Bradshaw Farm Independent School

Overall effectiveness Good 2

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

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This is a good school because

 Students who have previously refused to attend school, or who have had very poor attendance, are keen to attend and to take an active part in all activities.  Students’ achievement is good. Once they have settled into the school, they make good progress with their learning from low starting points.  The school works very effectively with the children’s home to ensure that students improve their behaviour and develop an understanding of how they may prepare effectively for the future.  The headteacher demonstrates an excellent drive for improvement in the range and quality of the subjects, activities and external accreditations provided.  The proprietor and senior leaders have good arrangements in place to check on the quality of teaching and students’ personal and academic achievement, and to plan effectively for improvement.  The school has carefully reviewed its provision and ensured that the weaknesses identified at the time

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This is a good school because

of the last inspection have been addressed.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The quality of teaching and students’ learning is not consistently outstanding.  The analysis of students’ academic and personal achievement does not place sufficient emphasis on the rate and extent of their progress over time.  Students do not have sufficient opportunities for first-hand experience of the diversity of beliefs and cultures in Britain.

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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 conducted with one day’s notice.  Four lessons were observed, taught by three teachers. Discussions were held with members of the teaching staff, the school’s psychotherapist, the headteacher and the executive headteacher.  A number of school documents were scrutinised, including policies and procedures, teachers’ planning, and students’ work, together with records of students’ achievement, incidents, sanctions and rewards.  Responses to questionnaires from six students and seven members of staff were considered.  There were insufficient responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire for this to be taken into consideration.  An inspection of the welfare provision of the children’s home took place at the same time as this inspection and a separate report is published.

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Inspection team

David Young, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Bradshaw Farm is a small school on the site of a children’s home. All students on the roll of the school are resident in the children’s home.  The school is operated under the proprietorship of Care Today Children’s Services. It is one of a group of five schools, owned by Care Today, which share management and staffing arrangements.  It provides full-time education for up to six girls, aged 11 to 16 years, who are placed at the school by various local authorities as a result of their behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. The children’s home and school have recently revised their admissions policy in order to admit students for longer-term placements.  There are currently five students aged 14 to 16 years on the school roll, two of whom have a statement of special educational needs.  The school aims to provide a safe haven where young people may stabilise their behaviour as the care and education team focuses on establishing consistent care plans and educational programmes.

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Information about this school

 The school was last inspected in June 2011.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to outstanding by ensuring that: students understand the next small steps in learning which will enable them to achieve the planned outcomes of each lesson successfully suitable examinations or accreditation are extended into all subject areas all adults working with students in the classroom have suitable training to enable them to contribute fully to students’ learning and personal development.  Ensure that information about students’ achievement is recorded in a manner which enables teachers and managers to continuously check the rate and extent of students’ progress over time.  Further develop students’ opportunities for first-hand experience of the diversity of beliefs and cultures in Britain.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s senior leaders have high expectations for what the students can achieve. The headteacher is extremely ambitious for students’ success and has led an exemplary drive for improvement since the time of the last inspection.  As a result of excellent management relationships between the school and the children’s home, the core purposes of the provision have been successfully revised. Students are now placed at the home for longer periods of time, enabling them to have the time to work towards nationally recognised accreditation in a number of subjects.  As a result of a shared common purpose, the staff team provide an excellent level of support for students’ personal development. They enable previously disaffected students to enjoy school and to attend regularly. They ensure that provision for students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good.  The headteacher leads a team of dedicated and committed teachers who provide an inspirational and

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The leadership and management are good

increasingly successful range of activities which contribute positively to students’ preparation for life after school. Disadvantaged students are provided with good opportunities to achieve and succeed.  All members of staff, in their questionnaire responses, strongly agree that they are proud to be members of staff at the school.  The level of challenge in external accreditation, including English, has been increased and all students have the opportunity to work towards GCSE examinations in a number of subjects. Senior leaders are aware of the need to extend this level of challenge across the full curriculum.  Senior leaders have ensured that suitable accommodation is provided for education and that all the required information, including a suitable complaints procedure, is made available to parents and carers.  The school’s arrangements for the safeguarding of students are excellent.  The school’s leaders have demonstrated the capacity for further improvement, including a sound

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The leadership and management are good

understanding of the next stage of development.  The governance of the school: The proprietor and the executive headteacher are well-informed about the progress being made in the improvement of the school. They provide support and guidance to the headteacher and staff, and ensure that resources are available to aid improvement. All members of staff, including the school’s leaders, are held to account for their performance. Success and contribution are rewarded, based on a good understanding of the considerable strengths in the school’s provision. Good information is provided to enable those responsible for the governance of the school to understand its strengths and areas for improvement. However, the data about students’ achievement is not presented consistently in a manner which encourages a clear focus on the extent and rate of students’ progress over time. The proprietor and school leaders have ensured that all the independent school standards are met.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of students is good. Students enter the school with a history of non-attendance and poor behaviour; they mostly have negative previous attitudes to education.  As a result of high quality, integrated work between the children’s home and the school, their relationships with adults and their attitudes to school show a marked improvement over time. Their attendance improves and has a positive impact on their successful learning.  Any occasional unwillingness to engage in classroom activity is managed well by the staff. Lapses in concentration do not become disruptive and students are enabled to quickly return to effective learning.  The students are adamant that they do not experience bullying and, despite occasional ‘falling out’, they have forged strong relationships and support for each other.  Students are provided with a wide range of support to understand and manage their behaviour through

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

the work of the care team, the therapists and the contribution of external agencies. This work is strongly reinforced by effective work in the school’s programme for personal, social and health education.  The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding. This has a high priority in all arrangements in the classroom, on outdoor education activities, and in the management of relationships around the school.  The school has excellent arrangements in place for the safe recruitment of staff, the training of all staff in safeguarding, and in the assessment of risk in all school activities.  The staff demonstrate high expectations of students’ behaviour and relationships. Any inappropriate language is checked. Teaching programmes provide students with good opportunities to discuss and develop their understanding of right and wrong, both in the context of the school and in the wider community. The citizenship programme provides them with good opportunities to understand the services

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

and institutions of public life in Britain.  Students have a good understanding of diversity in the beliefs and cultures of different groups in British society but, due to the need to ensure adequate safeguarding for students on off-site activities, they have limited first-hand opportunities to experience the positive features of cultural diversity. The school has developed plans for cultural awareness weeks as part of its existing programme of regular cultural activities.  All students in their questionnaire responses state that the school helps them to understand and respect people from different backgrounds, and that they feel safe in school.  The school’s policies include a clear statement about the requirement for a balanced and non-partisan approach to any controversial political issues.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good and enables students to make good progress in their learning.  The children’s home and school have recently revised their core purpose. As a result, students are now admitted into longer-term placements. This has resulted in a re-appraisal of the nature and outcomes of the educational activities provided.  Students receive a broad education with experience in all of the required areas of learning. External accreditation across a range of subjects is now possible as students remain in the school for long enough to complete courses. This has a positive impact on students’ self-esteem and motivation to succeed.  Students who are capable of rapid progress and examination success are now provided with accredited courses with access to the full range of appropriate grades. Those students who find learning more challenging are motivated to persevere in order to also achieve examination results at a suitable level.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Students now have access to a range of subjects accredited with GCSE or Entry Level awards. All current students have been working towards these examinations since their admission to the school at various points in the last twelve months. It is intended that the range of GCSE accreditations will be extended to a wider range of subjects in the next academic year.  Teachers are skilled at motivating reluctant learners and involving them in enjoyable learning experiences. They plan carefully to ensure that activities enable all students to achieve success.  Teachers have a good understanding of the individual characteristics of each student and ensure that the activities provided enable each student to work at their own pace and to develop their work individually. As a result, students maintain their interest and appreciate the level of support and challenge provided for them.  Occasionally, the intended outcomes of lesson activities are not made sufficiently clear to students and

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The quality of teaching is good

instructions are too hurried. As a result, students are not immediately clear about what they are expected to do, or why.  Outstanding activities are provided in practical areas of learning, including outdoors education and art. These are accredited courses and students are on track to achieve at least foundation level GCSE outcomes in both subjects.  The quality of teachers’ questioning is good and students are challenged to develop their oral and written answers to reveal deeper understanding of the topics studied.  Additional adults work alongside teachers to support students in all activities, both in the classroom and on outdoor activities. Their contribution helps to ensure that students who do not find learning easy are not left to flounder or switch off. However, recent changes in staff have resulted in a temporary situation in which these members of staff do not always have a sufficient understanding of how best to intervene

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The quality of teaching is good

with and support individual students.  Teachers assess students’ work continuously through effective marking and through the use of regular testing. They have a good understanding of the levels at which students are currently working. However, the information obtained from assessment is not routinely recorded in a manner which enables the staff to continuously check the rate and extent of students’ progress over time.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The achievement of students is good. Students enter the school with attainment which is mostly well below the national average, as a result of disruptions in their previous educational experiences.  All of the current students are in Years 10 and 11. As a result of good teaching and individual attention, they quickly begin to make good progress with their learning in a range of subjects, including English and mathematics.  Work in their books demonstrates that they develop increasing accuracy in punctuation, grammar and numeracy. They demonstrate the ability to apply their skills across a range of subjects.  Students rapidly develop the ability to research and select appropriate resources using appropriately controlled access to the internet. Similarly, their work shows success with the use of presentation and editing software.  A major re-structuring of the subjects and learning experiences provided is proving successful. The

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The achievement of pupils is good

opportunity to enter for GCSE examinations has only recently been introduced in response to students’ longer-term placements at the school.  The school’s first success at foundation level GCSE art was achieved in summer 2014. All students are now making appropriate progress towards GCSE and Entry level qualifications in a range of subjects including English, mathematics, science and information and communication technology (ICT).  The breadth of subjects studied also enables students to make good progress towards examination success in art and design, citizenship, physical education/outdoor education, and an ASDAN (Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network) bronze award.  Where students demonstrate improved emotional stability and behaviour, they are provided with the opportunity to attend the company’s larger local secondary school. This is a recent development which is proving successful to date.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students who initially experience considerable barriers to successful integration into further education or employment are achieving the variety of success which is preparing them well for future opportunities.

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Grade Judgement

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

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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 .

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School details

Unique reference number 136167 Social care unique reference number SC044745 Inspection number 446278 DfE registration number 830/6037 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. Type of school Special school for students with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties School status Independent school Age range of pupils 11–16 years Gender of pupils Girls Number of pupils on the school roll 6 Number of part time pupils 0 Proprietor Dr Sean Fitzpatrick Chair Dr Sean Fitzpatrick Headteacher Rakha Begum-Thomas Date of previous school inspection 28–29 June 2011 Annual fees £171,600 Email address rakha@roachesschool.net guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If

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School details

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

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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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