Warmley Park School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Warmley Park School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop strong communication skills and respectful relationships with their peers and with staff. Pupils build independence to become confident young people who know how to keep themselves safe.

The school works with parents and carers before their children join the school. The school knows and understands pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities right from the start. Pupils make small steps to progress on the ambitious communication, mathematics and personal development learning pathways.

Staff skilfully support pupils to reach their education, health and care (EH...C) plan targets.

Pupils learn important social skills, such as how to wait, take turns and share. The school is a calm and orderly environment.

Pupils are safe and happy. They know the importance of consent in healthy relationships. Pupils can name people who help them in school and in the local community.

Opportunities to extend pupils' personal development are carefully planned each year. Pupils can take part in a wide range of clubs. They are encouraged to take on roles of responsibility.

For example, pupils can be bus helpers, play rangers or the student well-being ambassador. Post-16 students work towards The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Pupils are rightly proud of their achievements.

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

The school community has a shared vision and ethos. Pupils' feedback is always considered when planning changes to the curriculum or provision. Members of the governing body regularly monitor the impact of the school's work.

There are high expectations for pupils to secure their knowledge and skills of communication, relationships and independence.

The school's 'world of work' curriculum begins in the early years. It gives pupils skills for life and work.

Key stage 4 pupils complete work experience in school, and post-16 students in the community. Pupils quickly learn the importance of regular attendance. The school and outside agencies support families to remove barriers preventing their child from attending school.

For example, medical appointments are offered on site during the school day.

High-quality interactions between children and staff support the development of children's communication skills and curiosity in the learning environment. Staff repeat important phrases with words, symbols and signs to help children build knowledge over time.

Children in the early years learn how to listen and begin to respond appropriately to sounds and words. They successfully develop the skills to support future learning.

Pupils' communication and phonics knowledge are checked regularly.

Staff use assessment information to quickly identify who needs additional speech and language or phonics practice. The school has created multisensory resources to support pupils' learning in phonics. Books match pupils' phonics knowledge.

Early readers read to a member of staff regularly to build their reading fluency. When appropriate, staff work with external professionals to develop pupils' reading comprehension. Pupils borrow books from the school library and enjoy visits to the local community library.

Pupils' progress is shared with parents frequently. Pupils lead their annual EHC plan reviews, when parents and staff celebrate pupils' achievements. EHC plan targets are used to create individual education plans.

These plans help teachers create personalised learning activities to meet the needs of pupils. In most subjects, pupils secure new knowledge effectively before moving on through the curriculum. The curriculum is coherently sequenced and broken down into small, achievable steps.

Pupils' knowledge is checked regularly and learning activities are adapted appropriately in these subjects.

However, some subject curriculums and assessments are new. The development of subject leadership, teaching and learning in these subjects is in its infancy.

Pupils have gaps in their knowledge of these subjects. Staff cannot accurately check where the gaps are to ensure pupils secure new knowledge effectively.

Leaders have recently reviewed the school's behaviour policy.

The new behaviour approach better reflects the school's commitment to 'if you fall, I will catch you'. Leaders are supporting staff to understand pupils' behaviour and how to respond. Pupils have the knowledge and tools to manage their own emotions and responses more easily.

This is leading to a reduction in the number of behaviour incidents.

The school cares for pupils', parents' and staff's well-being. Holiday clubs extend the term-time offer for parents and their children.

For example, school families use the school's swimming pool and library.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The role of the subject leader, the curriculum and the assessment of the curriculum are new in some foundation subjects.

This means teachers cannot accurately identify gaps in pupils' subject knowledge. The school needs to ensure that subject leaders support teachers to improve their subject knowledge to plan and assess appropriate learning activities across all subject areas.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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 good in September 2013.