North East Derbyshire Support Centre

North East Derbyshire Support Centre The Green, Hasland, Chesterfield, S41 0LN

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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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Almost all pupils are successful and return on a full-time basis to a mainstream school or one more suited to their needs, or move on to college, training or employment.  Pupils make good progress in personal development. They gain in self-confidence and self-esteem, and begin learning again.  Many pupils’ progress in English, mathematics, science, and information and communication technology increases rapidly.  Teaching is good. Staff have good relationships with pupils which encourage them to behave well and learn.  Pupils learn to manage their own behaviour more effectively. This helps them to concentrate, learn and make good progress.  Pupils say that they feel safe at the Centre.  Partnership with parents, carers and a wide range of professionals contributes very well to pupils’ personal development and achievement.  The Centre’s use of alternative provision effectively extends the range of subjects

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

provided and supports their personal development.  The senior leaders are good at working as a team and ensuring that the quality of teaching is consistently good.  The management committee makes a good contribution to the leadership. Individual members are closely involved in monitoring the work of each site. They have a clear understanding of the impact of the actions they take on pupils’ achievement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils have insufficient opportunities to develop their skills in writing in all subjects.  Pupils are not given sufficient time to respond to teachers’ marking.  Data analysis of pupils’ progress is not sufficiently well developed for leaders to set sharply focused targets.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons including one taking place at an alternative provider. All lessons were observed jointly with senior leaders. The inspector examined pupils’ work in files and books.  The inspector held discussions with staff, two members of the management committee and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector examined responses to a recent survey of the views of parents and carers sent out by the Centre. There was one response to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  The inspector looked at minutes of the management committee meetings, the school development plan, records of lesson observations and the targets set for teachers. The inspector also looked at documents that track pupils’ progress and documentation on how the Centre gains a view of their performance. The inspector also examined the Centre’s procedures for safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Pauline Hilling-Smith, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The North East Derbyshire Pupil Support Centre (the Centre) is comprised of three separate sites. The Hasland site caters for mostly permanently excluded Key Sage 3 pupils; the senior head of centre is based on this site.  The Bolsover site caters for mostly permanently excluded Key Stage 4 pupils. These pupils spend two days on site and three days on placements with alternative providers.  A head of centre, who also leads the nurture group provision for the local authority, manages the Barrow Hill site, which caters for pupils in Key Stages 2 for four afternoons per week. These pupils are at risk of permanent exclusion from mainstream school. This provision moved from North Wingfield in September 2012.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. The majority are boys. About one third of pupils attend the children and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).  The proportion of students known to be eligible for the pupil premium (the additional funding for

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Information about this school

students known to be eligible for free school meals and those in local authority care) is well above average. The Centre does not yet receive any identified primary school sports funding or funding for Year 7 catch-up.  The vast majority of students attending the Centre are at school action plus or have statements of special educational needs. Others are at school action.  Almost all pupils on the Hasland and Bolsover sites have been permanently excluded from mainstream school and are on the roll of the Centre. All pupils on the Barrow Hill site are on the roll of both their mainstream schools and the Centre.  The Centre caters for around 100 pupils each year. The average length of stay on the Hasland site is two terms. In Key Stage 2 it is usually a shorter length of time and in Key Stage 4 length of stay is usually longer than two terms. There are no pupils in Key Stage 1.  The Centre uses the following alternative providers: REAL Education (Rethinking, Engagement

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Information about this school

and Approaches to Learning), DLDC (Derbyshire Learning Development Consortium), Nottingham Active Learning, Groundworks, YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) Derbyshire, Clowne Community Care Farm, Whirlow Farm, Age UK and Chesterfield College.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that more is outstanding in order to further improve pupils’ achievement, especially in writing, by:  planning more opportunities for pupils to write at length in subjects other than English  ensuring that all staff are aware of each pupil’s improvement target in writing so that they have high expectations of what pupils can achieve in writing  making sure that pupils are always given the time to respond to teacher’s marking.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by developing:  the use of data to inform decisions made by the management committee and action plans for each site  the leadership role of the heads of site in the analysis of data so that they can contribute even more to sharply focused action plans for each site  linking targets set for teachers more closely to pupil progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 As a result of previous disruption to learning, pupils join the Centre with attainment below that typical for their age. Almost all make good progress in their personal development, which enables them to gain confidence and self-esteem and realise the benefits of the Centre and learning. As a result, most pupils throughout the Centre go on to make good progress in English, mathematics, science, and information and communication technology.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils in Key Stage 2 on the Barrow Hill site make good progress in personal development. They improve achievement in literacy and numeracy and return full time to mainstream with broadly average standards. Almost all successfully maintain their place in mainstream school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A few pupils on the Hasland site make some remarkable gains in English, mathematics and personal development by the time they leave the Centre. For example, pupils often progress at twice the rate of their mainstream peers and a few make even more progress than this.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 By the time pupils in Key Stage 4 leave the Bolsover site, they have made good gains in their personal development and work-related subjects, which are often provided by the off-site alternative providers. As a result, the vast majority of pupils successfully move on to further education, training or employment.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in reading because it is given high priority. Support is well organised and planned to help each individual develop their skills and make up for lost time. Pupils say they like the range of reading books available for them to choose from.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress in mathematics on the Hasland site, though slightly slower than in English overall in 2012, is good especially in pupils’ mental recall of numbers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because their needs are carefully assessed. The pupils are well supported and progress towards their individual targets is checked regularly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils eligible for the pupil premium make at least the same progress as their peers and sometimes do better. There is no gap in attainment between these pupils and their peers. This is because the small amount of funding received by the Centre is used to provide extra staff for the benefit of these pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of boys and girls overall is not significantly different, and, over time, the few girls do equally as well as boys. However, progress in writing across all centres and alternative providers is limited by a lack of attention to the development of each pupil’s individual skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching observed during the inspection was good and occasionally outstanding. The Centre’s records indicate that good teaching has been maintained since the last inspection.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in mathematics in Key Stage 4 is very effective because each pupil’s progress in every topic is monitored very closely and teaching is adjusted so that any gaps which exist are filled.  Staff have good relationships with pupils and this contributes well to the effective management of behaviour. Teaching assistants are swift to challenge any inappropriate behaviour and, as a result, pupils mostly have good attitudes to learning and make good progress. They say they enjoy their work most of the time and appreciate the off-site placements arranged for them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Sometimes, pupils are inspired by the teaching. On these occasions, they think hard and are excited by what they are doing. As a result, they learn very well. One such example was observed in science in Key Stage 3 pupils where pupils were fully involved in understanding how jet engines are powered. They conducted investigations, observed the outcomes and explained their results.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants make a good contribution to learning. They give the right amount of support and encouragement to help pupils achieve success as independently as possible. They are very positive in their approach to supporting the pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Parents and carers agree that pupils are well taught. The Centre works exceptionally well in partnership with parents and carers to give them information about how well their children are doing and what they should do at home to build upon their achievement.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers generally have high expectations of what pupils will achieve in class and most lessons have a brisk pace. However, occasionally, pupils do not make as much progress as they could because their individual targets in writing are not sharply addressed in all lessons, including in alternative provision.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff praise achievement, good behaviour and success in lessons so that pupils are aware of when they have done well. However, pupils are not given sufficient time to respond to teachers’ marking which limits the impact it has on pupils’ achievement.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Over time the three sites have developed successful ways of improving pupils’ behaviour to enable them to make a successful return to learning or employment. These successful procedures are developing their effectiveness further as a result of the pooling of staff expertise as the sites share good practice.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The key to the success of the procedures on the Hasland site is the reward system. Reward points are identified after each lesson and usually have the effect of maintaining a positive atmosphere. Targets set for each pupil are carefully individualised and so they have a maximum impact on improvement in the shortest time.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The cornerstone of the provision on the Barrow Hill site is the opportunity for pupils to experience a structured, supportive environment which nurtures their early learning skills to enable them to successfully build on what the mainstream school has to offer. The principles of a nurturing atmosphere now pervade all the sites because this very effective practice has been shared throughout the Centre.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils on the Bolsover site benefit from a well-planned programme of personal, health and social education which enables them to consider topics, such as drugs and personal safety thoroughly. This has a good impact on the development of an understanding of the different forms of bullying.  The atmosphere in the centres is supportive and pupils say they feel safe. Toast is available for pupils when they arrive to help them settle. There are always many staff available on each site and pupils know that there is always someone to turn to if the need arises. Parents and carers receive information almost daily about how well the pupils are doing and agree that their children feel safe and are cared for well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils think about the impact of the internet and using social network sites on bullying, and reflect on situations which have arisen affecting themselves and others. Any incidents that do occur are recorded in detail, and parents and carers are fully involved by staff when dealing with them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils learn how to anticipate unsafe practices, for example in science by ensuring that lids of containers are securely fixed. They understand that personal protective clothing is vital in work situations because this is given high priority when learning with alternative providers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Individual pupils’ attendance usually rises rapidly when they start at the Centre and improvement for some pupils is remarkable. The improvement is usually continued when they return to mainstream school or move on, and this plays a significant part in their continued success.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Actions taken for each pupil following any issues are incorporated into behaviour targets based on each pupil’s individual need, and these are carefully checked. However, data is not analysed routinely to identify any more general lessons that might be learnt.

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The leadership and management are good

 The supportive leadership of the senior head of centre has been effective in sharing good practice. She knows, however, that there is still work to do in the use of data to further inform sharply focused plans for each site.

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The leadership and management are good

 The Centre’s partnerships with parents, carers, families, other schools in the local authority and a wide range of professionals and agencies are very effective. They contribute very significantly to pupils’ personal development and academic achievement. The Centre works very well in partnership with the local authority to provide a wide range of quality assured alternative providers. This significantly extends the courses and opportunities available to the pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school works well to improve teaching. Procedures to check on the quality of teaching are well supported by the local authority, which provides good support and guidance for the Centre. Senior leaders provide detailed and helpful information to support teachers in improving their practice. However, targets set for teachers are not always closely enough linked to pupil progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders make sure that any additional funds, such as the pupil premium, are used to good effect by providing extra resources for eligible pupils, such as additional access to staff. Their good progress shows that the way the funding is being used is making a positive difference to these pupils’ academic achievement and personal development.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has an accurate view of its own performance. Senior leaders know that data from the three sites needs to be analysed routinely to inform decisions and in order to set priorities for action on each site. Nevertheless, development plans are effective because they have focused well on the areas set for improvement at the last inspection and state succinctly what needs to be achieved. They reflect the clear vision of excellence for the Centre, identified in partnership with the management committee and the local authority.

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The leadership and management are good

 Members of the senior leadership team are committed to supporting the senior head of centre in sharing the good practice between the sites. They have a shared vision of supporting pupils to make a successful return to mainstream school in the shortest possible time, or to move on to college, training or employment.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum meets the needs of most pupils well. Improving pupils’ reading skills is given high priority to enable them to move on successfully from the Centre. Physical well-being is prioritised through outdoor pursuits.

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The leadership and management are good

 Carefully planned arrangements for pupils to make visits and occasionally start on part-time arrangements when they transfer or begin courses in other establishments give them the best chance of success.

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The leadership and management are good

 The Centre’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet current government requirements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school: – The management committee is developing rapidly under expert guidance from the local authority. It makes a strong contribution to leadership because members have a range of expertise which they bring to bear on improvement. Members increasingly challenge and support the Centre and ask searching questions of its leaders about its work. Members have a clear picture of what is happening on each site, in terms of the quality of teaching and pupils’ performance compared with that of pupils nationally. Members know that senior leadership roles and responsibilities support the work of the Centre well. The management committee manages the budget effectively and make sure that safeguarding arrangements meet requirements. Members know how the pupil premium is spent and can identify the positive effect this is having on eligible pupils’ achievement. They are involved in managing teachers’

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The leadership and management are good

performance and have ensured the link between performance and staff pay.

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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 133947 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 424953

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 5–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 56 Appropriate authority The local authority Chair Pam Reddy Headteacher Val Fisher (Senior Head of Centre) Date of previous school inspection 21 September 2010 Telephone number 01246 237640 Fax number 01246 237640 Email address Val.fisher@derbyshire.gov.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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