Stone Bay School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at Stone Bay.

Older pupils who have attended for longer periods of time are very proud of their school and their friends. Those who are new are welcomed and settle well because of the care and support available. Parents and carers appreciate the carefully planned transition arrangements for children joining Reception.

Pupils generally behave well here. Staff use positive strategies when pupils need additional support and are skilled at heading off serious problems before they arise. The student council told the lead inspector that they feel safe in school, although sometimes the noise made by others can be distracting.

They found it di...fficult to identify anything that they want to improve. However, their list of positives was long, including horse riding, the school's animal and horticultural area, and swimming trips.

Despite pupils' complex needs, staff expect the best from all.

New curriculum pathways have been introduced. Aspirations have been raised. While the long-term impact of this is not yet clear, staff's work to prepare pupils for life after school is more focused.

As a result, older pupils in particular have a greater sense of independence and both their confidence and their desire to achieve are growing.

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

This is a school that is moving forward steadily and surely. Effective leadership has ensured that standards have been sustained, in both the boarding provision and the school, since the school was last inspected.

Governors know the school well and are supporting the new drive for excellence. Big decisions have been made relating to the curriculum. The first phase of changes required to improve the quality of education the school provides has been achieved successfully.

Leaders at all levels are now working together closely to review and refine their work on the broader curriculum. Three new pathways have been introduced for older pupils, including in the school's small sixth form. Two more are planned in the near future.

Part of the new vision for the school is based firmly on distributed leadership and empowering staff to work together to improve all aspects of provision. Some staff are new. Some are long established.

Discussions with inspectors and the sentiments expressed through Ofsted's confidential staff survey show that the vision is becoming a reality. A new energy is available for leaders to channel. Pupils are the clear beneficiaries.

The school's curriculum is designed for its pupils. Six subject areas form the basis for a programme of study which is relevant and considers the different needs of each individual. Small class sizes enable staff to know pupils well and provide the care and nurture that pupils with complex special educational needs and/or disabilities depend on.

Support staff are mostly successful when refocussing pupils when their levels of engagement slip. The outdoor environment, including the popular new adventure playground, is also used well when learning breaks are needed.

The school's work in promoting language and literacy is effective.

The programme to teach mathematics is also effective though its profile is evolving in collaboration with other local special schools to ensure it is as effective as possible.

Developing pupils' communication and reading skills has a high priority. Staff are keenly aware of the need to get this element right from the beginning in Reception.

Key books have been chosen to support different elements of the curriculum across all phases of the school. These also help pupils' social and emotional development as well as their understanding of equalities and difference. As a result, pupils are developing the reading skills needed to help them understand and enjoy the wider curriculum.

Classroom visits showed the curriculum in full flow with pupils mostly engaged well in learning. Inspectors gained a clear sense of continuity in the quality of provision from early years through to sixth form, though there are some inconsistencies in how staff implement the curriculum. Learning is sometimes not broken down into small enough steps.

On occasion, teachers do not plan activities that help pupils focus closely enough on what staff want them to know and to remember.

Pupils' personal development is equally as important as their academic progress here. This starts in early years where socialising and simple steps such as making eye contact are acknowledged as big achievements for some children.

Personal, social and health education (PSHE) and age-appropriate relationships and sex education are interwoven across the curriculum. The school's work to support social and emotional well-being also focuses on friendships and helping pupils develop the key skills required for adult life.

Appropriate work experience and careers programmes provide older pupils with meaningful opportunities to prepare for the future.

Students on the 'independent living in the home' pathway gain valuable experience in preparing 'The Lodge' for visitors. Parents also benefit from useful support and advice when looking at next steps for their children.

Pupils can access a growing range of opportunities for enrichment, though the impact of COVID-19 has left a legacy.

Because of this, the school looks to provide as many opportunities as possible on site or in the local area. The on-site animal, horticultural and forest school areas have been re-invigorated. The local authority is also supporting the school on a major programme of refurbishment, including repurposing classrooms and transforming the school's outdoor areas.

Pupils themselves have noticed the difference. The pace of change has been rapid in the last 18 months. There is more to do, but the school is moving in the right direction.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes staff are not as skilled as they might be in their implementation of the curriculum. In particular, activity choices do not always meet the needs of some pupils, who then disengage from learning.

When this happens, staff struggle to refocus pupils quickly enough and learning slows. The school needs to ensure that there is more consistency in the way teachers design learning opportunities, so that pupils across all phases of the school make the progress they are fully capable of. ? On occasion, teachers do not identify precisely enough the small steps in learning they want pupils to make.

When this is the case, some pupils struggle to remember the key knowledge they need. This also means that staff sometimes move learning on too quickly because pupils have not had sufficient time to build on what they already know and remember. Leaders should ensure that teachers have absolute clarity about the small steps in learning they want pupils to achieve before moving their learning on.