The Davenport School

The Davenport School Princess Margaret Avenue, Ramsgate, Kent, CT12 6HX

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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 Adequate 3

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This school is good because

 Pupils achieve well. All pupils make good progress and some pupils make outstanding progress. The school’s focus on improving skills in reading and mathematics is very effective.  Teaching is good and supported well by very good relationships between staff and pupils. Staff know the pupils very well indeed.  Pupils enjoy school. They are increasingly aware of the needs of one another in and out of lessons. They feel safe in school and learn to manage their behaviour well over time.  Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. They benefit greatly from being able to share outings and activities with pupils from the neighbouring primary school.

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It is not yet outstanding because

 Pupils do not make as much progress in writing as they could. Different technologies, such as computers, are under used.  Leaders and managers are not well enough informed about how well the school and teachers are doing and how different aspects of the school could be improved further.

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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

 This inspection was carried out with a day’s notice.  The inspector observed assembly, circle time and four lessons; one of these was a joint observation with the head of education.  The inspector had discussions with staff, the company’s head of education and the area manager. She spoke to pupils and heard some read. The inspector examined pupils’ work and looked at documentation held by the school and the parent company.  She took account of four staff questionnaire responses and spoke to three parents and carers of pupils at the school.

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Inspection team

Anne Duffy, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 Davenport School is a special day school for pupils with emotional, behavioural and social difficulties. It opened in 2000 and is registered to take pupils aged from seven to 11 years. The school’s main aims are ‘to provide a relevant curriculum that encourages the pupils to achieve their academic potential and manage their own behaviour so that they can make a positive contribution to the community and return to mainstream education where possible’.  This is one of two schools within Ethelbert Children’s Services. It provides for boys and girls with emotional, behavioural and social difficulties who live in one of the organisation’s homes or who are looked after through their fostering service.  At the time of the inspection there were seven pupils on roll. Five of these have a statement of special educational needs. Almost all pupils have experienced significant earlier disruption to their education.

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Information about this school

 Davenport School is located on the same site as a mainstream school, Newington Community Primary School in Ramsgate, where it has an agreement to access a range of facilities.  The school was last inspected in March 2010 when it did not meet five of the regulatory requirements for independent schools. A monitoring visit in July 2011 found that it had made good progress in addressing all of these successfully.  All senior leaders and managers are new in role since September 2012. The headteacher took up post in September 2012, the head of education and the area manager in April 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Support pupils in making the best possible progress in their learning by: – making more use of information and communication technology (ICT) in lessons, particularly for those who need encouragement to write.  Establish systems that enable the leadership of the school and the parent company to monitor, evaluate and clearly demonstrate how well the school is doing by: – making full use of an analysis of the school’s strengths and areas for development in order to plan future improvement – making sure that there are regular opportunities for teachers’ performance to be reviewed and supported by additional development or training.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Pupils’ achievement is good. All pupils make good progress overall, and some make outstanding progress, from the early levels of the National Curriculum through to age-appropriate levels by the time they leave the school. As a result, the school has a good track record of enabling pupils to transfer to mainstream education when this is appropriate. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are increasingly positive as their behaviour needs are addressed and met. Good achievement is supported by good teaching which accelerates the pupils’ progress in the key areas of reading and numeracy very well. One carer summed this up. ‘Since he’s been here his reading has really come on. He loves it here.’ Progress in writing is less strong for some pupils. Acquisition of the key skills of numeracy and literacy are often supported effectively by linked activities. For example, a topic on ‘traditional stories’ led the pupils to create their own versions of the story On The Way Home.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

They used this to extend their speaking and listening skills well. Pupils’ targets are very clear and help pupils to know how they can make as much progress as possible in their work. All pupils improve their behaviour and social skills well. As a result, they are able to take increasing responsibility and show justified pride in the quality of their work.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

The behaviour and personal development of pupils are good. In contrast to some of their previous experiences, pupils enjoy coming to school. This is evident in their significantly improved attendance and positive attitudes to learning. A carer described her child as ‘actually enjoying learning now’. In response to the school’s evident care for them, pupils make good progress in managing their anxiety and disruptive behaviour. They show themselves able to think of others and enjoy looking after visitors. Pupils are encouraged to work together to achieve the team points which contribute to the ‘wall of kindness’ on display in the classroom. Opportunities to take responsibility for the equipment that they use in lessons are occasionally limited by the over- involvement of adults.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Knowledge and awareness of different lifestyles and cultures, as well as public services and organisations in England, are supported well through a variety of projects, visits and visitors. At the time of the inspection, a number of the pupils were involved in preparing for a joint performance of Matilda with pupils from the neighbouring primary school. It was clear from their interest and excitement that this provides many of the pupils with the opportunity to build confidence and to take the occasional risk outside the safety of their own classroom.

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Quality of teaching Good

Teaching is good, characterised by high expectations and very good relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils benefit from their teacher’s good subject knowledge and enthusiasm for a range of subjects. Work is tailored well to challenge each pupil to make good progress. For example, two pupils working on a mathematics problem were delighted to find that they could see patterns in numbers. This was as a result of a carefully planned ‘game’ which both interested and challenged the pupils very effectively. Assessment is accurate and there are clear processes in place for recording pupils’ long term progress against National Curriculum levels. Staff are confident in how to respond to different behaviours and, as a result, there is a marked improvement in pupils’ attitudes to school and learning over time. Support is effectively given, especially when the teaching assistant works alongside, rather than directly with, an individual pupil. In this way pupils

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Quality of teaching Good

are able to see good learning being modelled but also know that help is at hand once they have already tackled the work for themselves. There is a good emphasis on all the practical aspects of teaching, such as planning and arranging the classroom. Despite some space limitations, the classroom provides an attractive and stimulating place for learning.

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Quality of curriculum Good

The quality of the curriculum is good. Based on the National Curriculum, it focuses well on the acquisition of the key skills across a range of subjects. As a whole, the curriculum contains a good balance of subjects and is well matched to the individual needs of the pupils. It is effectively based on a topic approach which includes literacy and numeracy and cross-curricular themes, such as ‘communication’. The introduction of music or art in lessons supports pupils’ learning well. For example, pupils enjoyed using percussion instruments when they were sending messages to one another using Morse code. Although forming part of the curriculum, ICT is not used regularly in every lesson and this limits the way pupils can present their work. This is particularly relevant for those who need encouragement to write in different ways. Those who are ready are well prepared for their move to mainstream education by attending lessons in the primary school next door. All

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Quality of curriculum Good

pupils benefit from opportunities to join their mainstream friends at play times, lunch times and for extra-curricular activities.

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good

The provision for pupils’ welfare, health and safety is good and the requirements of the independent school standards are met. The school’s diligence in ensuring that pupils’ social and communication needs are met is a major factor in improving their emotional well-being and physical safety. The appropriate checks on the suitability of staff, including members of the parent organisation, are carried out. All the required policies are in place, including those for child protection, health and safety and anti-bullying. These are understood and implemented effectively. Staff are suitably trained to the required levels in child protection, and are aware of the steps they need to follow if they have concerns; advice can also be sought from the organisation’s child protection officer. Staff are suitably trained in first aid and have access to the primary school on the same site if they need back up. Up-to-date risk assessments and behaviour management

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Good

support the welfare and safety of each pupil. The arrangements for fire and other emergencies are well established and are implemented effectively in conjunction with the neighbouring school. The personal, social and health education curriculum promotes other aspects of healthy living well. Opportunities for outdoor play and learning are enhanced by the access that the school has to the facilities of the primary school.

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Leadership and management Adequate

The leadership and management of the school are adequate. Although new to their roles this year, the headteacher and other senior leaders are committed to creating equality of opportunity and improving life chances for the pupils. They are very successful in changing pupils’ attitudes to school and have ensured that good teaching supports pupils’ current good progress. The school has been extremely successful in establishing a strong and valued position within the Ethelbert Children’s Services and in the lives of the children it serves. Very good use is made of partnerships to guide pupils and support those who care for them. The accommodation, although somewhat limited, is used well, is well maintained and meets requirements. The views of all those involved with the pupils are regularly sought and acted upon. Parents, carers and placing authorities are provided with all the required information. Appropriate procedures are in place and used well to

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Leadership and management Adequate

respond to any complaints. The proprietor and the school’s managers have ensured that all the independent school regulations are met.

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Leadership and management Adequate

A recent analysis of the school’s strengths and areas for development has been carried out, but the management group is not as well informed as it could be in order to provide the highest level of challenge as well as support to the school. Managers are responsive to requests for staff development opportunities, but these are not currently linked to a regular review of teachers’ performance. While these issues do not impact negatively upon the good progress made by the pupils, they currently weaken the school’s drive for continuing improvement and ultimately outstanding progress for the pupils.

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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 133298 Inspection number 420213 DfE registration number 886/6089 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.

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School details

Type of school Special day school School status Independent school Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 7 Proprietor Ethelbert Children’s Services Chair Leslie Davenport Headteacher Kathy Nalson Head of Education Julie Bartlett Date of previous school inspection 24–25 March 2010 Annual fees £33,345 Telephone number 01843 589018 Email address kathy.nalson@ethelbert.net guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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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.

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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

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

please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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