Mander Portman Woodward Independent College

Mander Portman Woodward Independent College 17–18 Greenfield Crescent, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 3AU

p.1

1

Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

p.1

This is an outstanding school because

 The close monitoring of students’ progress, regular assessment of students’ work and individual interventions result in their outstanding achievement throughout all phases of the college.  A-level attainment in all subjects is significantly above that found nationally. The percentage of students gaining A* to B grades is high.  Students, including those who are disabled or with special educational needs, make excellent progress in Key Stage 4, resulting in attainment at GCSE that is above that found nationally.  Teachers form exceptionally strong relationships with students. Excellent care and guidance results in the vast majority of students continuing to higher education, including to the country’s most prestigious universities.  Teaching over time is outstanding. Regular assessments and targeted interventions result in most students making outstanding progress in all key stages at the college.  Students’ behaviour is exemplary. They have

p.1

This is an outstanding school because

extremely positive attitudes to learning, and very high levels of tolerance and respect for others.  The college’s curriculum promotes the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of students extremely well. Students are thoroughly prepared for life in modern day Britain.  Leaders at all levels have very high expectations of staff and students. They work extremely hard to ensure that all students receive a highly personalised curriculum.  College leaders’ work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding.

p.1

Compliance with regulatory

 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 and associated requirements.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 21 lessons to assess the quality of learning of students in most subject areas of the college. Four lessons were jointly observed with senior leaders.  Meetings were held with the Principal, senior leaders, key stage leaders, the Chair of Governing Body and two groups of students.  Inspectors took account of 70 parental responses to a college questionnaire. They spoke to parents and carers before the start of college and on the telephone. Inspectors also took into account letters received from parents during the inspection.  The inspection team observed the college’s work, scrutinised the college’s information about students’ achievement, including those for whom English is an additional language, and those who are disabled or have special educational needs.  Students’ behaviour was observed around the college and in lessons.  Inspectors looked at the work in students’ books.

p.2

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors examined the college’s curriculum, including schemes of work.  Inspectors examined records relating to behaviour, attendance and exclusions, and looked at documents used by leaders and governors to check and evaluate the school’s work.  The inspection team looked at records of health, safety and fire checks and other actions carried out by the college to keep students safe.

p.2

Inspection team

Jalil Shaikh, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Zahid Aziz Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Mander Portman Woodward College Birmingham was opened in 1980 and is part of a group of independent colleges founded in 1973. The colleges are owned by a private limited company and their work is overseen by a board of directors.  The college moved to its current location in Edgbaston, Birmingham in February 2006. When it was last inspected in January 2009, it was judged to provide an outstanding quality of education.  Mander Portman Woodward Birmingham is non-selective and enrols a wide and diverse range of students, some of whom have special educational needs.  A significant minority of students at the college have previously been unable to access education successfully in other institutions and are in need of the personalised curriculum that the college provides. The college has a policy of class sizes not exceeding eight students. However, the majority of class sizes are significantly smaller than this.

p.3

Information about this school

 There are 176 students on roll aged 14 to 19+ years. The number of students of compulsory school age is very low. Two students have a statement of special educational needs. Approximately 85% of students attend full time and the rest on a part-time basis.  Most students are from Indian and Pakistani backgrounds. A significant minority of students are White British and Chinese. There is also a very small number of Black heritage students.  Students at the college come from mainly Birmingham and surrounding towns, and a small proportion from overseas.  The college does not use any alternative provision for its students.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the monitoring of students’ achievement by refining the systems for recording and evaluating students’ progress to allow leaders to have a highly accurate understanding of student performance relative to their starting points.

p.3

Achievement of pupils Outstanding

 Attainment on entry to the college at Key Stages 4 and 5 is varied. Some students have complex learning needs. However, the highly personalised curriculum, close monitoring of students’ progress, regular assessment of students’ work and individual interventions ensure that the achievement of students throughout all phases of the college is outstanding.

p.4

Achievement of pupils Outstanding

 Achievement at the college goes well beyond just academic excellence. Students are nurtured and developed exceptionally well. As a result, they gain high levels of confidence, speak articulately and are very well prepared for life outside of the college. A very high proportion of students go on to higher education, including at the country’s most highly regarded universities.

p.4

Achievement of pupils Outstanding

 Parents and carers are extremely complimentary about their children’s progress at the college. One parent commented, ‘From a little girl who was a little dot with no confidence at all, she has become a woman overnight - she is unrecognisable!’ when describing the impact the personalised care has had on her dyslexic daughter.

p.4

Achievement of pupils Outstanding

 A-level attainment has been well above that found nationally for the last three years. Close monitoring and tracking of students’ learning, followed by individual support, ensures that they make exceptional progress. The percentage of students gaining A* to B grades in all subjects at A level is much higher than that found nationally. In a significant number of subjects at A level, all students gain an A* to C grade.

p.4

Achievement of pupils Outstanding

 Students with a range of diverse learning needs make exceptional progress at Key Stage 4. This is as a result of high expectations, linked closely to targeted support and guidance. Consequently, all students at the end of Key Stage 4 continue to further education.

p.4

Achievement of pupils Outstanding

 Attainment at Key Stage 4 is also above that found nationally. The percentage of students gaining five A* to C grades at GCSE including English and mathematics is higher at the college than found nationally.

p.4

Achievement of pupils Outstanding

 Disabled students and those who have special educational needs make outstanding progress in their learning and personal development. This is as a result of high quality personalised support due to small class sizes, and effective dialogue with personal tutors and subject teachers. However, although exceeding expectations, they sometimes do not attain quite as well as students from other groups in the school. This is because they often have complex needs and much lower starting points.

p.4

Achievement of pupils Outstanding

 Students who speak English as an additional language develop their reading, writing and literacy skills quickly and achieve very well. The proportion of these students gaining top grades at A level in humanities and English-based subjects is high.

p.4

Quality of teaching Outstanding

 Teaching and intervention strategies at the college are highly effective. Small class sizes allow personalised teaching which results in students making outstanding progress in their learning over time.  Relationships between students and teachers are extremely positive and are a major strength of the college. This is a highly caring and supportive college that is building a strong reputation in the community for the personalised attention it gives to its students.

p.4

Quality of teaching Outstanding

 Teachers have high expectations of what students can achieve. They support them very well in developing the necessary skills to attain the highest grades at A level and at GCSE.

p.5

Quality of teaching Outstanding

 Teachers have very strong subject and examination knowledge. They are incredibly enthusiastic about the subjects they teach, which enthuses students to have consistently positive attitudes to their learning.

p.5

Quality of teaching Outstanding

 Questioning deepens students’ understanding and ensures high levels of challenge, so that learning is moved on quickly. Teaching encourages genuine dialogue, debate, and critical thinking. It develops high levels of independence, tolerance and respect, together with excellent levels of literacy and numeracy. As a result, students develop into highly confident and articulate individuals who have a first-rate understanding of the rule of law, democracy and life in modern day Britain.

p.5

Quality of teaching Outstanding

 Regular monitoring and tracking of students’ progress through timed assessments in Key Stages 4 and 5 allow students to have an excellent understanding of how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve their work. In discussion, students said they found the college’s assessment strategy extremely helpful for them to keep track of and advance their learning.

p.5

Quality of teaching Outstanding

 Teachers consistently use assessment data to plan highly effective interventions both in and out of regular lessons. For example, during the inspection teachers used the results of timed assessments to plan activities and questions extremely well in order to further improve students’ work. Homework is used effectively to support learning and students’ progress.

p.5

Quality of teaching Outstanding

 Personal tutors work exceptionally well with subject teachers to ensure students’ needs are closely met through meaningful dialogues and by facilitating additional support. This results in students’ misconceptions being addressed quickly and them making consistently high levels of progress over time.

p.5

Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding

 The behaviour of students is outstanding. Highly successful strategies to engage students at the college result in exemplary attitudes to learning. Students are highly motivated to do well and work extremely hard, even when unsupervised. Attendance at the college is very high and well above that found nationally.

p.5

Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding

 Students collaborate extremely well to support each other in learning, both in and out of the classroom. For example, during their free time students were observed preparing for timed assessments, carrying out research in groups in the common room and doing additional work in the corridors.

p.5

Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding

 Students are exceptionally respectful of teachers and each other. Their behaviour in lessons and around the college is consistently outstanding. Students opened doors and extended greetings to inspectors throughout the inspection.  High levels of cohesion in lessons allow students of all ethnicities, cultures and religions to have the confidence to discuss highly personal issues in a climate of mutual tolerance and reverence. For example, in a personal, social and health education lesson a Muslim student was able to talk about a racist incident his mother had experienced in a fully supportive and trusting environment.

p.5

Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding

 The college has clear systems to challenge and support students who find good behaviour difficult at times. However, the college’s log of students’ behaviour, including bullying and racist incidents, indicates that poor behaviour is extremely rare.

p.6

Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding

 College leaders are excellent at ‘nipping any potential issues in the bud’. Personal systems of support allow the college to adapt a student’s curriculum offer, where needed, to ensure the highest levels of behaviour and achievement are attained. As a result, there have been no fixed-term or permanent exclusions at the college for a number of years.

p.6

Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding

 The college’s work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding. All students spoken to by inspectors during formal meetings and around the college felt safe and free from harm. This was also overwhelmingly supported by responses of parents to a recent college survey.

p.6

Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding

 The college carries out robust checks of its premises to ensure that the building is maintained to a high standard so that students are always safe. External organisations are used well to carry out risk assessments, health, safety and fire safety checks, and to ensure that equipment used in the college is safe.

p.6

Leadership and management Outstanding

 Leaders and managers at all levels have been extremely successful in sustaining very high levels of achievement over the last few years. They lead by example and are highly ambitious in respect to what they can achieve through a substantially personalised curriculum.

p.6

Leadership and management Outstanding

 The college’s self-evaluation is accurate. Improvement plans clearly map out how the college will sustain the highest levels of attainment and outstanding progress.

p.6

Leadership and management Outstanding

 Data gathered from student and parent interviews on admission to the college, as well as previous examination performance, are used extremely well by senior leaders to plan interventions and support for new students. This results in the outstanding achievement and exemplary behaviour of students.

p.6

Leadership and management Outstanding

 Parental engagement at the college is outstanding. Parents are extremely complimentary about the college’s systems to inform them about their children’s progress. Results of bi- weekly timed assessments are put on the college’s intranet system. Parents receive five detailed reports of their children’s progress every year. The college’s open-door policy ensures that parents feel comfortable to contact the college when necessary. One parent mentioned that ‘communication from the school is amazing!’

p.6

Leadership and management Outstanding

 The school has highly effective strategies for care and guidance. For example, students in the sixth form receive high quality careers guidance from their personal tutors, outside speakers and local university lecturers, which enable them to make informed decisions about their future career choices. As a result, high percentages of students continue on to higher education, including to the country’s most prestigious universities.

p.6

Leadership and management Outstanding

 The college’s curriculum, although highly academic, is broad and balanced; it is well suited to the needs and aspirations of students. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of students is promoted exceptionally well through extra-curricular activities and in-depth personal, social and health education.

p.7

Leadership and management Outstanding

 Leaders’ work to ensure students are safe and free from harm is outstanding. College policies are thorough and have an uncompromising impact on preventing extremist ideas and behaviour. Outside speakers are carefully vetted. Systems for the recruitment of staff are vigorous and go well beyond statutory guidance to ensure the safety of students.

p.7

Leadership and management Outstanding

 The highly qualified college governance supports and challenges the Principal and senior leaders well. They have detailed knowledge of the college, its strengths and areas of development. They ensure that all leaders and staff are held to account through well-planned performance management systems.

p.7

Leadership and management Outstanding

 Although the procedures for measuring students’ achievement are outstanding, systems for recording and evaluating students’ progress are not sufficiently refined to allow leaders to have a highly accurate understanding of students’ performance relative to their starting points.

p.7

Grade Judgement

Grade 1 Outstanding Grade 2 Good Grade 3 Requires improvement Grade 4 Inadequate

p.8

Grade Judgement

Detailed grade characteristics can be viewed in the Non-association independent school inspection handbook which is published on the Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/140053 .

p.8

School details

Unique reference number 103587 Inspection number 443497 DfE registration number 330/6079 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.

p.9

School details

Type of school 5 th and 6 th Form College School status Independent school Age range of pupils 14–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 176 Number of part time pupils 23 Proprietor Mander Portman Woodward Limited Chair Dr Nigel Stout Headteacher Mark Shingleton Date of previous school inspection 13–14 January 2009 Annual fees (day pupils) £12,435 to £17,790 Telephone number 0121 454 9637 Fax number 0121 454 9637 Email address adam.cross@mpw.birmingham.co.uk 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 .

p.9

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.

p.10

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

p.10

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,

p.10

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’.

p.10

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.10