Jack Tizard School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Jack Tizard School

Following my visit to the school on 12 June 2018 with Mary Geddes, 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 outstanding in December 2014. This school continues to be outstanding.

The leadership team has maintained the outstanding quality of education in the school since the last inspection. The governing body provides clear strategic leadership and offers effective support and challenge to you and your staff. Since the last inspection, leaders have implemented a number of school improv...ement strategies that have further strengthened the provision for pupils.

This has included putting measures in place to ensure that the most able pupils are challenged effectively. These pupils are now provided with regular opportunities to apply skills to real-life situations, for example. The most able pupils make progress in line with their peers.

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about their school, and report a sense of pride in being part of Jack Tizard School. They feel that they have the support of school leaders, agreeing that the school is well managed. Highly effective work with external agencies ensures that staff have access to the specialist guidance they need.

As a result, they feel confident to support even the most complex physical and medical needs. The level of pupil absence has reduced significantly since you took up the post of headteacher earlier this year. You have raised staff and parent expectations around attendance, including for those pupils who have additional health needs.

The school places itself at the heart of a very caring community, and every effort is made to support and involve parents and carers. One parent told me, 'I am helped to feel like I am able to cope with having a disabled child.' Safeguarding is effective.

Leaders, including governors, have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Records are detailed and of high quality. Leaders and governors have established a culture of safety throughout the school.

All staff are well equipped to meet the complex medical, physical and emotional needs of all pupils. This is because they work closely with other professionals and receive high-quality, specialist training. Leaders are acutely aware of the particular safeguarding issues that relate to their pupils.

Staff remain confident in keeping pupils safe and healthy due to the comprehensive training programme that is in place. Pupils are equipped with the language to express any worries they may have. Those who use alternative means of communication are taught how to use the vocabulary they need to keep themselves safe.

Any potential risks are identified early, and problems are avoided, because all staff know pupils incredibly well. One parent told me: 'Staff know my child better than anyone else, including me.' Parents overwhelmingly feel that the school provides a safe environment for their children.

Inspection findings ? At the start of the inspection, we agreed the key lines of enquiry. This inspection focused on the impact of leaders' actions, and in particular the effectiveness of the curriculum, at meeting pupils' needs. I also looked at how leaders ensure that pupils are challenged to make the best possible progress.

Lastly, I focused on how successful leaders have been at maintaining the high standards since the last inspection. ? Leaders have ensured that work with external agencies and other professionals contributes to the school's curriculum. There is a strong focus on meeting each pupil's individual personal and academic needs.

Lessons are exciting and motivating, and teachers deliver the curriculum with remarkable enthusiasm. This is a key factor in pupils achieving well. The curriculum provides innovative opportunities for pupils to develop skills in real-life situations.

They are encouraged to take risks with their learning, and are not cocooned within the school in any way. The different phases of the school are not yet as distinct as you would like. However, plans are in place to further improve the transition between the different key stages.

Leaders are working to ensure that the sixth-form curriculum is more relevant and prepares students more effectively for leaving school. ? The school's approach to supporting pupils' behaviour is a strength of the school. Leaders have a good level of training that is shared with everyone.

Pupils' individual behaviour patterns are investigated in order to refine support strategies. These are then shared with key staff in progress and safeguarding meetings, and routinely shared with parents. There has been a significant reduction in inappropriate behaviour this year, and only one use of physical intervention.

Leaders do not analyse consistently the incidents as a whole school, to look for any patterns or trends in pupils' behaviour, in order to evaluate the impact of leaders' strategies. ? Highly effective partnership work with speech and language therapists has helped staff to confidently use a range of communication support strategies, including signing. There is universal use of symbols, allowing learning opportunities to be seized throughout the day.

The school's 'total communication' approach equips pupils to access learning, and to express their thoughts and needs well. Consequently, pupils develop their independence and are able to make meaningful choices about their lives. For example, one pupil was able to say that he wanted only male care assistants to work with him in personal care.

Leaders are working to further develop staff confidence in initiating the use of signing. ? Pupils' progress from their unique starting points is strong because leaders gather detailed baseline information and co-produce targets with a range of professionals. Leaders carefully evaluate these targets, and track pupils' progress astutely.

Detailed analysis of information from all pupil progress meetings enables leaders to identify resources and interventions that have had the most impact. The pupil premium funding is used well to provide additional enrichment activities and therapies. Teachers refer disadvantaged pupils to access this additional provision.

Referrals are scrutinised by leaders who monitor the impact of these interventions effectively. Leaders and parents gave me many examples of the outstanding progress pupils make. ? Leaders are very knowledgeable and confident in their roles and benefit from a stable and skilled governing body.

As a result, despite a change in headteacher last year, the school has gone from strength to strength. Middle leaders feel well supported and are keen to develop their leadership skills. Your strategic approach to raising attendance has led to a 10% increase this year in attendance.

Work on this has included scheduling clinics at school, frequent home visits, and improved work with hospital schools. Because your outreach service provides high-quality support for pupils in mainstream schools, they remain in mainstream, and make rapid progress. Parents feel that leaders respond quickly when concerns are raised.

As one parent said, 'They really get my son.' Another reported that the school 'feels like part of me'. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? the sixth-form curriculum is reviewed so that students are even better prepared for the next stage of their education.

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, and the director of children's services for Hammersmith and Fulham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Francis McDonald-Gonzalez Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection During this inspection, the inspection team held a number of meetings with you and other senior leaders.

You accompanied the team inspector on a series of short visits to lessons. The inspection team held discussions with different leaders about safeguarding, outreach, the curriculum, removing barriers to learning, and measuring pupils' progress. Meetings were held with the chair of governors and three other governors, and with other professionals.

A meeting was also held with a group of pupils and a group of parents. The inspection team worked with senior leaders to scrutinise pupils' work and assessment information on pupils' progress. The inspectors looked at a range of documentation.

This included the improvement plan, attendance data, records of pupils' progress and behaviour, and evidence of records to keep pupils safe. The inspection took into consideration 29 responses to the staff survey. There were five responses to Parent View, the Ofsted online survey.