Tunmarsh School

Age group 11 16 Inspection date(s) 23 24 June 2011 Inspection number 355243 Tunmarsh School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 102708 Local Authority Newham Inspection number 355243 Inspection dates 24  25 June 2011 Reporting inspector Bill Stoneham

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 under pilot arrangements; it was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act .

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Type of school Pupil referral unit School category Pupil referral unit Age range of pupils 11  16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 135 Appropriate authority Newham Headteacher - Executive Headteacher Jeanette Lowe Alison Larkins Date of previous school inspection 12  13 November 2007 School address Tunmarsh Centre Tunmarsh Lane London E13 9NB Telephone number 020 3373 2100 Fax number 020 33731447 Email address Jeanette.lowe@newham.gov.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This pilot inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors. Twelve lessons were seen, each featuring a different teacher. Meetings were held with students, the chair of the management committee and staff. Telephone conversations were held with partner organisations. Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at students’ files, curriculum plans, the school’s tracking data showing students’ progress and attainment, students’ work, and displays at the four sites visited. In addition, they analysed the questionnaire responses of 15 parents and carers, 29 students and 24 staff, and took their views into account.

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Information about the school

Tunmarsh School is an average-sized pupil referral unit serving a wide variety of students’ needs across four different locations. Many students present complex emotional, behavioural and social difficulties and may have been excluded, or be at risk of being excluded, from school, Other students have mental health difficulties or may be particularly vulnerable and struggle to cope with the demands of a large secondary school. Students admitted to hospital are also taught and supported, as are a number who receive home tuition. A small number of students have statements of special educational needs for their difficulties. Just over half of students are of minority ethnic heritage, the largest proportions being from Asian or Black African and Caribbean families. There are just over twice as many boys as girls. The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals is well above average. There is a clear focus on returning students to their mainstream school

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Information about the school

wherever possible. Since the previous inspection, the service has changed its name from Behaviour Support and Tuition Service to Tunmarsh School, a name selected by the students. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety 2

Does the school adequately promote the pupils’ well-being? Yes Does the school adequately promote community cohesion? Yes Does the school provide value for money? Yes

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Key findings

 This is a good and improving school. Students enjoy their education and gain in confidence. The school is successful in preparing all its students well for their next steps in education, training or employment.  Achievement is good. Standards in class work and in examinations are improving well. Students, including those from groups that are often disenchanted with education, make good progress. This is because all staff have high expectations of what students can achieve and the school provides many opportunities for success.  Most lessons are taught well, with some teaching that is particularly inspirational and motivating. This enables all students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to make good progress. Staff realise that attainment on entry is low and much emphasis is placed on developing the students’ skills in literacy and numeracy. In some lessons, the strategies used to promote better literacy skills are not always applied with

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Key findings

consistency.  Students’ behaviour and attendance improve significantly while they are at Tunmarsh. Behaviour in lessons and around the school sites is good, but attendance remains below the national average.  The school provides a safe environment in which the students can learn. Safeguarding arrangements are outstanding, including the provisions made for off-site education.  The school’s partnership work is outstanding. This benefits the students’ learning as well as ensuring high quality personal support and guidance.  The outstanding leadership of the executive headteacher, and the strong support of her enthusiastic and dedicated team, have ensured rising standards, The school has improved well since its previous inspection. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment by: – ensuring a consistent approach from teachers in developing students’ skills in literacy, especially in terms of encouraging them to use key terms and vocabulary and by writing for different audiences – securing further improvements in attendance.

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Main report

Students join the school with attainment that is often well below average because of disruptions in their education and significant barriers to learning. During their stay at the school, students, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make at least good progress. Students at the residential Coborn Centre make outstanding progress because of the excellent support and teaching they are offered. Progress in some subjects is especially impressive. At the main Tunmarsh site, some of the GCSE art work is inspirational and some students achieve particularly well in physical education because of the challenge and rigour of the teaching.

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Main report

Assessment procedures and the tracking of students’ progress have improved well since the previous inspection. Students receive rigorous testing on entry to all centres and this is followed by regular teacher assessments. These assessments, together with growing success in public examinations, show that most students are making at least good progress in English, mathematics and the other subjects which they study. All students are provided with effective support to enable them to overcome their individual difficulties. The school has an excellent record of re- integrating students into mainstream education, and it is rare for a student to leave Year 11 without a college place, a training opportunity or an offer of employment. This success applies equally to students with special educational needs and/or disabilities, as well as to those who are often difficult to engage because of various phobias and anxieties. Secondary education partners consulted during the inspection

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Main report

were fulsome in their praise of the work undertaken by Tunmarsh and their success at helping disenchanted students re-engage with education. Parents and carers were also lavish in their praise. As one Year 11 parent commented, ‘Amazing! I would never have expected my daughter to achieve so much in two years.’ Another added, ‘I am so proud. Tunmarsh has made such a difference.’

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Main report

Teaching is typically at least good. At the main Tunmarsh site, an excellent one-to- one physical education lesson was observed. The lesson covered basic shot-putting techniques. It commenced with a suitable warm-up exercise and then progressed to the student modelling the basic throwing technique. Self-assessment played a prominent role in the student refining and improving his technique. Skilled questioning from the teacher also ensured excellent progress, including the student using relevant technical vocabulary, such as ‘trajectory’ and ‘balance’, appropriately. At the Coborn Centre, students benefit greatly from individual support. One student, Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main report

who was not a native English speaker, was seen to be making excellent progress in his work in English and his other subjects. Excellent progress was made because of the quality and sensitivity of the support offered, and the detailed assessments of the student’s learning needs. This enabled staff to pitch the set work at exactly the right level.

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Main report

Staff appreciate that because most students have often experienced severe disruptions to their education, there are issues with standards in the skills of numeracy and especially literacy skills. Much emphasis is placed on reducing the gaps but, in some lessons, there were inconsistencies in the way that literacy is promoted. Key words and subject-specific language are usually displayed, but the words are not always referred to. Students are not consistently required to use these words in their oral and written explanations. In the most effective lessons, students are expected to make notes and produce written work, but where the pace of learning occasionally slips, this is partly because the challenge to write in different forms, or for different audiences, is not always seized.

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Main report

Skilful behaviour management, particularly of students who exhibit challenging behaviour, ensures that students are fully engaged with activities that promote their learning well. Little time is lost because of inappropriate behaviour. The good relationships that exist between staff and students create harmony. An appropriate system of rewards and sanctions is applied consistently; this, too, contributes to the good behaviour seen. Students say they feel safe and they demonstrate an appropriate awareness of risks and how to avoid them. Students also say that incidents of bullying are rare. They also reported confidence in staff to deal with any issues should they arise. Parents and carers also viewed the school as safe, with behaviour at least good. Attendance is showing a long-term trend of improvement. Many students have far better attendance records than when they attended secondary school, with a number now attending in line with national average figures,

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Main report

or even above this level. A significant minority, however, still do not attend with sufficient regularity. This depresses the attendance figure for the whole service to a below average level. Irregular attendance also slows the progress made by the students involved.

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Main report

Inspirational leadership is provided by the executive headteacher. The executive headteacher and headteacher have skilfully managed the demands of each centre to ensure that all students are provided with a good education meeting all students’ needs. She is very well supported by her excellent team. The managers of each centre share the overall vision to improve the life-chances of vulnerable, and often disenchanted, young people. Staff at all levels are committed to this goal. Consequently, the school has an unrelenting focus on improving student achievement. Most Year 11 students gain far better results in public examinations than was expected after their experiences in mainstream schools, while younger students are frequently reintegrated into secondary education as more confident and competent students. These outcomes ensure equal opportunities for all. Leaders and managers at all levels avoid complacency and have a desire to improve further. They

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Main report

are well supported by the local authority, including the management committee, in Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main report

this quest. Self-evaluation is good and this has led to further improvements in teaching and learning since the previous inspection, as well as improvements in academic, personal and social outcomes because of better target-setting and monitoring. These improvements, allied to outstanding partnership work, demonstrate a good capacity for further improvement. Essential systems and procedures that ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the school are in place and safeguarding arrangements are outstanding, frequently exceeding statutory requirement; safeguarding arrangements for off-site education are especially robust. Provision for vulnerable students is good and consequently there are no significant variations in the rates of progress of different groups of students. Target-setting is challenging and ensures all students have targets by which their progress can be measured. The management committee

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Main report

offers good support and has a clear understanding of the complexities of this provision. It has given the executive headteacher good support and members are increasingly involved in monitoring progress and in holding the school to account for its work. The curriculum is good. It is often tailored to meet individual needs and the range of GCSE and other qualifications offered helps students, especially in Year 11, to progress to further education, training or the world of work. Recent developments have seen the successful introduction of GCSE physical education and an expansion of vocational choices. In addition, there are plans to develop provision further.

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Main report

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about their child’s experiences at the school and an excellent range of effective partnerships have been developed with other schools and external agencies to support learning and personal development. Tunmarsh School is a cohesive community that has a highly inclusive ethos. All students, regardless of their background or ability, are valued and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Tunmarsh School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school. The inspection team received 15 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 135 pupils registered at the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Statements Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Total % Total % Total % Total % Q1 My child is happy at school 7 47 8 53 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q2 My child feels safe at school 8 53 7 37 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q3 The school helps my child to achieve as well as they can 10 67 5 33 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q4 The school meets my child’s particular needs 10 67 5 33 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q5 The school ensures my child is well looked after 7 47 8 53 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q6 Teaching at this school is good 8 53 7 47 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q7 There is a good standard of behaviour at this school 7 47 3 0 1 7 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q8 Lessons are not disrupted by bad behaviour 8 53 2 13 1 7 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q9 The school deals with any cases of bullying well 7 47 5 33 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q10 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 10 67 4 27 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q11 The school responds to my concerns and keeps me well informed 10 67 4 27 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q12 The school is well led and managed 10 67 4 27 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 48 6 0 Primary schools 6 47 40 7 Secondary schools 12 39 38 11

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Sixth forms 13 42 41 3 Special schools 28 49 19 4 Pupil referral units 14 45 31 10

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 December 2010 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be:  The achievement of all pupils.  Behaviour and safety.  The quality of teaching.  The effectiveness of leadership and management. and taking into consideration  how well the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Tunmarsh School, London E13 9NB

My colleague and I thoroughly enjoyed our recent visit. We wish to thank you for making us so welcome. We enjoyed talking to you and learning about your views. You told us about the quality of education you receive and I am pleased to say that our visit confirmed your opinions: you are receiving a good education. Many of you are making significant strides in your education and personal development. The staff help you but you also help by behaving sensibly in lessons and in the social areas and by working hard.

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Inspection of Tunmarsh School, London E13 9NB

Your school has many strengths. You particularly benefit from a good and improving curriculum, teaching which is at least consistently good, and outstanding care. The excellent work the school does with your parents and carers and with many educational and other partners also makes a key contribution to your learning and progress. You are fortunate to have such excellent, dedicated and committed staff; they all want you to do well.

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Inspection of Tunmarsh School, London E13 9NB

We particularly liked your art work. We were also impressed by the many opportunities you have to try different experiences such as visits to art galleries and museums, and we were both disappointed that we could not join you on your visit to Thorpe Park. However, we greatly enjoyed attending your special assembly on the second day of the inspection and sharing in your celebrations. Though we have concluded your learning is at least good, we have asked the staff to ensure that even more effort is made to improve your standards of work and especially your literacy skills. We have suggested they do this by ensuring key words and phrases are displayed and referred to in all lessons and that you are offered more chances to do written work. You can help by attending regularly which, at present, too many of you do not do.

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Inspection of Tunmarsh School, London E13 9NB

Thank you again for making us so welcome. We hope you will continue to support your dedicated staff by working hard. We would like to wish you every success in your future endeavours.

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Inspection of Tunmarsh School, London E13 9NB

Bill Stoneham Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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