TLG Chelmsford

TLG Chelmsford Life Church, Hall Street, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 0HG

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 Not previously inspected

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher is providing good leadership in developing the school and ensuring that it continues to improve.  The headteacher has gained the confidence of staff, parents and carers and the referring schools.  The proprietor works in close and effective partnership with leaders to ensure that the school meets the independent school standards.  Leaders at all levels have developed a strong culture for safeguarding pupils, which is rightly recognised by referring schools and outside agencies.  Teachers and volunteers have excellent relationships with pupils and manage their behaviour consistently well.  Most pupils make good progress because the curriculum is well conceived. This enables them to thrive in their mainstream schools.  The teaching of mathematics is not as strong as the teaching of English because subject knowledge is not strong enough. As a result, pupils do not have consistently good opportunities to deepen their reasoning skills or

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

extend learning.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school.  Pupils develop good attitudes to learning and improve their attendance. However, some key stage 4 pupils are persistently absent.  Leaders are not linking priorities for improvement in the school development plan closely enough with the outcomes of their self- evaluation.  Leaders are developing systems for tracking and recording pupils’ progress in subjects other than English and mathematics. These are not yet in place.

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: – strengthening school development planning so that it clearly reflects the next steps for improvement identified in the school’s self-evaluation, and ensures the effectiveness of actions taken – assessing, tracking and addressing pupils’ achievements in all subjects.  Work closely with parents, referring schools and outside agencies so that pupils in key stage 4 attend well.  Improve teaching and learning in mathematics by making sure that: – teachers use every opportunity to extend pupils’ learning – leaders provide training and support to strengthen mathematics teaching.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 All of the independent school standards are met.  The headteacher has provided strong leadership and direction for developing the school since its registration. He has improved the curriculum and assessment systems and is continuing to develop these further.  The headteacher has the full confidence of staff, parents, referring schools and outside agencies in successfully meeting the needs of all pupils. This is reflected in the overwhelmingly positive views about the school.  The leadership of teaching is good. The headteacher has developed close teamwork among staff and is ensuring that teaching continually improves through regular monitoring visits to classrooms and through implementing an effective system of staff appraisal.  Leaders use the outcomes of visits to lessons, the school’s information about the progress pupils make over time and the outcomes of the scrutiny of pupils’ work to identify strengths and areas for development. They use this information well to support

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

and develop effective practice and ensure that pupils make good progress.  Leaders have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas for development through close monitoring of each aspect of the school’s work and its impact on pupils’ learning and well-being. However, they do not make close enough links between the next steps they have identified from self-evaluation and the priorities for improvement in the plan to check on the effectiveness of their work.  The headteacher, with good support from TLG managers and close liaison with referring schools, has developed a relevant curriculum, which effectively engages pupils with learning.  The curriculum has a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills, as well as the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development to enable them to thrive in their mainstream schools.  Staff use praise and encouragement well to develop pupils’ self-esteem. They actively

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

promote good relationships between pupils, through sharing and turn-taking.  Staff deepen pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values by encouraging them to show respect for others and promoting good relationships. Pupils learn about democracy and the rule of law and learn to respect others through morning and afternoon review meetings. These meetings consider pupils’ responses to learning and to the school’s code of conduct during the day.  Good assessment systems for English and mathematics are used effectively to track the progress of each pupil from their starting points and to set individual targets to improve their learning. Leaders are currently developing systems to assess their progress in other subjects, but these have not yet been implemented.  Pupils receive good careers guidance to enable them to make informed choices about their futures.  Leaders ensure that all pupils are treated equally and tackle any form of discrimination

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

well.  Leaders are successfully implementing their three-year plan to improve accessibility for people who have disabilities.

p.4

Governance

 The proprietors work successfully in partnership with governors and school leaders to ensure that the independent school standards are met and that safeguarding is effective.  The proprietors and the TLG charity are effectively holding the school to account for its work through regular meetings to review pupils’ progress and focused visits to the school. As a result, they have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and its impact on learning.  The proprietors receive regular reports from the headteacher and ask probing questions about improvements in pupils’ attitudes, behaviour and attendance, as well as in their learning.  The proprietors ensure that the school reflects its Christian ethos by the strong promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, including an understanding of the dangers of extremism and radicalisation.

p.4

Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school promotes a very strong culture of safeguarding pupils, which was confirmed in discussion with outside agencies, referring schools, staff and parents.  Staff maintain high levels of supervision throughout the day to ensure pupils are safe.  Staff carry out detailed assessments of any potential risks to protect pupils’ safety and well-being.  Pupils adopt safe practices throughout the day. There is ‘zero tolerance’ for the use of mobile phones or smoking in school, which pupils respect. Pupils move around the school in an orderly manner and handle equipment, including computers, safely.  Leaders have implemented a wide range of policies to promote safeguarding, all of which meet requirements.  There are thorough checks to ensure that staff and visitors are suitable to work with pupils and they ensure training is fully up to date.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Pupils want to do well in school because teachers and volunteer helpers maintain excellent relationships with them and manage their behaviour consistently well.  All staff promote pupils’ personal development well in lessons, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. At the end of every lesson, pupils are encouraged to reflect on their targets and respond to the learning. They are then rewarded with points for their efforts and shown how to improve learning for the next lesson.  The teaching of basic skills is good. Teachers have good knowledge of their subjects, although this is stronger in English than it is in mathematics. As a result, learning is good in both subjects and is sometimes outstanding in English because teachers use probing questions to deepen pupils’ thinking. This was seen in the written work where pupils were encouraged to use complex sentences and persuasive vocabulary.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Volunteers work closely with teachers to provide good support for pupils. Staff make good use of well-chosen resources to stimulate interest and enjoyment in learning and to clarify misconceptions. As a result, pupils use equipment such as laptop computers safely to improve their learning. This was seen in an English lesson where pupils used laptop computers to draft and redraft a formal letter to the mayor, thanking him for his visit to the school.  Teachers use assessment well to match learning tasks to different abilities, to set targets for learning and to plan sequences of lessons to build on progress. However, pupils’ work in mathematics shows that teachers do not encourage pupils to deepen their reasoning skills and sometimes they do not extend pupils’ learning far enough.  Teachers are currently unable to use a system for assessing subjects other than English and mathematics as these are currently being developed. Nevertheless, they are able to

p.5

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

form a view of progress in subjects such as the humanities, art and physical education by recording the progress pupils are making towards the lesson objectives.

p.5

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The headteacher has implemented the policies well to ensure that staff work as a team to promote pupils’ personal development effectively.  Teachers work closely with volunteers, outside agencies and the referring schools to ensure pupils’ safety and well-being. They ensure that pupils work safely, use equipment safely and develop a deep understanding of the importance of staying safe in school.  The first aid policy is implemented effectively, and staff carry out regular and thorough assessments of fire safety and potential risks.  Staff maintain high levels of supervision of pupils in school and on visits, where detailed risk assessments are carried out in line with the school’s health and safety policy.  Pupils move from one area of the school to another safely. They have a good understanding of the potential danger of social media sites and how to avoid cyber

p.5

Personal development and welfare

bullying. They said bullying, or any form of prejudiced-based behaviour, is not an issue in the school because they feel safe and staff are always with them during the day.  Pastoral care and welfare arrangements are good. Staff hold daily morning and afternoon meetings with pupils to discuss the progress they are making in their attitudes to learning, in their relationships with others and in their behaviour around school. As a result, pupils develop an awareness of the importance of good relationships and good behaviour on their ability to learn and make strong progress in their mainstream schools.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are well behaved in lessons, around the school and on school visits, such as trips to the local leisure centre.  Pupils respond well to the school’s behaviour policy, and its system of rewards and sanctions, which is implemented effectively. Staff support pupils well in developing good behaviours. As a result, behaviour greatly improves over time in both TLG Chelmsford and when pupils attend their referring school.  Attendance is below average because some pupils at key stage 4 are persistently absent. Nevertheless, all pupils improve their attendance after they join the school, especially at key stage 3, where attendance often moves from below average to broadly average within a few weeks. A significant number of pupils across the school achieve 100% attendance over time because the school monitors and promotes good attendance effectively. The headteacher works closely with parents, referring schools and outside

p.6

Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils join the school with low self-esteem and a reluctance to learn, often due to their previous histories of disruption to learning and poor attendance.  Over time, and taking into consideration their part-time attendance at the school, pupils make good progress from their starting points across a range of subjects and activities, including English and mathematics.  Pupils’ progress in English is slightly better than their progress in mathematics. Indeed, sometimes the progress in English is outstanding, as reflected in the school’s accurate performance information.  Pupils’ work shows that they rapidly improve their writing, using rich vocabulary and a variety of sentences and punctuation. They also make good progress in reading and read their own writing fluently with confidence.  Pupils’ mainstream schools commented on the noticeable improvements in their confidence in English and improvements in the presentation of their written work.

p.6

Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils make good progress across the range of subjects available to them during their short period of attendance at the school. In art, they learn about the work of Matisse and have produced striking examples of stained-glass windows on acetate sheets in the style of Matisse. In science, they investigate light using pinhole cameras which they construct. In physical education, they play competitive games such as badminton safely and with increasing skill and enthusiasm.  Pupils are prepared well for successful full-time return to their mainstream schools because of the good guidance and support they receive. Pupils leave with at least three qualifications in English, mathematics and personal development, which enables them to prepare well for their GCSE and other courses in their mainstream schools.  At the end of 2017, most pupils successfully returned on a full-time basis to their mainstream schools. Pupils referred to the school at key stage 3 make better progress

p.6

Outcomes for pupils Good

than those referred at the end of Year 10 or the beginning of Year 11, due mainly to their better attendance and eagerness to re-engage with learning.

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.7

School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £2,496 to £16,000

p.7

School details

Email address daniel.lawrence@tlg.org.uk

p.7

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.7

Information about this school

 TLG Chelmsford is one of a number of independent schools run by TLG, which is an education charity founded on Christian principles. TLG stands for ‘transforming lives for good’. The TLG charity works with local churches to make alternative provision for pupils in mainstream schools who are finding it difficult to cope with learning and are at risk of exclusion.  TLG Chelmsford is located within the Elim Pentecostal Church, which forms the proprietors, and works in close partnership with the church in developing the school.  The school was registered for 18 pupils by the Department for Education (DfE) following its pre-registration inspection in October 2016.  A new headteacher was appointed in October 2017.  The governing body is chaired by the church pastor and members include managers from TLG and the headteacher.  Pupils are referred from their mainstream school, known as the referring school. Typically,

p.7

Information about this school

pupils attend the school on a part-time basis for specialist support to re-engage them with learning and improve their behaviour and attitudes to school. All pupils are dual registered, remaining on the roll of the referring school.  Almost a third of pupils are eligible for pupil premium funding. However, the school does not receive additional funding for pupil premium or Year 7 catch-up funding. Some pupils have an education, health and care plan to meet their special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Teaching is supported by a small number of volunteers from the church community, most of whom have an educational background.

p.8

Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited most classes and looked at pupils’ work to determine the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning and progress over time.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, staff, proprietor and managers of TLG.  Telephone discussions were held with a local authority family worker, a feeder school and a small number of parents to seek their views because there were too few returns from the online questionnaire, Parent View. The inspector considered the small number of text responses parents had made to Parent View and considered the school’s survey of parents and stakeholders. The inspector also looked at questionnaire responses completed by staff during the inspection.  The inspector looked at the information on the school’s website and a range of documentation, including the school brochure, minutes of meetings, safeguarding policies and procedures, recruitment checks and records of staff training.

p.9

Inspection team

Declan McCarthy, 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.9

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.10

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.10

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.10

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.10

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.10

Inspection team

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

p.10

Inspection team

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

p.10