Holme Farm School

Overall effectiveness Insufficient evidence

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Insufficient evidence

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Insufficient evidence

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Insufficient evidence

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Outcomes for pupils Insufficient evidence

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The proprietor has not ensured that all the independent school standards are met. This represents a decline in standards of compliance since the progress monitoring inspection in October 2015.  The proprietor is committed to improving the school but does not yet have a comprehensive evaluation of the quality of education provided. Therefore, the proprietor is not able to hold the headteacher fully to account or to provide him with effective support to improve the school.  As there were no pupils on roll at the time of the inspection, there was insufficient evidence to confirm judgements about teaching, learning and assessment, pupils’ outcomes, personal development and behaviour, or leadership and management.  The proprietor has ensured that the documentation and resources available indicate that the school is ready to educate pupils and keep them safe.  Leaders have a curriculum policy that states what subjects and qualifications are available to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

pupils.  The learning environment is welcoming and well equipped.  A planned curriculum and a range of teaching resources and books are available to suit pupils in key stage 3 and key stage 4.  Pupils have the opportunity to sit public examinations. There is access to a range of recognised qualifications so that they can be prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment.  Leaders have produced a behaviour policy that articulates expectations about the management of pupils and how to support pupils with additional needs.  The headteacher’s assessment of pupils’ needs when they enter the school is not yet providing teachers with sufficient information to support effective teaching.

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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 and associated requirements. The details are listed in the Annex to the full report.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that: – all independent school standards are met and understood – an accurate and up-to-date evaluation of the quality of education is completed and used to improve pupil outcomes – more effective support for, and monitoring of, the headteacher is available – initial assessments of pupils provide more comprehensive information about their needs when they join the school and that this information is used effectively to plan teaching – teaching accurately matches the needs of all pupils and is effective in improving outcomes.

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amnesty granted

 It was not possible to judge the effect of leadership and management on the experience or the outcomes of pupils currently in the school as there were no pupils in school or on roll at the time of the inspection.  School leaders have a clear vision for the school but do not have an accurate evaluation of the school’s strengths and weaknesses so have not been able to articulate their vision in an effective strategy for improvement.  School leaders do not have systems in place to evaluate accurately how pupils are performing. They do not routinely identify what can be done to accelerate pupils’ progress.  Leaders have improved the curriculum since the last inspection. The curriculum offer is compliant with the independent school standards, and physical education is now provided for all pupils. Documents and learning resources show a broad curriculum that emphasises core subjects and personal development. Leaders have provided extra-

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amnesty granted

curricular activities, including trips to the seaside and art projects.  Leaders have provided appropriate accommodation in the form of a main teaching room, access to a computer room, social areas away from the teaching room and a large outdoor space.  School administrative systems are well organised; pupil files are thorough and securely managed.  School leaders have written policy documents that describe clear protocols for staff to follow.  The school environment is welcoming and well looked after.

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Governance

 The proprietor has not sustained compliance with the independent school standards. It was not possible to evaluate compliance with some of the independent school standards due to there being no pupils in the school during the inspection. The standards that were judged to be unmet mainly related to the provision of information. Relating to the welfare, health and safety standard, there was an error on the admissions and attendance register and there was no accessibility plan.  The proprietor has relied on external support in the past. This external support has concentrated on the implementation of the action plan required as a result of the previous inspection.  The proprietor does not hold the headteacher fully to account for pupils’ outcomes or the quality of teaching and learning. The information collected by the headteacher, as part of his half-termly summary of pupils’ progress, is not being used by the proprietor to check

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Governance

the quality of teaching. There are missed opportunities to improve the progress of pupils.  The proprietor has frequent meetings with the headteacher and maintains regular involvement in the life of the school. However, the proprietor does not help the headteacher to identify or implement school improvement priorities to improve pupil outcomes or the quality of teaching and learning.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding pupils are effective.  There is an up-to-date and suitable safeguarding policy in place, which is available to parents and carers on request.  There is a culture of safeguarding across the school. Carers and local authority partners speak positively about the manner in which the headteacher communicates with them and shows his care and support for pupils.  School leaders have ensured that systems are in place for the effective implementation of recruitment checks and the vetting of adults who have contact with pupils at the school.  Staff are well trained with regard to child protection, fire safety awareness, and health and safety.

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amnesty granted

 While it was possible to look at pupils’ work and documents related to teaching, learning and assessment, it was not possible to speak to pupils or observe any lessons as there were no pupils in school or on the school roll at the time of inspection.  The headteacher completes assessments of pupils’ skills and abilities when they enter the school. Pupils who are placed in the school have frequently experienced disruption in various aspects of their lives, so transfer information about them from their previous school is sometimes limited. The information provided by the school’s assessments on entry is intended to support teachers’ planning. However, it is not comprehensive, so opportunities to fill gaps in pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills, knowledge and understanding are missed.  The teachers’ approach to written feedback, as seen in pupils’ books, is consistent with school policy requirements, showing pupils what had gone well and what could have been

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amnesty granted

improved. However, evidence of the effectiveness of this feedback was limited.  Pupils’ books show that there has been an attempt to support the development of their writing through a variety of methods. This has helped pupils to record their understanding in different ways, but has not led to opportunities for pupils to produce extended pieces of writing.  The headteacher has introduced qualifications in healthy living and independent living. Work in pupils’ books for these subjects shows a positive level of interest from pupils. Pupil engagement in this aspect of the curriculum is expressed in displays around the classroom, as well as in their books, through surveys, pupil feedback forms and detailed project work.  The headteacher has introduced physical education into the curriculum. Gym sessions tailored to the particular fitness level of pupils have been created. Although it was not possible to see any effect of this on pupils’ fitness during the inspection, due to the

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amnesty granted

absence of pupils, the work in pupils’ folders did show pictures of individualised exercise programmes, with comments from pupils showing that they knew what they had to do to improve.

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Personal development and welfare

 It was not possible to judge the school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development as there were no pupils in school or on roll at the time of inspection.  Adults and pupils in the school have a comprehensive behaviour policy to follow. This supports the personal development of pupils and informs teaching strategies for pupils who have additional needs. However, the individual education plans stated as being part of the school’s policy are not being used. As a result, strategies that could support individual targets for the personal development of pupils are not fully developed.  The headteacher maintains personal education plans for young people in care. During the inspection, inspectors spoke to the headteachers of the virtual schools for young people in care from those local authorities who had recently placed young people at the school. The virtual school headteachers spoke highly of the headteacher’s support for the young

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Behaviour

 It was not possible to observe pupils’ behaviour as there were no pupils in school or on roll at the time of the inspection.  Adults complete written logs of information about pupils’ behaviour and their engagement with lessons. The headteacher communicates this information to carers on a daily basis.  Leaders and managers have put in place a reward system to encourage pupils’ attendance and positive behaviour. Pupils’ records show that their attendance improves when they move to the school.

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amnesty granted

 Leaders have ensured that qualifications on offer are appropriate for progression to post- 16 study or entry to employment. However, there has been no GCSE examination completion since 2016 due to the lack of pupils in the school at examination periods.  Although there was very little work to look at in the pupils’ workbooks, pupils’ end-of- term reports show limited progress over time in English, mathematics and science.  Pupils’ workbooks show effective progress in qualification routes for healthy living.  The headteacher has developed a progress-tracking framework which shows half-termly data in core subjects, which is recorded in end-of-term reports.  Leaders and managers have ensured that independent careers advice and guidance are available to pupils. It was not possible to judge the effect of this due to an absence of progression information held in the school and the fact that no pupils were on roll in the

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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

Proprietor Holme Farm Residential Village Ltd

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School details

Email address education@holme-farm.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 March 2015

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Information about this school

 Holme Farm School is registered to accept up to eight boys and girls between 11 and 18 years old with emotional and behavioural difficulties and mental disorders. There are currently no pupils on roll, with the last pupil being registered at the school on Friday 27 October 2017. Between March 2017 and October 2017, only one pupil had been on roll at the school. Two other pupils had joined the school during this period but had only been on roll for less than a month each during this period.  Holme Farm School received its last full standard inspection in March 2015, when its overall effectiveness was judged to be inadequate. A subsequent action plan to address the issues raised at that inspection was judged to require improvement. The findings of the progress monitoring inspection in October 2015, judged that the school met all required independent school standards.  Governance is provided by the registered proprietor who is a senior director of the

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Information about this school

company that owns the school.  The school aims to give the opportunity for young people to ‘gain success and to fully engage with education, characterised by high expectations, quality teaching and diverse, accessible education programmes during a time of transition and challenge’.  The headteacher is the sole teacher and has been in post since February 2017.  The school does not use any alternative education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out, with half a day’s notice, over one and a half days by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and an Ofsted Inspector. The purpose of the inspection was to check the school’s compliance with the independent school standards required for continued registration.  As no pupils were on roll at the time of the inspection, inspectors were unable to arrive at judgements. However, compliance with all of the independent school standards was considered during the inspection.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and the proprietor and looked at reports relating to lesson observations from an external consultant.  The inspectors scrutinised pupils’ workbooks and pupil files.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, or via text message. Inspectors did speak to representatives of local authorities who had recently placed young people in the school and also to carers of pupils who were previously in the

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Information about this inspection

school, and these views were taken into account.  The inspectors toured the building inside and outside to ensure that the relevant independent school standards were met and that pupils’ welfare is taken into account.  The inspectors examined school documentation, including a range of policies required as part of the independent school standards. Safeguarding, behaviour and welfare documents and health and safety information were also studied.

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Inspection team

Tricia Head, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 The proprietor must ensure that an admission and attendance register is maintained in accordance with the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 (paragraph 15).  The proprietor must comply with the standard about provision of information by ensuring that where a pupil wholly or partly funded by a local authority (except where funding is solely for free of charge early years provision in accordance with the duty contained in section 7 of the Childcare Act 2006) is registered at the school, an annual account of income received and expenditure incurred by the school in respect of that pupil is provided to the local authority and, on request, to the Secretary of State (paragraphs 32(1) and 32(1)(h)).  The proprietor must comply with the standard about provision of information by ensuring that particulars of education and welfare provision for pupils with EHC plans and for pupils for whom English is an additional language are made available to parents of pupils and

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

parents of prospective pupils and, on request, to the Chief Inspector, the Secretary of State or an independent inspectorate (paragraphs 32(1), 32(1)(b), 32(3) and 32(3)(b)).  The proprietor must ensure that the particulars of the school’s academic performance during the preceding school year, including results of any public examinations, are made available to parents of pupils and parents of prospective pupils and, on request, to the Chief Inspector, the Secretary of State or an independent inspectorate (paragraphs 32(1), 32(1)(b), 32(3) and 32(3)(e)).  The proprietor must comply with the standard about provision of information by ensuring that the details of the complaints procedure referred to in paragraph 33, and the number of complaints registered under the formal procedure during the preceding school year, are made available to parents of pupils and parents of prospective pupils and, on request,

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

to the Chief Inspector, the Secretary of State or an independent inspectorate (paragraphs 32(1), 32(1)(b), 32(3) and 32(3)(f)).  The proprietor 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 (paragraphs 34(1) and 34(1)(a)).  The proprietor must ensure that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently (paragraphs 34(1) and 34(1)(b)).  The proprietor must produce an accessibility plan to show that arrangements to meet the requirements of paragraph 3 of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 are in place (standard relating to schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010). guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted's website:

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

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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The school must meet the following independent school standards

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

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