LGS Stoneygate

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Stoneygate School 12 October 2016 6 London Road, Great Glen, Leicester LE8 9DJ

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraph 7, 7(a) and 7(b)  Previously, the proprietor had not ensured that arrangements to safeguard pupils and promote their welfare were in line with the latest guidance issued by the Secretary of State. The proprietor had not ensured that the policy and procedures to keep pupils safe, including in relation to the recruitment of staff, were in line with the latest guidance from the Secretary of State. Those in leadership positions and other staff did not have relevant training in relation to the safeguarding of pupils.  The new proprietor, Leicester Grammar School Trust (LGST), has acted with urgency and within short timescales to revise the school’s procedures to safeguard pupils. Leaders at all levels within the trust demonstrate clear-sighted understanding of the importance of safeguarding pupils.  The school’s recruitment checks to ensure that adults working with children are safe

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Main inspection findings

are now rigorous. School leaders have updated the school’s safeguarding policy and it is now in line with the statutory guidance issued by the Secretary of State. The policy is published on the school’s website.  The proprietor has ensured that all staff are fully trained in safeguarding, including receiving clear guidance on managing concerns relating to child protection. School leaders have received further training, so that they are able to fulfil their roles in leading and checking the effectiveness of safeguarding procedures at the school.  Systems for responding to concerns relating to child protection are rigorous. Leaders act quickly to follow up concerns and ensure that relevant external agencies are contacted for advice and support.  Leaders ensure that records are stored securely and chronologically. Leaders do not always record every action taken to keep pupils safe.  Other training has been undertaken, including training to recognise and to prevent

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Main inspection findings

extremism and in recognising the signs of pupils at risk of female genital mutilation. Currently, school leaders are also receiving training to support pupils in relation to ‘sexting’.  Leaders understand the importance of working with outside agencies.  Leaders have considered the quality of support that pupils receive to keep safe through the curriculum. For example, older pupils have learned about how to keep safe when using the internet. Leaders have also extended this support to increase parents’ understanding of the risks relating to the social networking sites that their children might access.  School leaders take the issue of bullying seriously. Leaders keep detailed records of any concerns relating to every pupil in school. This results in leaders taking appropriate action when issues arise.  Leaders work well with the local authority to seek advice and check the effectiveness of their work to keep pupils safe.

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Main inspection findings

 The school now meets the statutory requirements in this part.

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Main inspection findings

Paragraph 11  Previously, the proprietor did not ensure that the relevant health and safety laws were complied with. This resulted in an inadequate policy for managing the health and safety of pupils. Procedures for reviewing the effectiveness of polices for the welfare, health and safety of the pupils lacked rigour. The proprietor did not keep appropriate formal records relating to the keeping of hazardous chemical substances on the school site.  LGST has provided the school with considerable resources and expertise from other schools within the trust. The trust has wasted no time in acting to change the previously inadequate systems to keep pupils safe. This has resulted in a complete revision of the policies and procedures relating to the health, safety and welfare of pupils. For example, the trust has reviewed the electrical systems and the safety of electronic equipment.  The trust has also ensured that the water systems and gas supplies meet current

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Main inspection findings

legal requirements. Hazardous materials in both the science and art rooms and for the purposes of maintaining the school site are stored and recorded properly.  Procedures to ensure that pupils evacuate the school safely in the case of fire have also been revised and equipment modernised and renewed. Managers have implemented systems for checking the effectiveness of the health and safety policy. Information is stored appropriately and updated on a systematic basis.  The school now meets the statutory requirements in this part.

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Main inspection findings

Paragraph 16, 16(a) and 16(b)  Previously, policies and systems to identify and mitigate risks in relation to the welfare of pupils were inadequate.  School leaders reviewed and revised the risk assessment policy. The trust acted with urgency to draw up a wide variety of risk assessments related to, for example, site security, the management of medical needs such as allergies to food, and the administration of medicines.  Leaders ensure that information is distributed to those who need to know, in order to keep pupils safe. Appropriate risk assessments of school visits are now in place. Senior staff ensure that visit leaders review the risks associated with visit sites before the visit date. They ensure careful planning and organisation to help visit leaders prepare for potential problems, such as medical incidents and the need to contact parents and carers. For example, on a visit to a river scheduled for the day

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Main inspection findings

of the inspection, the visit leader had already visited the site to assess the risks. This resulted in careful thought and planning to minimise risks associated with fast running water. Appropriate adult-to-pupil ratios for supervision are also identified. Systems to check the effectiveness of the risk assessment policy are rigorous.  The school now meets the statutory requirements in this part. Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b), 34(1)(c)  At the time of the last inspection, the proprietor did not ensure that school leaders had the necessary skills and knowledge appropriate to their roles. This resulted in the independent school standards not being fully met. The proprietor did not fulfil their responsibilities to promote the welfare and well-being of pupils.  Since LGST has become the proprietor, the leadership and direction it has provided

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Main inspection findings

has brought about rapid improvements in the safety and well-being of pupils. The trustees, led by the clear-sighted chair, took immediate action to implement the necessary adjustments to leadership roles to expedite changes quickly. As a result, a new headteacher has been appointed. New job descriptions for staff have clarified roles and responsibilities so that leaders and other staff can be held accountable for their actions to keep pupils safe.  The trust ensures that the appropriate training and support is identified and undertaken by all staff. The trustees ensured that the full resources of the trust were deployed to manage the necessary actions within ambitious timescales. The highly effective team of the chief executive, the business director and the facilities manager have brought about the improvements rapidly.  The trust has ensured that the ethos of safeguarding is well established throughout

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Main inspection findings

all levels within the school. Trustees regularly hold leaders to account for their work, through regular visits to the school. The trust also provides regular and rigorous challenge to school leaders to ensure that pupils are safe at the school.  The school now meets all the statutory requirements, including those in this part.

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Main inspection findings

Statutory requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Paragraph 3.4  At the last inspection, regulatory failures were identified in relation to the safeguarding of children. Leadership of the early years did not have sufficient oversight to support and guide other staff within the setting.  School leaders have acted quickly to ensure that leadership in the early years is effective in managing the work of other staff. The actions taken to revise and update policies relating to the health, safety and welfare of pupils also dealt with the regulatory failures identified at the last inspection.  The early years leader demonstrates clear understanding of the safeguarding needs of very young children.  The curriculum for personal, social and emotional development supports young children to understand their feelings and helps them to talk about concerns appropriately.  The school now meets the statutory requirements in this part.

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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 that were checked during this inspection. This included the standards and requirements with which the school was judged not to comply at the previous inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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The school now meets the following independent school standards

 Ensure arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school; and such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State (paragraphs 7, 7(a) and 7(b)).  Ensure that relevant health and safety laws are complied with by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written health and safety policy (paragraph 11).  Ensure the welfare of pupils at the school is safeguarded and promoted by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written risk assessment policy; and appropriate action is taken to reduce risks that are identified (paragraphs 16, 16(a) and 16(b)).  Ensure that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and actively

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The school now meets the following independent school standards

promote the well-being of pupils (paragraphs 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b) and 34(1)(c)).

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School details

Unique reference number 120325 DfE registration number 454251 Inspection number 10018788 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 Independent day school School status Independent school Age range of pupils 3  13

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School details

Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 143 Proprietor Leicester Grammar School Trust Chair Dr Sarah Dauncey Headteacher John Dobson Annual fees (day pupils) £9,834  £12,708

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School details

Telephone number 0116 259 2282 Website www.stoneygateschool.co.uk Email address school@stoneygateschool.co.uk Date of previous standard inspection 10  12 March 2015

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Information about this school

 Stoneygate School was founded in 1856. It is a preparatory day school that provides full-time education for 143 boys and girls between the ages of three and 13 years.  The school is set in extensive grounds in a rural location in south Leicestershire. It is owned by Leicester Grammar School Trust. The transfer of ownership from the previous proprietor is relatively recent, in May 2016. The trust undertakes the financial management, recruitment of staff and site management of the school. The day-to-day running and organisation of the school are the responsibility of the headteacher.  There are nine children in the early years. None receives government funding for three- and four-year-olds.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is in line with that found nationally.  Pupils come from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. None speaks English as an additional language.

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any external provider.  The school was lasted inspected in March 2015, when its provision was judged to be inadequate because pupils’ safeguarding was not assured.  The school produced an action plan after its inspection that was judged to require improvement. During the inspection, the lead inspector reviewed a second action plan that made clear what actions were to be taken to deal with the issues raised in March 2015.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the early years leader. Meetings were also held with the chair of the trust, the chief executive, the business director and the facilities manager of the trust. A meeting was also held with the personnel manager and the manager of catering.  The inspector examined a wide variety of school documentation regarding safeguarding and the health and safety of pupils. This documentation included school policies, risk assessments, records of site safety checks and the systems used to check the suitability of staff to work with pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 The school’s single central record of recruitment checks was scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Jan Connor, 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

Parent View 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. 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 children looked after, 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-

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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