On Track Education Centre Westbury

On Track Education Centre Westbury Broadway House, Headquarters Road, West Wiltshire Trading Est, Westbury, Wiltshire BA13 4JY

p.1

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

p.1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

p.1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher provides strong leadership. Together with other staff, she has a profound understanding of the background and needs of each individual pupil.  Teaching is very responsive to pupils’ changing needs. Personal learning plans are reviewed regularly to ensure this. As a result, teaching is enabling pupils to make progress, often from very low starting points.  Many pupils experience success for the first time in their educational careers while at the school. Consequently, they gain in self-esteem and self-confidence. In turn, this helps to improve pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Staff are ambitious for their pupils’ futures and the school prepares them well for the next stages of their life. Most go on successfully to further education or employment.  Relationships between pupils and staff are strong and productive. Pupils feel that they are very well cared for and that their best interests

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

are paramount.  School leaders have developed a positive culture of reading in the school.  Leadership of science teaching is not as secure as the leadership of other subjects. As a result, pupils’ progress is not as well sustained as it is in, for example, English and mathematics.  Monitoring of the quality of teaching does not place enough emphasis on the impact of teaching over time on the progress pupils make.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are broadly positive but they clearly take more pride in their work in some subjects, such as personal, social and health education, than in others.  The teaching of humanities does not stretch pupils sufficiently by encouraging them to make sustained and balanced written arguments.  The proprietor and school leaders have worked well to ensure that the school complies with the independent school standards.

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

p.1

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that the monitoring of teaching focuses more closely on the impact of teaching over time on the progress pupils make.  Improve teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that: – teaching in science is more systematically organised and makes a stronger contribution to pupils’ progress in this subject – teaching in humanities encourages pupils to produce extended, balanced written arguments as part of their responses to topics.  Improve pupils’ personal development by ensuring that the highly positive attitudes to learning that pupils show in some subjects are seen across the curriculum.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The principal provides the school with strong leadership. She has an unshakeable belief in the potential of all her pupils and a deep understanding of their individual backgrounds and particular needs. Other staff share the headteacher’s convictions and together they are determined to help pupils succeed.  School leaders and the proprietor have worked effectively to ensure that the school complies with all the independent school standards. In particular, they acted swiftly to tackle the unmet standards identified at the material change inspection in October 2016. The Department for Education requested Ofsted to consider again, as part of this standard inspection, the school’s application for a material change in its maximum number of full-time pupils from 24 to 32. The school is now likely to meet the independent school standards if this material change is implemented.  Leaders have established an ambitious culture in the school. Relationships between pupils

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

and staff are very strong and this provides the bedrock on which many pupils can experience success in education for the first time.  Leaders have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and can identify areas, such as the leadership of science teaching, which require further attention. Nonetheless, although the monitoring of the quality of teaching is improving, it still does not pay sufficient attention to the impact of teaching on the progress that pupils make over time.  The school’s curriculum is well designed. It is based on a thorough understanding of pupils’ aptitudes, abilities and prior attainment. The curriculum allows pupils to study for a range of qualifications such as GCSEs, functional skills, entry-level certificates and unit awards. In addition, the curriculum puts particular emphasis on pupils’ personal, social and health education. Planning for this is a strength of the school and this aspect of the

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

curriculum makes an important contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The school offers a good range of extra-curricular activities. Charitable work and excursions, such as to the theatre, add to the good work the school does to promote pupils’ personal development.  The school makes good use of a web-based programme to track pupils’ emotional and social development. This provides staff with detailed information about the stages of development that pupils have gone through and where they are currently. This allows leaders to track efficiently the impact of their work to promote pupils’ personal development.  All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities, with a large proportion also having an education, health and care plan. Pupils’ needs are well known and the school works well with external organisations, for example in drawing up annual reviews. The

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

requirements of the ‘Special educational need and disability code of practice: 0 to 25 years’, 2014, are well understood and followed.  In response to an area for improvement from the previous standard inspection in 2014, leaders have established a stronger culture of reading in the school. Pupils’ reading records are more systematic and effective reward schemes motivate pupils to read more widely. There is ready access to books around the school, and displays reinforce the importance of reading.  School leaders work well with external agencies of all kinds in the endeavour to help pupils succeed. The local authority that places the vast majority of pupils in the school speaks highly of the impact that this partnership work is having on pupils’ lives and opportunities.  Leaders promote fundamental British values very effectively. For example, mock parliaments, elections and referendums promote a good understanding of democracy, the

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

rule of law, individual liberty and the institutions of public life. The need to respect everyone, whatever their background, permeates the school and staff model this well in their interactions with pupils. Overall, therefore, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

p.4

Governance

 The school does not have a governing body. The proprietor is a company and one director has particular responsibility for overseeing the school’s work.  The proprietor has worked well, in tandem with school leaders, to ensure that all the independent school standards are met.  Recent improvements to monitoring systems ensure that the proprietor has a clear and up-to-date picture of the school’s work. For example, a new programme allows the proprietor to monitor behaviour in the school very closely.  Performance management of the headteacher is rigorous and plays an important part in ensuring the school is focusing on the key issues that will allow it to continue to improve.

p.4

Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. The headteacher is the designated safeguarding lead and has well-developed knowledge, understanding and skills in relation to child protection and safeguarding. She undergoes frequent training, above and beyond the requirements of the statutory guidance. This, coupled with her profound knowledge of all the pupils, means that the school’s work to keep children safe is highly effective.  The school’s engagement with parents and outside agencies is also strong. This work is very well documented and the school is introducing new systems with the aim of strengthening this aspect of its work further. Child protection records show good engagement with social workers and that all necessary meetings are attended.  The single central record of the pre-employment checks made on teachers and other staff

p.4

Safeguarding

meets the requirements of the regulations.  The school’s safeguarding and child protection policy pays due regard to the latest guidance issued by the Secretary of State, ‘Keeping children safe in education’, 2016. All staff have read part 1 of this guidance and other relevant policies, such as the staff code of conduct. The safeguarding policy is available to parents via the school’s website or in hard copy on request.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 The positive impact that teaching has on pupils’ progress is built on the solid foundations of excellent relationships between staff and pupils. Teachers know their pupils very well and this allows them to plan activities to promote learning effectively. Teachers are able to adapt their planning during lessons to ensure that teaching meets pupils’ needs.  Each pupil has a personalised learning plan that is regularly reviewed to ensure that teaching is informed by a precise understanding of pupils’ aptitudes, ability and prior attainment. Assessment information is used effectively to inform this process and is based on a good understanding of what pupils know, understand and can do.  Pupils typically arrive at the school with a history of low attainment and underachievement in their education up to that point. Teachers have initially to address the gaps in pupils’ prior learning, some of which are extensive. Nonetheless, pupils’ work

p.5

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

shows that teaching is helping them to make good progress, often from very low starting points, across a range of subjects, including English and mathematics.  Teachers model respect for pupils at all times, even in sometimes challenging circumstances. This helps to promote not only the value of respect itself but pupils’ personal development. Pupils spoke of how they felt that teachers genuinely cared whether they made progress or not.  Reading is well taught, particularly for those who have ground to make up due to interruptions in their education prior to arriving in the school. Leaders have created an effective reading culture in the school.  Teachers provide parents with very clear information on the progress that their children are making in the school, via termly reports and a more detailed annual report.  Teachers give pupils effective feedback that is in line with the school’s policy.  Teaching is not as effectively organised in science as it is in other subjects. Planning is

p.5

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

not clear or easy to access. There has been some disruption in science staffing and this has also had an impact on the quality of teaching in this subject.  Teaching of humanities allows pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding. They do not, however, develop the ability to produce sustained and balanced written responses to the topics they are studying. They are not encouraged enough to transfer their developing literacy skills from their English lessons across to their work in humanities.

p.5

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils enter the school with educational backgrounds characterised by high levels of disruption and lack of success. All have not thrived in mainstream education. As a result, pupils usually arrive with very low self-esteem and a lack of self-confidence. The school rightly places a high priority on improving pupils’ self-belief, which they do very well. Pupils spoke of how teachers’ belief that they could succeed gave them more confidence in their abilities than they had ever had in the past.  As a result of this, pupils’ attitudes to learning become more positive over time. This is particularly clear in personal, social and health education, on which the school puts particular emphasis. Pupils’ work in this subject shows a great deal of pride and positive engagement. While attitudes to learning are good across most subjects, this is not wholly

p.5

Personal development and welfare

consistent across the curriculum.  The school’s programme of work-related learning allows pupils to develop the knowledge and understanding to make informed choices about their futures. Most pupils go on to further education or employment.  Pupils report that virtually no bullying occurs in the school, and this is supported by the school’s records.

p.6

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils at the school have been placed there because they have not prospered in mainstream education. They join it with a range of social, emotional and mental health needs that have led them to display very challenging behaviour at their previous schools. Staff work very well to help pupils improve their behaviour. As a result, pupils’ self- knowledge improves and they develop a greater ability to manage their own behaviour.  Typically, pupils’ behaviour improves during the time they spend at the school. A number of pupils described how this process had taken place and had had an impact not just in school but in their lives as a whole. They recognise that these improvements in their behaviour are a precondition to good learning and better achievement.  School leaders are introducing a new system to record behavioural incidents. This is giving them a greater ability to analyse patterns and take appropriate actions to improve

p.6

Behaviour

behaviour further.  The number of fixed-term exclusions has fallen over the last few years, despite the fact that pupil numbers have increased.  Attendance shows a similar pattern to that of behaviour. Pupils enter the school with typically low attendance. In some cases, pupils have not been attending at all prior to joining the school. While at the school, most pupils’ attendance improves, in some case dramatically. The school’s systems for promoting good attendance are robust and leaders are relentless in their engagement with families who are yet to realise the importance of regular attendance.

p.6

Outcomes for pupils Good

 As a result of disruptions in their education, pupils arrive at the school with a history of low attainment and underachievement. In addition, they often join the school in mid-year or part of the way through a key stage. Typically, they have large gaps in their knowledge, understanding and skills and are operating at levels well below pupils of a similar age nationally. Nonetheless, the school helps them to make progress. For many, this is the first time they have experienced success in education.  Extensive work scrutiny across a range of subjects and all year groups indicates that pupils make good progress, notwithstanding their low starting points. In English and mathematics, for example, they acquire the key skills that many had hitherto lacked. Pupils’ work in personal, social and health education shows particularly strong progress in their knowledge and understanding.  The same picture of positive progress is clear for key groups. All pupils have special

p.6

Outcomes for pupils Good

educational needs and/or disabilities and as a group are making good progress. The majority of the pupils are disadvantaged and they, too, are making improvements in achievement. Teaching is particularly effective in helping those pupils who need to catch up.  As they progress through the school, pupils take a range of accredited qualifications such as GCSEs, functional skills, entry level certificates and unit awards. This success allows many to build their self-confidence and motivates them to work harder. The number of GCSE passes attained at the school is on an upward trajectory.  Pupils’ reading ages on entry to the school are usually very low compared to their chronological age. Due to the teaching and additional support that pupils receive, they typically make rapid improvements in their reading ability. This provides a crucial cornerstone for further progress across the curriculum.  As a result of the progress they make during their time in the school, pupils are better

p.7

Outcomes for pupils Good

prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment than their prior educational histories might have indicated. Most go on to further education when they leave the school.

p.7

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.

p.8

School details

Type of school Independent special school

p.8

School details

Proprietor On Track Education Services Ltd

p.8

School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £18,365–£36,176

p.8

School details

Website www.ontrackeducation.co.uk/westbury

p.8

School details

Email address jholden@ontrackeducation.com

p.8

School details

Date of previous inspection 11–13 March 2014

p.8

Information about this school

 On Track Education Centre Westbury is an independent special school which caters for pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Some also have autism spectrum disorder. Many arrive at the school after periods in their education when they have not thrived in mainstream schools.  The school moved into its current premises after the last standard independent school inspection, which took place on 11–13 March 2014.  The school is owned and run by On Track Education Services Ltd., which has a number of other centres across the country. The directors of this company act as the proprietor. The school does not have a governing body.  All pupils are placed at the school by local authorities and a significant proportion have education, health and care plans or statements of special educational needs.  The school does not use alternative providers, although pupils do often undertake activities off-site in the company of a member of staff.

p.8

Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed learning in lessons in the company of the headteacher and the proprietor. During these observations he took the opportunity to examine pupils’ work and to talk to them about their learning. In addition, he looked at a large sample of work from every year group and a wide range of subjects.  The inspector held formal and informal discussions with the headteacher and proprietor throughout the inspection. He also spoke to the teaching and learning manager, the health and safety officer and other staff.  A wide range of documentary evidence was scrutinised, including the school’s key policies. The inspector also examined the school’s safeguarding and child protection records.  The inspector held a discussion with a group of pupils. He also took into account one response to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and one discussion with a parent. There were eight responses to the staff survey.

p.10

Information about this inspection

 As part of this standard inspection, the Department for Education commissioned Ofsted to consider a school’s application to make material change to its registration. The school is seeking to increase its maximum number of pupils on roll from 24 to 32.

p.10

Inspection team

Stephen Lee, 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 .

p.10

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.

p.11

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 .

p.11

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.

p.11

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 .

p.11

Inspection team

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, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.11