Swalcliffe Park School CIO

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Swalcliffe Park School CIO has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive and regularly attend this ambitious school. The 'quality of life framework' approach is intertwined with the nurturing ethos of the school.

Pupils benefit from this approach, which is focused on the personal and social aspects of their life that need support and development. This includes recognising and putting in place the help each family needs to support their child to be ready for the next stage of their life.

Assessments from clinical psychologists, speech and language therapists and occupational t...herapists rapidly identify pupils' needs.

This means that from day one of their placement, pupils receive highly individualised and specialist support. Pupils value their positive relationships with staff, especially their key workers. They know that staff will understand them and keep them safe.

Every aspect of pupils' needs is considered and planned for extremely well. Therefore, very few incidents occur in school. When they do, well-trained staff respond to them skilfully and sensitively.

The ambition and expectation for all pupils are exceptionally high. Pupils recognise and appreciate this and strive to achieve their best. They are given the right support and guidance to identify their own goals and ambitions, and they work hard to achieve them.

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

The curriculum here is matched well to pupils' individual needs. Regular and accurate checks provide information about how well pupils have secured knowledge. The school uses this information to make sure that pupils' individual learning pathways are ambitious and appropriate.

The school adeptly sequences the knowledge that pupils will learn. This includes learning that takes place in the school's 'independence' curriculum. Through this, pupils secure vital skills and knowledge to be ready for their next stage.

Due to this, students in the sixth form are independent and self-motivated learners. They build secure knowledge that prepares them for their future learning and produce high-quality work.

Staff are experts in the subjects they teach.

They skilfully make changes to the curriculum to precisely meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They use their excellent knowledge of their pupils to plan high-quality and effective learning activities. The 'integrated therapeutic' approach means that learning is accessible for all.

All pupils achieve exceptionally well.

Pupils are fluent and enthusiastic readers. The school has carefully selected a range of ambitious texts to motivate pupils to read.

The school regularly checks how well pupils can read. It spots when a pupil may have gaps in their phonics knowledge. Well-trained staff deliver a suitable phonics programme.

This ensures all pupils are able to read well.

A sense of respect and care pervades the school. Social time environments are joyful.

During lunchtimes, the school puts in place engaging activities that match the talents and interests of pupils. A therapeutic approach is deeply embedded to support pupils with their self-regulation. This is expertly applied by staff and is highly effective.

Consequently, every part of the school is calm and purposeful. Pupils, including students in the sixth form, consistently demonstrate highly positive attitudes to learning.

The personal development provision for pupils is exemplary.

The 'quality of life survey' enables staff to understand what pupils need to be ready for their next steps. Well-informed weekly key-worker sessions are planned to meet these needs precisely. A well-constructed careers programme is taught to all pupils.

Those in key stages 4 and 5 benefit from a range of work experience opportunities.

Personal development is intricately woven through all aspects of school life. Subsequently, pupils develop a secure sense of themselves and their beliefs.

They can talk about those beliefs as well as listen respectfully to the thoughts and opinions of others, even if different to their own. For many of these pupils, community participation is extremely challenging. The 'independence' curriculum provides pupils with the social skills needed for different contexts.

It teaches them about the wide range of cultural influences and how to be respectful of difference. Therefore, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Staff are extremely proud to work at this school.

They are motivated by the school's ethos, which underpins their daily practice. They feel listened to and that they make a valuable contribution to what the school offers. Those at all levels of leadership in the school, including governors and the executive team, are highly reflective.

They constantly evaluate their actions and make effective improvements. In doing so, they provide pupils with an extremely high-quality educational experience. Parents and carers feel valued and involved.

They appreciate the positive impact the school has on their and their children's lives. As one parent said, 'This school has transformed my autistic child's life and, by extension, ours as a family.'

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in May 2015.