Include Suffolk

Include Suffolk Springvale Court, Hadleigh Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP8 3AS

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection 15–16 October 2013

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Governors have not ensured that all of the independent school standards are met.  Leaders’ self-evaluation is overly generous and development plans are not sufficiently detailed to support improvements.  Leaders’ monitoring of teaching and the management of staff performance are underdeveloped. There is a lack of awareness of the training or support that staff need to fulfil their roles effectively.  Leaders do not track pupils’ progress closely enough.  Not enough pupils make consistently good progress over time.  Teachers do not have sufficiently high expectations of what pupils can achieve.  Teachers do not consistently set work that matches pupils’ needs and this slows pupils’ progress over time.  Acoustic conditions in the Bury site are not suitable.  The outdoor space at the Lowestoft site for physical education is insufficient.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Recently appointed leaders have acted quickly to address weaknesses, to notable effect.  Leaders quickly identify pupils’ personal needs and secure additional support to help them access the curriculum.  Staff provide valuable support to help pupils who have complex needs to re-engage in learning successfully.  Transition to and from school is managed well.  Staff understand pupils’ needs well and build strong relationships that help pupils to develop positive behaviours.  Pupils empathise with each other and develop strategies that improve their behaviours.  Pupils’ attendance shows a clear improvement from their starting points.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school must take action to meet the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements. The details are listed in the full report.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership, management and governance by ensuring that: – all of the independent school standards are met – robust systems are established to monitor the school’s effectiveness and that any issues identified are addressed in school improvement plans – leaders record, evaluate and review all aspects of the school’s work rigorously, particularly the quality of teaching and learning, and pupils’ social and academic progress from their starting points – performance management focuses on school improvement – all staff have a clear idea of what is expected of them and are equipped with the necessary skills to fulfil their roles effectively.  Improve the quality of teaching and learning so that all pupils make at least good progress from their starting points by ensuring that: – all teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve – teachers use the information gathered on pupils when they arrive at the school and

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

over time to set work that meets their needs.

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 The proprietors must ensure that teaching at the school: – enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability so that they increase their understanding and develop their skills in the subjects taught – involves well-planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time – shows a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and ensures that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons – demonstrates that a framework is in place to assess pupils’ work regularly and thoroughly and uses information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress (paragraphs 3, 3(a), 3(c), 3(d) and 3(g)).  The proprietors must ensure that the acoustic conditions and sound insulation of each room or other space are suitable, having regard to the nature of the activities which normally take place therein (paragraph 26).

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 The proprietors must ensure that suitable outdoor space is provided in order to enable physical education to be provided to pupils in accordance with the school curriculum (paragraphs 29(1) and 29(1)(a)).

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 The proprietors must 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 (paragraphs 34(1), 34(1)(a) and 34(1)(b)).

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders and proprietors have allowed the school’s overall effectiveness to deteriorate since the previous inspection. The proprietors, who provide the governance for the school, are aware of the school’s weaknesses. Recent changes to the leadership structure are providing the necessary support to rectify matters.  Until recently, senior leaders and proprietors did not pay sufficient attention to ensuring that the school meets the independent school standards. Consequently, some of the standards are unmet.  The school’s self-evaluation is overly generous. More recent, quality assurance reports give an accurate picture of the school’s effectiveness and provide a useful baseline for the school’s improvement.  Leaders’ monitoring of teaching and learning over time is underdeveloped. Some leaders are not sufficiently trained to equip them with the skills to carry out their monitoring roles effectively. Their lack of skills means that leaders do not have an accurate picture of the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

quality of teaching and learning and have not been able to give teaching staff the support they need to help them improve.  Leaders have recently introduced a new system that provides more accurate and reliable assessment information. The new system is helping leaders to track pupils’ progress, attendance and behaviour more effectively. However, these systems are in their infancy and the impact on pupils’ outcomes is yet to be seen. While leaders track the progress of individual pupils, they currently do not have a clear picture of how well different groups of pupils achieve over time, such as those who are disadvantaged or the most able.  The head of region was appointed in February 2016. The three curriculum learning leads, one for each of the different sites, have all been appointed in the last nine months, one only three weeks ago. The special educational needs coordinator is relatively new in post.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

While the team is new, some of its members have considerable, relevant previous experience. The team has successfully led the school through some difficult times, which were caused by contract uncertainties and turbulence in staffing.  Leaders’ actions have led to recent improvements, which have been noted by the commissioning officers at the local authority, the education, health and care (EHC) plan coordinators, parents, pupils and by the schools where pupils are placed.  The curriculum provides pupils with adequate opportunities to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding across a wide range of subjects. In addition to the more traditional subjects, pupils have the opportunity to study cooking, art, music and culture, alongside nurture and golden time. Although sufficient breadth exists, leaders are looking at curriculum plans to see whether the balance of provision could help to improve pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders provide a range of purposeful and memorable activities to help support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well, which helps to prepare them for life in modern Britain. These include fund-raising activities for the local hospice, including ‘Bake sales’ and ‘Pyjama days’, which help pupils to work together as a team, and the ‘Eco warrior’ activity, which helps pupils to appreciate natural resources and consider recycling and sustainability. Pupils speak positively about visits, especially those to Colchester Zoo and Colchester Castle, and activities such as sailing on the River Orwell. The ‘Cultural calendar’ encourages pupils’ appreciation of the diversity of different faiths, by celebrating events such as Diwali and learning about the relevance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  The proprietors acknowledge that areas of the school’s accommodation are not suitable to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

provide good-quality provision. The outdoor space at the Lowestoft site is small, which limits the opportunities for physical education. The acoustic conditions in classrooms at the Bury site make it difficult for pupils to concentrate when there is too much noise.  The communication between the school and parents is strong; parents describe a ‘caring and responsive staff’. The detailed reports that parents receive each year give them a clear picture of their child’s progress.  Parents and carers receive regular, often daily, updates to let them know how their children are doing. Parents’ views of the provision are positive. As one said, ‘Teachers support my child, he feels welcome, he is more focused, happier, and has made some great friends.’  The majority of the responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff were positive. Staff mostly feel valued and proud to work for the company. They enjoy the work that they do.

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Governance

 Governors have not ensured that all the independent school standards are met.  Until recently, senior leaders have not been held to account sufficiently for all aspects of the school’s performance. This has had a negative impact on outcomes for pupils. However, recent staffing changes to leadership and governance have resulted in immediate improvements.  Governors now have an accurate view of the school’s effectiveness.  Governors know what needs to be done to improve the school. The recent ‘blueprint’ details the strategic plans to improve the quality of the school’s effectiveness.  There is a suitable safeguarding policy published on the school’s website.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders carry out the necessary pre-employment checks for staff’s suitability to work with pupils, and record the checks in the single central record accurately.  Staff are familiar with the most recent guidance and aware of their safeguarding responsibilities. Staff receive training in line with the latest statutory guidance, and are alert to potential risks that pupils face.  Staff are familiar with the referrals process and know whom to speak to, should they have concerns. Staff refer any concerns appropriately and in a timely manner. Records are clear, detailed and contain all of the required information.  Leaders carry out health and safety checks regularly and act upon any concerns raised.  Leaders map the teaching of safeguarding across the curriculum. Pupils say that they feel safe and are aware of how to keep themselves safe. They highlight the focus given to

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Safeguarding

ensuring that they stay safe online as a particular strength.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is too inconsistent to ensure that pupils make good academic progress over time.  Pupils are assessed over a six-week period when they arrive at the school, which gives staff an accurate picture of what pupils already know and can do. However, teachers do not always use this information to set work at the right level. Work is too easy at times.  Some teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not high enough. The work that pupils complete over time shows a wide variability in terms of the quality. Some work is scruffy and incomplete, and shows that the level of challenge pupils experience does not develop their knowledge and understanding sufficiently well.  Teachers’ use of day-to-day assessment is not consistently effective in giving pupils good guidance on how to improve their work. Often, feedback is purely congratulatory and hampers pupils’ progress.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The work set for different groups, including the most able, is often not challenging enough and pupils say that the work in some lessons is too easy. Evidence in pupils’ books affirmed this to be the case.  The relationships that exist between staff and pupils in lessons are strong. Pupils say that this is because the teachers provide the support that they need, listen to them, and explain the work carefully so that they understand what to do.  The teaching of reading is often effective in helping pupils catch up with the skills they need to read fluently and spell words accurately.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils become more confident, self-assured and valued because they are having their emotional and social needs met appropriately.  Staff take the time to resolve the underlying issues behind pupils’ inappropriate behaviour.

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Personal development and welfare

 The careful assessment of pupils’ needs on entry ensures that pupils’ personal needs are developed well. Staff work closely with all parties involved with pupils’ EHC plans, which works well to identify and address pupils’ requirements. Consequently, pupils can access the support they need more quickly, helping them to make good progress in their personal development.  Where leaders have identified pupils’ additional needs, they are successful in arranging extra support to improve pupils’ personal development, such as funding for one-to-one support that has not previously been in place.  Local authority officers value the good, detailed information for pupils’ reviews; the reviews support pupils well, and ensure that transition arrangements are robust and well understood.  The ‘Cres Club’ helps pupils effectively develop confidence, respect, emotional resilience and self-esteem. Pupils discuss their feelings, and start to explore some of the underlying

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Personal development and welfare

reasons behind their challenging behaviours. Pupils start to develop empathy because they reflect on the impact of their actions on other people.  Staff set academic targets for children who are looked after that are appropriate and measurable. Leaders use additional funding effectively to help the pupils make better progress. The content of pupils’ individual plans is now far more incisive than it used to be, and is leading to improved monitoring and provision of the support given.  Pupils and parents are pleased with the level of care provided by the school. In the most recent surveys in 2015/16, 90% of pupils and parents were either happy or very happy with the support provided.  Pupils say that they feel safe in school. Site security is tight across all three sites. Teachers regularly talk to pupils about the dangers they face, and guidance on how to use the internet safely is mapped across the curriculum. Staff monitor pupils’ internet

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Personal development and welfare

usage closely. Pupils say that when incidents of bullying do occur, staff deal with them well.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils often arrive at the school with poor attendance, significant behavioural issues and negative views towards education. Leaders have established rigorous assessment programmes that quickly identify pupils’ needs and secure appropriate provision. Consequently, pupils’ attitudes towards their learning becomes more positive.  Staff display patience, sensitivity and resilience in helping pupils to develop positive behaviours. Staff give pupils time to reflect on their actions, asking the pupils whether the choices they make are ‘good ones’. Consequently, pupils are learning the skills and developing the self-discipline to help them become successful learners.  Leaders’ tenacity in following up on attendance issues ensures that pupils’ attendance improves rapidly. Leaders’ close links with parents and the educational welfare officer (EWO) ensure that pupils with historically poor attendance show sustained improvement.

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Behaviour

The EWO reports a proactive approach from leaders to improve attendance; the overall attendance rates are improving this year from an already high base.  Pupils receive the support they require to help them move on to other schools when they are ready. Sessions with a child psychotherapist helps pupils to explore their feelings, and develop greater self-esteem, in a safe environment. This support helps successful transition to new schools.  Pupils’ focus on learning improves because of the continual reinforcement of positive behaviour. Staff model how to behave appropriately extremely well. Pupils acknowledge that their behaviour improves over time. Parents confirm that their children are happier and more focused.  Until recently, the records for pupils’ social development were not sufficiently detailed to show how well pupils’ skills improved. Nevertheless, there is sufficient evidence of the high-quality intensive work and consistent application of effective strategies by staff to

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Behaviour

confirm that pupils’ behaviour develops well.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Not enough pupils make good progress from their individual starting points in reading, writing and mathematics.  The school has been highly successful in supporting pupils with challenging personal circumstances and complex needs to re-engage with learning. Over time, pupils start to catch up with the academic knowledge, skills and understanding that they have previously missed.  Pupils’ progress from their individual starting points is not yet good because they do not have consistently high-quality opportunities to build upon what they know and can do.  Pupils in some classes achieve notable success in how well they read. Pupils are able to break down unfamiliar words so that they can pronounce them properly and understand their meaning.  In the Years 1 and 2 class, pupils make good progress. Pupils rise to teachers’ high expectations and complete the work carefully. Pupils find the work interesting and

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

challenging, and apply the skills they learn well.  Pupils’ readiness to re-engage with education results in successful reintegration to other schools, which helps to prepare pupils well for the next stage of their lives, including their education.

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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

Headteacher Alan Waldron (interim headteacher)

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School details

Website www.catch-22.org.uk/services/include- suffolk Email address alan.waldron@catch-22.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15–16 October 2013

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Information about this school

 Include Suffolk provides educational provision for up to 57 pupils across three sites, in Ipswich, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds. The proprietor is Catch22, a social business that delivers services to build resilience and aspiration in people and communities.  Each site is led by a curriculum lead and learning lead. Overall responsibility for the three sites is held by a headteacher (position currently unfilled). The headteacher reports to a head of region who has overall responsibility for provision in Norfolk and Suffolk. The headteacher’s role is being carried out on an interim basis by the head of region.  The school caters for pupils who have social, emotional and mental health needs. Some pupils have autistic spectrum disorder.  Many pupils are at risk of exclusion or have been excluded from their previous schools. Many arrive with histories of poor attendance. Pupils often present challenging behaviour.

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Information about this school

Many have experienced personal traumas and disruption in their previous education.  Pupils attend on a full-time basis, typically for up to three terms before returning to their mainstream schools. Many are reintegrated into primary schools after two terms.  The Department for Education (DfE) commissioned Ofsted to consider the proprietor’s request for a material change in July 2014. As a result, the DfE increased the school’s admission number from 36 to 57.  Most pupils have EHC plans to cater for their special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Pupils arrive via referrals from the local authority, managed moves or through an In-Year Fair Access Panel review. The local authority funds pupils’ placements at the school.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning throughout all three sites. They heard pupils read and looked at pupils’ work across a range of subjects.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, quality assurance reports, the ‘blueprint’, training logs, the school improvement plan, policies, information about the curriculum, information about safeguarding pupils, and information about the progress, behaviour and attendance of pupils.  There was one response to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. An inspector spoke to parents on site.  Inspectors spoke to pupils from different year groups.  Inspectors considered 26 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.  Inspectors met with the head of region, the curriculum and learning leads at all three sites, the special educational needs coordinator and staff individually.  Telephone conversations were held with the executive director and the curriculum senior

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Information about this inspection

lead from Catch22, the local offer manager from the local authority, and local headteachers from schools where pupils are subsequently placed.  An inspector gathered information from the educational welfare officer and from staff that work with the provider on EHC plans.  Inspectors toured the school sites.  The single central record of employment checks was scrutinised.

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Inspection team

John Randall, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jo Jones 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

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.

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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

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.

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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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.gov.uk/ofsted

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