Setting

Ms Lindsey Hull Headteacher Elmete Wood BESD SILC – Behaviour, Emotional, Social Difficulties Specialist Learning Centre Elmete Lane Leeds West Yorkshire LS8 2LJ

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Behaviour, Emotional, Social Difficulties Specialist Learning Centre

Following my visit to your school on 23 and 24 February 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken since the school’s previous monitoring inspection.

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Behaviour, Emotional, Social Difficulties Specialist Learning Centre

The inspection was the fifth monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection that took place in September 2014. The full list of the areas for improvement that were identified during that inspection is set out in the annex to this letter. The monitoring inspection report is attached.

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Behaviour, Emotional, Social Difficulties Specialist Learning Centre

Having considered all the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Leaders and managers are taking effective action towards the removal of

The school may not appoint newly qualified teachers before the next monitoring inspection. Ofsted

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Leaders and managers are taking effective action towards the removal of

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Interim Executive Board (IEB), the Regional Schools Commissioner and the Director of Children’s Services for Leeds.

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Leaders and managers are taking effective action towards the removal of

This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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in September 2014

 Work closely with the local authority to ensure that: — a full local authority review takes place as soon as possible and informs the proposed changes for high-quality city-wide provision for children with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties — the provision is able to meet fully the requirements of the students it serves, especially with regard to the quality of provision, resources, the curriculum on offer and learning needs, and the availability of specialist staff and therapeutic support — clear plans for the future are communicated promptly and clearly to parents, staff and the local community — there is sufficient leadership capacity at senior and middle level and appropriate roles and responsibilities are established on a permanent basis — wider staffing difficulties are overcome as soon as possible — arrangements and a timetable for the transition from the IEB to a permanent governing body are established

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in September 2014

— a plan is devised to eliminate the deficit budget.

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in September 2014

 Improve students’ achievement and raise attainment further by: — improving behaviour, attendance and punctuality — reducing persistent absence and exclusions — matching the curriculum more closely to the needs and interests of students — reinforcing literacy and numeracy skills at every available opportunity.

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in September 2014

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good by: — ensuring that activities sustain students’ enthusiasm and concentration and give rise to few opportunities to drift off task and misbehave — sharing the best practice evident within the school more widely, so that all teachers can learn from the best and improve their skills — ensuring that teachers use praise and rewards for good behaviour as often and as effectively as they do for good learning — stabilising staffing and reducing the need to employ supply staff on a short- term temporary basis.

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in September 2014

 Improve the leadership and management of the school by: — taking swift and effective action to improve the quality of information used to check students’ progress and the school’s actions — tracking, analysing and evaluating this information rigorously to provide an accurate assessment of the students’ achievements and the school’s performance.

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Evidence

The inspector observed the school’s work, examined documents and met with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, the associate principal, a representative from Wellspring Trust, members of the Interim Executive Board (IEB) and representatives from the local authority. The inspector visited two of the school’s alternative providers: Music and Arts Production (MAP) and The Hunslet Club.

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Context

Since the previous monitoring inspection, the interim executive principal has left the school and an associate principal from Wellspring Trust has been appointed.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Greater urgency and a stronger and more determined drive for improvement are evident in the actions of the headteacher and senior leaders. The recently appointed associate principal has made a tangible difference to the effectiveness of leadership and management at Elmete Wood. Collectively, leaders are demonstrating stronger capacity for improvement.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The leadership of teaching, learning and assessment is more effective. Senior leaders are routinely monitoring teachers’ practice by observing lessons, checking pupils’ work and keeping a closer eye on pupils’ learning and progress. Occasionally, senior leaders do not give teachers clear or specific enough feedback about how to improve their practice; nor do they always give teachers a clear timescale within which to show improvement. This aspect of leaders’ practice must be strengthened.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The IEB is stronger and more effective. The IEB, supported by the local authority, has acted quickly and taken more decisive action since the last monitoring inspection. Importantly, IEB members are now challenging senior leaders and, in doing so, holding them more robustly to account.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is improving. The most effective teaching is characterised by high expectations and learning activities that are interesting, engaging and pitched at the right level for pupils. Sometimes, pupils are challenged to use and apply their knowledge and understanding to reason and solve problems. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to explore the ‘real- life’ application of what they are learning. Some weaker features of teaching remain. Occasionally, teachers do not tell pupils what they will be learning, and learning activities are not sufficiently interesting, engaging or challenging. At times, teachers do not identify the next step for pupils clearly enough and as a result, pupils do not always know how to improve the standard of their work.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

Pupils’ learning is increasingly well supported by additional adults. In a Year 9 mathematics lesson, for example, the additional adult helped pupils to correct errors in their work on ratios and proportions. As a result, pupils made fast progress and could solve problems more accurately and fluently.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Levels of absence and persistent absence have decreased since the last monitoring inspection. Crucially, however, there can be no let-up in the drive to improve attendance. The promising recent improvements must be translated into a strong and sustained upward trend.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are improving. Pupils are more confident and self-assured. The work in their books and folders shows a growing pride. Pupils ask and answer questions with more interest and enthusiasm and respond more positively to the feedback they receive from teachers.

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare

There has been a marked improvement in pupils’ behaviour and conduct. Systems for managing and modifying pupils’ behaviour are embedded and there are significantly fewer incidents of challenging behaviour and low-level disruption. Pupils say that lessons are calmer and more purposeful. This, they say, is helping them to learn without interruption and distraction.

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Outcomes for pupils

Considerable work has been done to secure better attendance and improved outcomes for pupils. The strongest improvement is in Years 9 and 10. Much has been done to better prepare Year 11 pupils for the next stage of their education. Year 11 pupils attending alternative provision, for example, are now working towards a range of vocational qualifications in sport, the arts, construction and engineering.

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Outcomes for pupils

Tracking information shows that pupils with better attendance are making faster progress in English and mathematics. Some are making fast progress in mathematics and gaining the ground they had previously lost. This was evident in lessons and in the improving quality of work seen in their books and folders. At times, pupils do not make fast enough progress because they do not know how to take the next step and improve the standard of their work. It remains the case that pupils with poor or irregular attendance make significantly less progress and sometimes regress.

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External support

More effective external support from Wellspring Trust has been brokered by the local authority. There has been greater urgency and more determined and purposeful action to tackle the school’s long-standing weaknesses.

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External support

Critically, the pace of improvement in: teaching, learning and assessment; pupils’ behaviour and attendance; and their learning and progress has quickened since the last monitoring inspection.

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