Broadwood School

252 Moorend Road, Pellon, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX2 0RU

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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 Good

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This is a good school

 A valuable partnership between the proprietor and senior leaders ensure that the school continues to meet the independent school standards and to enable pupils to make progress and equip themselves for the next stage in their lives.  Pupils who join the school with low levels of prior attainment make good progress, both socially and academically, enabling them to reintegrate with further education and employment.  Good, well-planned teaching successfully encourages pupils to engage with the learning process and achieve well. Relationships between adults and pupils are good.  Pupils’ behaviour improves quickly after arriving at the school. Pupils concentrate well in lessons, show growing respect for adults and their peers, and are usually ready to learn.  Two thirds of pupils in the school increase their attendance from their levels at their previous schools.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ attendance is low, largely because of a small number of persistent absentees.  The school has yet to develop a framework of assessment without levels.  Despite teachers’ knowledge of pupils’ prior attainment and good planning, pupils are not always given differentiated tasks or support and higher attainers, in particular, do not have the chance to extend their learning.

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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?

 Provide differentiated tasks and support to higher-attaining pupils to enable them to make even more progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop a framework of assessment without levels.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The proprietor has ensured that the school meets all the independent school standards.  The proprietor ensures that pupils make good progress by holding leaders and managers to account and providing good support.  Leaders have high levels of ambition, and these are reflected in the outcomes of the school.  Good relationships between adults and pupils make a strong contribution to social development, learning and progress.  The curriculum fully meets the areas of learning specified in the independent school standards and provides pupils with an appropriate learning experience. Available qualifications include GCSE, entry-level literacy and numeracy, and vocational qualifications.  Learning in literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) is successfully developed throughout the curriculum, ensuring that pupils make progress in acquiring these basic skills.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered through personal, social and health

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

education (PSHE). This includes the development of personal skills to prepare pupils for the world of work. Impartial careers advice is provided by an external agency.  British values and pupils’ understanding of extremism are successfully addressed through a citizenship programme.  Leaders, and the proprietor, ensure the quality of teaching and learning by regular monitoring, including performance management procedures and access to a programme of school-based and external continuing professional development.  Leaders and managers ensure that pupils with social and emotional difficulties are effectively supported to improve their behaviour and in their personal development. In turn, this enables them to make good progress.  The school is based in a large suburban house. A range of teaching rooms, including specialist provision, creates an appropriate learning environment for pupils with severe learning needs.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The governance of the school:  The school does not have a governing board.  A highly effective partnership between the proprietor’s representatives and school leaders and managers ensures that leaders are held to account.  Leaders and managers have produced accurate self-evaluation and development plans.  The proprietor ensures that the school receives good support in developing appropriate systems to ensure that pupils make good progress.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective:  The single central register fully meets the regulations. All staff and volunteers are included.  The school’s safeguarding policy meets requirements and is published on its website.  Designated leaders and all staff have current training at the appropriate levels in child protection and safe recruitment procedures.  Leaders work tirelessly to support pupils at risk.  All staff have confirmed their reading of ‘Keeping children safe in education’, as required.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Pupils are successfully guided to understand risks and report inappropriate behaviour.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers help pupils to make good progress by using assessment information to plan lessons. Although teachers understand pupils’ prior attainment and reflect this in questioning and class activities, individual tasks are not always differentiated and the higher attainers sometimes underachieve.  Pupils make good progress because teachers recognise and develop their social and emotional needs, which restores their confidence to learn. Teachers expect pupils to have positive attitudes to learning.  Teaching assistants support pupils well when they are working in individual tasks but occasionally do not fully ensure pupils’ understanding of teacher-led presentations.  Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge and use teaching styles which interest pupils and challenge them to achieve well.  Teachers mark pupils’ work conscientiously and give them advice on how to improve. Pupils respond well to the comments on their work, for example by correcting errors.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Pupils reading skills are variable. However, most contribute to lessons by reading aloud accurately, and often showing good understanding through the tone of their voice. Pupils have made significant progress since the last inspection, with new schemes for teaching phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) to primary pupils, leading to improved outcomes.  Pupils have developed the self-esteem and self-confidence to begin to plan the next stage in their lives. All pupils who left school in the most recent year have succeeded in taking up places in employment or education.  Pupils are proud of their achievements; they respect others’ work by listening to them and recognising their right to express opinions.  Parents receive comprehensive annual reports. The school contributes reports to all formal reviews, as necessary.  Teachers support pupils’ progress in literacy and numeracy across the curriculum by introducing key words

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

and calculations into all subjects as appropriate. The use of ICT to support learning has improved since the last inspection, specifically in mathematics, geography, science, food technology and visits out of school.  The school understands pupils’ achievement by using a framework for assessment based on national curriculum levels. Development of assessment without levels is at an early planning stage.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils have often had long periods away from education and join the school with low self-confidence and self-esteem. A significant proportion of current pupils have not attended any school for up to a year. Several parents commented during the inspection that their sons were ‘not wanted’ by their previous schools and they were taught only for small parts of the day.  In a short time from when they join the school, pupils quickly regain the skills to be part of a learning group. Attitudes to learning are occasionally inconsistent but represent a significant improvement and contribute to good learning and progress.  Pupils say that they feel safe and know how to report concerns. They say there is very little bullying and that which occurs is always well managed by staff.  Pupils understand the difference between right and wrong and are learning to make the right choices and

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Personal development and welfare

be accountable for them. The school’s practice of restorative justice makes an important contribution to this understanding.  Pupils are well supervised at all times. An adult follows closely any pupil leaving a lesson or likely to try to leave the school site. In the latter case, back-up is summoned immediately.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is supported by the school’s PSHE and citizenship curriculum, which includes a wide range of activities, visits and visitors. Pupils support several charities and undertake local projects such as the developing plan to grow vegetables for people in need.  Pupils are studying the European Union referendum and thereby given an understanding of the democratic process. They vote for the ‘Samaritan of the week’ in school.  Pupils understand and reflect on diversity in the community and develop their understanding and tolerance of equity and diversity.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school ensures that pupils interact with public institutions such as the armed forces, the fire service and the police. Through the curriculum programme ‘Branching Out’ they learn about substance abuse. The school actively promotes an understanding of the detriments of smoking.  The school has effective health and safety policy and practice to keep all members of the school community safe. This includes fire safety, first aid provision, and risk assessment for both activities and individual pupils.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. It is improving rapidly. There is very little disruption of others’ learning, although a small minority of pupils need encouragement to take part in group activities.  The school’s tracking, based on a range of measures, confirms a rapid and sustained improvement in behaviour.  Behaviour is improving because staff respond to incidents in a calm and measured way. Inappropriate language is challenged with a quiet word; in extreme cases, withdrawal from a lesson is at the pupil’s request and support is always available.  There are still a small number of persistent absentees but the great majority of pupils have significantly improved their attendance. However, attendance overall is still low.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Almost all pupils enter the school with very low prior attainment. Interrupted schooling leaves many of them well below the expected standards for their age.  Many pupils had become disengaged from education and were no longer used to the school learning environment. Rapid improvement in self-confidence now leads to a large proportion of the pupils at Broadwood School making rapid progress, especially in English and mathematics.  Primary pupils make good progress with their reading, especially since the introduction of new learning materials. They have the confidence to read to the class and the strength to overcome the occasional difficulty or error. In praising the school, a parent commented on her son’s impressive improvement in reading. Another called it ‘unbelievable’.  A representative of a placing authority said that Broadwood School ‘works well for the pupils, especially the younger ones’.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 All pupils now learn through ICT in many areas of the curriculum, demonstrating skills in a range of software.  Two pupils who receive part-time tuition at home are making substantial progress in English, mathematics and ICT, in the hope that they will be able to move to education or employment in the near future.  The school has successfully met its aims as, at the end of the last school year, all pupils progressed either to employment or education. Another parent commented that her son now wants to continue his education.  Pupils have raised their self-esteem to make them more confident learners. This has been achieved well in the ‘nurture group’ of the school’s more-recent pupils.  Pupils’ good personal development results in the confidence to discuss their learning with adults and to reflect on their previous achievement and behaviour and look ahead.  A small number of higher attainers are not achieving to their optimum level because they do not always

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Outcomes for pupils are good

have the most appropriate tasks or support.  Older pupils have found the reintroduction into the school environment more difficult. However, they demonstrate good progress in managing their behaviour and in re-engaging with learning.  Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their lives.

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School details

Unique reference number 131960 Inspection number 10006061 DfE registration number 381/6010

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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 7–18 years Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 35 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 0 Number of part time pupils 2 Proprietor Keys Group Ltd Chair Nicola Kelly Headteacher Debra Nash Annual fees (day pupils) £35,100 Telephone number 01422 355925 Website www.keyschildcare.co.uk Email address debranash@keyschildcare.co.uk Date of previous inspection 14–15 November 2012

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Information about this school

 Broadwood School is an independent special school situated in the outskirts of Halifax.  All but one of the pupils have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan as a result of their social and emotional difficulties which may result in challenging behaviour.  Pupils are placed at the school by one of six local authorities. Most pupils have been excluded from previous schools or have persistently failed to attend and may have had long periods without any education provision.  The school is registered for 45 boys and girls aged seven to 18 years. There are currently 35 pupils on roll: two girls and 33 boys. Two of these pupils receive part-time education in their home. There are no students above the compulsory school age.  The school is run by the Keys Group.  Ten pupils are in the care of their local authority, and three live in residential accommodation provided by

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Information about this school

the company.  The school’s mission statement is to provide all children, irrespective of ability, behaviour, race or religion, with the opportunity to be educated in a caring and supportive environment where their full potential will be realised.  The school was last inspected in November 2012.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out with one day’s notice.  The inspector checked the school’s compliance with the independent school standards. He viewed the school’s website and school policies, schemes of work and other relevant documentation.  The inspector observed lessons covering a range of subjects, age groups and activities and analysed the school’s assessment records.  He scrutinised a selection of pupils’ work, and analysed records of trends in pupils’ behaviour.  The inspector met with senior leaders, the company’s director of education, the home tutor and a group of pupils. He had discussions with the representative of a placing authority and a parent.  The inspector analysed staff questionnaires. There were insufficient responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, to generate a report. The inspector considered comments submitted to Parent View.

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Inspection team

Peter McKenzie, lead inspector Ofsted 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

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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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