Parkside House School

Parkside House School Station Road, Backworth, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear NE27 0AB

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

p.1

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

p.1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

p.1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

p.1

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leadership and management require improvement as the proprietor has not ensured that all the independent school standards have been met.  School leaders are not ensuring that the attendance of pupils is recorded accurately. Therefore, rates of absence are higher than the school currently records.  School leaders are not giving teachers enough guidance to help them improve further at a faster rate.  School leaders are not evaluating the information that they have to assess accurately how well the school is doing. Therefore, they are not able to identify accurately actions that will help the school to improve at a faster rate.  The proprietor and governors are not challenging the school leaders enough about information given to them to ensure that the school is well led.

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ personal development is good. Adults have exceptionally good relationships with the pupils.  Adults have high expectations of how pupils should behave.  Pupils feel safe and know that adults will take the time to listen and act on any concerns that they may have.  School leaders go to great lengths to ensure that pupils are offered a wide and exciting range of activities to take part in.  Teachers are well organised and take great care to ensure that pupils understand what they are learning. Personalised teaching helps pupils make good progress.  Teachers know their pupils well and respond well to their emotional needs as they arise.

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school must take action to meet the requirements of the schedule to The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 and associated requirements. The details are listed in the full report.

p.1

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that: – immediate action is taken to make sure that records of pupils’ attendance are accurate – the information the school has on pupils’ emotional and academic progress is analysed to identify trends and areas for improvement – school evaluation is based securely on appropriate evidence and that areas identified for improvement lead clearly into the school’s improvement plans – teaching and learning are evaluated more thoroughly and, as a result, teachers are given more guidance on how they can improve.  Improve governance by ensuring that the proprietor and governors: – check that all the independent school standards and legislative requirements are met consistently – have a clearer picture of the school’s strengths and weaknesses by challenging the school leaders about the information that they are given – ensure that school leaders are given the opportunity to improve their skills linked to

p.2

What does the school need to do to improve further?

school improvement strategies.  The school must meet the independent school standards, as set out in the annex of this report.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 School leaders are not using the correct codes, as required by law, to record pupils’ absences from school. Therefore, records of pupils’ absence are not accurate and attendance figures are inflated.  School leaders are not accurately evaluating how well their school is doing. They have a wealth of information on pupils’ emotional and academic progress, but do not analyse this well enough to identify how these aspects can be improved. Consequently, actions in the school development plan are not appropriate to the school’s areas for improvement.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher evaluate regularly the quality of teaching. This is generally completed by observing teaching in lessons and considering assessment results. However, other forms of evidence to check standards and progress are rarely completed. Therefore, a picture of the quality of teaching is too narrow.  Following observations of their teaching, teachers are given little guidance on how they

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

can improve and this slows down the rate of improvement for some teachers.  Staff morale is high and staff responded very positively to the Ofsted questionnaire, all commenting that they consider that the school is well led.  Senior leaders go to great lengths to ensure that pupils experience a varied and stimulating curriculum, including out-of-school clubs, which match their particular interests and help to re-engage them in learning. For example, the enterprise week has involved pupils studying and becoming actively involved in woodwork and horticulture with a view to raising money. However, pupils do not get the opportunity to gain qualifications in vocational subjects, where they sometimes show that they have great skill or interest.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils are given lots of opportunities to learn about different beliefs. Visits, such as to Durham Cathedral and

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

regular cultural lunches, where they learn about foods from different cultures, such as those of Sweden, France and America, support their development. The strong, and well taught, personal, social and health education (PSHE) lessons also support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Half of the parents and carers who spoke to the inspector during the inspection and who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, commented positively. They made comments about their experience at the school, such as: ‘this has been life changing for my child and for us as a family’.

p.3

Governance

 Governors, including the proprietor, are not as effective in their role as they could be. Although they, and senior leaders, have created an environment where pupils feel safe and well cared for, and therefore more willing to engage in learning, they have not addressed other aspects of school management.  Governors have not looked carefully at the independent school standards to ensure that the legal requirements are being met. They have not recognised that these standards are there to ensure pupils’ well-being and to lead to school improvement. Therefore, school improvement has been slow.  Governors are not challenging or supporting the headteacher and deputy headteacher sufficiently. They do not challenge or analyse information that they are provided with, and the headteacher receives little or no support from other professionals to verify the quality of the work she is doing. Consequently, the effectiveness of leadership requires

p.3

Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Although the site is large and multifaceted, steps are taken to make sure it is safe for pupils.  Pupils say how safe they feel and the good relationships they quickly build up mean that they are comfortable speaking to adults if they have any concerns.  All staff, including both designated safeguarding leads, have appropriate, up-to-date training in child protection. The headteacher has safer recruitment training and ensures that all checks are made to make sure adults are safe to work with the pupils.  The designated safeguarding leads have good links with appropriate local authorities and keep good records which are fit for purpose. Some pupils learn on a part-time basis at alternative provider sites. The headteacher communicates well with these providers, as well as with parents, to ensure that pupils are safe.  The headteacher has ensured that the school’s safeguarding policy follows government

p.4

Safeguarding

requirements, and that this policy is available for parents to download from the school website, should they wish to do so.

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers go to great lengths to re-engage pupils in learning. For example, the woodwork teacher has taught pupils to make vases using complex machinery and wood from the trees that were felled in the school grounds.  Teachers quickly build good, trusting relationships with pupils, which helps them to feel secure and ready to learn again.  Some teachers are effective at modelling good vocabulary and engaging pupils in valuable discussion, for example in science, where pupils were observed during the inspection discussing the properties of materials.  Teachers are often good at leading discussions that encourage pupils to think deeply about subjects, such as when they were discussing stereotypes in a personal, social and health education lesson.  Teachers plan their lessons well with activities that will interest pupils. In a humanities lesson, for example, pupils confidently recapped all the things they had learned during the

p.4

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

lesson, as they were organising photographs for a display about African animals.  A few teachers do not move pupils’ learning on as quickly as they could. This is often due to their expectations being, on occasion, too low and, therefore, pupils’ written work, and the depth of discussion, are not as productive as they could be.

p.4

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Adults carefully plan activities so that pupils get lots of opportunities to learn to become responsible and valuable British citizens. PSHE lessons enable pupils to discuss and share honest opinions about issues such as British values, different beliefs and equal opportunities.  School leaders have planned a bespoke curriculum for each pupil. This enables the pupils to learn about something that excites and interests them and to gain in self-confidence, so that they are ready to work on other areas of learning where they are less confident.  Parents who responded to Parent View commented that they were not always happy with the school’s response to incidents of bullying or the regularity of communication. Pupils said that bullying was rare and that adults from the school quickly resolve issues.  A minority of pupils new to the school are currently attending on a part-time basis. This is

p.5

Personal development and welfare

effective in helping the pupils who struggle in new surroundings with new people to build their confidence.  Adults know pupils well and are mindful of the social and emotional anxieties some pupils may have. The headteacher is aware that current assessment systems do not clearly identify the progress that pupils have made in their social and emotional development or the next steps they need to take to develop further.  Leaders at the alternative provision sites have pupils’ welfare at the heart of everything they do, and risk assessments and safeguarding practices are thorough. They keep a close eye on rates of attendance, and weekly reports show that non-attendance is quickly picked up.

p.5

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement, as pupils’ attendance is low. However, attendance figures are inaccurate and cannot therefore be relied on. Some pupils have had long periods of absence from education prior to joining the school and these pupils show dramatic improvements in their attendance.  Some pupils struggle to maintain concentration in the longer lessons and this occasionally disrupts learning. However, adults respond calmly and respectfully to these incidents so that they do not escalate.  Adults keep careful, detailed records of incidents. However, numbers of incidents and antecedents are not yet analysed or monitored to identify trends so that improvements can be made.  Pupils’ use of derogatory, aggressive or stereotypical language is rare. They quickly realise that such language is unacceptable. They are polite and friendly to each other as they move around the school.  Although many of the pupils are anxious when meeting new people, they are

p.5

Behaviour

exceptionally polite and courteous to visitors who come into school. Adults and pupils are mutually respectful in their interactions.  Pupils’ behaviour at alternative provision is good, as expectations are high and pupils are highly motivated.

p.6

Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils’ levels of attainment are often low compared to other pupils of the same age nationally due to long periods when they have been out of education. However, the progress they make in the school is good.  The headteacher and her staff pay great attention to pupils’ emotional needs and their particular interests when they start Parkside House School, which helps them want to learn again and make good progress.  All pupils who left the school at the end of Years 11, 12 and 13 since the last inspection have gained a range of different qualifications. All have moved onto further education or training or have remained at Parkside House School to continue their education. This prepares them well for the next stage of their education, training or employment.  Pupils achieve well in vocational subjects such as hairdressing and motor-vehicle repair. This learning also improves pupils’ development of functional skills in mathematics and

p.6

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.

p.7

School details

Type of school Other independent special school

p.7

School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £27,455–£32,281

p.7

School details

Email address admin@parksidehouseschool.co.uk

p.7

School details

Date of previous inspection 28 April 2015

p.7

Information about this school

 Parkside House School is a special school for pupils who have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. It is located in converted farm buildings on the outskirts of Backworth, North Tyneside.  The school is registered for 35 pupils aged 10 to 19 years. There are currently 31 pupils on the roll, four who are attending part-time, temporarily, because they are new to the school.  All pupils have statements of special educational needs or education, health and care plans. Seven are looked after by their local authorities. No pupil has a disability.  The school website confirms the school’s aims, to ‘provide a high quality education package to pupils who have difficulty in relating to education or others within a mainstream setting’.  The school uses Northumbria Youth Action and Barnardo’s as alternative education providers.  The school opened in April 2005, following the closure of its predecessor school in 2005.

p.7

Information about this school

The school’s last standard inspection was in April 2015, when it was judged to provide a good standard of education and at that time all the independent school standards were met.

p.8

Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out over two and a half days by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors.  The inspector held meetings throughout the inspection with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. The proprietor was out of the country during the inspection. The inspector met with the chair of the governing body and a governor.  The inspector spoke with a number of pupils both informally and formally about their work and their well-being. The work in pupils’ books was considered.  Three responses to Parent View were received. Not enough to show the results of this questionnaire. Two parents responded to the Ofsted online text service and the inspector spoke to two parents. There were no pupil responses. Fifteen responses to the staff questionnaire were received. All these views were considered.  The inspector visited two alternative providers, toured their facilities and spoke to senior leaders at these sites.

p.9

Information about this inspection

 The inspector toured the school’s buildings inside and out, to check whether the relevant independent school standards were met and that pupils’ welfare is taken into account.  A range of documentation was examined by the inspector, including policies, the record of safeguarding checks and other safeguarding documentation.

p.9

Inspection team

Jo Sharpe, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.9

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 15. The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that an admission and attendance register is maintained in accordance with the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 [13].

p.10

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 

p.10

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;

p.10

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 .

p.10

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.

p.11

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 .

p.11

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.

p.11

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.11

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.11

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.11

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

p.11