Bow Street School

Bow Street School Pace Centre, Bow Street, Bilston, West Midlands WV14 7NB

p.1

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

p.1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

p.1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

p.1

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The two headteachers work together as a highly effective team to ensure that all of the independent school standards are met.  The headteachers provide outstanding leadership and a learning environment that achieves its aim ‘to provide young people with a brighter future’.  Pupils make very rapid progress in improving their behaviour. Their attitudes to learning are strong and they speak very highly about how the school has transformed their lives.  Pupils make excellent progress in improving their personal skills and academic outcomes are outstanding.  Relationships among pupils and between pupils and staff are excellent. The pastoral care provided is highly effective.  The well-planned, stimulating curriculum meets both the academic and work-related ambitions of the pupils well. However, some aspects of citizenship, such as the role of the government, and information and communication technology (ICT) are not taught as well as others.

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding. Teachers are highly skilled at motivating pupils and in matching work to meet pupils’ individual needs.  Leaders have established exemplary systems for safeguarding pupils. They work closely with a range of agencies to support vulnerable pupils and their families extremely well.  The school provides pupils with high-quality guidance and support. This prepares them very well for their next steps in education and towards achieving their chosen goals.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and their attendance has improved significantly as a result.  Leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for development is accurate. They have identified appropriate improvement priorities, which will improve the curriculum and ensure greater accountability for pupil outcomes.

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?

 Further enhance the curriculum in order to: – improve pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the way Britain is governed, the role of the government and how this impacts on their lives – ensure that pupils are confident and capable to use a range of technology including laptops and tablet devices.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

 Both of the school’s headteachers provide outstanding leadership and provide a clear vision for the school, which all staff share. Leaders communicate high expectations and a real commitment to improving the life chances of pupils facing challenging circumstances. They have created an environment in which relationships are extremely positive, teaching is highly effective and staff expect pupils to achieve exceptionally well.  Leaders have ensured that provision is highly effective and results in all pupils making strong academic progress and significant gains in their personal and social development.  Leaders demonstrate a very clear knowledge and understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They take decisive action and implement improvements rapidly to improve the quality of education provided.  The leadership of teaching is strong. Leaders carry out a robust programme of monitoring

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

of teaching and learning and provide teachers with clear direction on how to improve further. Leaders complete careful checks on pupils’ progress. Teaching and learning are consistently strong and continually improving because of the actions taken. Staff value the support and the opportunities for professional development that leaders provide to improve their leadership and teaching skills.  The promotion of spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. It is integral to the school’s values. Through their personal, social and health education and citizenship schemes of work, staff teach pupils very well about difference and diversity. Pupils demonstrate respect for individuals whose backgrounds and life choices are different to their own. They are currently working on a project with a local homeless charity that involves the pupils using their musical skills to raise funds to enable them to

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

buy food for the charity to distribute.  The curriculum is well thought out and well matched to the specific academic, personal and social needs of the pupils. Qualified teachers who are specialists in their subject areas teach English, mathematics and science. This has resulted in pupils making significant progress, particularly in English and mathematics. Progress is also strong across the wider curriculum. Enrichment activities including trips and visits enhance the curriculum. Most recently, the whole school enjoyed a trip to London, to see The Lion King.  The curriculum provides appropriate challenge and supports the aspirations of pupils effectively. Provision ensures that pupils are well prepared for their next steps in education and employment. Pupils can take GCSEs in English, mathematics, science and ICT and functional skills in English, mathematics and ICT. They are also able to study a

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

wide range of modules as part of the school’s personal development programme.  Leaders have identified that their provision in ICT is not as strong as that in other areas of the curriculum and they are looking at ways to improve this, including working with local colleges and universities to improve pupils’ technology skills and use of devices.  Staff prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils demonstrate a strong understanding of, and respect for, the concepts of democracy, individual liberty and the need for mutual respect. They understand how laws are enforced but their wider general knowledge about public institutions, such as government and politics and the role of these in their lives, is not as strong as it could be.  Leaders have ensured that the school meets all of the independent school standards.

p.3

Governance

 Currently, the proprietors, who are also the headteachers, provide governance. They hold each other to account successfully and ensure strong outcomes for pupils. The proprietors strengthen levels of accountability further by employing a school improvement partner to provide external validation.  Leaders are improving the way in which they record their school improvement planning, ensuring that the impact of the actions taken clearly links to pupils’ outcomes.

p.4

Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Both headteachers have completed suitable safer recruitment training. They carry out all the required safer recruitment checks on all members of staff and supply teachers.  The school’s safeguarding policy meets current government requirements. Staff implement the policy effectively. The policy is available to parents and/or carers on the school website.  Leaders have established a very strong culture of safeguarding across the school. All adults in school have a very secure knowledge of the school’s safeguarding procedures and an understanding that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.  The school has ensured that pupils know how to keep themselves safe from a wide range of potential dangers. Pupils are safe and say that they feel safe and secure in school. They have a very good understanding about a range of different types of bullying. They

p.4

Safeguarding

confidently state that there is no bullying in school, ‘because we are all like a family’, and know what actions to take should it happen.  The headteachers are both designated safeguarding leads for the school. They have a very good understanding of the potential risks faced by their pupils and are proactive in ensuring that pupils are protected from these as far as possible. They work very closely with families and a range of professionals and outside agencies to ensure that all pupils and their families are well supported and are kept safe from harm.  The school implements its range of safeguarding policies highly effectively, including health and safety, anti-bullying, behaviour management, risk assessment and safer recruitment practices.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

 Teachers know their pupils very well. They have a good understanding of pupils’ individual learning styles and their next learning steps. This enables them to design a suitable personalised programme of learning for each pupil and to plan lessons that meet their specific needs and aspirations.  Teaching assistants make a very strong contribution to lessons, supporting learning effectively so that lesson objectives are achieved.  Both teachers and teaching assistants demonstrate strong subject knowledge and a clear understanding of the planned learning for each lesson. This results in pupils being very well supported during lessons so that they gain a good grasp of the concepts they are learning about. Activities are challenging and adults have high expectations of behaviour and the quality of work produced.  Behaviour is extremely well managed in lessons. Pupils are encouraged and supported to manage their own behaviour and to learn in ways that suit them best. This means that

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

disruptive behaviour is very rare and does not create a barrier to learning. For almost all pupils this represents a significant improvement in behaviour and attitudes to learning.  Teachers create stimulating learning environments with displays that support learning well and celebrate pupils’ high-quality work.  Adults are highly skilled at using questioning to check pupils’ understanding, clarify any misunderstandings and to deepen learning. This was particularly evident in a challenging mathematics lesson on calculating cumulative percentages.  In lessons, adults provide an appropriate balance of challenge, support and encouragement, resulting in pupils achieving challenging learning targets and feeling proud of their achievements. Pupils say that they are making good or better progress because of the individual support that they receive in lessons.  Relationships between teachers and pupils are very positive and make a strong

p.5

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

contribution to pupils’ progress. Pupils are confident to contribute during activities and to ask for support when they find something difficult.  Teachers act as highly positive role models. They use appropriate, subject-specific vocabulary and treat pupils with respect and courtesy at all times. Pupils value this and in return demonstrate respect for all adults.  The school’s assessment system is robust. Staff complete individual assessments regularly and use these to inform teaching by identifying gaps and next steps in pupils’ learning. The assessment system also enables teachers and leaders to track and monitor individuals’ progress closely.  Staff promote reading, writing and mathematics well across the curriculum and take every opportunity to improve pupils’ basic literacy and numeracy skills in all the subjects taught.  Leaders provide parents and carers with detailed information about how well their child is

p.5

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

doing, their behaviour and attitudes to learning and the progress they are making in all of the subjects.

p.5

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  The high-quality pastoral support pupils receive ensures that all pupils make great strides in their personal development, restoring and improving their self-confidence and self- respect.  Pupils are confident and self-assured and are proud of their achievements. They are enthusiastic learners and try very hard in lessons. They are keen to succeed and respond positively to a challenge and demonstrate resilience to failure.  Pupils show respect for the views of others and listen carefully to staff and each other.  Adults give high priority to the development of pupils’ social and emotional well-being. Adults know the pupils very well and as a result are able to provide timely, appropriate emotional support, where needed. This means that pupils’ behaviour very rarely becomes a barrier to their own learning or the learning of others.

p.5

Personal development and welfare

 The exemplary support provided by the school for pupils facing challenging circumstances is highly effective. Pupils regard Winston the school dog as an important element of this effective support.

p.6

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons and throughout the school day.  The school’s behaviour log shows that staff deal with inappropriate behaviour quickly and appropriately, minimising the number of serious incidents. For many pupils this represents a significant improvement in behaviour from their previous placement.  Pupils say that they feel safe sharing their concerns and anxieties with adults in school because they know they will be supported and listened to and will receive the help and guidance that they need.  The school provides a calm environment that supports learning well.  Attendance for the majority of pupils is above national figures. While some pupils’ level of attendance is still below the national average, all pupils have significantly improved their attendance from their previous placement. These improvements are largely the result of

p.6

Behaviour

leaders’ effective actions and support. Pupils want to attend school because they enjoy being there.

p.6

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

 On entry to the school, pupils’ prior attainment is usually very low and their attitudes to learning are poor.  As a result of the excellent behaviour management systems, commitment to improving pupils’ self-esteem and self-confidence, and highly effective support for learning pupils make rapid and sustained progress in both their personal development and academic achievement.  This strong progress continues throughout their time in school and means that by the time pupils leave at the end of Year 11 they are very well prepared to undertake further education and to achieve their employment goals.  The school’s progress information shows clearly that the longer a pupil remains in the school the better their progress and outcomes are. Overall, pupils are making outstanding progress academically and in their personal development.  The school’s assessment system shows that the vast majority of pupils across Years 10

p.6

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

and 11 are making substantial and sustained progress from their starting points on entry, particularly in English and mathematics. This is supported by the work seen in pupils’ books during this inspection.  Pupils discuss their learning, their preferred learning styles and the contribution their education makes to their future opportunities confidently. They are highly appreciative of the opportunities they are given and recognise and appreciate the impact the school has had on transforming their lives.

p.6

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

Proprietors Amelia Clare Harper and Cherri Felton

p.8

School details

Headteachers Amelia Clare Harper and Cherri Felton

p.8

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.8

Information about this school

 Bow Street School provides full time education for pupils between the ages of 13 and 16 years. It is registered by the Department for Education (DfE) to admit up to 20 pupils. It operates from a single building in Wolverhampton, West Midlands.  The school is one of two schools run by these proprietors. The partner school is Pace Education in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire.  There are currently 15 pupils attending the school. All pupils have an education, health and care plan and have been referred to the school by the local authority.  Pupils attending the school typically have a range of social, emotional and mental health difficulties and all have been excluded from mainstream provision. The school aims to address pupils’ individual personal and learning needs by improving their self-esteem and teaching them to make appropriate choices to enable them to continue into further education and employment.

p.8

Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative educational providers.  The DfE first registered the school in November 2016. Prior to registration, it was known as Pace Education. This is the school’s first standard inspection since its registration in November 2016.

p.9

Information about this inspection

 One inspector carried out the inspection over three days.  The inspector observed teaching and learning across the curriculum and evaluated the quality of pupils’ work across a range of subjects.  The inspector looked at the school’s own assessment information for individual pupils.  Meetings were held with the headteachers, who are also responsible for governance and safeguarding. The inspector also spoke with a group of pupils to seek their views about school life.  Questionnaires submitted by nine members of staff were scrutinised.  No parents completed Ofsted’s Parent View survey. No pupil point-in-time survey has been carried out to find out what pupils think about the quality of education provided.  A wide range of documents and policies were looked at, including health and safety checks, records of observations of teaching, safeguarding documentation and records of attendance.  A check of the premises, including the facilities provided for pupils, was also carried out.

p.10

Inspection team

Janet Satchwell, lead inspector 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 .

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