Baycroft School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Baycroft School

Following my visit to the school on 30 October 2018 with Jenny Boyd, Ofsted Inspector, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in September 2013. This school continues to be good.

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Your inspiring leadership has ensured that leaders, governors and staff share in your vision for all your pupils to lead active, productive lives as full members of the broader community. You are ambitious for your pupi...ls and determined to provide the opportunities they need to succeed.

As a result, pupils flourish and achieve well. You have successfully introduced new ideas and strategies which have addressed the areas for improvement from the last inspection, and you have an accurate view of the effectiveness of your school. You also recognise the areas that could be further improved and have plans in place to address them.

These include ensuring that the range of opportunities offered in the curriculum further support pupils' progress and help pupils develop the skills they need. Parents appreciate all that the school does to ensure that their children are given the best care and education. Parents' written responses to Ofsted's online questionnaire showed us the difference that the school has made to their children's lives.

One parent wrote, 'The school has given my child hope of a future and the confidence to achieve goals.' Another parent told us that, 'My child receives excellent teaching both in terms of academic skills and life skills.' Parents have confidence that the school is well led and managed, with a strong headteacher and a dedicated team behind her.

All staff are proud to work at this school. They told inspectors that you have empowered them to develop and share their ideas for improving outcomes for the pupils. Teaching and support staff welcome your openness and willingness to listen.

They feel that they get strong support from leaders to improve their practice. You make sure that all staff benefit from appropriate training. Pupils enjoy coming to school.

One pupil told inspectors: 'This school was made for me. I feel comfortable and have done amazingly.' Pupils recognise the impact that the school has had on their personal and social outcomes, as well as their academic progress.

Governors visit regularly and are very involved in the life of the school. They provide challenge and support to you and other leaders. Along with governors and other leaders, you are reflective and insightful.

You have a wealth of data on progress, attendance and behaviour. Safeguarding You and your team have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose, and that pupils' safety has the highest priority. There is an exceptionally strong culture of safeguarding that runs throughout the school.

Pupils and parents recognise and value this. You know the pupils and their families well, and staff are confident to raise any safeguarding concerns with you in the knowledge that they will be addressed swiftly. You engage determinedly with external agencies and provide support for pupils who are vulnerable.

Policies and processes are tight. Record-keeping is extensive and detailed. Efficient systems ensure that there is a clear and constant awareness of the chronology of any concerns.

Pupils feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe, including on the internet. Governors regularly check the effectiveness of the school's work to keep pupils safe, including by speaking to children. Inspection findings ? Most pupils are making good or better progress during their time at the school, both academically and personally.

You and other leaders make sure that lessons are interesting and motivating, and that they are tailored to meet the needs of individual pupils. As a result, pupils understand the work they are given and enjoy their learning. There are no gaps in achievement for different groups of pupils in the school.

• Pupils feel that staff in this school have helped them to succeed. They told inspectors that they have improved, both in their reading, writing and mathematics and in their behaviour. Pupils behave exceptionally well, and they show respect to one another as well as to the adults in school, including visitors.

The school's approach to behaviour management helps pupils to make the right choices. ? You have a rigorous system for monitoring the progress that pupils make, and you hold teachers to account for the achievement of every pupil. There is a systematic approach to the analysis of the data you hold, and this enables teachers to identify when pupils are at risk of falling behind.

However, for leaders to evaluate the impact that the school is having on all aspects of pupils' development, you have identified that progress beyond the academic subjects needs to be monitored and assessed. You have strong links with post-16 providers and continue to monitor the outcomes for pupils once they have left the school. ? Leaders at all levels contribute their ideas and work hard to develop and further improve the school.

Leaders and staff work as a team to make sure that all pupils can reach their potential. The nurturing and caring ethos of the school supports pupils and encourages them to do their best. ? The curriculum is broad and balanced with a wide range of opportunities for practical learning.

Leaders have identified a number of useful measures across subject areas to deepen pupils' learning and support their progress across the wider curriculum. ? Teachers know their pupils well and assess them skilfully to provide engaging work that moves their learning on quickly. Teachers instruct and question carefully so that pupils are both challenged and supported to develop their thinking and make good progress.

However, occasionally teachers' planning does not sufficiently meet the needs of all pupils. Consequently, this can result in pupils being over-reliant on adult support to complete tasks. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? teachers consistently use the information about what pupils can already do and understand in order to plan learning that challenges all pupils ? they further develop the curriculum to enable pupils to deepen their learning ? they develop ways to evaluate the impact that the school has on pupils' personal and social outcomes so that progress in these areas can be monitored.

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Hampshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Helen Johns Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection Inspectors met with you and your assistant headteachers to discuss the school's self-evaluation and plans for improvement.

I met with a group of pupils as well as with a small group of parents to hear their views about the school. We also spoke to some pupils in class and looked through their work. We held meetings with key staff about the monitoring of pupils' progress, the curriculum and accreditations, and safeguarding.

I met with members of the school's governing body and with a representative from the local authority. We observed learning across subjects and year groups with members of the senior leadership team. Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the school's self-evaluation and development plan.

The school's safeguarding arrangements were evaluated. We considered 142 responses to Ofsted's pupil survey, 44 responses to the staff survey and 32 responses to Ofsted's online parent questionnaire, Parent View, including 28 free-text comments and a letter from a parent. Inspectors scrutinised school documentation and a selection of pupils' work.