Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service

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

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Mrs Catherine Baird Headteacher Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service Drapers Centre Monkey Puzzle Way Carshalton Surrey SM5 4NR

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Short inspection of Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service

Following my visit to the school on 13 March 2018 with Mary Geddes, Ofsted Inspector, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in July 2014.

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Short inspection of Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in certain areas. This may indicate that the school is improving towards being outstanding. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection.

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Short inspection of Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service

You provide a high-quality education for pupils who are unable to attend mainstream school due to medical needs. In addition to your main school site, some pupils are taught within hospital provision or at home. You have created an atmosphere in the school that is calm, peaceful and purposeful. You and your team are wholeheartedly dedicated to providing the best education for the very vulnerable pupils in your care. This is evident throughout the entire provision and when talking to pupils and their parents and carers.

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Short inspection of Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service

Pupils are very well behaved and polite around the school, at breaktimes and in lessons. They are hardworking and have nothing but praise for you and your team. Pupils feel confident to continue their education at sixth form or college. They said that the school has helped them prepare for this. They appreciate and benefit from the personalised approach taken towards them during their time at the school.

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Short inspection of Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They describe their child joining your school as ‘life changing’ and ‘amazing for us as a family’. Parents thoroughly appreciate the exceptional support you provide for their children. They also value the wider support you give them and their families. Parents say that their children make excellent personal and academic progress. They gain confidence and make friends. Parents have no concerns about bullying and typically said that you provide a ‘brilliant service’.

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Short inspection of Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service

Staff feel listened to by senior leaders. They are well supported and say that the school is a fantastic place to work. Staff value the effective training that is offered to them.

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Short inspection of Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service

Governors know the school well, are experienced and have a high degree of expertise. They visit regularly and have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and how it can improve. Governors are highly effective in the support and challenge that they provide for leaders.

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Short inspection of Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service

The strong culture of safeguarding across the school ensures that pupils feel safe. Pupils’ well-being is at the heart of everything you do. Parents agree that their children are kept safe. Staff receive regular safeguarding training on a wide range of aspects, including online safety, self-harm and the ‘Prevent’ duty. They are vigilant and know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil. Records are meticulously kept and show few incidents. Exclusions are rare and pupils say that bullying is not an issue. Your team works very effectively with other professionals to ensure that no child ‘falls through the net’.

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Short inspection of Sutton Tuition and Reintegration Service

All aspects of safeguarding are secure and fit for purpose. This includes all staff pre- employment checks.

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Inspection findings

 At the beginning of the inspection, we agreed to look at how the quality of teaching and learning has improved since the last inspection. Inspectors visited classrooms and the hospital schoolroom with senior leaders. Teachers know pupils exceptionally well and plan work that is at the right level of challenge. Pupils benefit from well-planned resources that prompt and support them to complete their work. They are focused and make strong progress over time. Pupils show resilience, such as when learning challenging concepts in mathematics. They concentrate hard and listen well. Pupils are keen to share what they have learned and support each other with their learning. For example, in science, pupils who successfully completed challenging problems helped others by showing them how to tackle questions. Teachers give pupils precise feedback about their work, enabling them to move swiftly on to the next steps. Teaching is

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Inspection findings

very strong across the school.  Next, we looked at the progress pupils make and how well they are prepared for the next stage of their education. Pupils make very strong progress both academically and with their personal development. Pupils’ learning and work in books show substantial progress over time. Pupils’ progress is tracked methodically from the point at which they join the school. Middle leaders meet teachers from mainstream schools to compare pupils’ work from each setting. This ensures that you gather accurate and reliable assessment information and you are keen to continue this collaboration in the future. Regular meetings take place with parents and carers to discuss academic progress and to set targets for improving attendance and personal development. Examination results show excellent and improving outcomes for pupils at the end of key stage 4.  Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education or training.

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Inspection findings

You and your team provide a relevant and interesting range of subjects, with practical and vocational courses for pupils in key stage 4, while also focusing on literacy and numeracy skills. Pupils exercise their independence on trips and visits by using public transport. Many pupils move on to a local college that runs a transition programme in partnership with you. Pupils therefore gain confidence and become familiar with a new setting before joining. Pupils said that they felt well prepared for the next stage of their education or training.  Finally, we agreed to look at what leaders have done to improve attendance since the last inspection and how well they work with parents and support services to achieve this. Pupils’ attendance is affected by their medical needs and rigorous tracking and monitoring is in place. You have built effective partnerships with other professionals and parents. Attendance overall has increased from last

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Inspection findings

year. You and your team do everything possible to ensure that pupils regularly attend.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:  the work with other schools on moderation and assessment continues to strengthen current practice.

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Next steps for the school

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

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Information about the inspection

The inspection team met with you and your deputy headteacher, middle leaders, teachers, teaching assistants and the facilities and examinations officer. They also met with the school’s social worker and the child and adolescent mental health consultant. They met with the school business manager to review the school’s single central record. Inspectors met with a group of parents. They also met with members of the school’s management committee, including the chair, and held telephone interviews with two other members. Inspectors visited classes across the school, accompanied by you and your deputy, to gather a range of evidence relating to teaching, learning and assessment. They met with pupils to talk about their experience of school and aspects of safeguarding. Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of school documentation including the school’s self-evaluation, school development plan, assessment and progress records, individual plans and work in

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Information about the inspection

books. Inspectors took account of the 19 responses to the staff questionnaire, 16 responses to the pupil questionnaire and 10 free-text responses to Parent View.

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