It has been a privilege to visit Calthorpe Academy, a 2–19 special needs school in the centre of Birmingham. The school supports students with a broad range of complex needs and is part of the Thrive Education Partnership. Calthorpe supports 60% of the students with the most complex needs across the city. The Headteacher is also the chair of the special school forum, CPD. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the academy is the National Leader of Education across different Local Authorities.
Calthorpe staff recognise the significant role they play in nurturing their students and offering the best possible care. Staff go above and beyond to support the students and their families with every element of each individual student’s personal needs, as well as their well-being, independence, life, and academic skills.
The school offers comprehensive medical and self-care support, including paediatric clinics onsite and dental clinics biannually which remain onsite and the hospital is nearby. This, in turn, supports parents and carers as it can be challenging for the students to access providers such as healthcare, that is, the school supports students to complete six visits before being ready to be examined. To support this further, oral care features were included in the curriculum which medical specialists and school leaders developed together. The Occupational Therapy team also attends once a week to support sensory profiles for each learner.
In the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, the inspector reported that “very special things are happening at Calthorpe Academy. This community is driven to make every moment count for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school is determined that those needs will not limit pupils’ achievements or enjoyment of school and the world around them. From the moment pupils arrive, the school starts working with families and specialist services to understand pupils’ needs so the right help can be put in place. Partnerships with health, social care, and local authority teams provide a team around the pupil and their family to get the right support at the right time. Calmness and care define the relationship between staff and pupils. The school acts swiftly when students need extra help or support. Therapies, interventions and carefully considered provisions overcome the reasons for challenging behaviour. Consequently, pupils’ behaviour across the school is settled and purposeful. Preparation for life in modern day Birmingham is a priority. Not only do pupils have opportunities to visit places such as soft play centres and shops but every trip is an opportunity to practice communication or independence skills. Consequently, pupils are proud of their school and their city.
School staff continually think of new ways to support their students and families and have a comprehensive support offer in place, which includes pastoral and early help agencies and targeted workshops. Curriculum workshops are planned across the year based on parent and caregiver requests. Events such as stay-and-plays, activity visits and taking the students into society to support behaviour or society reaction. A significant number of educational visits are offered to support the students’ engagement with the wider community and their life experiences and gain community engagement. Students have the opportunity to complete activities such as shopping lists which they then use to shop at Tesco. They then use these ingredients to cook on occasion. School
leaders work collaboratively with families to ensure that they are well informed about the education and support their children will receive, along with considering their views. Due to the complex needs of the students that attend Calthorpe, school leaders recognise that communication is key with their families. An example of this is the PSHE consultation and parent review meeting for home learning. Parents are also supported in bringing life skills into the home. Parents and carers are asked what they find difficult to support at home, including wellbeing and the curriculum. Staff then arrange workshops and direct support to remove this barrier.
The school’s Belgravia provision is predominantly the Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) pathway which provides therapeutic support such as miniature Shetland pony therapy and open theatre which provides opportunities for imitation. Within this provision, learners initiated the curriculum without targets. The school has three pathways for learners based on their needs. These pathways comprehensively drill down to the needs, end goals, and aspirations of each learner. The Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) is well-planned and frequently reviewed. The curriculum is based around the EHCP headings to further personalise support and learning for each student.
School staff have worked tirelessly to receive accreditation for provisions such as the Move programme, which is used to enrich the curriculum. The school has received silver, and the assessment for gold is scheduled for January. The outcomes from this have been that identified learners are sports leaders and lead with Physical Education (PE) lessons in mainstream primary settings and have led on sports day. Students are taught how to manage their own sensory needs to allow them to be more independent in the community. The school uses the approach of open-ended teaching with CPD via Jessie’s Fund charity for PMLD students, including music interaction. The Jessie’s Fund is used to train staff, including workshops and paired teaching support, to develop confidence in teaching staff. This supports learner voice, participation, what music means, and musical interaction. Parents and carers are invited in to observe the provision and see how music is used as a form of communication.
The employment programme is also a significant strength for Calthorpe Academy. Leaders have carefully planned and developed the employment opportunities programme for identified students. Experienced staff work collaboratively with employers to develop their understanding of how best to support students, while also holding employers accountable, that is, .com, Tesco, and Birmingham Women’s Hospital. The school employs two learning mentors to break down skills with employers and then gradually remove support. Identified students are provided opportunities to work at different places. Each role is purposeful rather than tokenistic. Staff promote the idea the idea that students are able to work just as hard, if not harder, than a neurotypical person with the right support. Each student has personalised targets to support their progress into the wider world and employment. These are built into the curriculum and worked on throughout the year. The post-16 provision has been developed using staff experiences as well as researching other provisions. School leaders consult with all stakeholders and plan from the front, considering post-19 and possible gaps. This is done to ensure aspirations and goals remain achievable. The post-19 provision includes Hive, Sense, and Heart.
School leaders use the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) to track parental engagement which is reviewed to support and encourage parents to complete home learning. Targets are set based on home, as schools recognise that parents may not all be trained in delivering academic and independent support. Parental engagement is reported to be high across the school. Information sharing and communication are tailored to each pathway to ensure communication is of high quality, accessible and purposeful.
Progress is carefully tracked and if a student receives zero progress, school staff carefully consider the reasons why and either amend the target, change resources, change approach, consider parental support, or look at who is delivering support, that is, sibling or adult parental. Initially, students’ targets were based on wellbeing; however, more academic targets are being implemented, possibly due to workshops. School staff continually review access to a wider space, that is, not just going to the park. Staff review how they can enhance outdoor learning opportunities frequently. Staff consider pupil voice throughout the process and consider what the students gravitate to before developing.
CPD is rigorously planned, with key support for staff on how to articulate what and how the curriculum is being taught. CPD on understanding communication and how to respond is key to supporting parental engagement. Staff buy into change as their views are gained. They know learners well and know the community. Staff views are taken on board. Regular opportunities for feedback are provided during reviews and further suggestions are considered. Pilots are also used to develop practice, that is, Zones of Regulation in one class due to cohort change for Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) needs. Transition from bus, playground, and fallout is modelled by staff using Zones of Regulation. The outcomes were then reviewed. Parents and carers were also included in the pilot. Parents and carers developed an understanding and strategies of how to regulate and identify what the person needs. This was embedded in the curriculum. The pilot ran across the previous academic year and is now integrated into the positive behaviour support approach.
Students that are able to receive training for preparation into adulthood. There is no current guidance; however, staff recognise that more is needed. Key staff consider SEMH needs with the employer. Students learn that it is important to be on time, clean and tidy, and learn social behaviours such as appropriate discussions around toileting when in public. Students also learn about safe relationships and changes in relationships. Learning socially acceptable behaviours is also a key element of the support provided for developing employment-ready behaviours. Schools have links with local employers, such as Tesco, where students learn to scan items and pack shopping for .com. Employers work with schools to remove barriers, such as labels being replaced with coloured tabs. Students have also had the opportunity to work for the food bank, hospital, and car wash. The Head of Careers and Partnerships is working hard to shape the gap in employment for young learners, considering future aspirations. The school also has links with HS2, the National Trust, and Aston Villa.
Throughout the assessment, it was evident that all staff hold the students and their families at the heart of everything they do. Leaders continually strive to find new opportunities and approaches to support their learners. The passion and dedication of the Headteacher have been passed down to staff who use research and collaboration to continually develop their own practice as well as share their knowledge and experience with other colleagues and professionals.
