Purbeck View School

Purbeck View School Northbrook Road, Swanage, Dorset BH19 1PR

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an inadequate school  School leaders and the proprietor have not ensured that the independent school standards are met in full.  Leaders have not tackled the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection with sufficient urgency or rigour. Ongoing changes to the leadership of the school are inhibiting the school’s capacity to improve quickly.  Leaders do not have robust plans for improvement. The school development plan is not fit for purpose. It does not provide a clear direction for the rapid improvement of the school.  The leadership of safeguarding is inadequate. Leaders have not ensured that pupils are safe at this school.  Teaching is good. However, leaders’ commitment to providing staff with high-quality professional development is weak.  Performance management of staff is inconsistent. Teachers are not provided with clear objectives to improve their practice and secure better outcomes for pupils.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Too many parents are unhappy with the leadership of the school. Communication between leaders and parents is weak. Consequently, parents are not confident that leaders tackle their concerns and complaints well enough. The school has the following strengths  Despite the inadequate leadership of the school, the quality of teaching and learning is good. As a result, pupils typically make good progress and achieve strong outcomes.  Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. As a result, pupils quickly learn to trust staff.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. Staff understand pupils’ complex needs extremely well and manage their challenging and anxious behaviours skilfully.  Arrangements for pupils’ and sixth-form students’ future destinations are strong. As a result, all of them secure places in education, training or employment when they leave. Compliance with regulatory requirements

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school must meet the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 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 the quality of leadership and management by: – rapidly securing the effective leadership of the school – ensuring that robust systems and procedures to safeguard pupils are securely in place – setting clear priorities for school improvement which are checked and evaluated for impact by leaders and those responsible for governance – ensuring that the proprietor and the directors of the Cambian Group rigorously hold leaders to account for the quality of education and care pupils receive – providing high-quality training for staff to further develop their skills and expertise – rapidly improving relationships with parents through greater transparency and improved communication – ensuring that the focus on the monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning remains a priority in order that pupils, including the most able pupils, make the best possible progress.

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 The proprietor must ensure that 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), 7(b))  The proprietor must ensure that 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), 16(b))  The proprietor must ensure that an annual written report of each pupil’s progress and attainment in the main subject areas taught is provided to the parents of that registered pupil except that no report need be provided where the parents have agreed otherwise; where there is a governing body, the name and address for the correspondence of its chair; details of the complaints procedure referred to in paragraph 33, and the number of

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

complaints registered under the formal procedures during the preceding school year. (Paragraphs 32(1), 32(1)(f), 32(2), 32(2)(c), 32(3), 32(3)(f))  The proprietor must ensure that a complaints procedure is drawn up and effectively implemented which deals with the handling of complaints from parents. (Paragraphs 33, 33(a), 33(b), 33(c), 33(d), 33(e), 33(f), 33(g), 33(h), 33(i), 33(i)(i), 33 (i)(ii), 33(j), 33(j)(i), 33(j)(ii)(k))  Ensure that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role, fulfil their responsibilities effectively, consistently meet the independent school standards, and actively promote the well-being of students. (Paragraphs 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b), 34(1)(c), 34(2))

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 The proprietor, leaders and managers have not ensured that all of the independent school standards are met.  The proprietor and those responsible for the governance of the school have not sufficiently ensured that the school keeps pupils safe. While there is a safeguarding policy in place and available on the school’s website, leaders do not check carefully enough that staff are confident in identifying concerns and taking the necessary action required to minimise risk to pupils.  The proprietor, leaders and managers have not tackled the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection with sufficient urgency or rigour. Ongoing changes to the leadership of the school are having a negative impact on the school’s capacity to improve.  Leaders are not managing the performance of teachers effectively. They do not provide the training or guidance for staff to improve their practice.  The school’s current plan for improvement is weak. While it accurately identifies the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

priorities needed to further improve pupils’ progress, it is unclear about timescales for improvement and about where responsibility lies for monitoring the impact of actions. Despite these shortfalls in leadership, teachers remain focused on improving pupils’ achievement. Consequently, the quality of teaching and learning is good.  Too many parents are unhappy with the leadership of the school. While many express that they are happy with the teaching their child receives and the progress they make, they do not feel that their concerns and complaints are sufficiently well tackled by leaders.  The curriculum is broad and balanced. Teachers carefully plan bespoke learning activities which motivate and excite pupils and successfully meet their individual needs. Consequently, pupils increasingly enjoy their learning and make good progress. For example, older pupils were engrossed in the work on castles. They were able to describe

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

the importance of castles and the purpose of moats. They were able to formulate their own questions and successfully check each other’s understanding. In addition, pupils learn about different authors and are proud of their achievements. Learning is enhanced by a wide range of additional activities. Horticulture, music and art are among the many activities available to pupils.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered successfully by the school. For example, an assembly at the start of the day focused on the achievements of pupils in their leaning. Pupils were eager to listen and celebrate even the smallest steps of progress they had made.  The few pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding are making good progress in line with their peers. This is because teachers ensure that the curriculum is carefully tailored to meet their needs.  While at the school, pupils develop a knowledge and understanding of what it means to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

live in modern Britain and the fundamental values such as tolerance and respect according to their aptitudes. For example, through the consistent application of the school’s rules, pupils typically understand the difference between right and wrong. Pupils have the opportunity to be involved in activities such as the school’s general election and referendum.  The school offers pupils a range of accredited courses to gain qualifications appropriate to their ability. Teachers are able to offer relevant guidance and support to pupils to support their choices and interests. For example, pupils have been successful in securing accreditation in food handling. This work makes a positive contribution to developing pupils’ social and communication skills as well as their independence.

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Governance

 The proprietor and those responsible for governance do not make sure that: – all of the independent school standards are consistently met – safeguarding policies and procedures are robust and fully understood and adhered to by staff – leaders are sufficiently held to account for the quality of education and care of pupils – the strategic vision of the school is suitably focused on the outcomes for pupils – arrangements for the performance management of staff are systematically in place and staff receive high-quality professional development that will further improve their practice.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. The culture of safeguarding is weak. Leaders do not have a clear overview of how effectively statutory government guidance is being implemented, for example the ‘Prevent’ duty. In addition, leaders have not ensured that the safeguarding policy on the school’s website is fully understood and implemented by staff.  Leaders do not have systems in place to rigorously monitor and evaluate safeguarding. There is not a strategic overview in place to ensure that the risk to pupils is minimised. For example, while all staff are closely checked prior to commencing employment, not all staff have received adequate safeguarding training. Consequently, there is confusion and misunderstanding for some staff on what it means to keep children safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 The quality of teaching and learning over time across the school is good. When pupils join the school, assessments are quickly completed by staff to establish what pupils can and cannot do. The information from these assessments is then used as a baseline to plan activities which engage, motivate and carefully meet pupils’ needs. Consequently, the progress pupils make quickens as they become more secure and confident in their learning environment.  Teachers have good subject knowledge and a clear understanding of how pupils learn. They are able to break learning down into small steps, building on what pupils already know, can do and understand. As a result, teachers plan learning activities which enable pupils to make strong progress from very low starting points.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils. There is a strong focus on developing pupils’ reading, writing and mathematical skills across a range of subjects. Consequently, pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

are gaining skills which will support them in their future life, such as handling money or applying for a job.  Reading is given a high priority. Teachers provide pupils with regular opportunities to read or be read to. This stimulates pupils’ interest and there is strong evidence that pupils are gaining good skills in their reading. For example, pupils in Years 10 and 11 were confident in reading questions in mathematics. They were able to explain to the inspector what was required of them in order to successfully answer the questions. The inspector observed pupils sharing their chosen book on a one-to-one basis with a member of staff. Pupils clearly enjoy this time. They were engrossed and animated, listening carefully to the story and reading themselves where able to.  Staff build extremely positive relationships with pupils. Teaching assistants are used effectively to build pupils’ social and communication skills and support their learning. In

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

addition, they manage pupils’ needs sensitively to ensure that learning is not hampered.  Staff use communication aids, visual timetables and choice boards effectively to ensure that pupils, where possible, are able to develop independent living and learning styles.  Teachers use questioning effectively to embed learning and check pupils’ understanding. As a result, teachers identify misconceptions quickly. They are then able to modify their teaching to ensure that they tackle and close the gaps quickly. Staff are highly skilled in rephrasing questioning, in order to embed prior learning. This is crucial for those pupils who have significant and complex learning needs and who often struggle to retain prior learning.  Teachers provide feedback to pupils bespoke to their individual needs. Consequently, where able, pupils clearly understand how to improve their work.  Teachers plan lessons which typically excite and motivate pupils and move their learning

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

on. However, there are times where the most able pupils are not given tasks with enough challenge to allow them to make the best possible progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate. Leaders do not ensure that all concerns identified by staff are acted upon swiftly and are appropriately recorded and investigated. As a consequence, pupils’ safety is not guaranteed.  Risk assessments are not monitored by leaders with sufficient rigour to ensure that they remain fit for purpose. Consequently, pupils are not safe at this school.  The school teaches pupils to keep themselves safe appropriate to their development and understanding. The use of information technology is appropriately monitored to minimise risk to pupils. Staff know pupils well. This helps them to quickly identify pupils’ anxious behaviours resulting from any upsets with friends or personal fears.  The school builds positive links within the local community. Pupils take part in local events such as the Purbeck arts week and the Christmas festival. Pupils are encouraged

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Personal development and welfare

to get involved in fundraising for charities such as Oxfam. These activities help pupils to be more prepared for life beyond school and to develop greater independence.  Pupils attend school regularly. Records confirm that the majority of pupils attend well.  Staff provide opportunities for pupils to gain work experience and learn about a range of jobs. They carefully select work placements to match pupils’ interests and aspirations, for example in horticulture and hospitality. This helps them learn new skills in preparation for the next stage of their education. The work of staff to ensure that pupils’ future destinations appropriately meet their needs is impressive. As a result, no pupil leaves the school without successfully securing a place in further education, training or employment.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils who attend the school have extremely challenging behaviour associated with their complex needs. The detailed knowledge staff have of each individual pupil, combined with their dedication to provide the best care, enables them to manage pupils’ behaviour well. As a result, the use of restraint is falling.  Pupils spoke to the inspector in positive terms about the teachers and other staff who support and educate them. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Pupils trust the adults who work with them. This enables pupils to build self-confidence and self-esteem.  Teachers plan and deliver lessons that excite and motivate pupils to learn. There is typically a calm and purposeful atmosphere in lessons where teachers expect pupils to work hard and complete activities to the very best of their ability. For example, older pupils were engrossed in making bread. They remained focused with high levels of

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Behaviour

concentration while following the recipe and were justifiably proud of their achievements.  The therapy and medical teams work closely with teaching staff to reduce pupils’ anxieties and enable them to access their learning more effectively. This contributes to the good progress pupils make.  Pupils are supervised well at all times during the school day as they move around the school and in lessons. For example, during playtimes, pupils are carefully monitored when using the swings and bikes available to them.  Pupils within the school day take part in activities in the local community. Opportunities to become involved in the school, such as being elected to the school council, support pupils to develop independence and responsibility. For example, pupils were eagerly anticipating the forthcoming sports day and were proudly wearing their badges to show their roles and responsibilities for the event.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils join and leave the school at different times and throughout the year. They enter the school with extremely low levels of attainment due to their significant and complex learning needs. While at the school, staff ensure that personalised plans are put in place to carefully meet their learning needs.  At times, pupils exhibit extremely challenging and unsafe behaviours. These are intensified due to their highly complex needs. However, as the positive relationships with staff develop, trust grows and pupils begin to make gains in their learning.  A careful check of pupils’ work across a range of subjects and year groups undertaken by the inspector confirms that pupils successfully build their knowledge and skills over time. There is a clear focus by teachers to ensure that pupils build skills in communication, reading, writing and mathematics, which they can successfully apply across other subjects. For example, in mathematics, pupils learn to calculate and successfully apply

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Outcomes for pupils Good

their knowledge and understanding to solve problems. Pupils were confident in answering questions using information from a tally chart.  The school keeps detailed records of the achievement and progress of each individual pupil across the range of subjects taught. These records and pupils’ work verify that typically pupils make strong progress from their starting points. This is the case for the very few disadvantaged pupils. There is no discernible difference between the outcomes of these pupils and those of their peers. This is because teachers have strong knowledge of their pupils and provide learning opportunities which precisely meet their needs. Nonetheless, teachers lack direction and guidance from leaders to develop their practice further to ensure that pupils achieve the very best outcomes of which they are capable.  Older pupils have access to a range of accredited courses, which they are successful in

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Outcomes for pupils Good

completing. For example, pupils study horticulture and food safety and catering. These accredited courses are providing pupils with the necessary skills to support the next steps in their lives and to become as independent as they are able.  The very few most able pupils are typically provided with learning tasks which promote good progress. However, there are times when these pupils could make even stronger progress in their learning, especially in their writing and mathematics.

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Sixth form provision Inadequate

 The provision for students in the sixth form is inadequate because safeguarding is not effective. Leaders cannot ensure that students are safe.  Students in the sixth form have access to a curriculum that covers a range of subjects and prepares them well for their future. For example, students are able to use technology with confidence to communicate their learning to others.  Students’ folders and other work show that they follow an appropriate range of courses at the levels best suited to their abilities, needs and interests. For example, students spoke to the inspector, telling her how they enjoy their geography lessons as they have a particular interest in maps. As is the case lower down the school, students’ confidence grows through a range of exciting activities such as art, physical activity and food technology. These are used to develop their academic skills as well as their social and emotional confidence. For example, students were justifiably proud of the art work they

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Sixth form provision Inadequate

had completed based on songs by the Beatles, such as ‘Yellow Submarine’ and ‘Strawberry Fields’.  Teaching in the sixth form is good. Teachers have a detailed understanding of the learning needs of each student. They plan learning activities which carefully meet their needs. They question students effectively to check understanding, embed learning and, for the most able, challenge their thinking. Consequently, students typically make good progress in their learning across a range of subjects.  The destinations of students are extremely well managed. Students have access to careers advice and they have appropriate experiences of the world of work. For example, students spoke with pride about the work experiences they have in the locality. They use their growing skills in communication, reading, writing and mathematics to good effect in these placements. The most able students are able to go to college and lead semi-

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Sixth form provision Inadequate

independent lives. As a result of the strong commitment and determination of staff in securing next steps, no student leaves the school without entering further education, training or employment.  The most able students in the sixth form are typically making good progress across the subjects they study. For example, they are able to undertake research on a chosen author and produce some high-quality writing. However, these students do not receive enough further challenge to ensure that they make the very best progress.

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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

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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School details

Of which, number on roll in sixth form 21

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School details

Annual fees (boarders) 38 weeks: £145,000 52 weeks: £199,000 Telephone number 01929 422760

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School details

Email address Trudie-Toni.McLelland@cambiangroup.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12–14 November 2013

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Information about this school

 Purbeck View School is registered as an independent special school and a children’s home for boys and girls aged from seven to 19 who have complex needs, including autism, severe learning disabilities and severe emotional, social and mental health difficulties. The school is owned by the Cambian Group.  There are 42 pupils currently on roll. There are 39 pupils who board in the children’s home and three day pupils. Generally, very few who attend the school are of primary age. Half of the pupils are in the sixth form.  All pupils have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.  A very small minority of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium funding.  The school does not receive funding from the Year 7 catch-up fund or the sports premium.  The proprietor, who is the company representative, has responsibility for the governance of the school. The proprietor joined the school in May 2016. Since the last inspection, a

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Information about this school

director of education has been appointed.  At the time of the inspection, the school was being led by an interim principal. The newly appointed principal is due to start in post in September 2017.  No pupils use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited classrooms during the inspection to evaluate the quality of learning and assessment with leaders. The quality of pupils’ work was scrutinised.  Meetings were held with leaders, staff, a director of the Cambian education group and the proprietor. The inspector took into consideration the 24 responses to questionnaires completed by staff.  The inspector spoke informally to pupils to listen to their views about the school. A wide range of documentation was examined, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance, the school’s development plan and information relating to pupils’ achievement and progress. Records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding were also scrutinised.  The inspector considered the 23 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s parental questionnaire, and nine free-text messages from parents. Conversations also took place with parents during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, 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.

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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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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