Dukes Wood School

Serco Internal Wings School Notts Kirklington Hall, Kirklington, Newark, NG22 8NB

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate 4

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 Inadequate 4 Leadership and management Inadequate 4

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This school is inadequate

 The headteacher and executive headteacher do not set safeguarding arrangements as a high enough priority.  There are numerous regulatory failures which put pupils’ welfare, health and safety at risk. The school is not identifying and remedying hazards sufficiently.  Leaders and managers are complacent about undertaking regular health and safety checks and ensuring that written policies for pupils’ welfare, health and safety are understood and implemented consistently by all staff.  The proprietor is not diligently holding school leaders to account for ensuring pupils’ welfare, health and safety.  Recent changes to the school’s leadership have improved the quality of teaching in the school, but this is in its early days. While this is improving pupils’ achievement, the same rigour is not evident in the school’s approach to meeting the equally important standards for securing pupils’ welfare, health and safety.

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The school has the following strengths

 All teaching is at least good, with some that is outstanding. This is supported by a good curriculum which meets the needs of all pupils well.  Pupils achieve well in their lessons and make good progress when taking in to account their starting points when they join the school.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 The school requires improvement and must take action to meet 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’). The details are listed in the full report. Serco Internal

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out with half a day’s notice. Her Majesty’s Inspectors made two further one day visits following this inspection, to gather more evidence on pupils’ behaviour, welfare, health and safety to substantiate the final judgements.  The inspector observed seven lessons, all of which were joint observations with members of the school’s leadership team.  Discussions were held with senior leaders, and a group of pupils. Thirteen staff completed the Ofsted questionnaire. There were an insufficient number of responses from parents and carers to the on-line questionnaire, Parent View, to be taken into account.  Various documents, including the school’s self-evaluation summary, the school improvement plan, data and other documents were scrutinised during the inspection.  At the time of this inspection, there was also an inspection of the children’s home. A separate report has been written which is available on the Ofsted website.

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Inspection team

David Muir, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Linda Killman Her Majesty’s Inspector Jacqueline Wordsworth Her Majesty’s Inspector Serco Internal

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Information about this school

 Wings School Notts is a school for pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties aged between nine and 17 years old. The school is dually registered as a children’s home. There are currently 47 pupils, on roll although the school is registered for up to 54 pupils.  Pupils are placed in the school, by their local authority, on either a 38 or a 52 week basis. The majority of pupils are of White British origin although there is a small proportion from minority ethnic backgrounds. All pupils in the school have had significant disruption to their schooling prior to arriving at Wings School Notts.  Nearly all pupils have a statement of special educational needs identifying behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. The large majority are looked after by their local authorities. Currently the school has pupils from 17 local authorities across England.  The headteacher took up her post at the end of last year.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

In order to meet 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’) in full, the school should:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 ensure that arrangements made to safeguard and promote welfare of pupils have regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State (paragraph 7)

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 ensure that the proprietor holds school leaders accountable for the implementation of the school’s health and safety policy, especially for out-of-school trips and checks regularly that it is being adhered to consistently (paragraph 11)

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 ensure that:  staff are familiar with the school’s written first aid policy and that they implement it consistently  staff are provided with immediate access to first aid equipment in classrooms where subjects with a higher risk of accident are taught  sufficient first aid equipment is provided in the medical room  staff are provided with ligature training (paragraph 14)

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 remove storage items in the boys’ changing room and update the physical education policy to include arrangements for pupils’ access to showers (paragraph 23A (1)(c))

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 label cold water supplies suitable for drinking and ensure that hot water at the point of use does not pose a scalding risk to users (paragraphs 23F (1)(c) and 23F(1)(d))

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 improve the overall quality of teaching to outstanding by:  ensuring all staff understand the key features of outstanding teaching and include these when working with pupils  improving the way that teachers use the data the school now collects to inform their planning. Serco Internal Serco Internal

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Pupils’ achievement is good overall. The majority of pupils make good progress relative to their starting points and some make outstanding progress. Due to their previous experiences of interrupted education, most pupils are working at standards which are below the national average when they enter the school. On entry, all pupils are tested so that the school has an accurate assessment of the levels that they are working at in all subjects. This enables their progress in the school to be monitored accurately. Leaders have developed more effective systems for collecting data on pupils’ progress than were previously in place. Teachers are now starting to use this to support their lesson planning. After pupils have settled into the school, some make such impressive progress that they close the gap on pupils nationally and significantly exceed the national average in some subjects. Typically, pupils gain qualifications in a wide range of subjects, including English

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Pupils’ achievement Good

and mathematics, at levels including GCSE, BTEC and Entry Level.

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Pupils’ achievement Good

Pupils make good progress because of the high expectations and rapid re-engagement in their learning. In conversations, pupils were unanimous that they now expect to learn and make good progress in lessons. They say that this is due to the respect that they receive from staff. In addition, there are clear individual plans in place for all pupils to support them in their learning. Teachers use these well to plan their lessons effectively. The school’s analysis of the progress of different groups of pupils, such as boys and girls, shows that all groups make the same good progress. Daily sessions of basic skills take place for all pupils and this has had a significant impact on pupils’ levels in numeracy and literacy, with some making outstanding progress in these areas, especially in reading. Pupils are able to talk about how their levels have increased as a result of the individualised approach. The evidence of the school’s tracking of progress clearly supports this

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

Pupils’ behaviour is good. From their starting points of disengagement and their negative experiences of education previously, most pupils rapidly become enthusiastic and active learners. Nonetheless, some pupils do not re-engage well and subscribe to the school’s high expectations for behaviour which in some circumstances leads to their permanent exclusion. Staff have a consistent approach to managing potentially challenging behaviour, which helps most pupils make impressive gains in managing their own behaviour, social skills and emotions. The school was able to present some compelling evidence through individual case studies of the powerful work done in this area. Pupils can explain clearly what the school has done to re-engage them and support them in developing social and other personal skills. Nowhere is this more evident than in lessons where their behaviour is usually of the highest standard. Pupils quickly gain self-belief and an

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

understanding that they can achieve. They also become independent learners. This means that, although high level one-to-one support happens in lessons, it is increasingly rare as pupils take on more responsibility for their own learning. High-attaining pupils expect to aim for the highest GCSE grades while lower-attaining pupils are able to gain accreditation appropriate to their needs as a result of their re-engagement in education.

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Pupils’ behaviour and personal development Good

The school’s work to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective. When they come to the school, pupils rapidly become integrated in to the community. This helps them to gain confidence and prepares them well for the next stage of their lives. The pupils learn about a range of cultures and religions, and the school has mapped out how the different aspects of these areas are developed across the curriculum. Pupils develop good attitudes towards those who are different to them, whether it is on the grounds of race, religion, sexuality or any other factor. This helps the school to present as a tolerant and inclusive community. Serco Internal

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Quality of teaching Good

The quality of teaching is good. No teaching seen during the inspection was less than good and this supports the school’s view of typical teaching over time, based on their own observations. Teachers know the pupils and their needs very well. They have an accurate view of the levels pupils are working at and the progress they make in lessons. The usually exciting and engaging teaching allows pupils to enjoy their learning and make progress. Learning support assistants play a key part in supporting the good and outstanding teaching. They provide support which encourages pupils to develop independence in their learning by knowing when to offer help and when to stand back and allow independence.

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Quality of teaching Good

Lesson plans are detailed and provide a high level of personalisation so that it is clear what each pupil needs to learn. The assessments they make throughout the lessons also allows teachers to amend their plans to suit the learning taking place. Teachers know their subjects very well and, although some are new to this setting, they have rapidly gained the respect of the pupils and understand their needs very well. Pupils’ work is marked often and well for the most part. However, recent staff absences have led to some areas where marking has needed to be improved to make it effective. This is already being tackled by new and returning teachers. When feeding back, teachers make comments about how pupils can develop their work further which pupils clearly understand. This means that they know the levels they are working at and what they need to do to improve further. Daily session of basic skills are delivered by all teachers, so that they all

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Quality of teaching Good

have an awareness of the importance of these areas in raising standards across all subjects.

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Quality of curriculum Good

The curriculum is good. It is varied and is complemented by a wide range of other activities across the education and care aspects of the school. This helps pupils to develop their academic skills and also supports the development of their personal skills. There is a suitably wide choice of subjects and courses available within the school at all levels appropriate to the pupils in the school. Subjects now have detailed schemes of work in place to ensure that there is clear progression and coherence across the years and key stages. In some cases, when the school is unable to offer a course in-house, links have been made with local schools. These enable pupils to attend part-time to ensure that they access a full curriculum more appropriate to their interests and needs. This also supports pupils in developing their confidence and social skills in an environment unknown to them.

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Quality of curriculum Good

Pupils in Key Stage 4 and post-16 are able to attend vocational courses at local colleges. The basic skills curriculum provides pupils with the skills and knowledge they need to become more independent. Good links with the careers services in pupils’ home areas help pupils to secure college places when they move on from Wings, although there is sometimes uncertainty due to the personal circumstances of the young people. The school has plans to develop this area further to make it more effective and to minimise the uncertainty for the young people as they near the end of their time at Wings. A programme of personal, social, health education supports the pupils in developing their understanding of the wider world and helps them to prepare well for life after Wings.

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Inadequate

Pupils’ welfare, health and safety are inadequate. Key leaders and managers are too complacent in ensuring that policies and procedures to secure pupils’ welfare, health and safety are understood by all staff and implemented consistently with a sufficient eye for detail. Checks of fire and electrical equipment are insufficiently thorough. In particular, arrangements for the risk assessment and organisation of out-of-school trips in and out-of-school hours are unacceptably weak putting pupils potentially at risk. Several of the regulations relating to premises and Serco Internal accommodation have been overlooked or ignored. Recruitment checks for new staff are undertaken and evidence of this in staff files is robust and detailed. Even so, some of the Department for Education’s guidance is not followed routinely. Some staff’s training in first aid is out of date and they are unfamiliar with the school’s written policy. Staff are too dependent on the

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Inadequate

nurse’s availability to deal with illness, accidents and injuries and do not have easy and instant access to first aid kits. No staff have received rescue from ligature training.

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Inadequate

Staff know the pupils and their needs well. Each pupil’s needs are assessed and staff use the information to plan activities. Their needs are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that information remains fit for purpose. The school familiarises new staff in its ways of working. All staff are trained in managing behaviour, and there is a clear and active focus in the school on defusing any potential for challenging behaviour. This approach helps pupils to manage their own behaviour well and avoids situations where challenging behaviour could escalate. The systems for monitoring behaviour are suitable. They are applied consistently across the school, so that pupils are very clear about the consequences of their behaviour. As a result of this, within a very short time of arriving at the school most pupils begin to take responsibility for their own behaviour, which leads to the behaviour in the school being good overall.

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Pupils’ welfare, health and safety Inadequate

There are adequate links with other agencies, such as social services, therapists and medical staff. This helps pupils in their personal development and in understanding how they can overcome the personal issues that led to them coming to Wings. Pupils enjoy healthy lifestyles and understand what it means to be healthy. This is enhanced through the strong food technology lessons in the school. Pupils are aware of different types of bullying and know what to do if they are being bullied.

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Leadership and management Inadequate

The leadership and management of the school are inadequate. The proprietor fails to ensure that the school’s accommodation and facilities are maintained to a sufficient standard to ensure pupils’ welfare, health and safety. The senior staff have not diligently checked that the premises and accommodation are suitable across the site and that all the independent school standards are met. The headteacher and executive headteacher are too complacent about their responsibility to monitor systems and arrangements and guarantee that staff implement them consistently. Guidance issued by the Department of Education is not always followed rigorously. Pupils say that they feel safe and trust staff to keep them safe but the poor quality of risk assessment, health and safety checks and record keeping leaves too much open to chance.

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Leadership and management Inadequate

The new headteacher has initiated changes which have already had a positive impact of the quality of education within the school. There are regular reviews of all aspects of the school’s work, including the curriculum and the quality of teaching. Leaders’ judgement of the quality of teaching is accurate; this was evident during joint lesson observations when the inspector and members of the senior leadership team were in agreement about the quality of teaching seen. The new lesson plans are very detailed and show clearly the progress expected of all pupils in the lessons. Work is scrutinised by leaders so that they have a clear idea of the gains made by pupils in lessons, as well as the quality of feedback to support learning over time. The leadership team have made headway in improving the consistency of teaching which is good. The school is focused on moving teaching to outstanding. Teachers are more challenged to have high expectations in their lessons. New

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Leadership and management Inadequate

systems for recording data are now allowing school leaders to be more demanding in what is expected from pupils. Teaching staff are in the early stages of using this information in planning pupils’ future learning.

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Leadership and management Inadequate

There is no governing body, but there is an executive headteacher and a director who take an active overview of the quality of the work in the school. Regular reports are provided to the board of the Kedleston Group to hold leaders to account for pupils’ achievement. They do not similarly Serco Internal hold the school to account for ensuring pupils’ welfare, health and safety.

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Leadership and management Inadequate

All the requirements relating to what parents, carers and others should receive are contained in the school’s information for parents. Parents and carers receive regular reports about the progress that the pupils are making. The school’s procedures for handling complaints are clear, concise and correctly implemented, and meet the requirements for independent schools. Serco Internal

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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 the quality of education has serious weaknesses. Serco Internal

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School details

Unique reference number 136039 Social care unique reference number SC402370 Inspection number 422171 DfE registration number 891/6036 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 School status Independent School Age range of pupils 9–17 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 47 Number of part time pupils 0 Proprietor The Kedleston Group Chair Paul Brosnan Headteacher Anne Raynor Date of previous school inspection 7 December 2010 Annual fees (day pupils) £112,875 Annual fees (52 weeks) £165,534 Telephone number 01636 817430 Fax number 01636 817435 Email address a.raynor@wingsnottsschool.co.uk Serco Internal 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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