Brian Jackson College

Brian Jackson College Vision House, Units 1–6 Grove Mills, High Street, Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire WF16 0AD

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Pupils make good and sometimes outstanding progress in a range of subjects.  Leaders and managers go to great lengths to allow pupils experiences that re-engage them in learning and help them become valuable British citizens.  A comprehensive and well-planned personal, social, citizenship and health education curriculum promotes pupils’ good personal development.  Teachers know their pupils well and plan activities that engage them so that they want to learn.  Leaders and managers have ensured that all the independent school standards are consistently met.  Pupils’ behaviour is good overall and shows marked improvements. Pupils comment that they feel safe and that bullying is very rare. Relationships are good.  Adults manage behaviour well and pupils respond positively to their consistent challenges to any inappropriate language.  The majority of pupils join the school following periods of non-attendance at other schools, and

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This is a good school

improvements in their attendance are good or outstanding.  Leaders and managers and governors know their school well and have implemented effective strategies that have helped improve the quality of teaching, achievement, behaviour and attendance.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some pupils’ progress in mathematics is too slow.  Teachers do not make best use of the available time for effective learning.  Leaders and managers do not manage the transition of new pupils into the school well enough.  Leaders and managers do not plan well enough so that some lesson periods are not used as valuable learning time.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

 The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Leaders and managers need to: – manage the transition of pupils into the school more effectively so that new pupils more quickly respond to the school’s high expectations of their behaviour and attitudes to learning – organise the timetable so that lesson periods are used as valuable learning time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ progress, particularly in mathematics, so that it more closely matches the progress they make in other subjects, by: – maximising the time spent in lessons so pupils start to learn as soon as the lesson begins – engaging pupils’ interest more in mathematics lessons.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 All leaders and managers are passionate about providing opportunities for all pupils to fulfil their potential in a safe and suitable learning environment. This passion is wholeheartedly shared by other staff in the school.  Leaders and managers have a good grasp of the school’s strengths and weaknesses; the school’s self- evaluation documents and plans for school improvement are accurate and appropriate. Leaders, managers and the proprietor ensure the independent school standards are fully and consistently met.  The new headteacher has implemented successful strategies to improve the quality of teaching and learning. The monitoring and support that teachers receive from senior leaders to help them improve is good. Teachers have the opportunity to share good practice in meetings and by watching each other teach. Many of the teaching staff have recently undertaken or are currently undertaking teaching

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

qualifications. The support they receive from college tutors has helped improve the quality of their teaching.  Leaders and managers provide pupils with a wide range of subjects to study that engage them in learning and lead to accredited qualifications, for example in hairdressing and motorcycle mechanics. Stereotypes are challenged and females take on work experience in male-dominated places of work with skill and pride.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is extremely well planned and the positive impact on pupils is evident. Visitors from organisations such as the Young People’s Drugs and Alcohol Services help pupils understand the dangers and consequences of taking drugs. Pupils speak knowledgeably about the dangers of taking illegal substances.  Leaders and managers have planned a well-thought-out and structured scheme for teaching personal, social, citizenship and health education (PSCHE). These lessons, along with employability lessons,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

promote fundamental British values and support pupils to become economically active members of British society. Through PSCHE pupils have made visits to various places of worship, such as a Sikh Temple, which helps them to understand the different beliefs of others and learn tolerance.  The inclusion manager works well with outside agencies, such as the school nurse, to meet the needs of pupils and help develop their well-being.  The inclusion manager rigorously records and monitors attendance and behavioural incidents to identify triggers of incidents of unacceptable behaviour. One such trigger, identified by monitoring and by comments from existing pupils, occurs when new pupils join the school. Leaders and managers do not manage the transition of new pupils into the school well enough to avoid these incidents.  Leaders and managers ensure that pupils gain impartial careers advice through external consultancy

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

services. Pupils are encouraged to fulfil their potential as they take part in work experience and college open days.  Leaders and managers do not check carefully enough to ensure that the majority of lesson periods are planned for so that effective learning is taking place.  The governance of the school – Governors have knowledge and skills in a range of areas, such as finance and education that they use well to support and challenge school leaders. They know the school well and are fully aware of strengths and weaknesses. – Governors manage financial constraints effectively so that staffing levels remain high, and pupil premium funding is well used to support improvement.  Risk assessments and regular checks, including daily checks on attendance, confirm that pupils are safe while studying at other locations. All staff at off-site placements and in the college have appropriate safeguarding checks. Governors ensure that staff are trained and policies are effective so that pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

well-being is provided for well. As a result of effective safeguarding arrangements, there is a safe culture in the school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers and support assistants know their pupils extremely well and use this awareness effectively to help pupils engage in learning. In employability lessons, for example, teachers draw on pupils’ sporting achievements and the number of medals they have gained to help them learn about how effort brings about reward.  Pupils generally arrive at the school with low aspirations because of gaps in their learning due to non- attendance at previous schools. Teachers set aspirational targets for pupils and use their knowledge of pupils’ abilities to help them aspire to and reach these targets.  Teachers are skilled in questioning pupils to help them learn, for example in English lessons where probing helps the development of comprehension skills.  Teachers plan work well around topics that interest and engage pupils’ interests. Teachers make learning aims very clear to pupils and encourage them to work independently and to complete research, which

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

they do extremely well. Pupils’ pride and interest in lessons, such as English, project work and sports leadership, are clearly evident.  Many of the lessons that teachers plan reflect real-life situations, which helps pupils develop good analysis and communication skills. Pupils competently debate, for example, whether someone earning over £50,000 per annum should also receive child benefit payments.  Teachers ensure that English and mathematical skills are taught across all subjects, for example when pupils complete projects on large global companies or when they study the tax system in Britain.  Good feedback is given to pupils during lessons to help them improve their work. Teachers and support assistants check pupils’ understanding throughout the lesson and address any misconceptions immediately to help pupils learn and make good progress.  There are some lessons, particularly mathematics, which get off to a slow start as teachers do not engage

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

pupils in a learning activity straight away.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils say they feel safe. The headteacher and the inclusion manager form good relationships with pupils so pupils are comfortable discussing any problems they may have. The school nurse also offers counselling and support to pupils if they need it.  The inclusion manager performs detailed assessments based on pupils’ own self-evaluations and this confirms the rapid improvement of pupils’ emotional well-being.  Pupils’ good personal development and self-control is demonstrated in their ability to have thoughtful debates about contentious issues such as the British benefits system.  The well-planned PSCHE and employability lessons mean that pupils develop skills, such as financial management and interview techniques, which help prepare them for the next stage of their education, training or employment.  Most pupils quickly become successful learners when they join the school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Relationships are good and pupils comment on how the school feels like a family and everybody is kind and supportive. They also say that bullying of any form is extremely rare.  Pupils say that they enjoy coming to school and the dramatic improvements in rates of attendance from extremely low starting points clearly demonstrate this.  Pupils acknowledge that their behaviour has improved significantly since being at the school and records from previous schools compared to records about current behaviour confirm this to be the case.  Pupils move around the school in an orderly manner and are extremely polite, respectful and welcoming to visitors.  Occasionally, the low-level disruption which some new pupils display when they join the school slows learning in lessons.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ academic starting points are generally very low for their age due to the amount of time spent out of education. However, they make good progress and achieve accreditation in a range of subjects before they leave the school. The majority of pupils, up to 75%, join the school part way through Year 11 and, therefore, improve standards in a short space of time.  The progress most pupils make in vocational subjects, such as sports leadership, hairdressing, mechanics and art, is generally outstanding.  In 2015, 95% of pupils moved on to further training or employment. This percentage has increased each year for the past three years.  The majority of pupils achieve accreditation in English and mathematics at functional skills entry level or level one. An increasing number of pupils gain GCSE qualifications in English and mathematics.  Year 10 pupils are making good and better progress in English and mathematics and are reaching higher

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Outcomes for pupils are good

standards than those reached by pupils in Year 10 last year.  Pupils make better progress in English than in mathematics. They comment that they prefer to engage and learn in English lessons because they are more interesting. Work in pupils’ books confirms this better progress and that they learn literacy skills through a range of different topics and activities.  Pupils read fluently and tackle complex vocabulary with ease. The recent introduction of a commercial scheme to accelerate pupils’ skills in reading has been successful and welcomed by pupils.  Standards and progress made in mathematics by Year 11 pupils this year have not been as good as they are in other subjects. Time is not always used well in mathematics lessons to engage pupils in learning from the start of the lesson and a period of disruption in the teaching staff for mathematics has been a key factor in slowing progress.

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School details

Unique reference number 132732 Inspection number 10008574 DfE registration number 382/6026

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, 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 Independent special school School status Independent school Age range of pupils 14–16 years Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 29 Number of part-time pupils 0 Proprietor National Children’s Centre Chair Dr Mike Sills Headteacher Jacqueline Green Annual fees (day pupils) £10,000 Telephone number 01924 408306 Website http://yorkshirechildrenscentre.org.uk/ Email address bjcadmin@yccuk.org.uk Date of previous inspection 6–7 December 2012

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Information about this school

 Brian Jackson College is an independent special day school for up to 32 boys and girls between the ages of 14 and 16 years. There are currently 29 pupils on roll. The school is owned by the National Children’s Centre.  The school was last inspected in December 2012. The current senior leadership team consisting of the headteacher and the inclusion manager, although not new to the school, took up their posts in September 2014.  There is currently one pupil on roll who has an education, health and care plan. Pupils are referred to the school by the local authority.  The school offers full-time education for pupils who have social, emotional and behavioural needs and issues of non-attendance and high exclusion rates at their previous schools. A large majority of pupils join the school at points during the school year other than that which is normally expected.  The school also offers temporary placements for pupils who have been temporarily excluded from local

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Information about this school

authority mainstream schools.  A large proportion of pupils are disadvantaged and are in receipt of pupil premium funding, which is additional funding given to schools for those known to be eligible for free school meals and for looked after children.  There are no pupils currently attending any alternative provision.  The school’s mission is ‘to offer a fresh start with a new perspective; educating, guiding and supporting our pupils’. The school’s vision is ‘where all young people achieve their full potential in life’.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out over two and a half days with one day’s notice.  The inspector spoke to pupils both informally and formally and listened to them read.  There were no parental responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. Nine staff responded to the staff questionnaire and these responses were taken into account.  The inspector held meetings with senior leaders and a director from the National Children’s Centre during the inspection. She also held meetings with the Chair of the Governing Body and teachers.  The inspector toured the building both inside and outside.  The inspector visited all classrooms to observe learning and behaviour in a range of subjects. She also studied pupils’ work in most subjects.  The inspector examined school documentation, including pupils’ achievement information, and admission and attendance registers. She also studied a range of policies, including those relating to behaviour,

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding, welfare, health and safety and documents required as part of the independent school standards.

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Inspection team

Jo Sharpe, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

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

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