Sheffield Inclusion Centre

School report Sheffield Inclusion Centre Spring Lane, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S2 2JQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Inadequate 4 Achievement of pupils Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching Inadequate 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils Inadequate 4 Leadership and management Inadequate 4

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires special measures.  Teaching is inadequate because until very recently, teachers and support staff have not received adequate training, especially in English and mathematics. Many of the teachers are teaching age groups and subjects for which they are not trained.  As a result, pupils’ achievement is inadequate and varies too much from site to site. Pupils make too little progress especially in English and mathematics at Spring Lane and on the site which provides educational provision for teenage mothers.  Pupils’ achievement and teaching at the primary unit require improvement.  Behaviour and safety are inadequate. This is because adults do not manage behaviour well enough, particularly at Spring Lane and the primary unit.  Attendance is exceptionally low.  Many pupils have not learned how to keep themselves safe. At Spring Lane some admit to taking risks with their personal safety.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leadership and management are inadequate because until the arrival of the new headteacher, many of the required policies were not in place. Until recently, self- evaluation was inaccurate so the previous management committee did not have a grasp of the centre’s performance. Weaknesses have not yet been overcome.  The range of subjects taught is inadequate. Some pupils are not taught the full range of subjects to which they are entitled.  Though the headteacher has done considerable work, the new ways of working have yet to halt the centre’s decline.  There are considerable weaknesses in the work undertaken by some middle managers. As a result, the centre’s capacity to improve is weak.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new headteacher has made a tremendous improvement to staff morale.  Pupils’ good progress at The Lodge allows them to stay in their local school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 20 lessons or parts of lessons, taught by 18 teachers or support assistants. Five of the lessons were observed jointly with senior leaders.  All sites were inspected.  The inspectors looked at the work in pupils’ books.  Discussions were held with pupils, representatives of the management committee, staff, including senior and middle managers, and representatives of the local authority.  The inspectors took into account the opinions of parents who asked to speak with them. There was one response to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). As this could not be viewed, it was not taken into account.  The inspectors looked at a range of evidence including the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents concerning safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Katharine Halifax, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jane Alexander Additional Inspector Kathleen Yates Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this school

 The centre is an authority-wide provision which opened in October 2011 as the result of the amalgamation of a number of local authority services.  It caters for pupils in Key Stages 1 to 4 who have a range of learning needs.  The centre is based at Spring Lane. This site is for Key Stage 3 and 4 pupils and accounts for the large majority of the centre’s provision. At the time of the inspection, 41 pupils were in Key Stage 3, and 138 in Key Stage 4; many of whom have been permanently excluded from the city’s secondary schools. All have emotional and behavioural needs, with many having associated learning difficulties.  No pupils are entered early for GCSE examinations.  The primary unit is located 10 minutes drive from Spring Lane. It caters for 25 pupils from Key Stages 1 and 2 who have emotional and behavioural needs some of whom have identified mental health issues.  The Home and Hospital Education Team currently caters for 65 pupils. A total of 19 are in-

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Information about this school

patients at the children’s hospital and several have terminal or life-limiting conditions. A further ten are teenage mothers, most of whom attend a ‘girls’ group’ one day a week at a site a few minutes drive from Spring Lane. All are offered education at home.  Preventative work is being undertaken with 10 pupils at Silverdale School through The Lodge project. Here, pupils stay on site at the school while they undertake intensive work with centre staff to improve their behaviour and attainment.  Some pupils spend time at alternative provision, a system whereby they are educated off-site in a large number of placements including farms, dance workshops, colleges and vocational placements.  All pupils have an identified disability or special educational need and are supported at the school action plus level (this means they need additional help with their learning).  The proportion of pupils for whom the centre receives the pupil premium varies considerably

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Information about this school

from year to year but is well above average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children that are looked after.  A large proportion of pupils are of White British heritage.  The centre has gone through a number of changes since opening. A permanent headteacher took up post at the start of the school year. The deputy headteacher and an assistant headteacher began working 10 weeks ago. A permanent assistant headteacher for the primary unit is due to commence employment at the start of the summer term.  A significant number of lessons are taught by unqualified teachers.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to good or better, particularly at the primary unit, at Spring Lane and for teenage mothers by:  matching teachers to the age group and subjects for which they have been trained, particularly in English and mathematics  providing appropriate training for non-qualified staff who are working as teachers  making sure all adults manage pupils’ behaviour appropriately and in line with the centre’s policy  making sure that all lessons are well planned so they are not too easy nor too difficult for the individual pupils  ensuring that adults have a good understanding of the National Curriculum levels, and that they are accurate in their assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all pupils make at least good progress in order to raise attainment and improve their achievement by:  improving attendance through the consistent use of the policies and systems agreed by senior leaders  making certain that pupils are taught all the subjects they are entitled to and that the curriculum is carefully matched to their individual needs, age and interests  providing more opportunities for pupils to improve their literacy and numeracy skills in subjects such as science and the humanities  working with pupils to set targets for literacy and numeracy so they understand how they will make progress and improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that leadership and management of the centre are highly effective by:  making sure that all the required and recommended policies are in place, are understood by staff and are firmly embedded in their classroom practice  making certain that leaders check carefully on the quality of teaching and the curriculum in all parts of the centre’s work  building on the recently introduced system for checking pupils’ progress so they achieve equally well regardless of gender, background, disability or special educational needs  making certain that the management committee fulfils its role of checking and questioning what is happening in all parts of the centre  making sure that some of the longer established leaders and middle managers fully understand their responsibilities and improve their performance.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Pupils’ achievement is inadequate in the important subjects of English and mathematics on the Spring Lane site and in need of improvement at the primary site. This is because teaching is weak and the programmes studied are not matched to pupils’ abilities. In addition, pupils have too few opportunities to develop their skills in literacy and numeracy in subjects such as science and humanities. This is the same for all students on these sites, regardless of disability, special educational needs, gender or background.  Another reason why pupils’ achievement is inadequate is because of their poor attendance. Less than two thirds of pupils attained their expected grades at GCSE because they had, for example, missed over half their lessons. Of the pupils who gained their expected grade, many were educated in the hospital or at home.  Leaders know which pupils should be supported by the pupil premium, but until the start of this

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

school year the funding had not been used to help raise achievement. Currently, pupils’ progress and achievement is dependent on the site where they are educated, and the quality of their class teacher, rather than the use of specific pupil premium funding.  Pupils at the primary unit make good progress in reading. However, pupils at Spring Lane do not have enough opportunity to read, and those who find reading difficult are not given help to improve or to recognise new vocabulary. As a consequence, their progress in reading is too slow, and they find many of the worksheets they are presented with too difficult to be of any use.  Conversely, good teaching at The Lodge is particularly effective in improving pupils’ literacy skills. This has been successful in raising their reading ages sufficiently to allow them to return to their mainstream classes and be able to take a full part in all subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

 Pupils educated in hospital and at home make good progress and achieve well because they are determined to do well. The progress and achievement of pupils in the ‘Girls’ Group’, which includes teenage mothers, is good in their understanding of child development, but it is inadequate in English and mathematics because they do not spend enough time on these subjects.  Over the past two terms, the centre has been successful in returning pupils to mainstream or more appropriate education. Ten pupils were successfully returned within a term, while 15 pupils who have been at the centre for over two years are now in a permanent setting.  Achievement at Spring Lane is good in art and in design and technology. This is because of good teaching and activities that inspire pupils and that are matched to their age, interest and ability.  Older pupils attending alternative provision make good progress because they are interested in

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The achievement of pupils is inadequate

what is on offer and their attendance is good.  Since the centre opened, too few Year 11 leavers have moved on to further education, training or employment. Of those who have left and gone on to various placements, a higher proportion than would be expected has dropped out.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 A high proportion of the teaching seen on the Spring Lane site was inadequate, and too much required improvement at the primary unit. This was by both qualified and unqualified teachers. The effect of continuous weak teaching is clearly evident in the limited progress in pupils’ books, and in their attitude to learning. Staff say that, until the arrival of the new headteacher, they have not had suitable training to help them deal with the pupils in their charge, or for the subjects they are expected to teach.  Too many staff are teaching subjects and age groups they are not trained for, such as primary trained teachers teaching GCSE English. This means many are not confident and provide work that is either too easy or too difficult which frustrates pupils, causes confrontation, and slows their progress.  While adults working with the teenage mothers’ group have a good understanding of childcare,

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

opportunities for the girls to improve their literacy, numeracy and communication skills are often missed.  At Spring Lane, teachers attempt to plan and provide for students across five different year groups in the same class. In addition, the ability range in each group is wide, ranging from pupils who are still working at a very low level to those who are capable of attaining GCSE A* to C grades. While some teachers plan their lessons successfully, the majority find this difficult so that work does not match pupils’ age, ability or interest. This means many pupils do not make as much progress as they should.  Learning in many lessons is affected by poor behaviour management both at the primary unit and at Spring Lane. Adults are often too lenient. They do not follow centre policy by ignoring inappropriate language and not taking the agreed action when students become verbally abusive, aggressive, or violent.

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

 Assessment by teachers at Spring Lane and the tracking of pupils’ progress is poor and inaccurate. Work in books shows many adults do not know the National Curriculum levels and that they do not understand how much progress pupils should make each term. Very few targets have been set to aid progress, and where these are in place they are often unrealistic; for example, expecting pupils to make three years’ worth of progress in one academic year.  Pupils have too few opportunities to read, to record their work, or to write at length. Far too much use is made of worksheets requiring just one word answers. Work is rarely marked and, on the occasions this is done, it seldom indicates how pupils might achieve the next stage of their learning.  Some good teaching was observed at the primary unit, at Spring Lane, and consistently so in the hospital. In these lessons, teachers were clear about the knowledge and skills each pupil would

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The quality of teaching is inadequate

acquire in the lesson. In addition, lessons were conducted at a good pace with a variety of activities to maintain pupils’ interest, and pupils’ behaviour was managed well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

 At 43%, pupils’ attendance is very low and the rate of persistent absenteeism is exceptionally high. Pupils say they stay away because they are bored and do not find much of the work interesting. Too little has been done until recently to ensure pupils’ attendance improves, particularly at Spring Lane.  For much of the time behaviour in lessons and around the building is inadequate at Spring Lane. Too many pupils have little regard for others; they burst into classrooms, use inappropriate language and disrupt learning. Bullying and verbal and physical assaults are evident in lessons, during lunch and at break times. While some adults deal with this well, others ignore it.  Pupils in hospital and young mothers have a heightened awareness of keeping safe. However, many pupils at Spring Lane take risks. A significant number are known users of drugs and alcohol. Though personal, social and health education lessons focus on the effects of substance

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

misuse, the programme is inadequate because many pupils choose to ignore the evidence and advice. Equally, through the lessons, pupils are aware of the different forms of bullying and its impact, but many pupils persist in showing disregard for others.  There are many weaknesses in pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. While pupils know the difference between right and wrong, too many disregard the effect of their actions on others.  Pupils in hospital, those at The Lodge, and those who are educated at home have a good attitude to their work and are very well behaved. This is also the case where teaching is good on the other sites, particularly in art, and in design and technology at Spring Lane. In these areas, pupils enjoy learning and are proud of the volume and quality of work they have produced.  Pupils in the hospital show concern for each other and support each other well through the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are inadequate

harrowing treatments they endure. Similarly, teenage mothers look out for each other and display considerable maturity as they discuss, for example, the problems they encountered with weaning, or obtaining housing benefits.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Upon appointment the headteacher and senior leaders recognised they ‘had a mountain to climb’. Immediately, the headteacher set about drawing together and compiling all the required policies and training to ensure the safeguarding of pupils and to protect those whose circumstances mean they are potentially vulnerable. This included checking on the numerous premises where pupils go for alternative provision. All these arrangements now meet statutory safeguarding and child protection requirements. Although leaders have taken action, this has failed to have the necessary impact on improving outcomes for all pupils.  The centre has not improved quickly enough. Teaching is not good enough. While staff are aware of the policies and systems, staff, particularly at Spring Lane, are not stepping up to the mark. They are not following the agreed procedures consistently, for example, in managing pupils’ behaviour, in planning lessons and in teaching literacy and numeracy. The curriculum still

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The leadership and management are inadequate

does not meet the needs of the pupils, nor ensure equality of opportunity. This means too many pupils, particularly at Spring Lane, underachieve.  Improvement is also hampered by the inability of some longer-established leaders and middle managers to improve their performance. They are not fully clear about their responsibilities or about what to look for when observing pupils’ learning in lessons and in their books.  Following observations of teachers’ classroom practice, a programme of professional training has been drawn up to bridge the considerable gaps in teachers’ knowledge of National Curriculum subjects, and their understanding of what constitutes good teaching. The first round of meetings to assess teachers’ performance in the classroom and to set targets for improvement has been completed and is to be used to determine teachers’ pay progression.  The curriculum is inadequate. Teachers were previously allowed to compile their own timetable

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The leadership and management are inadequate

with the result that many only taught the subjects they liked. Leaders have devised a curriculum that meets requirements, is imaginative, and designed to meet individual needs. However, because of the examination schedule this will not be fully introduced until the current Year 11 pupils have completed their GCSE courses.  A large proportion of older pupils attend alternative provision for one or more days a week. The range of experiences is good and contributes to pupils’ personal development and to their progress in literacy and numeracy. Attendance is above average for these courses. However, no check has been kept on the placements pupils undertake. This has resulted in some pupils repeating the same course with two different providers.  Until this school year, systems to track the progress of pupils and identify gaps in their learning contained inaccuracies. Each of the sites held its own information and there was no comparison

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The leadership and management are inadequate

as to how well different groups of pupils fared. Furthermore, little use was made of the figures, for example, in holding teachers to account. Though a new system has been introduced and is common to all sites, the data is recent.  While the centre has always professed to promote equality and diversity, pupils do not have equality of opportunity because what they receive and the progress they make is dependent on the site at which they are educated and on the quality and capability of their particular teacher.  Up to a few months ago, the local authority provided limited support to the centre because officers believed that things were considerably better than they were. With changes to the management committee, knowledge of the centre’s performance is much improved.  The centre should not appoint newly qualified teachers.  The governance of the school:  Until the start of the new school year, the management committee provided inadequate

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The leadership and management are inadequate

support to the centre and frequently did not have sufficient members at meetings to make decisions. Upon appointment, the headteacher worked with the local authority to remedy this. The group is now chaired by a principal education advisor from the local authority and includes senior leaders in education. In addition, a financial manager has been appointed in readiness for when the committee takes on its own budget at the start of the new financial year. Members of the committee are working closely with the headteacher to appoint senior leaders who specialise in the centre’s areas of weakness such as attendance, behaviour, the curriculum and the primary unit. Discussions about, for example, pupils’ progress, attendance and the performance of teachers now take place. The pupil premium has not been used appropriately. Despite all that has been put into place, not enough improvement is evident in teachers’ practice or the progress being made by pupils.

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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 137596 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 400297

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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 Pupil referral unit School category Pupil referral unit Age range of pupils 5–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 279 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Pam Smith Headteacher Helen Whitehead Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 0114 253 1988 Fax number 0114 253 1989 Email address enquiries@inclusion.sheffield.sch.uk 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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