Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr A Goulty Executive Headteacher BBG Academy Bradford Road Birkenshaw West Yorkshire BD19 4BE

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No formal designation inspection of BBG Academy

Following my visit with Bernard Campbell, Her Majesty’s Inspector, and Joan Hewitt, Ofsted Inspector, to your school on 13 March 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

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No formal designation inspection of BBG Academy

This monitoring inspection was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for inspecting schools with no formal designation. The inspection was carried out because Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector was concerned about the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements at the school, including arrangements for those pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities.

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Evidence

Inspectors scrutinised the system to check that adults in the school are safe to work with children and other documents relating to safeguarding. They also met with the head of school and other senior leaders, including the leader of the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Inspectors also met groups of pupils and a group of staff.

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Evidence

Inspectors scrutinised the school’s action plans, attendance records, behaviour logs, staff training records, the SEN register and pupils’ support plans. Inspectors observed pupils at the start and end of the day. Members of the team visited lessons to observe pupils working. We talked to pupils informally at break and lunchtime. Inspectors also visited an assembly and tutor sessions. The lead inspector spoke on the telephone to a representative from the local authority. Having considered the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Context

BBG Academy is smaller than the average-sized secondary school. Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged is below average. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is broadly average. The school was last inspected in March 2016 and judged to be good in all areas.

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Inspection findings

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Appropriate checks are carried out to ensure that staff are safe to work with pupils. Leadership in this area is strong. The trust provides effective support and ensures that safeguarding checks on staff who work in more than one school are shared. Most staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and ensure that all concerns are reported and dealt with quickly. This is because staff receive regular high-quality training. All new staff receive a thorough induction to ensure that they understand, and consistently apply, the safeguarding processes outlined in the school’s policies. Nevertheless, leaders could not fully explain the impact of safeguarding training on all staff understanding.

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Inspection findings

Governors play an active role in all aspects of the school’s work, including work relating to safeguarding. They hold leaders to account and ask relevant questions to ensure that pupils are safe. A small number of pupils receive education at alternative providers. Leaders conduct thorough checks on the suitability of each provider. The school’s staff also make daily checks on these pupils’ attendance and well-being.

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Inspection findings

Leaders work well with external agencies and professionals to support pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. However, sometimes pupils are unable to access the professional support they need quickly. In these instances, appropriately trained school staff support these pupils in house. Consequently, pupils in need of support receive the early help they require until more appropriately trained professionals are available.

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Inspection findings

Leaders appointed a new special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) recently. Since then, the quality of provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities has improved significantly. The SENCo is passionate and knowledgeable. She is not afraid to refine or change systems to meet the needs of pupils more effectively. For example, following an audit of the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, the SENCo rapidly put in place new systems and processes that improved the support for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and their families. Leaders work well together. The SENCo and the senior leader responsible for pupils’ behaviour meet regularly in order to review behaviour logs. Following this, the SENCo meets with pupils who misbehave, to ensure that their poor behaviour is not concealing a special need. When necessary, teachers provide pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities with personalised support in lessons. Inspection evidence

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Inspection findings

demonstrates that the behaviour of these pupils has improved significantly.

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Inspection findings

Leaders ensure that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities have a ‘learner profile’. This detailed document is available to all teachers. The information in this document outlines the specific learning needs of each pupil and the strategies that teachers can use to support them. Teachers receive additional SEN updates during weekly meetings and emails. They said that they now have the ‘tools’ to make a difference to the progress made by pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.

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Inspection findings

During pupils’ learning, inspectors observed teachers and teaching assistants using specific support strategies. This helped pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities to make good progress. Teaching assistants know the pupils well. They liaise effectively with teachers in order to clarify what is expected of them.

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Inspection findings

Inspectors considered whether pupils’ attendance and behaviour are having a negative effect on safeguarding arrangements. Inspection evidence demonstrates that pupils’ behaviour is improving. Leaders have introduced a behaviour management system called ‘positive discipline’. As a result, pupils understand the consequences of poor behaviour. Pupils reported that the system is applied consistently, most of the time. Pupils believe that standards of behaviour are improving. They explained to inspectors how they would appreciate the opportunity to share their own ideas to improve behaviour further.

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Inspection findings

The proportion of pupils who have been excluded for a fixed term reduced between 2015 and 2017. However, the number is still significantly higher than average. Often, when a pupil misbehaves, they will be referred to the ‘isolation room’ for a period of time. The proportion of pupils receiving an isolation referral has declined in the last two years. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities who receive a referral to isolation or detention is also reducing over time.

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Inspection findings

On the whole, relationships between staff and pupils are positive. These relationships are supporting the improving rates of pupil progress. Pupils move between lessons sensibly and they are well supervised by staff. Pupils’ behaviour at the start of the day is good and very few pupils arrive late. During learning time, the majority of pupils display positive attitudes. These pupils are compliant and follow instructions from teachers. However, many key stage 4 pupils remain too reliant on their teachers to manage their behaviour.

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Inspection findings

Rates of attendance are above average and improving. The pupils who attend alternative provision attend more often than they did at the school previously. Leaders routinely check the attendance of these pupils as well as the attendance of those pupils who are dual registered at other schools. Leaders check that pupils who leave the school mid-year enrol at their new school. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are more likely than other pupils to be regularly absent from school. However, leaders’ records show strong evidence of improvement in this area.

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External support

Leaders have worked closely with colleagues from the trust to refine and develop behaviour systems and safeguarding arrangements. In addition, they have worked with the trust and the local authority to ensure that plans to support pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are robust. This work has also ensured that exclusion and complaints policies are appropriate.

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Priorities for further improvement

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Priorities for further improvement

 the proportion of pupils, who are excluded for a fixed term reduces by ensuring that pupils’ behaviour continues to improve  opportunities for pupils to contribute their ideas and opinions to learning and the wider development of the school are extended  the effectiveness of safeguarding training is evaluated systematically to check that procedures are fully understood by all staff.

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Priorities for further improvement

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Kirklees. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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