1 Drumbeat School SEF 25 September 2017 Effectiveness of Leadership & Management There is a strong culture of excellence in the school. Senior leaders including governors are passionate about securing continuous improvement to provide the best education they can to meet the needs of pupils with autism spectrum conditions. There is a thorough assessment process which provides clear information about how well pupils are making progress in English and maths and work has begun to extend this process to all subjects. Underperformance is quickly dealt with and the impact of interventions is high. Considerable effort has gone into improving teaching and learning and assessment. Accurate areas are targeted for improvement through a robust and personalised assessment system. The pilot SCERTS project and the use of personalised learning paths this year enriches the assessment process which will now be further developed to produce personalised assessment routes. Leaders work in a regional schools cluster for special schools and Quality of Teaching, Learning & Assessment Regular and relentless evaluation of teaching reveals that the majority of lessons are outstanding and the remaining are good this means that pupils make substantial improvement in their progress. Over 50% make rapid progress in core subjects. There is a weekly staff led CPD training programme to ensure that excellent teaching is the pre-requisite for learning. Feedback from staff is very positive about the benefits. The curriculum is personalised to meet the learning needs, anxiety levels, motivators, special interests and cognitive levels of each child. Teachers have high expectations for all students. They use well-judged and imaginative teaching strategies that together with interventions match individual needs accurately. The teaching of reading, writing and communication is exceptional. Teachers promote students high levels of resilience, confidence and independence when they tackle challenging activities. Teachers work closely with speech and language therapists and occupational therapists to ensure Personal Development & Welfare Evidence for judgement: File Katie Staff work closely with parents and agencies to ensure the well-being of pupils. A member of staff is dedicated to work with parents and make home visits. Families have been supported with a range of issues to improve the well-being of the family. Within the context of their learning needs pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. Staff have a very good understanding of their vulnerability on the internet and help them to understand the dangers. As a result, safeguarding incidents related to pupils online is low. In debate club FBV are debated. There is a strong emphasis on independence skills. This is reflected in all key stages across the school, in particular at Brockley site for our 14-19 learners and in KS3 where pupils have been appointed for roles. A range of therapies are in place including speech and language and occupational therapy. All learners receive some level of input with targeted support improving outcomes for individuals. The levels of pupils attendance is high at 94% which is in line with Behaviour Evidence for judgement: File Katie Pupils and parents are very positive about safety and behaviour in school. 100% agreed on parent view that their children were happy and safe. Pupils enjoy their lessons and are supported during more unstructured times of day. This was identified as more of a challenging time so a range of engaging playground activities are now on offer and there has been a reduction of incidents at these times as a result. This is continued at after school clubs which are well attended. The behaviour of pupils is outstanding, they demonstrate a high level of respect to each other and staff are exceptional role models. Exclusion is never used as a behaviour tool and there is high quality support for all pupils. Parents feel secure that the school will work with them when they face challenges. The school employs a clinical psychologist and behaviour counsellor to support both pupils and parents with issues around challenging behaviour and mental health. Training and support is also available to staff members dealing with our most complex learners. This
2 Challenge Partners for school development and are able to check pupils achievement with that of other schools. CP review in March 2017 rated the school outstanding. An appropriate curriculum ensures that it meets the needs and interests of the pupils. There are specialists in place for PE, music and pupils practice reading, writing and maths in all subjects. Teachers and TAS are given every opportunity to improve their practice with pupils with autism. Leaders are AET trainers and qualifications are part of the CPD program. Leaders encourage all staff to develop their professional development through pathways funded by the school. The progress made by disadvantaged pupils is as outstanding as other pupils. PP funding is spent effectively and specialists for OT and SALT work alongside class teams to ensure pupils learn effectively. The extended services is valued by the parents which the school organises for after school, weekends and holidays. The outreach service works collaboratively with mainstream schools and has a higher then 90% buy in to the highly regarded service Safeguarding is effective and training is provided for all CP updates and the prevent strategy. that all the needs of pupils are met. Teachers feedback to pupils contributes to effective improvements to pupils learning. There are a range of strategies including verbal, written and pictorial communication to acknowledge pupils successes and where they could do better. In the last round of observations in July 2017, 60% of staff were outstanding and 40% good. Several staff have moved from good to outstanding. national averages for special schools. A high proportion of pupils have 100% attendance and our persistent absence rate is significantly lower than the national average. Incidents of bullying are very low and this is supported by parent view. It is evident that pupils are supportive of one another. Support for parents, with workshops delivered by the school multidisciplinary team, including Outreach, on autism specific issues are of high quality and are appreciated by parents. There is a programme run throughout the year for parents to support pupils personal development and welfare. The Autism Accreditation has been achieved by our Outreach Team (2017). input is highly valued by the whole school community. There is a myriad of experiences to support SMSC, promoting resilience, respect, equality and fairness. Sports competitions, collaborative work and school s projects of excellence.
Governors have a good balance of experience and expertise which matches well with the educational, social and specific needs of the pupils at the school. Safeguarding leads ensure continuity of excellent practice across both sites. Safeguarding is given top priority by both staff and governors. Leaders and governors are passionate about pupils experiencing a range of experiences and for individual adults to be independent travellers. SMSC is strong in the school and is part of curriculum delivery and assemblies. There is a school values statement based on British values. Money is regularly raised for charity and events such as Black history month are celebrated. Key areas for development Key areas for development Key areas for development Key areas for development Further improve the assessment process to include all subjects and areas for progress. Embed the weekly teacher led CPD program to encourage reflection and peer group working, collaborative planning and reducing workload for teaching and learning that is informed by a strong PD system. Further develop the use of lesson study to improve excellent T&L practice. Use staff expertise to train mainstream staff including an expanded use of outreach and extended service staff. Ensure the extended services provision remains in place to support families in the community. Make progress in independence skills using the new Drumbeat levels system. Increased knowledge and awareness for staff through training on links between autism behaviour and mental health. Introduce and online reporting system for behaviour incidents and analysis. Develop training in behaviour systems for CP cohort. 3
4 Outcomes for Pupils Early Years Provision 16-19 Study Programmes Evidence for judgement: File Scott Evidence for judgement: File Denise Pupils attainment on entry is almost always well below that expected for their age. From these very low starting points many pupils including those from all groups, progress rapidly. The development of good, usable communication underpins all learning in the school. The majority of pupils are non-verbal when they enter the school. Teachers and support staff are innovative in the resources they produce and as a result pupil can begin to make sense of their world and express themselves more effectively. The high proportion of disadvantaged pupils achieve as well and better than other students. The funding of speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and communication psychologists help pupils overcome barriers to their learning. Interventions have high impact on pupils. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for adulthood. In 2017, all pupils gained a college placement. Leaders track the progress of all groups and there is no significant difference in progress of most groups. This is a result of the highly individualised plans for each pupil to meet their learning needs. Achievements in social and communication skills that are particularly important for learners with autism are recorded and celebrated. All students leave with qualifications in a range of accredited pathways. Pupils make outstanding progress in their Pupils enter reception class with levels of development that are well below those of their peers, particularly in social and communication development but make rapid progress. Pupils settle quickly and begin to flourish in a well organised environment with outstanding support from highly skilled and dedicated staff as a result of internal and external CPD. Outcomes in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) are outstanding and this is largely due to the holistic baseline measures that are taken on entry to the school. The school therapy team carries out short SCERTS assessments to provide a holistic progress measure that enables children to make small steps of recognisable progress in their early learning skills. Parents are included in the induction process and all parents receive a home visit by the teacher to assess needs and welcome the family to the school, making them feel supported and included in their child s education. All parents have a My World meeting with their teacher in the first couple of weeks of term and this informs annual personalised targets. Teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding in early years. There are high expectations for what they can achieve in literacy and numeracy demonstrated through excellent outcomes. Staff are vigilant in ensuring pupils safety and wellbeing to support them to develop good behaviour and social skills. They have the firm foundations The curriculum has been extended to provide highquality experiences for learners to develop their enterprise skills. As a result, students have accessed a wide range of experiences. There are strong links between the curriculum they are offered, the career aspirations of learners, the work experience made available and opportunities for work when they leave the school. As a result of all these factors learners are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education, employment or training. In 2016, twelve learners went to college and one got full time employment. In 2017, all seven leavers secured college placements. There is outstanding teaching which builds on the school s focus on individual students success. Teachers successfully show students how to apply their skill to practical situations such as in workrelated activities. As a result, the new sixth form learners are making excellent progress towards national qualifications. The learners have excellent attitudes to their learning. They are well motivated by their activities and they socialise more and more effectively with other pupils and with adults. Student behaviour is outstanding. Attendance is above average 94% in KS5 for summer 2017. Learners are given good advice to keep themselves safe and develop their strengths through personalised learning plans. The leadership and management of the sixth form provision, including the small team of staff, is
5 pathways. There is no gap in progress for the disadvantaged and the more able do exceptionally well. they need for good and outstanding learning when they move into Key Stage 1. Assessment in EYFS is rigorous as a result of a range of assessment strategies including SCERTS, therapy reports, home visits, information from other settings, the school s Outreach team and close ongoing relationships with parents and families. Key areas for development: Key areas for development Key areas for development Close the gap in progress between boys and girls in KS4. Review delivery and teaching of Maths for the most complex learners. Develop outside play resources for the Early Years including large and small play equipment, training for staff and consistency in approaches. This includes the use of outside class spaces. Further develop early intervention input with a range of professionals at home and at school for behavioural support in order to reduce longer term impact. exceptional. As a result, adults work very effectively with individual learners and ensure they continue to make excellent progress. Develop knowledge of, and links with post 19 destinations for more complex students. Improve assessment so that it includes all areas of progress particularly for travel and independence skills.