Dorin Park School & Specialist SEN College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Dorin Park School & Specialist SEN College continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's motto, 'Learning together, growing together', underpins all that it does.

Each morning, staff enthusiastically welcome pupils into school. Pupils feel safe and happy. They said that staff are approachable and caring.

Many pupils build positive relationships with their peers and with staff. They behave well during lessons and around school. Skilled staff support pupils who find it difficult to manage their behaviour.

The school has high aspirations for its pupils. It supports pupils in developing their confidence and resilience as they move ...through the school. Pupils are polite and respectful.

From their individual starting points, they make positive progress through the curriculum.

Pupils develop their independence and they are well prepared for adulthood. For example, they take part in travel training and they acquire useful shopping skills.

Older pupils undertake off- and on-site work experience. Staff value pupils' opinions. For example, the pupil council influences school initiatives, such as improving lunchtime menus and playground equipment.

Pupils benefit from an array of learning experiences, including residential trips and visits. They enjoy going to parks and to pantomimes. Pupils participate in a variety of clubs, such as in sing and sign, dance and craft.

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

The school is ambitious for its pupils. All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school has designed four flexible curriculum pathways.

It has reviewed and identified the building blocks of knowledge that it wants pupils to learn, from the beginning of the early years to the end of Year 13. Pupils build their knowledge in a logical order. Older pupils benefit from vocational courses that help them to develop their practical skills.

Pupils achieve well across the curriculum.

The school promptly identifies the additional needs of pupils. Staff use pupils' individual education, health and care (EHC) plans effectively to ensure that the curriculum is suitably adjusted to meet pupils' needs.

Pupils profit from a personalised package of therapeutic and sensory support. This helps them to overcome their individual barriers. Pupils develop important skills, including large-muscle skills, balance and coordination.

Staff mostly deliver the curriculum well. Teachers design meaningful and interesting learning experiences that motivate pupils. Teachers typically use a wide range of assessment strategies to check what pupils understand and address any misconceptions that may arise.

The school is in the process of reviewing the implementation of some recently developed foundation subjects. It is taking effective steps to strengthen the monitoring of the quality of the delivery of these curriculums.

The school prioritises the development of pupils' communication skills.

Staff support pupils to understand and express their emotions, sensory needs and regulation preferences using a range of effective strategies. These strategies include verbal reinforcement and use of visual aids, such as pictures, signs, and symbols. The school's strategies successfully help pupils to engage with their learning.

The school has made reading a priority. Children are introduced to sounds, through songs and rhymes, as soon as they start in the Reception class. Most pupils read from books that contain the sounds that they already know.

Most staff have been trained to deliver the phonics programme and to provide individual reading support effectively. However, occasionally, some staff do not deliver certain aspects of the phonics programme well enough. This limits how quickly some pupils learn to read.

Pupils settle quickly into class routines. They persevere with activities in classrooms and also during outdoor learning. Students in the sixth form are excellent roles models for younger pupils.

During lunchtimes, staff sit with some pupils to help them to develop confidence in using cutlery. The school diligently monitors pupils' attendance. It employs a variety of strategies that encourage regular attendance.

Pupils' attendance improves over time.

The school places a strong focus on fostering pupils' wider development. Pupils are taught about the importance of relationships, including consent.

They regularly go on trips, including to zoos, farms and for walks in local parks. These activities help pupils to develop their mental health and their well-being. External speakers help to make pupils aware of potential risks that they may encounter outside of school, such as county lines.

Older pupils, and students in the sixth form, receive helpful careers advice and guidance. This enables them to make informed choices about their future lives.

Governors support and challenge the school well, with a focus on continuing to improve the quality of education that the school provides for pupils.

They have a clear understanding of the school's strengths and the areas that the school should continue to develop.

Staff take pride in being part of the school. They are positive role models and work collaboratively as a team.

Staff, including those who are new to teaching, spoke highly of the school's efforts in reducing their workload, for example whenever new initiatives are implemented.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A small number of staff do not implement the phonics programme consistently well.

This hinders how quickly some pupils learn to read. The school should ensure that staff receive the necessary training to deliver the phonics curriculum effectively.

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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2014.

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