Brompton Hall School

Brompton Hall School High Street, Brompton-by-Sawdon, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO13 9DB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Overall effectiveness of the residential experience Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The majority of pupils make good progress in subjects, particularly in English and mathematics. Some make outstanding progress.  The majority of teaching is good and occasionally outstanding.  Excellent relationships between staff and pupils and effective teamwork by all staff are helping pupils to learn confidently.  Marking, advice and feedback to pupils are good.  Consistent approaches are helping pupils learn to manage their behaviour.  Pupils enjoy the boarding experience. They make outstanding progress to develop their social skills.  The headteacher is driving improvements in teaching. Training and support have proved effective.  The school meets the national minimum standards for residential special schools. Strengths in care and support have been maintained since the last inspection.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching in a small number of lessons requires improvement and pupils’ progress slows.  Irregular attendance of a small number of pupils is a barrier to improving their learning and achievement.  Data and information are not used precisely enough to inform school evaluation or to help governors ensure that additional funding is narrowing gaps in the performance of groups of pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 This was an integrated inspection with two social care inspectors who judged the quality of the school’s residential provision. Joint working arrangements took place throughout the inspection between the two teams and the school staff. The findings of the residential inspection are included in this report.  Inspectors observed 10 lessons, including one jointly observed with the headteacher. Short visits were made to three additional lessons.  Discussions were held with senior leaders, teachers with responsibilities for areas of the school’s work, pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. The views of staff were noted in meetings and in 30 responses to questionnaires they returned.  Two responses were made to the online parent questionnaire (Parent View). Consequently, because of the small number of responses, the results were not available to the inspection team.

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Information about this inspection

The inspection took account of parent surveys previously carried out by the school.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation including information about pupils’ achievement and attendance, how the quality of teaching was assessed by leaders, policies and procedures for safeguarding and the school’s self-evaluation.

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Inspection team

Gina White, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Pauline Pitman Additional Inspector Malcolm Stannard Social Care Inspector Lynne Busby Social Care Inspector

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Information about this school

 Brompton Hall has planned places for 60 boys who have a statement of special educational needs because of severe behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. Some students also have additional needs such as autistic spectrum disorders or visual impairment.  The school provides day, extended day and weekly residential boarding places. Around 70% of students board at the school.  Students come from all over the local authority and surrounding authorities. Students attending are mainly of White British heritage and a few are from a range of ethnic groups. All students speak English as their first language.  Over half of students are supported through the pupil premium, which is additional government funding, and this is above the national average.  The school makes alternative provision for all Year 11 students to attend work placements for one day a week and one student attends a course at York College of further education each

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Information about this school

week.  The school has been without a deputy headteacher for two years and an assistant headteacher for over one term. Three out of the 10 teaching staff are temporary and two joined the school in the last two terms.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is outstanding by:  making sure lesson plans have a consistent focus on what students are expected to learn and that tasks are well pitched to challenge each student.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management so that it is outstanding by:  using data and information better to evaluate and inform the impact that decisions taken across the school are having on the performance and attendance of groups of students  ensuring that governors are better informed about the impact the pupil premium funding is having in order to close gaps in the attainment and progress of children in care and those who are eligible for free school meals  implementing curriculum plans to ensure students continue to be taught English and mathematics in Year 11 to raise their attainment  improving attendance for all students, and especially for day students and those in the latter years of schooling.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Boys’ attainment on entry to the school is below, and often significantly below, that expected for their age due to their complex needs and disruptions to their earlier education. From these starting points, the vast majority of pupils make good progress in subjects, particularly in English and mathematics, to narrow the gaps. Some make outstanding progress.  Pupils’ learning needs are rigorously assessed within a short period of arriving at the school. Additional and intensive support in lessons is targeted effectively. This work is reinforced by the care team and pupils make fast progress in English and mathematics to achieve their learning targets.  Pupils make significant steps forward in reading and writing, for example, learning to sound out and spell tricky words. They take pride in learning to read independently and all pupils become regular readers.  Pupils rapidly learn some aspects of mathematics such as understanding concepts of shape and

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The achievement of pupils is good

space. They are learning to recall basic number facts very well, including multiplication tables, to improve and develop calculation skills.  Early entry in English and mathematics in Year 10 ensures that when pupils leave school a year later they do so with a range of qualifications, including, where appropriate, GCSEs. Formal teaching in both subjects does not continue into their final year of schooling for most pupils and attainment in English and mathematics remains below the national average.  Pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are in the care of the local authority make good progress in English and mathematics. However, they are not closing the gaps to their peers in the school who make faster progress overall.  Pupils in Year 11 are making good progress in work placements, and in the vocational college course, to prepare for the world of work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 A supportive and friendly atmosphere in lessons encourages pupils to learn well. Boys say, ‘Staff are mint! You hardly ever see them without a smile on their face.’ However, boys also understood when they had not met the high expectations teachers had of them. Pupils confidently ask questions and staff are skilled in building upon their responses to maintain and deepen the pupils’ interest.  The majority of teaching is good and occasionally outstanding. Teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants is effective and group work and individual support are used well to promote pupils’ learning. Lessons proceed at a good pace and interesting activities are well planned to deepen and engage pupils in learning and build skills.  Occasionally, planning is not matched precisely enough to pupils’ needs to quicken their progress. Sometimes targets are about what boys will do and cover rather than what they will

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The quality of teaching is good

learn.  Teaching in English and mathematics lessons is particularly effective. Lessons in other subjects often reinforce these skills; for example, Year 11 pupils searched text to identify facts and explained the relevance of them to maintaining good health.  Good resources for teaching are used effectively to support pupils’ learning. Artefacts, music and scented oils were combined to great effect to promote the pupils’ understanding of Hindu worship. A well-chosen video supported Year 11 pupils’ discussion in a personal, social and health education lesson, enabling pupils to reflect and question their attitudes and behaviour in different situations.  Boys are developing confidence as learners and their successes are rewarded and celebrated. Work is consistently marked and pupils receive regular feedback about their learning and where they can improve further. High-quality verbal feedback to pupils is common across many lessons

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The quality of teaching is good

and subjects.  Good practices, particularly in mathematics and English, are beginning to encourage pupils to take more ownership of their learning, to know their targets and to understand the level they are working at.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Boys work hard and are developing good attitudes to learning. They listen well in lessons to staff and one another. Consistent behaviour management ensures boys understand what is expected of them in different situations. Behaviour in lessons and around the school at break and mealtimes is typically very good.  Pupils are learning to work effectively together, for example in games and activities. They are developing a sense of responsibility: many represent their school in sporting fixtures with other schools. They feel listened to and their formal and informal views are collected and acted upon to improve the school. Boys are proud of the difference they have made, particularly to school meals.  Pupils say they feel safe while at school and are confident in talking to staff if they have concerns. They know about different forms of bullying, including cyber bullying, and are taught the principles of how to stay safe.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school effectively supports boys who are angry and unsettled. This has a good impact and the school ensures that no student is excluded. One boy said, ‘I used to go into the isolation room quite a lot, but now I am motivated to learn and I am learning to manage my behaviour.’  Attendance for most students significantly improves when they start at the school and they value the impact this has on their education. However, a small but significant number of students do not maintain high attendance when they cease to board. Some students, mainly in the final years of schooling, are reluctant to attend each day. Consequently, attendance is below the national average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is resilient, hard-working and committed to achieving the best for the boys. Staff share this aspiration. The school’s strengths in care and support have been maintained since the last inspection.  New staff, subject leaders, and those in the leadership team know their responsibilities in supporting whole-school development. They have appropriate plans in place to promote further improvement.  Teaching is improving in response to a strengthened focus on learning that runs across the school. This is in spite of much change to staffing at senior leadership level and in classrooms. Training, and time for teachers and teaching assistants to plan together, are helping to strengthen and develop teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning.  Regular checks by the headteacher, together with good systems for training staff, and targets that link to school improvement are helping to bring about changes. Firm links exist between the

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The leadership and management are good

quality of teachers’ performance and their pay.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well supported and promoted. For example, extensive activities in the curriculum are developing pupils’ awareness of what it means to be a good citizen.  Leaders ensure the curriculum is broad and good provision is made for boys’ personal development. Staff adapt activities sensitively to include all pupils: for example, when making gifts for those who care for them for the forthcoming Mothering Sunday celebrations. However, early entry to examinations in English and mathematics, combined with decisions to end discrete teaching of both subjects, are not helping Year 11 pupils to continue to close gaps in their performance. School leaders are beginning to re-think decisions but have been slow to evaluate the impact they are having.  The school fosters good links with parents and carers. Their involvement in regular reviews of

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The leadership and management are good

their children’s progress is well supported. The school’s surveys of parents’ views show that parents and carers are supportive of the school’s work and the difference it makes to their children’s behaviour.  Local authority advice and support are valued by the headteacher and governors. Guidance on recruitment and recent literacy training for staff are usefully supporting school improvement.  The governance of the school:  Governors meet their responsibilities particularly in safeguarding and care for pupils: high levels of supervision and regular checks ensure pupils stay safe at school and in the various work placements they attend.  Governors understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school, including the quality of teaching, as a result of regular updates and reports. External scrutiny and advice enable them to set targets for the headteacher and manage his performance effectively.  Challenge and support for self-evaluation are developing. Governors recognise there is more

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The leadership and management are good

to do in using data and information better, particularly to understand the impact the school has on pupil groups. Plans for further training are in hand.  The school chooses to use the pupil premium funding to support a wide range of curriculum enrichment activities for all, not just for the boys who are eligible for the funding. Current systems do not provide governors with the detailed information they need to check rigorously the impact such decisions have on pupils’ performance.

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is good

 Residential pupils form excellent relationships and encourage and support one another. Interactions between staff and pupils are respectful and pupils make outstanding progress in social skills. They learn how to overcome difficulties, develop a strong sense of values and grow in confidence.  Boarders enjoy their experience and are able to participate in high-quality stimulating and enriching activities. These opportunities enable them to interact with groups in the local community and support charity events.  Pupils genuinely feel that through the opportunities for them to express their views, they are able to make a difference and contribute significantly to developing their school.  Staff provide good support and pastoral care for boarders. Academic and care staff work closely and cooperatively together. A number of staff stated that this current relationship was the best ever.  Placement plans are detailed and highly individual. Targets set for social development and the

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is good

work required are regularly reviewed. Good arrangements are in place for partnership working with external agencies. Plans clearly identify risks and protective factors for pupils.  High priority is given to ensure the safety of boarders. Good arrangements for child protection and anti-bullying are in place. Staff receive appropriate training in safeguarding. Pupils benefit from highly effective healthcare arrangements, including support from external services. Pupils’ welfare is protected by these practices and pupils confirm they feel very safe. One pupil stated, ‘They ask us if we are alright, even if there’s nothing wrong.’  An effective incentive scheme operates. This forms part of a consistently implemented positive and proactive behaviour strategy where use of restraint and sanctions are minimal. Staff confidently divert and diffuse negative behaviour.  Extremely good behaviour is displayed by residential pupils and there are low numbers of

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is good

recorded incidents occurring within the boarding facilities.  Leadership and management of the residential provision are strong. Staff receive good support and training opportunities and consistent formal supervision is undertaken. Annual performance reviews for all staff have recently been introduced. All recommendations made at the last inspection have been attended to, with some good progress made.  Increased monitoring and evaluation of practice are undertaken. Data collected from these processes are not yet used systematically to inform future practice. Regular monitoring visits are undertaken on behalf of the governing body.

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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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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding A school which provides an exceptional quality of care and significantly exceeds minimum requirements. Grade 2 Good A school which provides a high quality of care that exceeds minimum requirements. Grade 3 Adequate A school which meets minimum requirements but needs to improve the quality of care it provides. Grade 4 Inadequate A school where minimum requirements are not met and the quality of care has serious weaknesses.

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School details

Unique reference number 121764 Social care unique reference number SC007923 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 402048

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection of residential provision was carried out under the Children Act 1989, as amended by the Care Standards Act 2000, having regard to the national minimum standards for residential special schools.

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School details

Type of school Special School category Community special Age range of pupils 8–16 Gender of pupils Boys Number of pupils on the school roll 57 Number of boarders on roll 39 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair B Honeysett Headteacher M Mihkelson Date of previous school inspection 30 November 2009 Telephone number 01723 859121 Fax number 01723 850239 Email address markmihkelson@lineone.net 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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