Tregonwell Academy

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Nicki Morton Director of Special Educational Needs Tregonwell Academy Petersfield Road Bournemouth Dorset BH7 6QP

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No formal designation monitoring inspection of Tregonwell Academy

Following my visit with Christina Maddison, Social Care Regulatory Inspector, to your school on 26 and 27 April 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

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No formal designation monitoring inspection of Tregonwell Academy

This inspection was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for inspecting schools with no formal designation. The inspection was carried out because Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector wished to determine the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements at the school as Ofsted had identified some concerns.

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Evidence

Inspectors scrutinised the single central record and other documents relating to safeguarding and child protection arrangements. We met with you, the chief executive officer of the Ambitions Academy Trust and other senior leaders and spoke with staff throughout the inspection. We also met with a member of the Ambitions Academy Committee and spoke by telephone with a representative from the local authority.

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Evidence

Inspectors visited lessons in classes on the three academy sites, observed pupils during break and lunchtimes and spoke with pupils during the inspection to seek their views on behaviour and safety. A wide range of documentation was scrutinised, relating to behaviour, attendance, safety and safeguarding. Minutes of the Ambitions Academy Committee meetings and records of members’ visits to the school were scrutinised to evaluate the rigour of their work to keep pupils safe. In addition, the inspectors looked at a sample of writing, mathematics and personal, social and health education workbooks to evaluate pupils’ attitudes to learning over time and to evaluate how the school teaches pupils to be safe.

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Evidence

Inspectors spoke with parents, family members and taxi drivers at the end of the school day. In addition, inspectors scrutinised the school’s own survey of parents’ views.

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Evidence

Having considered the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Context

Tregonwell Academy is part of the Ambitions Academy Trust. The school provides education for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs.

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Context

Tregonwell Academy is formed of three educational settings: the Petersfield Campus for secondary-age pupils, Nigel Bowes Campus for primary-age pupils and the Throop Learning Centre for pupils with significant emotional or medical needs. An associate principal manages the day-to-day running of each school, under the leadership of the director of special educational needs.

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Context

The school currently has 161 pupils on roll. The vast majority are of White British background. Most pupils have an education, health and care plan or a statement of special educational needs. The proportion who are known to be eligible for free school meals is well above average.

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safeguarding and child protection arrangements keep pupils safe

Leaders and staff demonstrate a commitment and determination to ensuring that pupils at Tregonwell Academy are kept safe. Safeguarding policies and procedures are known and understood by all staff and implemented effectively. There is no complacency. Pupils feel valued and able to discuss any worries or concerns with staff. They told inspectors, ‘We can tell staff things we do not tell other people. I feel very safe here.’ The culture of safeguarding is strong.

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safeguarding and child protection arrangements keep pupils safe

The chief executive officer and director of special educational needs lead a committed and effective leadership team. They ensure that safeguarding is given the highest priority. Staff share their vision and moral purpose to provide a high- quality education and learning environment where pupils can thrive. The school’s leaders and staff continually reflect on and develop the work they do to keep pupils safe. They rigorously evaluate the impact of their safeguarding policies and procedures to drive improvement. This includes taking account of the up-to-date guidance ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (September 2016) to inform their improvement strategy. Policies, including those for safeguarding, complaints, anti- bullying and behaviour, are clear and provide helpful and appropriate information for staff and families on the school’s website. This continuous focus on safeguarding is at the heart of the school’s work and is instrumental in ensuring that its

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safeguarding and child protection arrangements keep pupils safe

procedures are the best they can be to keep pupils safe.

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safeguarding and child protection arrangements keep pupils safe

Leaders have developed a culture where safeguarding is ‘everyone’s responsibility’. They have ensured that there is constant communication with staff through daily briefings to share concerns. In addition, leaders inform staff when extra vigilance regarding individual pupils is needed. Leaders meet each week to evaluate the impact of actions taken in response to concerns noted to support pupils and keep them safe. Consequently, staff understand and value the part they play in keeping pupils safe.

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safeguarding and child protection arrangements keep pupils safe

Leaders ensure that staff are recruited safely. Guidance for safer recruitment practice is followed with vigilance. Governors and leaders receive training in safer recruitment and ensure that all checks are carried out prior to new staff joining the school. In addition, a scrutiny of child protection records confirms that leaders have strengthened their work further. As a result, there is a consistency of approach across the three school campuses. This work is of a high quality. Records are detailed. In addition, an accurate chronology of the school’s work to protect pupils is held at the front of each pupil’s file.

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safeguarding and child protection arrangements keep pupils safe

Leaders provide a wide range of appropriate training for staff to ensure that they have a good understanding of safeguarding. This includes training on issues such as child sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation and the school’s Prevent duty. Records are kept to show who has attended this training. Induction training for new staff is thorough and ensures that they receive appropriate safeguarding information. In discussions during the inspection, staff confirmed their deep understanding of what to do if they have concerns about pupils or the conduct of other staff members. Teachers and teaching assistants spoke of the strong support they receive from leaders which enables them to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively. They demonstrate a commitment to act in the best interests of the child to keep them safe. As a result, there is a positive culture of safeguarding and pupils are well cared for.

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safeguarding and child protection arrangements keep pupils safe

The school has developed an effective personal, social and health education curriculum, which focuses on fostering pupils’ emotional and social development. In addition, pupils are taught to understand potential risks, particularly when using the internet and social media. During the inspection, pupils in Years 5 and 6 discussed the possible dangers of using the internet with understanding. Older pupils designed posters reminding each other of the dangers of cyber bullying and communicating with strangers through social media. The school has appointed members of staff to be their e-safety champion and anti-bullying champion. The rigour of this work ensures that pupils receive individual, personalised support to minimise risk and to ensure their safety. Staff receive high-quality training and guidance to manage pupils’ challenging and anxious behaviours. Staff continually assess pupils’ needs and the impact of the

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safeguarding and child protection arrangements keep pupils safe

actions they take to support pupils to develop positive behaviour. Staff plan appropriate strategies, recorded in pupils’ behaviour plans, to effectively manage incidents which occur. Staff were observed during the inspection consistently implementing the school’s behaviour policy. Pupils receive merits and credits for good work and behaviour. Pupils and staff celebrate ‘outstanding learning’ during the school’s morning breakfast meeting. This engenders a sense of pride in their work and a keen sense of belonging. The school’s records confirm that physical intervention is used as a last resort and is rare. In addition, staff rigorously record and track incidents that do occur. They look for triggers and patterns and implement actions to reduce pupils’ frustrations and anxieties. For example, pupils receive support to develop positive mental health and emotional well-being. As a result, records confirm that pupils’ behaviour improves over time. They learn to

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safeguarding and child protection arrangements keep pupils safe

manage their complex behaviours more effectively so that they are better prepared for the next stage of their education, training and employment.

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safeguarding and child protection arrangements keep pupils safe

Leaders and staff work tirelessly to engage parents and families. Parents and family members who spoke with the inspector at the end of the school day were positive about the work of the school. They understand that staff know their children well and provide the support they need. Opportunities for parents to attend regular meetings with teachers are linked with whole-school events, such as the Easter fair. This enables more families to attend parents’ evenings. Leaders and staff ensure that the school has an ‘open door’ policy. Parents and families are fully included in their child’s education.

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safeguarding and child protection arrangements keep pupils safe

Senior leaders focus sharply on pupils’ attendance. Staff immediately telephone families early in the day if pupils do not attend school. They follow up all non- attendance swiftly and provide support to help families to improve attendance where needed. As a result, the school’s records confirm that pupils’ attendance markedly improves once they settle at the school. Overall, attendance continues to improve as a result of the school’s vigilant and rigorous approach. The high priority that leaders give to this work ensures that pupils are kept safe and make good gains in their academic and personal development during their time at the school. The school has detailed procedures in place to check where pupils move to if taken off roll.

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safeguarding and child protection arrangements keep pupils safe

Governors visit the school regularly to see for themselves that the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures are implemented effectively. Records from a recent visit from the lead safeguarding governor confirm the rigour of their checks to ensure that pupils are kept safe. They receive detailed reports from leaders. However, they do not take this information at face value. Minutes of meetings confirm that governors ask challenging questions to check that the school’s actions to keep pupils safe support pupils effectively. In addition, they meet with leaders regularly to assure themselves that policies and procedures are evaluated frequently to meet the needs of the pupils at each campus.

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External support

The chief executive officer has ensured that the Ambitions Academy Trust has a clear oversight and strong understanding of the school’s work to keep pupils safe. Trustees and members of the Ambitions Academy Committee conduct regular visits to the school and provide strong challenge and support to leaders to continue to strengthen safeguarding procedures and policies. Leaders have built positive links with the local authority. They draw on support from local agencies, such as the education welfare officer and the local authority designated officer, to support their work. For example, leaders commissioned an in-depth local safeguarding audit from the local authority. They have actioned the identified areas for improvement swiftly and in full to strengthen further their work to keep pupils safe.

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Priorities for further improvement

 Continue to build on the strong culture of safeguarding evident at the school.

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Priorities for further improvement

I am copying this letter to the executive board and the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Bournemouth. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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