Manorway Independent School

18 New Road Avenue, Chatham, Kent ME4 6BA

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Leaders do not have a sufficiently thorough and comprehensive understanding of the quality of the education at the school or use this to hone actions that will improve all aspects of the school’s work.  Leaders have not checked that recommendations they have made to teachers to improve the quality of their teaching are implemented in a timely way. Therefore, the quality of teaching has not improved as rapidly as it might have.  Leaders have not formally managed the performance of staff to help them improve in the roles they undertake.  When planning lessons, teachers do not accurately consider what pupils can already do. As a result, work is not consistently well matched to pupils’ needs across the range of subjects taught.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve across the curriculum are not consistently high. Opportunities to practise and embed pupils’ English and mathematics skills when learning other subjects

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This is a school that requires improvement

are missed. Pupils do not make as much progress as they could.  Pupils are not consistently encouraged to apply what they know in English and mathematics so that their knowledge and understanding is deepened. For example, pupils rarely use what they have learned to solve problems in mathematics.  The school does not have any collaborative partnerships to enable staff to work collaboratively with other professionals to share good practice and validate the school’s own evaluations of strengths and areas for improvement.

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The school has the following strengths

 The school’s caring ethos is integral to pupils’ education and makes a strong contribution to their good behaviour and personal development.  Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain because British values are interwoven seamlessly within the curriculum and ethos of the school.  Pupils re-engage with education following periods of disruption in their education. Their attendance has improved significantly. As a result, pupils’ life opportunities are enhanced.  Arrangements to help keep pupils safe and secure are effective. This is because pupils’ welfare is understood as a priority for all staff.

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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?

 Improve teaching and pupils’ outcomes by: ensuring that teachers make good use of information about pupils’ starting points to set work that is better suited to pupils’ learning needs, particularly in mathematics raising the expectations of what pupils can achieve across the curriculum ensuring that pupils are provided with sufficient opportunities to embed and apply what they know in English and mathematics in order to gain a deeper understanding of their learning maximising opportunities for pupils to strengthen their English and mathematics skills across a range of subjects, such as when learning in history and science.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership so that it has a clear and sustained impact on moving the school to good by: ensuring that leaders have an accurate and comprehensive understanding of the quality of the education at the school and use this to refine actions to improve all aspects of the school’s work

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

managing the performance of teachers effectively, and ensuring that all staff who work in the school receive the training required to help them fulfil their roles making sure that recommendations provided for teachers about how to improve their teaching are implemented so that the quality of teaching improves more rapidly seeking opportunities to work collaboratively with other schools in the local area to share good practice and enhance the training and development of staff.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 The school’s leaders do not have a sufficiently thorough and comprehensive understanding of the quality of the education at the school in order to use this to refine actions to improve all aspects of the school’s work. They do not ensure that recommendations for improvement are implemented, and therefore the quality of teaching is not improving quickly enough.  Teachers do not consistently use information relating to the progress and achievement of pupils well enough to plan for pupils’ next steps in learning and build on what pupils already know.  Not enough pupils are achieving sufficiently well from their starting points to help them rapidly reduce the gaps between their achievement and that of other pupils nationally.  School leaders are yet to begin performance management of staff so that it can be used effectively to improve teaching, target professional development opportunities and thereby increase the progress that

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

pupils make.  School leaders have created a culture which is centred on repairing pupils’ often fractured relationships with education to engender and facilitate greater life opportunities for them and instil a love of learning once more. This is enhanced by the school’s positive atmosphere and the tangible care and respect that exude from staff towards pupils. This has enabled pupils to access education more fully where, previously, they were not able to do so.  Adults set the tone for the school by leading by example in their attitudes and behaviour. They are resilient, persevere, and act as excellent role models to the pupils in their care.  Leaders and committee members have an accurate awareness of the overall effectiveness of the school. They are reflective and determined to work to provide pupils with the best experience in education.  Leaders monitor the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, and provide teachers and additional

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

staff with useful verbal feedback that staff say helps them to improve. Staff enjoy working at the school and feel proud of their work. They share leaders’ aspirations for pupils and pull together as a united team, working in the best interest of the pupils. The staff are reflective and have a desire to improve but as yet do not formally contribute to the evaluation of the effectiveness of the school or in planning for the future.  A new system for tracking pupils’ progress has been introduced across a range of subjects. Teachers assess pupils’ progress and achievement conscientiously.  The range of subjects taught is broad. Trips and visits help pupils to make connections in their learning with the world outside school.  Social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is carefully threaded through the majority of subjects, and pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. For example, within personal, social, health and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

economic (PSHE) education lessons, pupils learn about the value of money and the kind of expenses they might incur in adult life. British values are promoted strongly through daily discussions about current news that promote such values as tolerance and respect. Pupils discuss difficult issues such as acts of terrorism, the plight of refugees and the European Union referendum. They learn to express their opinions appropriately. Staff help pupils to form balanced opinions, and challenge any stereotypic views that pupils might express.  School leaders ensure that behaviour strategies and policies are consistently applied so that boundaries are clear. As a result, pupils are able to begin to manage their own behaviour and take responsibility for their actions. Pupils can verbalise what is right and wrong.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive and confident about the quality of the school’s work. Parents say that

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

they would like their children to remain at the school on a permanent basis. They are particularly complimentary about the positive impact the school has on their children’s well-being and attitudes to education. One parent stated that the school had ‘turned their child’s life around’ and went on to say that their child had ‘changed as a person’.  The local authority is positive about the work of the school, especially with regard to the support provided by the school to improve pupils’ behaviour, attendance and their progress in reading. It reports that leaders communicate well, are receptive to support and attend important meetings to discuss the care and education that pupils receive. The local authority holds leaders to account for the progress that pupils make and says it is confident about the quality of care and education the school provides.  Leaders recognise the usefulness of building collaborative partnerships with local schools to ensure that

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

the school is outward looking, shares good practice and validates its effectiveness. As yet, no such partnerships have been secured. Staff express the value this would add to their own professional development.  The governance of the school Governors contribute well to the education and care of pupils at the school because they are skilled and effective in undertaking their responsibilities. They take seriously their duty to ensure that all pupils are safe. Governors are realistic about the strengths of the school and know where more needs to be done to ensure that standards rise more quickly. They hold leaders to account and ask searching questions about the quality of teaching and learning that the school provides. Governors share the clarity of purpose about the direction the school is going in and aspire for the best standards in education  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Robust procedures are in place to ensure that

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

safeguarding is effective. Leaders have ensured that policies relating to safer practice to protect the welfare of pupils are implemented consistently, including the way in which medication is administered and recorded. Policies take into account the most recent legislation and guidelines. Safeguarding practice is buttressed by strong relationships and because staff know the needs of pupils very well. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the fact that the school keeps their children safe and that their well-being is a priority. Pupils also verbalise that they feel safe when they are at school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Teaching is not yet consistently good throughout the school.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve across the curriculum is not consistently high, and opportunities to practise and embed pupils’ English and mathematics skills when learning other subjects are missed. There are too many occasions when pupils copy text and wait for each other before they can move forward in their learning and apply what they know. Therefore, pupils do not make as much progress as they could.  Teachers do not reliably consider how well pupils are learning in lessons or make use of this information to plan what work to set next. This means that work is not consistently well matched to pupils’ varying abilities. Older pupils are not constantly challenged to make sure that they make good progress, and younger pupils are sometimes confused because work is too difficult for them.  Leaders do not ensure that teachers follow their advice and guidance. Consequently, the impetus to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

improve the quality of teaching is lost and, as a result, pupils’ progress is not as speedy as it could be across the range of subjects.  Teachers do not use information about what pupils already know and can do to make sure that progress is swift enough. Teachers use accurate mathematical vocabulary and help pupils learn basic mathematical skills. However, there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to apply what they know to solve mathematical problems in order to reach the highest standards in mathematics.  Where teaching is stronger, work is well matched to pupils’ ability, including the most able. Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and learning. Some teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge, make good use of subject-specific language and expect the same of pupils. In these circumstances, pupils make better progress because they are encouraged to apply what they know and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

are equipped with the skills to do so.  Class teachers provide pupils with continual verbal feedback about how well they are doing during lessons. Subsequently, pupils are beginning to edit and improve their work, learn from their mistakes and are inquisitive to find out more.  This academic year, leaders have launched a suitable assessment system that tracks progress across all subjects in the new curriculum. Teachers are already using this to gather important information about each pupil’s learning. School leaders check on the quality of teaching and provide useful feedback to teachers about how they can improve.  Staff commonly reinforce British values and structure lessons to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. They challenge stereotypical views so that pupils gain a more profound understanding and appreciation of the country in which they live. Pupils are helped to understand politics and different cultures and faiths.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

During this inspection, pupils debated the European Union referendum. Pupils discuss national and international news every day and communicate their opinions with confidence.  Additional adults are deployed well. They commonly use questioning to draw out pupils’ knowledge and help them to develop their skills, using this to deepen pupils’ understanding. Strong relationships and timely interventions are used to ensure that pupils are increasingly able to sustain concentration and interest in their work.  The school gives pupils effective careers advice. Staff ensure that it is impartial and reflects the interests of pupils. Staff and pupils research the required qualifications and pathways needed to make their goals a reality. This is strengthened through the school involving family members in important decisions about their children’s future.  Positive learning behaviour, such as good listening and valuing the contributions of others, are emerging

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

strengths. This is because staff work tirelessly to ensure that core skills for learning are at the centre of the school’s work.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Positive relationships between adults and pupils help to create a constructive climate where pupils feel safe to take risks and develop new ideas. This has resulted in everyone being able to confidently express their feelings without fear of repercussions.  The school endeavours to prepare pupils for life outside school and to enable them to be able to manage when they leave. Leaders make every effort to secure the best onward journey for pupils and are resolute in their pursuit of good-quality education for them. This is because they care deeply for the young people in their care.  There is a strong emphasis on tolerance, respect and responsible citizenship throughout the school. Pupils have healthier feelings about themselves and are increasingly able to access learning. Consequently, they are better equipped to deal with any challenges they might face in the future.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils show empathy and compassion for each other and for staff. Pupils celebrate important events in each other’s lives, such as birthdays, and during this inspection pupils expressed a desire for the inspection to go well for staff in the school.  Pupils cope well with this period of change in their lives as they face new challenges. They learn to manage their own emotions, become less reliant on support from adults, and demonstrate increasing awareness of social expectations and what it means to be part of a community outside school.  Parents are very positive about the care the school provides. They say that their children learn skills that are helping them to manage their own feelings both at school and at home, and that this impacts positively on family life beyond school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. The school has effective behaviour strategies in place to provide pupils with consistent boundaries for their behaviour that help them to understand what is expected of them.  During the inspection, pupils were polite, well mannered and communicative. Pupils answered questions enthusiastically and willingly shared their work with the inspector.  On occasion, when pupils find it difficult to manage their emotions, they are ably supported by trained and dedicated staff who quickly re-engage pupils in lessons. Due to this diligent approach by staff, pupils’ behaviour rapidly improves over a short period of time and they respond increasingly well to the activities provided for them.  Incidents of bullying or use of derogatory language are exceptionally rare. Pupils are confident that staff deal effectively with any incidents that do occur. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe,

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Behaviour

especially when using the internet, for example by designing their own board game based on internet safety.  Attendance is good because of the strong partnership between staff and families, who work together to ensure that pupils arrive at school on time and ready to learn. Pupils’ attendance has improved significantly since arriving at the school. This is because pupils want to come to school, and most are reluctant to leave at the end of the school day.  High levels of supervision mean that staff can be vigilant when pupils are learning, as well as during unstructured times. As a result, pupils play together nicely and engage in appropriate conversation. Pupils were observed at lunchtime discussing the countries participating in ‘Euro 2016’ because staff had capitalised on the opportunity to help pupils learn more about European countries.  Very occasionally, pupils do not demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. When this occurs it has a

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Behaviour

negative impact on their ability to focus on work, and learning slows. Nonetheless, staff work exceptionally hard to help pupils refocus on learning so that little time is lost.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Pupils join the school at various stages after considerable disruption to their education. Some pupils have missed months of schooling before they arrive at Manorway Academy and enter the school with abilities that are generally below or well below those typical for their age. All staff help pupils to engage with learning and to dispel the negative feelings they hold towards school and the belief that education adds no purpose and value to their lives. There is a very clear focus on helping pupils to be ready to learn when they arrive at the school.  Outcomes are not good enough because, despite the evident improvement in the progress pupils make following their entry to the school, not enough pupils are achieving well from their starting points. This is because most pupils make broadly expected progress, and while some make greater than expected progress, especially in reading, this is not sufficient to help them rapidly reduce the gaps between their

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

achievement and that of other pupils nationally.  The progress of pupils varies across year groups in reading, writing and mathematics, reflecting variations in the quality of teaching. Where teaching is weaker, pupils are not making the progress they are capable of. Subsequently, progress is not as rapid as it could be.  The time that pupils spend at the school varies considerably, typically being a number of months. Pupils are assessed on entry, enabling the school to gain a better understanding of what they know and understand. This information is not used consistently well to make certain that work is pitched correctly to meet pupils’ needs across a range of subjects, including mathematics, so that pupils seamlessly build on what they already know.  Pupils make rapid gains in their reading skills because they are enthused by an online reading tool which helps them to develop their phonics, comprehension and word-recognition skills. The school is working

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

hard to instil into pupils an enjoyment in reading and to help them understand that it is the foundation on which to build other skills, such as writing. Pupils of primary school age look forward to their weekly visit to the local library.  Pupils are able to apply functional skills in writing and use simple sentence structure to convey meanings. Some pupils are developing a sense of pride in their work, demonstrating perseverance and improving their ability to write at length. Older pupils make a good effort to spell words correctly, and use grammatical features such as adverbs and adjectives to enhance their sentences. However, this is not consistently evident in pupils’ work at the moment across a range of subjects. Pupils are not routinely expected to complete enough work and demonstrate that they are able to apply what they know on their own.  Overall, pupils gain basic functional skills in mathematics, especially in number and calculation. Progress

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

is variable because pupils’ work does not always build on what they already know. There is little evidence that pupils are given enough opportunities to use what they know to solve problems and to try to apply their knowledge in a range of ways to make sure that their understanding of mathematics is deepened.  Pupils’ work indicates that the most able pupils are sometimes provided with appropriate levels of challenge academically, particularly in English. However, school leaders have yet to ensure that this higher level of skill is capitalised on and replicated in other subjects, such as in science, where learning is sometimes not taught in enough depth.  The oldest pupils typically study a range of Assessment and Qualification Alliance (AQA) unit award schemes, such as employability, mathematics and English. Typically, pupils do not attend the school for sufficient periods of time to complete the courses. Even so, pupils gain accreditation in modules that can

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

be usefully built on in the next phase of their education. Leaders plan to offer a range of accredited outcomes to include GCSE qualifications in the future.  Pupils are prepared well for the next stage of education because the school has re-ignited pupils’ feelings of self-worth and their belief in themselves as learners.

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School details

Unique reference number 142411 Inspection number 10013000 DfE registration number 887/6009 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. Type of school Other independent special school School status Independent school Age range of pupils 7–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 4 Number of part time pupils 0 Proprietor Juliana Dugbatey Chair Pamela Waterman Headteacher Juliana Dugbatey Annual fees (day pupils) £15,000–£23,000 Telephone number 01634 932518 Website www.manorwayacademy.com Email address office@manorwayacademy.com Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Manorway Academy is a small independent day school located on the first floor of a three-storey building in the centre of Chatham, Kent, which opened in September 2015. This is the first inspection since the school was registered.  The proprietor is also the headteacher of the school.  The school is registered for up to 15 boys and girls who have behaviour, social and emotional difficulties, and speech and language disorders.  Manorway Academy is an independent school providing alternative full-time education for ‘pupils who are at risk of exclusion’. Pupils attend the school for varying lengths of time until permanent placements can be found in mainstream or specialist provision.  Currently, there are no pupils with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan. All pupils currently attending the school are referred by Medway Local Authority. On entry to the school, most pupils are underachieving and have low attainment due to their disrupted previous

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Information about this school

educational experience.  There are no pupils eligible for pupil premium funding (additional government funding to support those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after) currently attending the school.  The academy does not have any religious affiliation. A governing committee, consisting of five members from a range of backgrounds, has been recently established.  The academy aims ‘to return and reintegrate pupils to mainstream schools, providing effective early intervention and reducing exclusions to zero in partnership schools’.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed pupils learning in seven lessons.  The inspector listened to pupils read during their reading lessons.  The inspector spoke to pupils in lessons, at lunchtime, and met with pupils more formally to gather their views about the school.  The inspector looked at a range of pupils’ work.  The inspector spoke to some parents on the telephone and contacted the local authority to obtain their views about the school. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.  The inspector examined the school’s website.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, who is also the designated safeguarding lead and proprietor, and all members of staff.  The inspector spoke by telephone to the chair of the committee that is responsible for governance.  There were no responses to the staff questionnaire.  The inspector scrutinised a range of school documents, including the school’s self-evaluation about its

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Information about this inspection

own effectiveness and a wide range of school policies. The inspector reviewed the checks made on staff about their suitability to work with children.

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Inspection team

Abigail Birch, 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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