Epinay Business and Enterprise School

Epinay Business and Enterprise School Clervaux Terrace , Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, NE32 5UP

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Students make outstanding progress, particularly in vocational skills. This means that they are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education or training.  Students make outstanding progress in English and mathematics. They apply what they have learned in these subjects in a wide variety of situations and this enables them to make some remarkable achievements in personal development.  Teachers plan creative and engaging activities for students which ensure that they make outstanding progress. Other adults make an exceptional contribution to students’ outstanding progress.  Students work very hard to live up to the high expectations set for them to ensure that their behaviour is usually consistently good and often outstanding. Learning is rarely affected by disruptive behaviour. Students feel very safe, secure, respected and well cared for.  Some students make remarkable gains in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

attendance and overall attendance is rising steadily. A new reward system helps to improve the attendance of some students who could still attend more regularly.  Partnerships with a very wide range of other business organisations and local colleges and schools have an exceptional impact on achievement.  The plans made for students are very well organised and contribute very well to their rapid progress. They are enriched by a wide variety of different experiences both within school and in other local and international locations.  The headteacher is very ambitious for the achievement of the students. Management of the quality of teaching is highly effective and this has ensured that students have made ever increasing progress since the last inspection.  The governing body is strong because the representatives of the Co-operative, who are part of the Trust Board, are very skilful and contribute very well to the leadership of the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school. It understands what is happening in school and makes good decisions based on the knowledge it gathers.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors took account of the school’s procedures for gaining an accurate view of its performance and looked at headteacher’s reports to the governing body, the development plan, minutes of meetings, records of lesson observations, targets set for teachers, and documents that track students’ progress.  The inspectors observed 13 lessons including two jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. Inspectors examined students’ work in books and held discussions with parents, staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and a member of the local authority.  The inspectors spoke with students and the lead inspector took account of 13 responses from the on-line questionnaire (Parent View).

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Inspection team

Pauline Hilling-Smith, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sally Hicks, Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The large majority of students have moderate learning difficulties. A small minority of students have severe learning difficulties and a small minority have additional behavioural difficulties, visual or hearing impairment or complex medical conditions.  The majority of students are boys.  All students have a statement of special educational needs.  The number of students who speak English as an additional language is average.  The number of students from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average.  The proportion of students eligible for the pupil premium is well above average.  The school is a specialist school for business and enterprise as well as cognition and learning.  The school uses The Cave, The Wheels Project, BSkills and Groundwork as alternative providers.  The school hold Investors in People status and has achieved Eco-School Silver Award.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve attendance even further by:  making further use of reward systems already in place.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 As a result of their special educational needs, all students are working below national expectations when they start at the school. The vast majority of students make outstanding progress when compared to the progress of students nationally with similar starting points. A few students reach broadly average standards by the time they leave the school.  The vast majority of students make outstanding progress in English, mathematics, science and personal and social development. They are able to do this because they engage very well with what is planned for them to do and this enables them to make rapid progress.  Very occasionally the progress of the very few students with severe learning difficulties is slower, such as for younger students in 2011. However, the school identified this and action taken has been effective in accelerating the progress of these students.  Progress in reading is a strength. This is because students develop skills systematically and apply

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

reading skills extensively in other lessons. All students leave the school with a qualification in English and mathematics.  Students make excellent progress in information and communication technology (ICT) and build up a qualification as they progress through the work planned for them in lessons.  Vocational interests are nurtured carefully in the partnership with other colleges and business organisations. This means that some students who have previously not done as well as they could in school begin to make rapid progress. Some students achieve exceptionally well in catering and hospitality and go on to make a career in these areas.  Students’ understanding of how small businesses work is developed very well through enterprise projects. This means that every student develops an understanding of how they could be a successful entrepreneur.  The school’s system for tracking the progress of students is meticulous. They ensure that any

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

individual student at risk of underachieving is quickly identified and procedures are put in place to prevent this happening.  Progress of students who receive support from pupil premium funding is more rapid in 2012 than that of other students. This is because the number of staff employed to teach them has increased.  Those pupils whose home language is not English learn at the same outstanding rate as other students. There is no difference in the achievement of any age group or between that of boys and girls.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The majority of teaching seen during the inspection was outstanding. The percentage of outstanding teaching has been maintained each year since the last inspection.  Teachers have very high expectations of what students will do and achieve in lessons. This is reflected in the activities planned which build carefully on what each student has done and achieved in the previous lesson.  Teachers use questioning very effectively to systematically check understanding as the lesson proceeds. They modify their plans skilfully in line with this information to ensure that each student is achieving very well at all times.  Teachers and other adults give students detailed information throughout the lesson about how well they are doing and what they need to do next to improve. Photographs are often taken to show what students have achieved which are accompanied for some students by detailed notes to explain what was happening at the time. Occasionally, however, written information for

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

students in books does not specify what the student should do next.  Teachers make sure students have experience of actual examples of items by ensuring that they have seen and handled the real object or experienced the real situation. For example, before students made plans to create a new flavour of sausage roll they examined a range of rolls available in supermarkets to ensure that their roll would meet high specifications.  Students are fully involved in discussing with staff what they have achieved. In later years they are involved in identifying and recording their progress. For example, in the café a student discussed and agreed with the adult which elements of a level of attainment he had demonstrated in making preparations for Christmas lunch.  Students very much enjoy lessons because they are often inspired, such as in science when they tried to outrun the destination of a beam of light shone from a torch when it is switched on.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Typically, all lessons include students applying their personal and social skills as well as applying their English and mathematics skills at their highest level. As a result, students concentrate for long periods and make rapid progress in all subjects. In a ‘mini-business’ lesson students worked exceptionally well together as a team to produce wreaths while other students worked out how many ‘salary points’ would be earned.  Parents say they often recognise at home the rapid progress being made in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students are polite and respectful and say that ‘teachers say please to us’. They are confident to give adults further information in response to questions. They try hard to live up to the expectations set and usually meet them.  Students are proud of the school’s achievements. They show the glass jewellery they make for sale in the local cultural centre and how everyone contributes to these activities which raise funds.  Staff greet students on arrival and relationships are warm. Students say of the teachers that they ‘give you their time.’ Older students look after younger students very well and all students feel included.  Bullying is rare and dealt with very effectively. Pupils say any issues are sorted out ‘just like that’ as they click their fingers.  Procedures to safeguard the welfare of pupils are thorough and students say they feel very safe and secure. They compare this with the insecurities they often felt in previous schools and

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

parents agree. They feel safe because they are very well prepared to look after themselves. When using computers they say to themselves that they must ‘think before they click’.  An increasing number of students learn to travel to school independently using a number of buses or they work towards the Cycling Proficiency level.  The recent introduction of ‘Vivo miles’ as rewards has had a good impact on consistently good and often outstanding behaviour.  Occasionally, a student’s behaviour means that they are not allowed to attend school for a very short time. Plans made to support students when this happens are effective. However, any students missing school have a small but negative impact on attendance.  The plans the school has made have had a good impact on the attendance of individual students and as a result some students have shown remarkable improvements. This means that overall attendance has improved well since the last inspection and the school is aware that this needs to

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The partnership between the headteacher and deputy headteacher is very effective. They are highly committed to school improvement and the achievement of the students. They are very ably supported by two senior teachers. Leadership of English and mathematics and other subjects is strong and contributes to students’ exceptional progress.  The school makes good use of the nationally published information showing the progress of students with a similar starting point and comparing it with the students in the school.  The full staff team is very welcoming. Staff say they love working at the school and are proud to be a member of the staff there. They ensure that additional funds, such as the pupil premium, are used to good effect by ensuring extra staff support those students.  The school has an accurate view of its own performance. Plans made are very effective because everyone contributes to them and they reflect the clear vision of the governing body.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The plans made for students as they progress through school are at exactly the right level and usefulness. They are well organised and capitalise exceptionally well on an increasing number of learning experiences out in the community and in partner businesses and colleges. They are enriched by many after-school activities, residentials, visits and visitors.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding because the range of experiences provided for the students enables them to think deeply about what they are doing at any one time. During the inspection a group of staff and students visited the town in France with the same name to take part in the Christmas market.  The local authority recognises the outstanding work done by the school. It supports the school well through an adviser who knows the school well. She works with the governing body to ensure that arrangements to improve the performance of staff have a good impact on school

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The leadership and management are outstanding

improvement.  The leadership of teaching and staff performance is highly effective. Procedures to check the quality of teaching and coach new teachers are extensive and thorough. They enable leaders to provide detailed and helpful feedback to help teachers improve their practice and there is a good link between teachers’ performance and pay.  Supporting parents and including them in the life of the school are seen as priorities and there are many activities in place to involve them as well as drop-in opportunities to answer any queries parents may have, for example about work experience.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has a good knowledge of what is happening in school and knows that this is an outstanding school because its members ask probing questions about how and why the school continues to improve. They make suggestions particularly about how the Co-operative Trust status can contribute to this. They manage the budget effectively and are clear about

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The leadership and management are outstanding

how the pupil premium is being spent. They can identify the positive effect that this is having on those students who are eligible for these additional funds. They are fully involved in arrangements to improve the performance of staff and know about the quality of teaching. The Chair of the Governing Body particularly ensures the management of the performance of the headteacher has an exceptional impact on school improvement.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 108741 Local authority South Tyneside Inspection number 403783

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Special School category Foundation special Age range of pupils 5–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 108 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrew Donkin Headteacher Hilary Harrison Date of previous school inspection 16 March 2010 Telephone number 0191 489 8949 Fax number – Email address sstephenson5@epinay.org guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

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 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

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School details

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’.

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School details

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

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