Spa School, Bermondsey

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This school is aspirational for all pupils' academic, personal and social development. Experiences and the curriculum are designed to ensure that pupils learn important, meaningful and functional information. These are well chosen to help pupils in their lives beyond school.

Pupils said they enjoy coming to school and trust adults will support them if they are worried or unsure. This helps them to feel safe. Some pupils spoke about their ambitions for the future and how the school is helping them to realise these.

The school does this through links with local colleges, preparing pupils for functional skills exams and personal progress qualifications. As well as teachi...ng independence skills such as cooking and how to do laundry.

The school provides a range of opportunities to develop pupils' interests as well as to experience new activities.

This includes weekly special interest lessons, where pupils take part in activities of their choice. For example, these include musical theatre, horticulture or learning to play the piano.

The school proudly talks to pupils about autism and how each of them is unique.

This helps pupils to understand the individual needs of one another. Consequentially, pupils build positive relationships with their peers, cooperating with and working alongside each other well. This means that inside and outside of classrooms are places where pupils can, and do, learn without distraction.

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

The school's curriculum aims to prepare pupils for adulthood. Pupils, and students in the sixth form, learn a broad range of subjects. They gain qualifications, awards and accreditations.

These prepare them well for their next steps in education or employment.

The curriculum, including in the sixth form, is ambitious. It is designed to enable specific subject knowledge to be taught alongside personalised learning goals.

The sequencing of knowledge in most subjects ensures that key skills and knowledge build up progressively. These are carefully considered to ensure that they are in line with pupils' personal learning needs. However, in a few subjects, the school is still developing curriculum thinking.

The school aims to ensure that all pupils can learn new knowledge and skills cumulatively. In those few subjects where curriculum thinking is not as precise, pupils are sometimes moved on to new learning too quickly, without having secure prior understanding. This sometimes means they have gaps in the prior knowledge needed to learn new skills and to be able to remember more.

The staff team members know the pupils exceptionally well. They keep a close eye on pupils' academic progress and social development. They also build positive working relationships with pupils.

These enable teachers to adapt their teaching in an individualised manner to support pupils in their learning and address their knowledge gaps. They also use pupils' interests to create motivating work.

The teaching of reading is prioritised.

All staff know the importance of reading. They understand how it enables pupils to become more independent, improves communication and can keep pupils safe. There is a systematic approach to teaching phonics, including in the sixth form when needed.

Staff have been trained in the school's approaches. However, the agreed methods are sometimes not implemented as consistently as they should be. Occasionally, staff do not precisely know the phonics sounds that pupils are learning.

Sometimes, activities do not allow pupils to access the intended learning as effectively as they could. In these instances, pupils do not develop confidence and reading skills as well as they should.

The governing body members have taken effective action to improve their understanding of the quality of the school's education.

Although this is still developing, they check the quality of the curriculum more robustly and challenge leaders more effectively.

The school's personal development provision is thoughtful and responsive to the needs of pupils. Pupils are taught important life skills to build their confidence and independence.

This includes weekly learning in the community. For example, pupils regularly visit the public library, post office and supermarkets. They practise what they have learned in real-life situations.

Students in the sixth form also have the opportunity to participate in overnight residential stays. They take part in adventurous activities such as archery, as well as work experience in the school's café.

Staff said that they value the training they receive in relation to behaviour management.

They feel well supported by leaders. They apply their training effectively. They understand the individual needs of pupils and the best ways to support them when distressed behaviours occur.

Pupils are taught communication and other strategies needed to manage their own emotions and feelings. As a result, behaviour improves over time.

Pupils mostly attend school regularly, and leaders have robust procedures in place to improve attendance rates should they fall.

When these procedures are implemented, pupils' attendance at school typically improves.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, in teaching phonics, staff do not check pupils' accuracy or correct their errors quickly.

This means that, sometimes, pupils do not learn new sounds and become fluent readers as swiftly as they could. Leaders should make sure that all staff check pupils' phonics reading accuracy routinely and systematically and address any mistakes. ? In a few subjects, curriculum thinking is developing.

Consequentially, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in those subjects. They miss key components of knowledge and skills or are moved on too quickly before important foundational knowledge is secured. Leaders should ensure that curriculum thinking routinely and specifically sets out what they want all pupils to know and be able to do securely and when to move pupils on to the next steps of knowledge acquisition.