Uplands School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Care and kindness are at the heart of Uplands School.

Pupils' mental and physical health needs are prioritised. The school focuses on preparing pupils for the next step of their education and adulthood. However, further work remains to ensure that all pupils get the most from their time here.

The school's new curriculum is designed to help its pupils with severe, profound and complex special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) become independent and resilient young people. Pupils learn how to be safe in the home and online. The curriculum is raising expectations of what pupils can achieve.

Students in the sixth form are well supported to secure new k...nowledge, skills and vocabulary.

Most older pupils are aspirational about the next stages of their lives. Pupils value the careers advice, work experience and travel training experiences organised by the school.

Pupils' talents and interests are nurtured at Uplands. Pupils enjoy a wide range of trips and visits. They contribute to school life.

For example, the school council recently reinstated the school's cafe. Such opportunities positively reinforce pupils' learning in real-life experiences.

Pupils behave well in class and staff provide appropriate support when needed.

Pupils learn about different cultures and the importance of tolerance and respect.

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

Staff are proud to work at Uplands. Since the previous inspection, the school has developed its curriculum and assessment.

New subject leaders increasingly support staff to know and understand their subject's curriculum. There are pockets of strong practice in the school. Sixth-form students are enthused and challenged by most subject curriculums.

They want to achieve well. For example, students enjoy carefully planned practical mathematics lessons. Mock interviews, work experience and enterprise projects help students to practise knowledge and skills that develop independence.

Nevertheless, significant staff changes have hindered the effective implementation of the curriculum. For pupils in Years 7 to 11, there is too much variation in the quality of education they receive. The school uses pupils' education, health and care (EHC) plans and curriculum to set appropriate next steps for pupils' learning.

However, in many cases, lessons are focused on completing activities rather than learning the intended curriculum.

The trust has not ensured that staff know the curriculum's essential knowledge well enough to know what has come before and what pupils need to know next. This does not help pupils to recall prior knowledge and secure new knowledge.

Pupils' work shows that they sometimes repeat knowledge they have secured. Or, they are asked to complete learning activities that do not match what they can do. It is intended that pupil progress be captured through the 'learning ladders', but this method is not used consistently well in all classes.

Pupils' misconceptions are not always rectified. This leads to mistakes being repeated. Connections between important curriculum concepts are not made within and between subjects.

For example, pupils learn about healthy and unhealthy foods in different subjects. However, their prior knowledge is not considered when planning related learning activities.

Checks by leaders on the teaching and learning of phonics are used to support and ensure that staff have secure phonics knowledge.

Pupils' reading books match their phonics knowledge. Pupils progress through the phonics curriculum. Nevertheless, the depth of pupils' phonics knowledge is sometimes shallow as the phonics curriculum is not implemented as intended.

The school has recently developed a curriculum and assessment to identify and meet pupils' early reading starting points. This work is in its infancy.

Pupils complete 'functional' reading sessions to help them to read print in the wider world such as signs.

To engage pupils and their parents and carers in reading, the school has created a '100-top-read' selection of high-quality texts. Pupils enjoy reading books from their class library or sharing box. Parents attend coffee mornings to find out how phonics is taught.

The school has improved how it analyses and spots attendance and behaviour trends. For example, monitoring pupil attendance and the subsequent support for families is improving pupils' attendance. Pupils have safe, well-managed spaces for break times.

As a result, pupils are happy and enjoy social time. Some pupils choose to play together. Others have learned to wait their turn to use equipment.

A comprehensive personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum is in place. As with other subject areas, pupils' knowledge of PSHE topics can vary. Nevertheless, pupils can recall important concepts such as healthy relationships and different faiths.

They learn about fundamental British values such as democracy through a mock election.

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 developed its curriculum.

It is in the early stages of implementation. As a result, staff do not have secure knowledge of the content and expectations of the new curriculum. The trust needs to ensure that staff develop their knowledge of the curriculum so that they accurately identify and close gaps in pupils' knowledge.

In some curriculum subjects, pupils do not have a secure knowledge of important curriculum concepts. Consequently, pupils cannot make connections between the curriculum's important content to build on prior learning. The school needs to ensure that pupils secure their curriculum content knowledge to recall and connect important concepts.

Also at this postcode