Mayfield School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Mayfield School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at Mayfield School. With support and encouragement, pupils build their independence, resilience and confidence.

The school listens to pupils and their parents and carers to help meet pupils' needs. Opportunities for pupils to develop their communication, personal, social and emotional skills, and knowledge, are carefully considered throughout the curriculum.

All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils enjoy attending school at one of the three sites that best meets their additional needs. Positive relationships between staff and pupi...ls are rooted in respect. Clear expectations and support for pupils' behaviour help them to feel safe and happy.

The school's curriculum ensures pupils learn about healthy lifestyle choices. Sixth-form students learn to select ingredients and cook healthy meals. Pupils enjoy social activities, such as snack time and lunchtime discos.

They learn important skills and knowledge for life, for example through work experience or in the school's football team. Pupils are well prepared for adulthood.

Pupils and their parents enjoy school events together.

For example, families watch their children perform at a local theatre or experience sensory activities. Education, health and welfare staff work together to support families. Pupils and their parents say they 'belong' to the Mayfield family.

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

Governors and staff have a shared passion, dedication and expertise to continue the school's mission to develop as a 'centre for excellence' for SEND. Governors challenge and support the school to ensure every child has the provision to 'be the best they can be'. The school's work extends beyond its pupils.

The school provides support and advice for pupils with SEND in mainstream schools in the local area.

Regular meetings to discuss pupils' learning consider their behaviour, attendance, safeguarding and medical information. Education, health and care (EHC) plans, home visits and frequent communication with parents inform pupils' individual 'access to learning' plans.

Leaders and external professionals ensure staff accurately understand the barriers to learning pupils face and how to help pupils to overcome them. A new online assessment tool is helping the school to consider all this information in one place. This tool has started to support the school's efficient and precise use and monitoring of assessment information.

The ambitious curriculum design and appropriate adaptations help pupils to make connections between important content in most subjects. For example, pupils use their mathematical knowledge to measure woodwork and organise the school shop. In most subjects, the curriculum has a clear route for pupil progression.

Pupils frequently revisit prior learning to ensure they know and remember important concepts. In some subjects, pupils do not have secure knowledge, so they cannot make connections. The essential knowledge has not been identified in these subjects.

Pupils learn new and useful vocabulary through carefully crafted activities and experiences. The school is ambitious for its pupils to be able to communicate their needs. The school uses various communication resources and real-life experiences to support pupils' communication and interaction development.

This work begins in the early years.

When appropriate, the phonics scheme is purposefully adapted to meet the needs of individual learners. For example, some pupils may be taught in small groups or through one-to-one sessions.

Staff's improved phonics knowledge, a shared passion for reading and raised expectations mean pupils are now securing their phonics knowledge at an earlier stage. Careful and accurate use of pupils' EHC plans and ongoing assessment information helps the school keep track of pupils' strengths and rectify gaps in their phonics knowledge.

Opportunities to thread personal, social, health and economic (PHSE) education through pupils' learning are prioritised.

For example, pupils brush their teeth after lunch or represent their peers in the school council. Sixth-form students talk at length about their learning and the impact this has on their personal development. They can reflect on prior learning and what staff do to support them to achieve their individual targets.

The careers programme is well developed. The school offers a range of opportunities to prepare pupils for adulthood and the world of work. This begins in the early years.

Relationships with internship and work experience partners are strong. Parents are involved in helping their children make informed choices for the next stage of their education and adulthood.

The school provides a calm, safe and welcoming place for its pupils.

The school's therapy team supports teaching staff to develop the skills and knowledge to meet pupils' social and emotional needs. Pupils know the difference between right and wrong. They explore people's lives that are different from their own and learn to appreciate these differences.

Every pupil has the support to attend school frequently.

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 wider curriculum areas, pupils do not have a secure knowledge of the subject's important concepts.

They cannot connect their learning to use and apply their knowledge effectively. The school needs to identify the essential knowledge it wants pupils to know, remember and apply in these wider curriculum subjects.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2019.