St Peter's Centre

Ash Ward, St Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey, KT16 0PZ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1

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This is an outstanding school

 Outstanding leadership has ensured that the centre has improved since it was last inspected. The headteacher is strongly supported by the deputy headteacher, staff and management committee.  Students make excellent academic progress and very considerable gains in their personal and social development.  Almost all students in Key Stage 4 leave with good GCSE grades in English and mathematics and are able to go on to college courses.  Students in Years 1–9 are able to return successfully to mainstream schools or move to a suitable special school.  Teachers know their students very well and plan interesting lessons using topics from a range of subjects to engage and motivate students.  Students’ behaviour is outstanding. They show great respect for staff and other students, and are motivated to want to do well.  Students say they feel safe in the centre and have no concerns about bullying. Almost all improve their attendance.

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This is an outstanding school

 Teaching, support staff and the learning mentors work very closely together to give students outstanding support.  Parents are very supportive of the centre and appreciative of the work it does with their children.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher check teaching very thoroughly. They use the information to ensure that staff have access to good-quality training and support which help them to improve their skills.  The curriculum is very well matched to students’ individual needs, particularly in the emphasis on English and mathematics.  The management committee has a very good understanding of the performance of the centre and provides very effective challenge as well as support.  Teachers mark students’ work regularly and the best marking gives them very clear guidance on how to improve, but this is not always consistent enough.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited six lessons taught by three staff. Lessons were jointly observed with the headteacher.  One visit was made to a group working off-site with their learning mentors.  There were too few responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, to be considered, but account was taken of the centre’s own information on contact with parents, and one discussion was held with a parent.  Five staff questionnaires were considered.  Discussions were held with the centre leaders, teaching and non-teaching staff, several students, the Chair and one other member of the management committee, and a representative from the local authority.  Documents reviewed included: the centre’s self-evaluation and development plans; financial records; teachers’ planning and assessment files; examination results; information about students’ destinations on leaving the centre; samples of students’ work; policies and procedures; management committee minutes;

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Inspection team

Grace Marriott, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 St Peter’s Centre caters for students aged between five and 16 who are unable to attend mainstream schools because of their medical needs. It also caters for students who are in-patients in St Peter’s Hospital.  All students are dual-registered at the centre and their mainstream school.  Students attend the centre part time, usually for a period of up to two terms, though students in Year 11 may stay for the whole of the year. The centre can cater for the equivalent of 12 full-time students.  There are currently no primary-age pupils attending.  A few students have special educational needs. Most students are White British and no students are learning to speak English as an additional language.  As all students are dual-registered, the centre does not receive any additional funding for disadvantaged students.  Most courses are taught at the centre but some work is undertaken off-site with learning mentors. The

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Information about this school

centre does not use alternative providers.  Since the previous inspection, a new Chair of the Management Committee has been appointed. The management committee has also taken over full responsibility for the centre with the same responsibilities as the governing bodies of other maintained schools.  The headteacher of the centre also manages the local authority’s Medical Access to Education Service.  As the centre is so small, there are no middle leaders.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teacher’s marking is always done consistently well and students are always given time to act upon suggestions for improvement.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher and her deputy form a strong team who are rigorous in their approach and have high expectations. They lead a highly effective small team of staff who are overwhelmingly supportive of the ethos of high expectations and the way in which these are being achieved.  Regular and rigorous checks on teaching and progress help to ensure students receive high-quality teaching and make excellent progress in a supportive atmosphere where everyone is expected to do their best.  Day-to-day observation and the use of formal procedures provide useful information about the quality of teaching and the outcomes for students. Leaders use this very well to ensure that they match training both to the needs of the centre and to those of individual staff.  Staff are thoughtful and reflect regularly on the impact of their work. They know they are accountable for students’ achievement and are keen to continue to improve their knowledge and skills.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Relationships with local schools are excellent. A flexible approach and very good communication make sure that the provision meets individual students’ needs. Excellent cooperation ensures that the work students do at the centre is comparable to the work they would be doing in a mainstream school.  The centre works closely with the mainstream schools to ensure that additional funding is used effectively to support disadvantaged students.  Parents are very positive about the impact the centre has on their children. They are appreciative of the care taken to ensure that students have every opportunity to succeed. Parents and students are fully involved in decisions about the future and appreciate the quality of the guidance students receive about their future education or training.  All the required safeguarding checks and policies are in place and staff training in safeguarding is fully up to date and relevant. The arrangements are very effective.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Equality of opportunity is promoted well and there are no significant differences between the achievement of different groups of pupils. The centre ensures that there is no discrimination.  The quality of the curriculum it outstanding. It has a strong focus on the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, and this meets students’ needs very well. Key Stage 4 students are all able to go on to college. School records show that primary-age pupils, as well as those in Key Stage 3, are able to keep up with their peer group in mainstream schools, and this helps them move easily back into school.  Through work in personal, social and health education, as well as other subjects, students are prepared well for life in, and the values of, modern Britain. This encourages them to show respect for others.  The local authority has worked well with the centre staff to help them move from providing a good

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The leadership and management are outstanding

education to providing one which is outstanding.  The governance of the school: – The management committee both challenges and supports the centre’s leaders very effectively. The committee is well organised and thorough in its approach. The management committee understands safeguarding issues and the importance of providing a safe environment for students. – The management committee has a very good understanding of how well students are achieving and members are very willing to share their expertise with centre staff. Members of the management committee are knowledgeable about the quality of teaching and receive information about the targets set for teachers. They understand how this relates to salary progression and ensure that good teaching is rewarded.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of students is outstanding. The centre is an attractive and welcoming place where the ethos is expressed in the statement ‘nurture and challenge’.  Students receive exceptionally good care and support and are challenged to achieve to the best of their ability. They respond very positively.  Guidance and expectations for behaviour are clear and expressed positively. Staff and students are expected to show ‘kindness, empathy and respect’ and these qualities are very evident in the excellent relationships.  Students are extremely positive about staff support and say that the centre has made a ‘massive difference’ to their lives and education. They know that if they are going through a particularly difficult period this will be quickly picked up and they will be helped.  Good links with parents and with different agencies help to make sure that students have access to the type of specialist help they need.

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Behaviour

 Students have excellent attitudes to learning and the regular reviews to which they contribute show how much they have improved their attitudes to learning as well as in their increasing self-confidence.  The centre monitors attendance carefully and it is better than most pupil referral units. Almost all students improve their attendance.

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Safety

 The centre’s work to keep students safe and secure is outstanding.  Safeguarding procedures are fully in place and well documented. They are well very understood by all staff. Any concerns are promptly followed up and notified to the appropriate agencies.  Staff have a very good understanding of the individual needs of each student. Risk assessments ensure safe working practices, for example when students are working off-site for mentoring sessions.  There are no recorded incidents of bullying or racist behaviour in the centre and students say they feel very safe. They understand about different types of bullying, sometimes from previous personal experience in other situations, and work in personal and social education helps them to understand how to stay safe.  Students are taught about, and understand, the risks involved in the misuse of social media and the internet.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching is strongly focused on helping students to overcome circumstances which may stop them learning, and the outcomes for students show how effective this is. Students’ achievement is excellent.  Staff are outstanding at motivating students and encouraging them to believe that they can succeed. Their planning is based on detailed knowledge and assessment of students’ capabilities, which enables them to plan successfully for individuals.  The staff make very effective use of the centre’s relatively limited space, including the outdoor area which is used for both teaching and recreation.  A good range of activities help to stimulate interest. For example, in a Year 11 English lesson, the analysis of the impact of different techniques used in horror stories helped to stimulate students’ own imaginative writing. The most-able students were challenged to work at a high level.  Staff use questioning very effectively to develop students’ understanding. For example, probing

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

questioning helped students to understand how different newspapers present information. The session also provided a very good opportunity to discuss a number of issues, including the importance of the forthcoming general election, which are relevant to life in modern Britain.  Developing students’ literacy skills is a major focus of teaching. Teachers successfully use different topics, for example the First World War, to encourage students to read and to write for a variety of purposes and in a range of styles.  Mathematics is taught very effectively and, as a result, students gain in confidence and are able to achieve very well.  Staff regularly and accurately assess students’ progress and adjust their teaching accordingly. They give students very good oral feedback.  The marking of students’ written work is positive and encouraging, and the best marking gives them very specific guidance on how to improve. This is not always done consistently enough and students are not

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

always given the time to act upon the suggestions for improvement.  Teaching and support staff work very closely together. A workshop on animation run by the learning mentors and the one-to-one support for literacy are good examples of how support staff successfully engage students and help them to achieve.

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The achievement of students is outstanding

 Students join the centre with knowledge and skills that are often below their peer group, not because they lack the potential to achieve high standards, but mostly because their medical conditions have affected their attendance and progress.  The very good relationships between staff and students motivate students to want to learn to the best of their ability. Staff draw up careful plans that meet the students’ individual needs, and enable them to make outstanding progress.  In Key Stage 3, students make excellent progress in English, mathematics and science, and most return to mainstream school much better able to cope with the school curriculum. A few students move successfully to suitable placements in special schools.  Many students in Key Stage 4 have made relatively little progress since the end of Key Stage 2, mainly because of the impact of absence. Once they join the centre, most students start to make excellent

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The achievement of students is outstanding

progress.  GCSE results are better than results nationally. Most students leave with GCSE grade C or better in English, mathematics and science. This enables them to go on to the higher-level courses.  The most-able students can take additional subjects with the support of their mainstream school. In recent years, several of the most-able students have gone on to university after taking GCE A Levels at college.  The centre does not normally use early entry to GCSE.  There are no significant differences in the achievement of different groups of students. Boys and girls, pupils with special educational needs, and disadvantaged students all achieve very well.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing

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Grade Judgement Description

to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 134109 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 448020

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Pupil referral unit School category Pupil referral unit Age range of pupils 5–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 14 Appropriate authority The management committee Chair Joanna Dymott Headteacher Susan Lynn Date of previous school inspection 6–7 December 2011 Telephone number 01932 874761 Fax number 01932 874761 Email address info@sphpru.surrey.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

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

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