to manage their workload the trust has developed a well-being plan.

Staff will shape the ongoing well-being offer to better meet their needs.

The trust has introduced new systems, such as 'class debriefs', to review and understand patterns of pupil behaviour and attendance. Currently, the school identifies individual pupils who need additional support to develop their social, emotional, physical and mental health.

Pupils are taught how to stay safe online and in the local area. They learn important life skills for independent living such as cooking healthy meals. Some pupils have help to understand and respond to their feelings appropriately.

This works well for the individual pupil. Nonetheless, the school's consideration of how best to support groups of pupils' personal development is in its infancy.

The careers programme for pupils is well developed.

A range of carefully planned opportunities prepares pupils for adulthood and the world of work. Parents are invited to careers events from Year 7 onwards to help their children make informed choices. Pupils complete work experience within the community, attend careers fairs and meet with local employers.

Most sixth-form students undertake their academic studies at a local college. Students successfully transition to college or employment when they leave school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has recently revised its curriculum. Staff do not have a secure knowledge of the new curriculum's expectations. This means that they do not check pupils' knowledge effectively.

In some subjects, learning activities do not support pupils to secure knowledge and understanding well enough. The trust needs to support staff to develop their knowledge of the revised curriculum so that staff can implement it effectively. ? Some pupils' short-term targets are not adapted precisely enough.

As a result, the curriculum that staff design from these targets is not as effective as it could be. The trust needs to ensure that all targets are precise enough to ensure that pupils learn successfully at every opportunity. ? The school has recently developed clear expectations to improve pupils' behaviour.

While the school records behaviour incidents, it does not analyse the information. Consequently, opportunities to support groups of pupils to understand and respond appropriately to their behaviour are sometimes missed. The trust needs to ensure that the school makes use of information to identify appropriate support for pupils and maintain high expectations for pupils' behaviour.

• Some members of staff do not feel that the trust sufficiently supports their well-being and workload. The trust has an accurate view of the school and will use this to put the support in place for staff. The trust needs to support and encourage staff to contribute to and access the trust's well-being provision.

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