KWS School

School report KWS Educational Services 23-25 & 51 Brunel Road, Bedford, MK41 9TJ

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Inspection dates 30 September–02 October 2014

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Overall effectiveness Good 2

Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2

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This is a good school

 The senior leadership has ensured that the school has continued to improve since the last inspection. The headteacher and senior teacher have improved the quality of teaching and so raised achievement.  Teaching has been improved and is consistently good. This results in all students, regardless of their ability or background, making good progress in all subjects.  The other adults who support learning help to motivate and engage students in their learning effectively.  Behaviour is outstanding and staff manage any minor instances very effectively.  Students feel very safe and say that the school is ‘like a lovely family’. They feel all staff care for them and support them in all they do.  The school provides a range of activities which fully engage the students and enable them to develop their reading, writing and mathematical skills.  The trustees provide good challenge and support to the school. They monitor all aspects effectively.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Staff sometimes miss opportunities to assess the progress students make in their personal, social and behavioural development, which slows rates of progress.  The range of vocational subjects taught is a little limited and so restricts the range of skills and knowledge the students acquire.

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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

 The inspection was carried out with one day’s notice.  The inspector observed lessons, several of which were joint with the headteacher. The inspector scrutinised students’ work, documentation related to students’ progress, attendance, behaviour and the safeguarding of students.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and senior teacher. The inspector met with the Chair of the Trustees and held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority. The inspector also held discussions with the students regarding their views of the school.  Documentation related to planning, welfare, health and safety and the school’s compliance with the regulations for independent schools were all scrutinised and checked.  There were no responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View. The inspector took account of the views expressed in seven questionnaires, returned by staff.

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Inspection team

Ronald Hall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 KWS Education Services caters for students between the ages of 11 to 16 with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties who have a history of poor attendance and were unsuccessful in other placements. The school was opened in 2010 with places for 12 full-time students. There are currently seven students on roll, all in Key Stage 4.  The school takes students from three local authorities within Bedfordshire, together with students directly placed with them from several local schools.  The school is located within a commercial estate and is housed within a number of converted units.  Five students have a statement of special educational needs.  KWS provides alternative provision for challenging students who have been, or are at risk of being permanently excluded from school. They strive to promote and support the physical, emotional and social well-being of young people who are disaffected with education and society in general.

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Information about this school

 The school last received a full inspection in May 2011 where the overall effectiveness was judged as being good and all regulations were found to have been met.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that all staff consistently take account of the cross-curricular skills and knowledge they teach during lessons to widen their assessment opportunities further.  Raise attainment further through extending students’ knowledge and understanding by increasing the range of subjects and vocational courses offered to the students.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, supported by the staff, has continued to build on the success of the previous inspection. The headteacher has continued to improve the quality of teaching and this has raised the quality of achievement. As the students have developed their confidence and self-esteem their rates of progress have steadily increased.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher works effectively with the board of trustees, who monitor the school well. Between them they ensure that the school is effective, provides a safe and secure environment and enables the students to improve their lives. The leadership team ensures that all the required subjects are provided and a range of vocational courses which, although a little limited, provide the students with a range of skills and understanding. In turn, these help prepare the students well for their future lives.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and staff have created robust policies and procedures to make sure that all statutory requirements are fully met. Staff consistently apply these policies and procedures well and so the school runs smoothly and effectively. The local authority and commissioning schools regularly monitor the school to make sure it fulfils its aims and meets the needs of the students.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Leaders recognise they have areas to improve and work hard to carry these out. Systems for tracking and monitoring the progress and attainment of the students ensure staff know the students strengths and weaknesses. These enable teachers to plan well for future learning and always have a clear understanding of their students.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s reports to the local authorities and commissioning schools it serves give a clear picture of the work the school does and the impact the school has on each of its students. The school works well with its local authorities and schools to provide an external review of the work it does. This enables the headteacher and staff to continually improve the provision they make for students.

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The leadership and management are good

 Students have the opportunity to gain a range of accreditation in subjects such as mathematics, English, science and information and communication technology (ICT). They also gain accreditation in a range of vocational courses such health and beauty, mechanics and other courses. These are specifically related to the students’ interests and so motivate and engage them in their learning. The headteacher is fully aware of the students’ low attainment against national averages, but also that their progress rates compare favourably.

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The leadership and management are good

 The trustees and headteacher have made sure that the performance of staff is regularly reviewed. Training is an integral part of the school improvement and development plan and the further development of all staff. This has made sure that teaching improves and staff feel that their professional and personal develop is important.

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The leadership and management are good

 The improvements in the school since the last inspection and the views of the local authorities and commissioning schools clearly indicate that the leadership team has good capacity for future development. The staff and students all feel that leadership and management is good.

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The leadership and management are good

 The range of core subjects and the limited range of vocational courses the school offers provides the students with a good range of skills and knowledge. These prepare the students well for their future lives and give them a solid foundation for their future college and vocational courses. However, the senior leadership team are aware that these options are limited and so currently limit the scope of skills and knowledge on offer to the students.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school: The trustees were only formed a year ago but have taken their role in the school seriously. They effectively monitor all aspects of the school through regular visits. They challenge the headteacher, and review rates of progress and attainment. They take account of the views of the students and help the senior leadership to build a range of opportunities to help the students succeed. The trustees review all policies and procedures to make sure these are all fully compliant and that all regulations are fully met. This provides an effective layer of moderation and review for all aspects of the school. This makes sure that the headteacher and all staff carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of students is outstanding and this contributes to their positive learning and progress. Due to the excellent relationships fostered between the students and staff and between the students themselves, serious incidents of misbehaviour have reduced markedly as students’ behaviour has improved. All records also show that the number of minor incidents has also reduced. This has improved the quality of learning as there are fewer disruptions to lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 All students spoken to by inspectors said they really enjoyed being at the school. As one student commented, ‘I love it here. We are one happy family.’ Another commented: ‘The staff here talk to you. They listen and I mean really listen. That’s never happened before.’ These very positive attitudes mean that they attend lessons, always try to do their best and so make good progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 During the inspection students were observed apologising for any slips in bad language. They regularly encourage each other and appreciate the views of others. All adults model positive behaviour and mutual respect. This is copied by the students and so the school is a calm and very relaxed learning environment.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Each student has a key worker who supports both their learning and personal and social development. This builds up trust between the staff and students and so enhances learning. As students’ self- confidence and self-esteem grow, the more they want to learn. As one student stated, ‘The staff care about us, and I mean really care, so we want to do our best.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The students’ personal and social development is extremely well developed as staff continually discuss issues with students, know them very well and alleviate any issues before they become serious. This enables students to modify their own behaviour and so learn to cope in a wide range of social situations.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding. All welfare and safety requirements are met and all statutory regulations fully compliant. This means that all students and staff feel safe and secure. The staff questionnaires were very positive about behaviour and safety, and confirmed the staff comments during discussions. Students stated they felt there was no bullying in school, as they all got on extremely well together.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students are very well aware of how to stay healthy and safe both in and out of school. They have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe on the internet. The excellent teaching of personal, health and social education means that students have an excellent awareness of drugs, sexual health and social awareness.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The headteacher and trustees ensure that all safeguarding regulations are fully complied with. The trustees and all adults working in the school have been suitably checked to work with the students and a these checks are recorded on a register.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The students’ positive attitude to learning can be clearly seen in their average 60% plus rise in their attendance. Many of the students rarely attended their previous school placements, but since attending KWS they are eager to attend. During the inspection several students said that they had not attended school for several years. However, since attending KWS they have wanted to attend school and intend to carry on with their education when they leave KWS.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school provides good provision for the students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The senior leadership team provides a range of opportunities to learn about a range of religions and cultures. The school uses its good connections with local public services such as the police, fire service, health specialists and local community groups to actively promote British society. This ensures that all the students understand and value the multicultural and diverse society in which they live.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The headteacher, supported by the local authority and representatives from their commissioning schools, regularly monitor the quality of teaching. Discussion with the local authority representative confirmed that teaching over time has steadily improved. This has resulted in the rates of progress the students make improving steadily.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan well for lessons and use a range of very appropriate approaches to engage students in learning. The subject content is well linked to the interests and needs of the students. This means that the students are eager to learn and find it appropriate to their lives. Staff constantly check the progress the students are making and use this information to inform future leaning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The careful tracking of the students’ progress ensures that staff are always fully aware of the levels and abilities of each student. They successfully cater for all levels within their classes. All staff have high expectations and students respond well to the challenges set them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Students make good progress in all subjects and especially so in reading, where progress rates are particularly rapid. Teachers’ subject knowledge is good. They use good questioning and discussion skills to encourage the students to apply a range of skills and methods in their learning. The Teachers’ Standards, the professional standards framework for teachers, are being met.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In a mathematics lesson observed, the students were fully engaged as the topic related to their own lives. The teacher constantly challenged the students and they persevered with applying a range of skills throughout the whole lesson. In a lesson related to British society, the students studied a range of newspapers. They discussed how the stories related to their own lives and the consequences for the people concerned in the stories. The students’ comments clearly indicated they could empathise with others as they discussed in detail how certain events affected society in general.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All work is marked regularly and discussed with the students both, as a group and individually. This ensures that students know how to improve their work and so continue to make good progress. This also helps to build the students’ confidence and self-esteem, which encourages them further to want to learn.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The other adults who support learning provide good support for students’ learning. They encourage them, provide them with support and challenge them through good questioning and discussion skills. When students have a problem they help them to work through it and so little learning time is lost.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Although teachers regularly review the students’ learning and the progress they are making, they occasionally forget to record the skills being taught in other subjects within the lesson. This means that sometimes teachers do not note all the gains in skills and understanding the students have made in a lesson.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Due to the students’ historically poor attendance, they enter the school with skills and knowledge well below that expected for their ages. However, all the staff quickly develop the students’ self-confidence, self-esteem and social skills. Due to the excellent relationships staff quickly foster, students rapidly settle into the school and so begin making good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All groups of students, regardless of their background or ability, make good progress in their mathematical, reading and writing skills. They make outstanding progress in their social, personal and behavioural development. Students’ reading skills rise rapidly the longer they attend the school. Disadvantaged students make good progress in line with that of their peers in school and the starting gap between them and their peers in school has been closed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Although attainment is still below that expected for their ages, all students leave the school with a range of qualifications. The skills and knowledge they acquire in the school develop their desire to learn and all students successfully move onto further education or vocational placements. Students leave the school with a range of GCSE, AQA and OCR qualifications. Many also leave with NVQ qualifications in subjects such as health and beauty and motor mechanics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The local authority and the commissioning high schools regularly review the work of the school and their moderation shows that all students make good progress over time. Discussion with a representative from the local authority confirms that they are happy with the progress made. This is especially so in the progress students make in their attendance and personal development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students gain GCSE qualifications in mathematics, English, information and communication and technology and science. Students spoken to said they enjoyed these subjects and knew they were important to their future lives.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The careful monitoring of the students’ progress and the planning based upon this ensures that all students have an equal opportunity to achieve. The more-able students are stretched in all lessons and the less able fully supported so that they all make good progress from their starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The students enjoy physical activities and through these learn about health education, and how to be fit and healthy. The fact that the physical education lessons are carried out off site also helps develop their personal and social skills. This is because they are observed by members of the public throughout their sessions. However, the students respond to this in an excellent manner. For example, on the way to the playing fields for a physical education lesson the students demonstrated excellent behaviour. They were courteous, considerate and thoughtful to the general public.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The students who have a statement of special educational needs make progress in line with that of their peers in school. The school provides a suitable range of subjects and skills appropriate to each of their statements. Their individual needs are fully met at all times. Targets for all students are challenging yet realistic. They are regularly reviewed with the students and as one student commented, ‘The staff involve me fully in my learning, so I am happy with what I do and feel it is relevant to me.’

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Grade Judgement

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

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School details

Unique reference number 136122 Inspection number 447294 DfE registration number 822/6015 This inspection was carried out under section 162A of the Education Act 2002, as inserted 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 Alternative provision for students with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties School status Independent school Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 7 Number of part time pupils 0 Proprietor Karl Weaver Chair Carol Nemar-Cammack Headteacher Sarah Nichols-Weaver Date of previous school inspection 11 May 2011 Annual fees (day pupils) £17,500 Telephone number 01234 358638 Email address admin@kwseducational.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 .

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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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