Progress Arc Billinge School

School report Nugent House School Carr Mill Road, Billinge, Wigan, Lancashire, WN5 7TT

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Overall effectiveness Good 2

Pupils’ achievement Good 2 Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Quality of curriculum Good 2 Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This school is good because

 The school is well led and managed. Close monitoring of the quality of teaching has ensured that teaching is of a high standard and achievement is good. The Principal is very determined in the pursuit of excellence, and along with a dedicated senior management team strives to improve the school further.  Teachers use their good subject knowledge to make lessons interesting and ensure that students achieve well.  Provision for spiritual, moral social and cultural development ensures that students engage effectively in learning and behave well. Students’ attendance and behaviour have improved since the last inspection.  The strong, well-balanced curriculum ensures that students’ needs are met closely.  Good provision for welfare, health and safety ensures that students’ well-being is promoted effectively.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Systems for observing teaching and sharing the good practice found are not yet fully implemented.  The quality of teachers’ planning across the school is not yet good enough to enable students to achieve outstandingly well.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 The school meets schedule 1 of The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) Regulations 2010, as amended by The Education (Independent School Standards) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2012 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out with half a day’s notice.  The inspector observed 10 lessons taught by 10 teachers.  The inspector scrutinised students’ work and held meetings with senior leaders and managers, staff and students.  The inspector checked the school’s documentation including policies, schemes of work, teachers’ planning, students’ progress records and safeguarding procedures. The inspector considered the school’s compliance with the regulations for independent schools. The inspector took account of the views expressed in 30 questionnaires returned by students, 38 from staff, eight from local authorities and a small number from parents and carers.

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Inspection team

Saleem Hussain, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Nugent House School is situated in a village near Wigan. This small school opened in 1983 and is part of the Nugent Care organisation. The school provides residential and day provision for boys aged between seven and 19 years who have mainly severe behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.  All students have a statement of special educational needs. The majority have a history of interrupted schooling and poor attendance at their former schools. The boys come mainly from the north of England, although some are from further afield, and all have been placed by their respective local authority. Around half of the students are looked after by a local authority.  Currently, there are 59 students on roll including a small number who are older than 16 years of age. A small number of older students attend off-site courses run by local colleges and training organisations.  The school aims ‘to create a secure, orderly and caring community in which students are able

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Information about this school

to achieve both academically and personally, whilst developing respect and concern for others’.  The school received its last inspection of education in November 2009.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the overall effectiveness of the school by:  fully implementing plans for lesson observations to identify outstanding teaching practice and ensuring that this best practice is spread across the school through further training  ensuring that teachers improve the quality of their planning by clearly stating the expected learning outcomes for lessons so students can achieve outstandingly well.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Students’ achievement is good because of good teaching. Students make good progress overall in all key areas of learning taking account of their different starting points. Students achieve equally well, regardless of their age, ability, special educational needs or other characteristics. Records also provide evidence that students attending alternative provision achieve well. Students make good progress over time and acquire knowledge and understanding effectively in different subjects. Sometimes, students make progress in small steps but this is because of the severity of their special educational needs. Students develop and apply a range of key skills well, including in literacy and information and communication technology (ICT). They also develop key skills well in mathematics over time, but not as quickly as in literacy and ICT. Teachers take many opportunities to develop students’ skills in literacy and ICT in different lessons and subjects. For example, a food

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Pupils’ achievement Good

technology lesson included a number of very good opportunities to develop students’ speaking, listening and spelling skills. Students’ art work shows that a good number of students achieve well in this subject. All school leavers in the last academic year gained several external accreditations by the time they left school. This included success at GCSE, Entry Level, functional skills and preparation for working life. All of these factors prepare students well for the next stage in their education.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

Students’ behaviour and personal development are good. This makes a significant contribution to their good learning in lessons and to the school’s ethos. The school is a calm and orderly community. New students develop good attitudes and quickly settle into learning routines because the school rules regarding behaviour, conduct and hard work are promoted effectively through the rewards system. Students also develop good levels of perseverance and concentration. They form constructive and cooperative relationships with their peers. For example, in a physical education lesson in the school’s sports hall, they each developed very good badminton skills and offered each other useful advice on how to improve. Students learn to manage their emotions and anger issues effectively because of the school’s very good guidance and support. Incidents of poor behaviour are reducing significantly over time. The school is aware of a small number of students who

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

occasionally try to disrupt lessons and is working positively with them to make improvements in their behaviour. Students have a good awareness of different forms of bullying. Bullying is rare and students feel safe at school. Students adopt safe practices well as they learn. For example, in practical lessons they use protective clothing and learning resources sensibly. Attendance and punctuality are good. Many students have improved their attendance markedly, when compared to rates of attendance at their former schools and this makes a significant contribution to their learning.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

Provision for students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE) lessons, assemblies, educational visits, interactions with visitors and religious education make a strong contribution to their personal development. The school’s work to raise students’ self-esteem and confidence is very strong. This is a key factor and reason for students’ good academic achievement and personal development. As a result of their increased self-belief, students quickly realise that they have much potential as learners and engage well in learning opportunities. Students develop a clear sense of right and wrong through considering moral issues and dilemmas. For example, in discussions with students about wearing religious clothing, they gave well-argued points of view about the importance of respecting the faith, values and traditions of different people in multicultural Britain. Students develop good social

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

skills through the many opportunities provided for them including the school council which meets regularly with staff regarding school improvements. Students make a good contribution to the wider community. For example, they take part in voluntary activities and are very keen to raise funds for charities and good causes. The school provides students with a broad general knowledge of public institutions and services in the community. For example, students learn about the monarchy, parliament and democracy. Provision for cultural development is good. The school helps students to develop a strong appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures.

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Quality of teaching Good

Teaching is good. Consequently, most students and groups, including looked after students and the oldest students achieve well over time. Teachers have high expectations for students to do well. Teachers present the work in lessons in an interesting and appealing way using resources such as electronic whiteboards effectively to support learning. Teachers’ explanations about the work are clear and easily understood by students. The pace of work is good. Teachers and their assistants work very hard in lessons to ensure that students produce a good amount of work. Reading, writing, communication and mathematics are taught effectively. Teachers question and prompt students well. This ensures that students work hard and learn to think for themselves. Any disruptive behaviour is managed effectively. These factors ensure that students are engaged well in learning. Much of the teaching observed during the inspection was outstanding. This marks very

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Quality of teaching Good

recent improvement. However, although teachers’ lesson planning is at least adequate, the expected learning outcomes in the planning are not always clearly stated and shared with the students. Consequently, students are not achieving outstandingly well over time because students are unclear about what is expected of them. Teachers assess students’ learning and progress regularly and frequently. This enables the school to accurately evaluate performance over time. Targeted interventions are effective. For example, students are withdrawn from the main class to work in small groups or in one-to-one sessions with a member of staff, particularly to develop their basic skills in literacy and ICT.

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Quality of curriculum Good

The curriculum and other activities are good and enable students to learn and achieve well. The curriculum is broad, well balanced and meets students’ interests and needs closely. There are many opportunities for all students to make good progress, particularly in developing their reading and writing, communication and ICT skills. Students like the school’s approach of teaching these basic skills across the curriculum in different lessons. Senior managers are therefore developing plans to take the same approach with mathematics. Schemes of work for all areas of learning are detailed and implemented effectively. The school provides a good range of accreditation opportunities for all groups of students including the most able. Good arrangements are in place for students to gain valuable work-related experiences. For example, opportunities include plumbing, car mechanics, animal care and work in the leisure industry. Good provision for PSHCE

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Quality of curriculum Good

supports personal development effectively. For example, in an assembly about healthy eating, students learnt much about nutritional values as they considered the choices available for school communities in Uganda contrasted against their own. Students enjoy participating in educational visits and after-school activities including those provided through the residential setting. For example, trips have included those to Jodrell Bank, Styal Mill and to listen to the Liverpool Philharmonic orchestra.

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good

Provision for students’ welfare, health and safety is good and ensures that all regulations for this standard are met. Staff work tirelessly in these regards and are highly committed to promoting students’ well-being. Procedures for safeguarding meet requirements. All staff are well trained in child protection including designated officers. Procedures for refresher training are good. The school’s arrangements for staff recruitment are of a high standard. All the required checks are undertaken and are recorded, as required, on a single central register. Health and safety risk assessments are undertaken regularly and this ensures that potential hazards to students’ safety in school or on trips are identified and managed well. Fire risk assessments are effective; fire drills are carried out regularly and fire-fighting equipment is checked at appropriate intervals. The school has a clear first aid policy and a good number of qualified first aiders. Supervision in school is

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good

good. There is an effective anti-bullying policy in place. The school deals with instances of bullying quickly and sensitively. Arrangements to promote good behaviour ensure that there is a calm environment for learning. Students are well motivated by the points system of rewards for good behaviour, attendance and achievement. They value and enjoy the treats which they can earn. Students develop healthy lifestyles and safe practices through the school’s strong provision for PSHCE. Day-to-day care and guidance is good. Many therapists and specialists work closely with education staff to support students, including educational psychologists, speech, language and play therapists. The school works well with parents, carers and other agencies to ensure that students are kept safe. Students, including boarders, report that they feel safe.

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Leadership and management Good

Leadership and management are good. The effectiveness of leadership and management can be seen in the high quality of provision and good outcomes including for achievement. The Principal’s systematic and passionate pursuit of improvement is highly valued by his senior management team. The school has made some significant improvements since the last inspection including in the areas of attendance and behaviour. Self-evaluation is very good. It is honest, penetrating and insightful. This provides a secure basis for further improvement and matches inspection findings. The leadership of teaching is good. The senior management team has robustly communicated its high expectations and ambition to everyone. The arrangements for monitoring the quality of teaching have resulted in consistently good achievement. The school recognises that leaders and managers are not yet fully effective because there is still some way to go before teaching is

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Leadership and management Good

outstanding. More lesson observations are planned to identify outstanding teaching practice and to then spread this across the school through further training. The company’s education director monitors the performance of the school closely and challenges senior managers appropriately. Detailed policies ensure that students make good progress in literacy and numeracy from low starting points. Leaders and managers actively monitor the effectiveness of the curriculum and ensure that students achieve well and become responsible young people who can play a valuable role in the community. Provision for students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective. The school works in close partnership with parents, carers and others to ensure that students receive a good education. Human and physical resources are well deployed to support learning.

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Leadership and management Good

The school’s premises and accommodation are very well maintained. The school meets all of the requirements regarding the provision of information and the complaints procedures. The proprietors have ensured that all of the independent school standards are met.

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Grade Judgement Description

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

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School details

Unique reference number 104839 Inspection number 397755 DfE registration number 342/6004 This inspection was carried out under section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as amended by schedule 8 of the Education Act 2005, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school. Type of school Special school for students with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties School status Independent residential special school Age range of pupils 7–19 Gender of pupils Boys Number of pupils on the school roll 59 Number of part time pupils 0 Proprietor Nugent Care Chair Kathleen Pitt Headteacher John Gilfillan Date of previous school inspection 17 November 2009 Annual fees (day pupils) £63,036 Telephone number 01744 892551 Fax number 01744 895697 Email address nugent.house@nugentcare.org guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If

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School details

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School details

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School details

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School details

inspects to 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,

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School details

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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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