Warren School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Friendship and kindness are important at Warren School. This makes this a happy place to learn.

Pupils' friendship posters on classroom displays remind them about kindly acts. Pupils show their enjoyment of school using words such as 'happy' and 'friendly'. Pupils have often had difficult starts in their education.

Staff understand this. They ensure that pupils receive the care and attention they need to settle quickly.

Clear and established routines provide a calm learning environment.

They set consistent expectations across the school. Staff know pupils well. Pupils form strong and nurturing relationships with adults who know them best.

Ad...ults understand how to act if a pupil becomes dysregulated. Adults show patience in caring for pupils. Over time, pupils learn how to manage their own emotions.

Pupils embrace opportunities provided by the 'Warren Way'. A variety of experiences enrich pupils' lives and help them discover new interests. Music therapies introduce pupils to 'finding a voice' through singing and playing instruments.

Pupils take part in sporting tournaments, where they can meet and compete with pupils from other schools. A highlight of their week is the signing choir, performing together through a common form of communication.

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

The curriculum has received a renewed focus under the direction of new leadership.

This has led to significant improvements in the quality of education pupils receive. The curriculum has different pathways. Each pathway provides precise steps to build pupils' knowledge and skills.

Staff, including therapists, collaborate to incorporate targets from pupils' education, health and care (EHC) plans. They make use of smaller steps to develop pupils' academic and personal programmes. Regular opportunities for revisiting key learning help pupils to achieve well.

For example, pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties receive precise teaching for their physical development. Aspects of posture and movement are broken down and repeated regularly to help build strength and coordination.

Staff make careful checks on pupils' progress.

This information helps the school understand the effectiveness of their curriculum. This is not as strong where the curriculum has been introduced recently. This is because the school is in the early stages of checking the impact of recent changes on pupils' outcomes.

Adults receive high-quality training to better understand how they support pupils in class. Clear explanations and models support pupils well in their learning. For children in the early years, key vocabulary is well matched to their play.

Positive relationships help children become settled in their new environment. As pupils get older, they develop greater independence in their learning. Sixth-form students develop confidence to express their views and opinions.

Occasionally, there are inaccuracies in teaching, which lead to misconceptions in pupils' understanding. This means that sometimes pupils do not learn as much as they could.The school prioritises opportunities for pupils' communication skills.

For non-verbal pupils, a range of strategies support their interactions, for example objects of reference, picture representations or learning to sign. Staff use these approaches seamlessly in lessons to ensure pupils access their tasks. Books and daily stories are a feature in all classes.

Pupils build their love of reading and become familiar with characters and events. When ready, pupils learn to read using phonics. They practise their sounds daily to help them read with increasing accuracy.

Pupils listen carefully to their teachers in class. They work hard and try their best. Most pupils attend well.

Some pupils often have extended time out of school owing to complex medical needs. Staff are tenacious, pursuing help should pupils have any difficulties coming to school. Collaboration between staff and external partners ensures attendance is improving.

The school places a priority on personal development and preparation for adulthood by weaving this through the curriculum. This extends from expressing wishes to learning life skills. Pupils learn to be respectful and help one another.

They value difference through an understanding of preferences or choices individuals make. Their learning is often placed in a 'real life' context. This helps to build their understanding of life beyond school, for example the use of money when shopping or measurement when cooking.

Pupils and students in the sixth form receive appropriate information about the world of work. There are opportunities to achieve functional qualifications to prepare students for their next stages.

New trustees have taken decisive actions that have supported the school's success.

Successful recruitment has established a stable and effective leadership team. Teachers welcome opportunities for professional development. Local partnerships encourage their expertise further.

They are mindful of the hard work required to improve the school. Their workload and welfare are well managed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, there are occasional inaccuracies in what pupils are taught. This leads to pupils developing misconceptions. The school should ensure that all teachers have the expertise required to teach all subjects confidently so that pupils consistently benefit from accurate and high-quality explanations.

• The school has not checked that recent changes to the curriculum are having their intended impact in some subjects. This means that leaders do not know how well pupils are remembering key knowledge. Leaders should check that the curriculum is being delivered as intended and that this is ensuring that pupils achieve well in all subjects.