Hidelow Grange School

Hidelow Grange School Acton Green, Acton Green, Acton Beauchamp, Worcester WR6 5AH

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders and the proprietor have not done enough to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning and outcomes for pupils are consistently strong.  Pupils do not make consistently good progress in science and mathematics. Leaders do not use their assessment system effectively to identify and support pupils who are not making sufficient progress towards meeting their targets.  Pupils’ behaviour is not yet good and occasionally prevents pupils from learning effectively.  School information shows that pupils’ behaviour is not improving over time. Inspectors agree.  Teaching across the school is not consistently effective. Leaders have not acted swiftly enough to make the necessary improvements to the quality of teaching so that pupils make good progress.  In mathematics, teaching is not matched closely enough to the needs of individual pupils. Consequently, pupils’ basic mathematical skills are not improving rapidly enough.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Staff do not deliver the science and mathematics schemes of work effectively. As a result, pupils are not developing their scientific and mathematical knowledge and understanding well enough.  Leaders and managers have not ensured that all of the independent school standards are met, as the quality of education is inconsistent. The school has the following strengths

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Staff have a good understanding of the personal, social and emotional needs of the pupils and provide effective pastoral support. This support develops pupils’ self-confidence and self-esteem and their willingness to re- engage with learning.  Pupils enjoy reading and develop their reading skills well. This is leading to improvements in writing and communication.  The curriculum, including personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, is strong. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy and how to be responsible citizens.  The headteacher has established a safe, nurturing learning environment for vulnerable young people. Although her vision has not yet been fully realised, she is committed to ensuring that all pupils are provided with the opportunity to become successful, independent, confident and responsible learners.  The school must take action to meet the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

School Standards) Regulations 2014 and associated requirements. The details are listed in the full report.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that: – the school consistently meets all of the independent school standards – the information gathered about pupils’ performance is accurately analysed in order to evaluate the effect of actions designed to improve the provision for pupils.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and pupils’ outcomes by making sure that: – teachers use the assessments of pupils’ learning to inform their planning and delivery of lessons that meet the needs, abilities and aptitudes of pupils – teachers manage pupils’ behaviour effectively – teaching in mathematics enables pupils to develop their mathematical fluency, reasoning and problem-solving skills – the schemes of work for science and mathematics are delivered effectively so that pupils develop their scientific and mathematical knowledge and understanding well.  Improve pupils’ behaviour by ensuring that:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– the school’s behaviour management policies and strategies are understood and consistently applied by all staff – the systems designed to monitor pupils’ behaviour are used and analysed more effectively in order to identify and support pupils in need.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders and managers have not ensured that all the independent school standards are met. They have not secured consistently good teaching or consistently strong outcomes for pupils, particularly in science and mathematics.  The headteacher has an accurate view of the quality of education provided by the school. She has completed an evaluation of the provision and identified appropriate improvement priorities. The actions taken in response to this work are beginning to have a positive effect on the quality of provision for pupils. However, teaching is not consistently effective in making sure pupils achieve and behave well.  The headteacher has established a system of checking the quality of teaching and learning through formal and informal lesson observations. Appropriate improvement priorities have been identified to improve the provision. However, these have not been followed up quickly enough to make sure teaching is consistently effective, particularly in

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

mathematics and science.  The checks on pupils’ behaviour are inconsistent. Leaders and staff do not record incidents accurately. In addition, leaders do not use the information that they have about pupils’ behaviour to identify and support pupils in need or staff who struggle to manage pupils’ misbehaviour effectively.  On occasion, the headteacher has not been able to carry out actions to improve the provision as rapidly as she would like. This is because the headteacher has to refer to the school’s management committee before purchasing resources or implementing curriculum changes. The proprietor’s head of education is aware of the negative effect of these constraints and is working with managers to improve the situation.  The curriculum meets the requirements of the standards for independent schools. The wide range of subjects and activities enables pupils to develop a wide range of skills and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

supports their personal development well. For example, all pupils take part in a range of outdoor activities, including climbing, kayaking and orienteering, some of which are accredited. The headteacher is keen to enhance the curriculum further.  The school’s PSHE education is a strength and contributes significantly to pupils’ personal development and well-being. For example, pupils are provided with opportunities to learn about different cultures and religions, the importance of healthy relationships and how to live independently successfully.  The school aims to support pupils who have become disengaged from education. Leaders want staff to help pupils re-engage with learning, develop their personal and social skills and make good academic progress. Leaders have partly achieved these aims. They have established an appropriate learning environment and ensured that the social, emotional and mental health needs of individual pupils are met.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 The actions taken by leaders to improve pupils’ attendance have been successful. Attendance is given high priority.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively. Pupils demonstrate respect towards people from different backgrounds to their own, including those with different religious and cultural backgrounds. They have a good understanding of diversity and the importance of ensuring that everyone is treated equally and with respect. They are developing their understanding of fundamental British values and why these values are important. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Governance

 Governance is provided by the head of education of the Caretech group, which is the school’s proprietor.  The head of education oversees the work of the headteacher and has ensured that the school meets its statutory responsibilities for safeguarding and health and safety.  The head of education meets frequently with the headteacher and regularly visits the school to check the school’s work. This includes checking pupils’ progress, attendance and behaviour and the quality of teaching and learning.  There are effective reporting systems in place, which support the headteacher in carrying out her monitoring and reporting role. The headteacher provides a comprehensive monthly report. There is evidence of clear challenge and support being provided by the head of education. The headteacher is held fully to account for the school’s performance.  The proprietors share the vision and aspiration of the headteacher to ensure that the

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Governance

school provides the highest quality education for its pupils. Currently, though, this vision has not been fully realised in practice.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Safeguarding is given a high priority and there is a strong culture of safeguarding within the school. Staff have all completed appropriate child protection training successfully. Staff are knowledgeable about safeguarding policies and are clear about the procedures that they need to follow if they have any concerns.  The school does not have a website. However, the safeguarding policy is readily available to parents on request. It meets the most recent government requirements.  Leaders follow safer recruitment guidelines. As a result, the required checks on staff’s suitability to work with children are carried out and accurately recorded on the single central record before staff are appointed.  The school implements its policies such as anti-bullying, behaviour management and health and safety appropriately. As a consequence, pupils are safeguarded well.

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Safeguarding

 The designated safeguarding leader works well with other agencies and professionals to ensure that appropriate support is provided to potentially vulnerable pupils.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The quality of teaching and learning is not consistently strong across the curriculum and is not improving rapidly enough to secure good outcomes for pupils.  The school has not yet established an effective system of measuring pupils’ progress. Consequently, leaders are unable to demonstrate that pupils are making the progress that they need to make in order to achieve their targets.  Pupils typically enter the school with low basic skills in mathematics and English. Although there is evidence in pupils’ work that their writing and communication skills are developing, this is not the case in mathematics.  Teaching in mathematics is not matched well enough to pupils’ needs. Although the gaps in pupils’ knowledge have been identified, teaching is not supporting the pupils to plug these gaps quickly enough to enable them to make the progress that they are capable of making.  The mathematics curriculum is not being delivered appropriately. There is currently too

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

much emphasis on practising low-level number work and insufficient opportunities for pupils to learn about other aspects of mathematics, such as learning how to solve problems.  The expectations for pupils in mathematics are too low. The work in pupils’ books is of a low level and pupils’ presentation is often poor and inaccurate. This is not being addressed by the teaching staff and, consequently, is not improving.  Teachers in science are not making sure that pupils acquire the scientific knowledge and understanding appropriate for their age and level of development. Expectations are too low and the science curriculum is not being delivered according to the school’s scheme of work.  Provision in English is effective. Pupils are making good progress in improving their handwriting and written communication skills, including their spelling and use of punctuation and grammar.  Reading is given high priority in the English curriculum and in lessons. As a result, pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

are developing their confidence and enjoyment of reading and beginning to read more challenging texts. This also has a positive effect on the quality of their written work and oral communication.  Teachers have a good understanding of the personal, social and emotional needs of individual pupils. Staff are developing effective working relationships with pupils. As a result, the majority of pupils increase in self-confidence, become self-motivated and positively engage in their learning.  The school provides regular, detailed information to parents about their child’s progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The school ensures that pupils know how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations, including when using the internet. Pupils are safe and well cared for in school. They are taught about the range of different types of bullying. Bullying logs show that there are no recorded cases of bullying in the school.  In their life skills lessons, pupils are taught about the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships successfully. They are also taught how to keep themselves physically, emotionally and mentally healthy and about the importance of making healthy life choices.  The school’s support for pupils’ welfare is effective. Leaders work well with a range of agencies to ensure that appropriate support is provided as necessary. This support contributes to pupils’ improved attendance and punctuality.  Pupils are developing in self-confidence and self-esteem well. This is contributing to

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Personal development and welfare

improved attitudes towards their learning. They are developing confidence and the ability to discuss ideas and opinions and listen respectfully to others.  Comprehensive careers advice is provided through the PSHE curriculum. Pupils are provided with opportunities to find out about a wide range of career options, opportunities for work experience and support for completing personal statements, application forms and managing finances.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Behaviour logs show that inappropriate behaviour is still a frequent occurrence and sometimes negatively effects how well pupils engage with their learning.  Leaders have very recently implemented a system of recording how many reward points pupils earn during the school day. This will enable them to monitor the impact of their behaviour management strategies and track individual pupils’ improvements in behaviour. At the time of the inspection, however, this system was too new to provide evidence of improvements in behaviour.  The headteacher works closely with a range of professionals to ensure that pupils’ attendance and punctuality is given priority. This is beginning to have a positive impact on improving pupils’ punctuality and attendance. Overall attendance is 94% and has improved for all pupils since they started at the school.  All pupils who attend Hidelow Grange School have a history of fixed-term or permanent

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Behaviour

exclusions from their previous setting due to inappropriate behaviour. Although behaviour is not yet good, there is evidence that pupils are beginning to self-manage their behaviour. This is because staff know the pupils well and are becoming more successful at identifying how to support and engage with them.  Behaviour logs show that staff quickly respond to inappropriate behaviour. Incidents are recorded in detail and include an evaluation of the strategies that work well for each individual pupil. This is helping staff to respond to incidents more confidently and effectively.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Leaders are not able to demonstrate that pupils make consistently strong progress from their starting points in mathematics and science. This view is supported by the work in pupils’ books  Although leaders assessed pupils’ abilities and aptitudes when they joined the school, they have not carried out further assessments in order to check how well pupils have progressed.  Teaching in mathematics is not supporting pupils to develop their basic mathematical skills and knowledge well enough. In addition, pupils are not able to apply their learning or deepen their understanding in order to attain the standards of which they are capable.  Pupils are not making sufficient progress in science. This is because the teaching of science does not enable pupils to develop their scientific knowledge, understanding and skills.  Pupils who have an education, health and care plan are well supported to achieve their

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

targets.  When pupils arrive at the school, they are typically disaffected and disengaged with education. The school is becoming increasingly successful in helping these pupils overcome their previous negative attitude to learning and make strong gains in their personal and social development.  Pupils make good progress in English from their starting points. They are developing their basic reading, writing and oral communication skills well. This is evident from pupils’ work and in their increased enthusiasm for, and confidence in, reading.  The curriculum prepares pupils well for life beyond school. As well as offering GCSE and functional skills qualifications in English and mathematics, pupils can also complete a wide range of accredited courses, in vocational and non-vocational subjects. These include courses in physical activities, humanities, food preparation and life skills.  This is the school’s first year of operating and there are currently no Year 11 pupils in the

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

school. Consequently, no pupils have yet completed nationally recognised qualifications. Several pupils have, however, gained certificates in a range of short accredited courses offered by the school.

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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

School category Independent special school

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School details

Proprietor Caretech Community Services Limited

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School details

Email address becky.cooper@caretech-uk.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Hidelow Grange School is an independent special school located in Herefordshire.  It caters for boys aged between 11 and 18 who are experiencing social, emotional and mental health difficulties.  The school opened in September 2017. This is the school’s first full inspection since opening.  Typically, pupils attending the school have either been excluded or were at risk of exclusion from their previous setting. Some pupils have an education, health and care plan.  Pupils attending the school are in the care of the local authority.  There are currently three pupils on roll. Two pupils are in Year 9 and one pupil is in Year 10.  The school does not currently make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out by one inspector over three days.  This was the school’s first full standard inspection since opening in September 2017.  The inspector observed teaching and learning and looked at pupils’ work in English, mathematics and across the curriculum. The observations were carried out jointly with the school’s headteacher.  The inspector evaluated the school’s assessment information for pupils.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the school’s designated safeguarding leader and a representative of the school’s governing body. The inspector also spoke with pupils.  Questionnaires submitted by seven members of staff were scrutinised.  Two responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire and free-text survey were taken into account.  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

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Information about this inspection

attendance.  A check of the premises, including the facilities provided for pupils, was also carried out.

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Inspection team

Janet Satchwell, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school–

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(a) enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability so that they increase their understanding and develop their skills in the subjects taught;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(d) shows a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and ensures that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(g) demonstrates that a framework is in place to assess pupils’ work regularly and thoroughly and use information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(h) utilises effective strategies for managing behaviour and encouraging pupils to act responsibly.

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 9 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor promotes good behaviour amongst pupils by ensuring that–

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

– 9(b) the policy is implemented effectively.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school–

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

– 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently;

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

– 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently. 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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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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

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