Monitoring Leadership and Management July 2014
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Leadership and Management – July 14 Monitoring Leadership and Management July 2014 A report for the Governing Body July 2014 1 Leadership and Management – July 14 Monitoring of Leadership and Management The school had a full OFSTED inspection in December 2012. The school achieved its National Autistic Accreditation in June 2014 . The school achieved its Basic Skills Quality Mark in July 2014. The school has undergone many changes; designation to MLD/ASD/SLCN, the introduction of a post 16 link with West Herts college and the development of the Differentiated Learning Centre nurture group. ( Fir, Willow) The school is also part of the Priority Schools building Programme and will be completely rebuilt by the beginning of the autumn term 2014. The school should be moving into the new building in September 2014. The leadership and management are good. The National Autistic Accreditation review team consider that planning for development and improvement is an area of strength within the school. ‘The consideration of plans and development to create a purposeful and inspirational new school for Garston Manor students is an area of strength. This includes the design of the new build and the planning and consideration to resources and implications for staff development and training as the school looks towards its future.’ School leaders and managers have been determined and rigorous in raising standards throughout the school. They make sure that every pupil has the best opportunity to succeed. There are good relationships at all levels, and staff try to ensure every pupil is treated fairly. The local authority has supported the school well in its drive for improvement, checking the accuracy of school judgements on teaching, and giving advice and support to teachers. The head teacher shares information about the school’s performance and pupils’ progress with all the staff so that staff are clear about the school’s effectiveness and their part in it. Senior leaders’ check teachers’ work thoroughly and when observing lessons, they make clear to teachers what has worked well and what needs to be improved. This has helped to bring about improvements in teaching. There are clear links between pupils’ progress, teachers’ targets and whole school priorities. The school improvement plan is accurate and well-focused. The head teacher and governing body make the right decisions regarding teachers’ movements up the salary scale. Teachers who lead subjects make a good contribution to improved teaching. Safeguarding fully meets requirements and it is strong throughout the school because staffs are well trained and knowledgeable. The programme of learning for pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 is broad and extended to promote pupils’ independence. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 have good opportunities to gain academic qualifications in school and vocational qualifications through strong links with local colleges. Pupils and their parents and carers are well supported to make informed decisions at the end of Year 11. Opportunities for pupils to live together for a week and take part in exciting outdoor activities in Year 7 and again in Year 11 are popular and immensely valuable for pupils, encouraging them to test themselves in supportive situations. These activities and many opportunities for horticultural, artistic and musical activities, school visits and performances, promote pupils’ 2 Leadership and Management – July 14 spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Strong links with other schools, including international partnerships, benefit both staff and pupils. There are opportunities for pupils and teachers to spend some of their time in mainstream schools, and Garston Manor provides support to other schools regarding resources and shared training. Links such as those with Watford Disability Football team and Watford Community Gardens make pupils aware of the local community. Links with Niger provide pupils with a view of life in a different country. The school works closely with local school and colleges to ensure a smooth transition either into the school or to the next placement. Transitions are well thought out and planned for. The connexions team are heavily involved in statement / EHCP in school. The governance of the school: As a result of changed membership of the governing body, there has been an increase in the amount of training for staff and governors, and in the involvement of parents and carers. Governors are well involved in decision making in the school such as that relating to the entitlement for pupils from 14 to 19. The governing body has a good understanding of data and of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, based on pupils’ achievement in relation to other schools in the authority and nationally. Governors challenge the staff well, but supportively, and are aware of teachers’ performance and how decisions about pay are reached. Appropriate decisions are made regarding the budget, including the use and impact of the additional pupil premium income. As a result, the governing body is able to convincingly hold the school to account for any differences in pupils’ progress. The school has a good capacity to improve. Leadership of Safeguarding The safeguarding of pupils is good. 89 % of pupils felt that they were safe at school according to the PASS survey results. The school has excellent safeguarding procedures, risk assessment systems and pupil routines which are regularly monitored and evaluated (See policy review committee minutes, SMT agendas, weekly diary, risk assessments and single central record) The school is fully compliant with the regulations concerning maintenance of a central CRB record. As a result schools recruitment procedures have been consistently compliant with regulations and recommendations The school's collaborative working with other key agencies is outstanding resulting in issues: being dealt with efficiently; documented thoroughly and communicated professionally (SEN file & Child Protection file, Weekly communication diary) There is a comprehensive awareness of safeguarding issues among the governors and staff at all levels, all of whom receive regular training on safeguarding, in particular child protection and staff recruitment. (See governor & staff meeting minutes and safeguarding policies,). As a result, a realistic and proportionate approach to safety and safeguarding 3 Leadership and Management – July 14 permeates all aspects of the school's life. (See internal & external risk assessments , staff code of conduct) The school has comprehensive risk assessments in place. Termly health and safety audits are carried out by the governing body. Outcomes from the audit are acted upon. All staff receives basic child protection training every 3 years. ( safeguarding file) All senior members of staff are DCPO. A senior member of staff also has specific responsibility for Health and Well Being. They are able to facilitate Basic Child Protection training, is CAF and Integrated Practices trained. 2 governors are child protection trained and have specific responsibility for the monitoring of Children Looked After and the Annual Safeguarding reports. All Staff receive restraint training and awareness annually. The vast majority of the school are first aid trained. We have a trained First aider at work. A range of formal behaviour logs are maintained - for example, in relation to Racial Incidents, Bullying and Physical Intervention. These are monitored by the Head teacher and the Chair of Governors and appropriate action taken wherever necessary. Where pupil behaviour is considered by the school and/or parent to be an issue then a formal meeting is held to agree the actions to be taken. As a result of this approach, the pupil is helped to alter his/her behaviour through a united and consistent approach to the management of it. The behaviour and safety of pupils are good to outstanding The National Autistic Accreditation review team considers the systems of behaviour management, including implementing, reviewing and monitoring to be a strength of the school. The team were impressed with the relationships between staff and students which have developed as a result of staff commitment to individual students specific needs. The schools data analysis showed a good understanding of the relationship between student achievement and behaviour and this is used effectively to promote success. OFSTED Dec 12 There is a positive and supportive atmosphere at all levels throughout the school. Pupils with differing needs, abilities and cultures work cooperatively and harmoniously on a range of tasks. They persevere well in lessons and recognise the need to work hard. In mathematics, some Year 7 pupils were quite competitive about their progress as they completed a series of exercises, and Year 11 pupils knew what they needed to do to reach higher levels. Pupils recognise their responsibility for younger ones. The most able understand that some pupils’ inappropriate behaviour is due to the nature of their special educational needs rather than deliberate disobedience. The introduction of the ‘blue room’ has been very successful in improving behaviour. Pupils who spend time there are sensitively counselled to establish what is preventing them from learning, and given practical ideas to help them and their teachers to deal with their difficulties. The inspectors saw no hints of bullying and the school’s monitoring shows clear improvements in behaviour generally. Pupils and their parents