The Acres Independent School

South Park Enterprise College (11–19) Newdown Court, Newdown Road, South Park Industrial Estate, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire DN17 2TX

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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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 Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 School leaders, teachers and support staff are united in their determination to make a difference to the lives of the vulnerable and challenging young people in their care.  Staff understand pupils’ needs and are effective in helping them to develop self-awareness and a good understanding of the wider world. Pupils’ personal development is at the heart of the school’s work.  Leaders are diligent about all aspects of pupils’ safety and welfare. As a result, pupils are safe and they feel safe. They are well taught about risks to their personal safety.  Staff are highly skilled at recognising pupils’ complex behavioural needs and work hard to remove the barriers which reduce pupils’ ability to learn. A new approach has resulted in rapid and sustained improvements in behaviour.  Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain, and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is fostered well.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have devised a relevant curriculum and are ensuring that teaching provides pupils with a wide range of appropriate learning opportunities leading to good outcomes.  Teachers and support staff are calm, patient and supportive. Accurate assessments are used in the planning of motivating lessons.  Teachers focus on developing key skills and building confidence and resilience. As a result, pupils, including those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, make good progress from previously very low levels.  Extra-curricular activities are both therapeutic and stimulating, and enrich pupils’ experiences.  The proprietor and leaders have ensured that all the independent school standards are met.  Pupils’ attendance has rapidly improved. Some pupils who arrive at the school having been out of education for considerable lengths of time make the most rapid improvements in attendance. Leaders are aware that there is

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

more to be done to improve attendance further, particularly to engage certain families.  The rapid progress that has been made recently has resulted in school practice moving ahead of policy. Leaders are aware of the need to further develop staff teaching skills, review their plans for school development and embed new curriculum programmes.

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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?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by: – ensuring that school policies are more closely tailored to reflect the needs of the school – improving school development planning, particularly to ensure that the potential of premises and curriculum changes are maximised.  Improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning to complement the introduction of a new curriculum by providing training for staff to sharpen their questioning skills, develop strategies to deepen pupils’ thinking and provide opportunities for pupils to write at greater length.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Following a period of staffing instability and extremely difficult pupil management issues, the school has made a rapid and sustained recovery. The headteacher has brought together a skilled, ambitious and cohesive team who have introduced a fresh approach to meet the complex needs of pupils who frequently present challenging behaviours.  The proprietor and school leaders have ensured that all the independent school standards are met.  Leaders have an accurate awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They have introduced an effective behaviour management strategy and have ensured that the highest priority is given to pupils’ welfare. As a result, pupils are more compliant and are making stronger progress.  The curriculum offered is closely aligned to pupils’ needs. The core subjects of English, mathematics and science are complemented by vocational courses, employability lessons

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

and a strong personal and social development programme. Pupils spoken with said how much they enjoy learning to work with wood or grow organic produce for consumption at lunchtimes.  Staff recognise that pupils often arrive at the school with a low level of self-esteem and a limited awareness of the world in which they live. Pupils enjoy participating in swimming, walking and circuit training. The presentation ‘Prison! Me! No Way!’ gave them a graphic insight into the justice system. Photographs show that fortnightly culture days have broadened pupils’ appreciation of life in countries such as Bangladesh or Poland. Experiences such as these contribute well to pupils’ gains in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.  Staff form a cohesive team. They greet pupils at the start of each day, play games with them at break and lunchtimes and are highly supportive of each other during lessons.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

They value the training that they have received in behaviour management, safeguarding and in relation to the subjects that they teach. Regular meetings ensure that information about pupils’ behaviour and attitudes is passed on appropriately.  The school’s documentation has not kept pace with the rapid progress that has taken place over the past year. Several policy documents are generic in nature and do not indicate the good practice that is employed in the school. For example, the school’s equal opportunities policy, while compliant with legislation, is not reflective of the excellent work that takes place in respect of the protected characteristics. Similarly, the school’s development plan has weaknesses and does not adequately reflect what leaders aim to achieve in further developments of the premises and curriculum.

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Governance

 Directors employ a regional manager who has responsibility for line-managing the school. Along with other trust managers, they have a clarity of vision and contribute towards the self-evaluation and strategic direction of the school. Through regular comprehensive reports and visits to the school, they ensure that they know the school well and hold leaders to account.  Directors and managers have been highly supportive of the school, particularly through the recent difficult period. They have been significant in helping the school to recover rapidly and are enthusiastic about plans to develop the school premises and curriculum.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The safeguarding policy is available on the school’s website and is compliant with the latest government guidance. However, it does not reflect the local safeguarding risks of which the school is fully aware.  Leaders foster a strong safeguarding culture. All staff receive safeguarding and ‘Prevent’ duty training. This is being enhanced by a programme of online training. Pupils say that they feel safe and know that they have staff to speak to if they need help.  Pupils receive very comprehensive education about the risks that they may face as they grow up. They can talk about online safety and have a strong awareness about knife crime and child sexual exploitation. The school has appropriate filters in place to protect pupils from accessing inappropriate material from the internet.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers have a secure subject knowledge. They promote a calm and purposeful atmosphere and show infinite patience. For example, in a woodwork lesson observed, the teacher gently encouraged a pupil in the use of a power tool, while a colleague supported a pupil who was varnishing her work, engaging her in a conversation at the same time.  Teachers use accurate assessments to help them plan lessons well. They readily adapt their schemes of work to meet the ability and disposition of each member of the class. As a result, pupils make good progress from a range of starting points because most planned work engages and interests them. In an English lesson visited, pupils greatly enjoyed a challenging problem-solving exercise which required logical thinking. This lesson also built their resilience, as the right answer was not easy to determine.  In many lessons teachers focus on key skills and addressing gaps in pupils’ knowledge

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

and understanding. English lessons frequently include spelling, punctuation and grammar. In mathematics, teachers concentrate on number, and other subject areas also contribute towards the development of numeracy. In a personal and social education lesson, for example, pupils were tasked with calculating the costs of bringing up a newborn baby.  A nurture group programme supports pupils who are younger and those who have specific learning needs. The work of these pupils is very well structured. Their folders are carefully managed by teachers, who assess their work regularly and plan for them to progress to more difficult tasks.  Teachers have high expectations about behaviour in lessons. They are swift to challenge the use of derogatory language and will also insist that pupils do not use mobile telephones. Pupils respond positively to these requests. Where tensions build in a lesson, all the staff present are very skilled in de-escalation and rapidly restore a calm learning

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

environment.  The school provides parents and carers with a detailed report about their child’s progress each term. This includes comments from each subject area, a statement about behaviour and a comment from the pupil. The headteacher adds her observations, which are personal to each pupil.  Pupils have limited opportunities to write longer pieces of work often this is due to an over-reliance on worksheets. However, when they do, pupils regularly show that they can write neatly and evocatively. Teachers sometimes move a lesson on too quickly and do not capitalise on opportunities for pupils to think more deeply about an issue.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The school’s ethos and culture promote all aspects of pupils’ welfare. Pupils with unsuccessful previous experiences of school are helped to overcome the barriers that exist and successfully re-engage in education. Parents who made their views known are generally happy with the care and attention that is provided by the school. One commented, ‘They don’t give up on children.’  School staff work closely with a multitude of agencies to promote the welfare of pupils. These range from drugs and youth offending organisations to educational psychologists, social work staff and police officers. They work hard to help pupils with mental health issues, provide bereavement counselling, and regular visits by the school nurse ensure that medical needs are addressed.  The school provides a wide range of activities that are designed to be therapeutic or give

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Personal development and welfare

pupils a vision for the future. For example, horse riding and visits to the beach or to a sculpture park complement visits to places of work and virtual reality road safety experiences. Pupils benefit from these activities, and consequently their behaviour and attendance also improve.  A new reflection room offers a comfortable and serene space in which pupils can talk about problems and concerns. This is a new initiative and its effect is yet to be fully evaluated. Anecdotal evidence suggests that it will be a valuable resource to develop pupils’ mindfulness. Pupils speak positively about this room and how they are becoming more confident and self-assured.  Pupils are well supported in preparing for their futures. Impartial advice is complemented by careers work in lessons. Staff support pupils in their applications for places at colleges, with training providers and employment. As a result, many pupils have raised aspirations

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Personal development and welfare

and talk about continuing their education, entry into the armed forces or joining apprenticeships.  Pupils spoken with say that there is little bullying, and if it were to occur, it would be quickly resolved by staff.  Pupils often take pride in their work; for example, artefacts they have made in wood show care and attention to detail. Pupils respect the work of their peers on walls around the school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils often come to the school having behaved very poorly in their previous schools.  A new behaviour strategy was introduced at the start of the academic year. It has brought together staff training, rewards for positive behaviours, incentives and the personal development and welfare initiatives. As a result, incidents of poor behaviour have dropped dramatically and to zero in some recent months. The need for exclusion or physical restraint has similarly dropped.  In many cases, there are sustained and impressive improvements in pupils’ behaviour in a short time since joining the school.  While pupils’ attendance rates often remain below average, they improve rapidly once pupils arrive and settle into the school. A high proportion of pupils start the school having had either little education or periods of prolonged absence.  Of significance, those pupils who have not attended school at all usually make the most

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Behaviour

rapid improvements in their attendance. This is because of the warmth of the welcome provided by staff and the wrap-around nature of the care and support that the school provides.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 The school has developed an effective system for tracking the progress of pupils. This shows that most pupils make progress across the curriculum, frequently from very low starting points. Pupils who have special educational needs make the same levels of progress as their peers. Where pupils have made insufficient progress, the school provides a wide range of interventions to provide extra help to catch up.  Pupils’ good progress is confirmed by the quality of work seen in their books and observed in lessons. In English, pupils are productive and are keen to try challenging work on a variety of topics that capture their interest, such as fashion and celebrity. As a result, they make significant progress, for example in the use of descriptive language and sequencing.  Pupils are entered for a wide variety of accredited qualifications, usually in the form of small units. This is a successful strategy, since pupils are placed in the school for varying

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Outcomes for pupils Good

amounts of time, which makes it impossible for them to follow mainstream courses of study.  Since the last inspection, almost all pupils left the school to continue their education with further education providers, the armed forces and local training providers.  Overall, pupils make better progress in English and mathematics than in science. Leaders are aware of this and are taking appropriate action to improve pupils’ achievement in science. The school is gradually introducing a new thematic curriculum model, which they expect to be more interesting for pupils and enable them to make more rapid progress.

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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

Annual fees (day pupils) £12,827 to £46,998 per annum

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School details

Website www.keyschildcare.co.uk/services/education/ south-park-enterprise-college Email address lindabennett@keyschildcare.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19–21 May 2015

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Information about this school

 South Park Enterprise College is an independent day school which is part of the Keys Childcare Company. It was previously inspected by Ofsted in May 2015. The school is registered as an alternative learning provider which is registered to admit up to 150 girls and boys. Pupils are referred by the local authority. Some pupils are admitted via a fair access panel and remain on the roll of a mainstream school.  The school is located on an industrial estate in Scunthorpe. The school has a vocational centre which is located on the same industrial estate approximately 0.4 miles from the main building. The school has its own transport to take pupils between buildings.  Most of the pupils have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties and have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion from their mainstream school.  The school concentrates on developing pupils’ learning in the core subjects and improving

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Information about this school

their employability skills through personal and social development and vocational learning opportunities.  There are 19 pupils on roll who have education, health and care plans.  There are currently no post-16 pupils on roll.  Pupils take part in physical education at off-site, purpose-built facilities.  The school does not use any alternative education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out over two and a half days with half a day’s notice.  The inspector toured all buildings currently used by the school, both inside and outside.  The inspector observed teaching and learning in a range of lessons and made some shorter visits to classrooms. The headteacher observed some lessons jointly with the inspector.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, middle leaders, pupils, the Keys education director and an area manager.  The work of several pupils was reviewed.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school was observed. The inspector met formally and informally with pupils.  The inspector 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 reports for the education

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Information about this inspection

director. The inspector also looked closely at all other documents and policies as required as part of the independent school standards.  Consideration was given to the school’s evidence of communication with parents. There were insufficient responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. However, the inspector spoke with several parents. Sixteen staff responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff.

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Inspection team

Steve Rogers, 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 .

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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

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