Hopespring Newcastle

TLG Newcastle Chesters Avenue, Longbenton, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear NE12 8UZ

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders ensure that the independent school standards are met consistently.  Leaders’ dedication and tireless work ensures that the quality of education and the excellent provision for personal development at TLG Newcastle is continually improving.  Leaders ensure that staff are of a high calibre. All staff share their absolute passion for changing lives and have the right skills to inspire pupils who are switched off from education when they join the school.  Transition into TLG Newcastle is a real strength. Leaders ensure that they gather all relevant information about pupils before they arrive so that pupils get off to the best possible start.  Pupils are safe at TLG Newcastle because staff know them extremely well and communicate brilliantly with parents, carers and external agencies to ensure their welfare.  Relationships between staff and pupils are very strong. With positive encouragement, pupils are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

developing their skills and knowledge across the curriculum because teachers ensure that they plan learning to meet their individual and varying needs.  Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe through personal, social, health and economic education. They learn about issues in their locality as well as nationally and internationally.  Most pupils’ behaviour and attendance improves while they attend TLG Newcastle. Pupils who were previously frequently excluded from their school are learning to change their behaviour and some pupils with very poor attendance are attending more.  Pupils make good progress through a range of entry level and level 1 and 2 qualifications. Pupils leave with qualifications that support them in gaining entry to college, employment or training.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and leaders ensure that teachers implement strategies to interest pupils. Leaders agree that more opportunities for pupils to write at length

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and read more widely, alongside additional opportunities for extra-curricular activities, will support pupils’ development further.  Leaders agree that the transition into the school is stronger than transition into post-16 provision and could develop further.

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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.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of the curriculum, by: – providing greater opportunities for pupils to read and write at length in a wide range of subjects – enhancing extra-curricular provision so that pupils have more opportunities to practise the skills they develop in wider society.  Further improve pupils’ outcomes, by: – improving transition processes from the school to post-16 providers, so that pupils have an increasing chance of successfully completing their courses.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

 The headteacher and the proprietor are determined and resolute in their passion about changing the life chances of pupils who attend the school. Staff are equally passionate. Leaders inspire staff and pupils because they demonstrate a clear moral purpose. Staff are in full support of the ethos of the school and they all work together to support one another and the pupils to achieve the best possible outcomes.  The inspirational leadership team constantly seeks ways to improve the school, for example seeking out methodologies for teaching that will interest and enthuse pupils and raise their aspirations.  Leaders organise the curriculum so that it is broad and balanced and provides opportunities for pupils to achieve. Through encouraging pupils to respect and be kind to one another, pupils develop skills that enable them to reflect on their progress and behaviour.  Leaders have developed an open culture in the school. As a result, a clear strength is the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

willingness of leaders and staff to work together for the best interest of each pupil.  Leaders’ efforts to develop pupils’ personal development and welfare is excellent. Their unwavering approach to treating each pupil with respect and understanding their background permeates the school, and benefits each individual pupil. Both pupils and parents spoken with during the inspection were highly complementary of the headteacher, the staff and the school as a whole.  Teachers take part in high-quality professional development opportunities to refine their teaching. They say that they continuously learn from each other, enjoy discussing teaching and learning and take pride in implementing new strategies into their teaching. Teaching is very effective.  The development of social, moral, spiritual and cultural awareness alongside an understanding of fundamental British values is a priority for the school. Provision is strong

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

in this area and pupils learn well about how they can contribute to society.  Leaders ensure that they gather all relevant information about pupils prior to their arrival to the school. Consequently, transition into the school is exceptionally strong. Leaders agree, however, that transition out of the school could be strengthened further to give pupils the best possible chance of success.  The school provides some extra-curricular opportunities for pupils. However, leaders agree that greater opportunity would allow pupils to demonstrate and practise their learning in wider society.  The headteacher is meticulous in his approach in ensuring that the independent school standards are met continuously.

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Governance

 The management board, consisting of the headteacher, proprietor and education development officer from TLG, ensures that the school very effectively evaluates the quality of the provision. All members provide challenge to each other about how they can continue to improve the life chances of pupils.  The proprietor ensures that high levels of accountability are in place throughout the school. All staff have targets, which link to the development plan and pupils’ progress. The headteacher and the management board regularly review these targets so that improvement continues.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school’s safeguarding policy is in line with the latest guidance from the Secretary of State and is available on the school’s website.  Safeguarding records are well detailed and recorded. Comprehensive actions and follow- up work shows that pupils are very well cared for. Staff have appropriate training to ensure they are knowledgeable about child protection.  Appropriate risk assessments are in place to keep pupils and staff safe. The site is well maintained, clean and tidy.  Staff and pupils have excellent working relationships. Each pupil has one-to-one time with a member of staff as they arrive at school in the morning. This allows them to discuss any issues and consequently ensures that appropriate support is available, if needed.  Communication between external agencies, parents and commissioning schools is exceptionally strong. This means that all stakeholders are aware of issues and successes

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Safeguarding

and pupils know that everyone is working together to help them.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers ensure that they use all available information about pupils to personalise their learning. Through this, pupils receive appropriate challenge and support and make at least good progress.  Pupils’ literacy develops as teachers incorporate opportunities for speaking and listening across the curriculum. Pupils are beginning to write more, but there is work to do to ensure that pupils access and complete more opportunities for writing at length and read more widely and often.  The teachers’ approach to planning ensures that pupils’ starting points, and varying abilities, match the level of challenge in the learning. Teachers encourage pupils to aim high.  Relationships between staff and pupils are excellent. There is an open approach to dealing with areas of difficulty. Through this trust, pupils learn that if they make mistakes, they will receive support to correct them.  Lessons move quickly, with pupils moving on to the next piece of learning as soon as they

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

are ready; for example, in mathematics, pupils’ confidence develops when teachers tell them to miss out things they can already do and move on to the next activity.  Teachers value highly the opportunities they have for professional development. They say that they learn all of the time and continually develop their practice.  Teachers mainly ask questions that encourage pupils to think hard and develop their learning. However, there are some inconsistencies around the quality of questioning across the curriculum.  Some pupils do not always complete their work fully, which means that they miss some opportunities for learning. Leaders and teachers are aware of this, and, as a result, they are supporting pupils to develop their resilience and perseverance skills.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Leaders ensure that pupils’ welfare is a very high priority. Through this, pupils know that staff genuinely care for them and will help them if they need support.  Through numerous opportunities for discussion across the curriculum, and a comprehensive approach to teaching personal, social, health and economic education, pupils learn how to stay safe. Pupils learn about functioning in a modern British society and about respect and tolerance for others of a different race or religion.  Pupils say that bullying is rare and that if it happens staff deal with it quickly and effectively. Staff records support this view and demonstrate that staff follow up any incidents to make sure that issues do not reoccur.  Over time, in mainstream education, the pupils’ confidence in their abilities has slowly eroded. While attending TLG Newcastle, this confidence is starting to rebuild. Some pupils

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Personal development and welfare

were keen to tell inspectors about how the school is helping to improve them socially and improve their educational experiences.  Pupils receive lots of guidance on staying safe online. Through an open culture in the school, pupils are able to discuss issues that occur on social media and seek appropriate support. Pupils are well aware of the dangers of being online and know what to do to minimise the risk.  Leaders maintain the school building to a high standard and risk assessments are in place, for example, for fire safety, behaviour and external visits.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils have made marked improvements in their behaviour in comparison to their behaviour in mainstream school or pupil referral units.  Pupils are polite and courteous to visitors. Pupils recognise that using swear words is not appropriate and through an effective strategy, introduced by the headteacher, the frequency of swearing is reducing.  Pupils are calm and move sensibly around the building, and outside at breaktime. Pupils who leave the school at lunchtime are mainly respectful in the community.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are continuing to improve. However, in some cases, pupils still lose interest in learning too quickly and some lack resilience to ensure that they complete their work.  While most pupils improve their attendance significantly from their time in mainstream education, pupils’ attendance remains some way from the national average. Leaders

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Behaviour

recognise that there is more to do to ensure that attendance continues to improve, and to support pupils in fully sustaining the improvements that they make.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Leaders’ implementation of effective baseline assessments means that teachers are made quickly aware of the gaps in pupils’ learning. Through a personalised approach, pupils are able to make at least good progress from their starting points on entry to the provision.  Pupils receive careers advice through the curriculum, for example in studying a careers- based unit. They also work with careers advisers to have personal appointments to discuss their aspirations and next steps. Pupils find out about a broad range of options and receive support to complete applications and CVs to secure their next steps.  All pupils have an individual learning programme which leaders develop using baseline assessment information, and information from the commissioning school. Through this, assessment of progress against targets is regular and pupils make at least good progress because teachers support them to do so.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils leave TLG Newcastle with at least three qualifications and complete vocational qualifications, for example about careers, independent living and personal finance. This means that pupils leave with more than they were on track for in mainstream education.  Most pupils progress into employment, education or training following their time at TLG Newcastle. Not all pupils remain on the course or in employment. Leaders recognise that there is more that they can do to help pupils to be more successful so that they sustain their course or employment.  Pupils make good progress in reading, from appropriate interventions to develop their reading skills and from reading in lessons. Pupils receive appropriate challenge in reading; however, leaders recognise that there is more to do to encourage pupils to read more widely, more often and to ensure accurate comprehension of texts.

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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

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 This inspection is the first standard inspection of the school since the school was registered by the Department for Education on 17 March 2017.  The school is run in partnership between Hopespring charity and TLG. The school accepts pupils who have been or are at risk of being permanently excluded from school.  The school has a distinctive Christian ethos.  The school does not use any alternative providers of education.  Pupils register to attend the school for four days per week. On the remaining day, pupils attend the commissioning school, receive one-to-one tuition or attend work placements organised by the commissioning school.  Pupils attending the school currently are key stage 4 pupils, although the school is registered for key stage 3 pupils also.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out over one and a half days with half a day of notice.  The inspectors toured the building both inside and outside.  Inspectors observed teaching and learning in lessons jointly with the headteacher and the TLG management board representative.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, teachers, pupils, the education development officer for TLG, the management board representative from TLG and the proprietor.  Inspectors reviewed the work of pupils both in vocational and non-vocational subject areas.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school was observed.  Inspectors evaluated a range of documentation, including leaders’ evaluations of the school and development plans, admissions and attendance registers, policies, monitoring information, child protection and safeguarding information and all other documents and policies as required as part of the independent school standards.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors considered the school’s evidence of communication with parents and stakeholders. There were no responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View. However, inspectors spoke with several parents.  All staff responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff and their responses were considered.

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Inspection team

Debbie Redshaw, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Darren Stewart 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

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

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