Brooke School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Brooke School has improved significantly. The school has sharply focused on providing an ambitious curriculum for all pupils across the school.

Through this period of change, the school has remained determined to raise the expectations for what pupils can achieve. The quality of education now supports the needs of pupils here. As a result, pupils' achievements have improved.

The school is calm, and most pupils are settled. A revised approach to supporting pupils' behaviour has brought about positive change. Staff understand why pupils behave as they do.

Staff and pupils have positive and caring relationships. Pupils are respectful and tolerant of others. On t...he rare occasion when unkind behaviour occurs, this is dealt with quickly by staff.

Consequently, pupils behave well throughout school.

Pupils now benefit from strong links with the community and local industries. Visitors talk to pupils about the world of work in the local area.

This raises pupils' aspirations. In addition, the school has set up a living flat. Students in the sixth form experience what it is like to live there.

This prepares students well for independent living in a home. All this supports the school's vision for 'independent, happy, safe' pupils.

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

The school has taken effective steps to improve the curriculum across all key stages.

The curriculum starts from early years and clearly sets out what pupils will learn, and in what order. Key knowledge and skills clearly build on pupils' prior learning. For pupils with the most complex needs, activities are suitably matched to support their early development needs.

Pupils use assistive technology effectively to access learning such as switches and eye gaze technology, and to record their work through speech-to-text technology. However, in a few areas, subjects have been implemented more recently than others. This means that the school does not yet know the impact of these more recent curriculum areas on pupils' learning over time.

In lessons, learning is mostly adapted well to support pupils' needs. The school ensures that staff have a secure understanding of how to identify and meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school has set clear expectations to staff for how individual pupils' needs will be supported in lessons.

However, at times, staff do not always consistently follow the agreed expectations for supporting pupils. When this occurs, this slows down learning for some pupils.

Teaching pupils how to read is high priority.

The school has effective systems in place to identify gaps in pupils' learning. Appropriate support is quickly put in place. A diverse, range of key texts have been carefully selected.

Parents are invited to reading workshops. These are well attended. Pupils who do not use verbal language to communicate can understand and respond using different communication aids.

The school pays serious attention to supporting the communication and interaction needs of pupils here. There is a wide range of strategies to support pupils to communicate across school. These strategies include aided language displays, object of reference and signing.

All pupils now have agreed communication profiles that set out how to best support pupils' communication needs. Pupils also have additional interventions to teach them how to use assistive technology strategies. As a result, pupils are settled and motivated to learn because they are able to communicate their thoughts and needs better.

However, there is some variability in how consistently staff use the agreed strategies and communication aids. This means that, at times, some pupils are not as well supported as they could be to communicate.

In the early years, there have been significant improvements to the learning environment.

The outdoor area is well resourced. This helps most children to learn the early years curriculum. Staff understand the individual needs of children and prepare activities to help with their development.

However, at times, activities do not always accurately match the needs of some children. This means that some children are unsettled during the day as their needs are not always understood well enough.

Pupils experience a range of wider opportunities beyond the academic provision.

There is a strong focus on preparing pupils for adulthood and life beyond Brooke School. For example, pupils manage a cafe at the local church. Pupils access a range of extra-curricular clubs.

These include art, sports and singing.

Trustees are ambitious and want the best for pupils. They focus on the right things and check on how well the school is improving.

They know the school well. Since the last inspection, the school has seen significant changes in leadership and new initiatives. Staff have worked tirelessly and supported the changes.

Leaders recognise how this has had an impact on staff workload and plans are in place to address this.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some curriculum areas have been implemented more recently than others.

This means that the school does not yet know the impact of the new curriculum areas on pupils' learning over time. The school should continue their plans to embed the new curriculum and ensure that it has the desired impact on pupils' knowledge. ? At times, staff do not always consistently follow the agreed expectations for supporting pupils' learning needs in lessons.

This includes the agreed communication aids and strategies. This slows down some pupils' learning. The school should ensure that all staff have the necessary skills and knowledge to consistently implement the communication strategies and follow the agreed expectations to support pupils' learning in lessons.

• In the early years, activities do not always accurately match the needs of some children. Subsequently, some children are unsettled during the day because their needs are not well understood. The school should ensure that staff have the necessary skills to plan activities accurately to help meet the needs of all children.