Eden School

Overall effectiveness Insufficient evidence

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Insufficient evidence

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Insufficient evidence

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Insufficient evidence

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Outcomes for pupils Insufficient evidence

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

There is insufficient evidence to judge the overall effectiveness of this school

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The proprietor and other leaders have ensured that the independent school standards (ISS) are met. However, it is not possible to judge the implementation of some of the policies referred to in the ISS.  There is insufficient evidence to judge the effectiveness of leadership and management, the quality of teaching, personal development, behaviour and welfare, and outcomes for pupils because no pupils have ever attended the school.  The proprietor and leaders share a clear vision for the school to provide a therapeutic educational experience for pupils who have particular vulnerabilities related to their special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher work together closely and have skills which complement each other. Leaders are enthusiastic and demonstrate a strong commitment to provide high-quality education at the school.  The lead teacher, who will have key

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

responsibility for teaching and learning, will start at the beginning of the 2018/19 school year. This post will then have been vacant for about six months.  The arrangements to ensure that pupils are safeguarded have been very carefully planned and implemented. Checks on the suitability of staff to work with pupils are rigorous.  Leaders have used models of effective practice from the proprietor’s other school to prepare Eden School to be ready to admit pupils. However, some policies have not been fully linked to the situation at Eden School.  Leaders made some adjustments to policies and other documents during the inspection to ensure that the ISS were met.  Leaders, including the chair of the management committee of the proprietor’s other school, have reviewed Eden School’s readiness to admit pupils. Leaders have used information from this and other evaluation to prepare improvement plans. However, these plans lack detail.

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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 ISS) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further develop leadership and management to ensure that policies and procedures are ready to be implemented immediately when any pupils join the school by: – using the ISS to check that policies and other documents precisely reflect the requirements – ensuring that policy statements are fully matched to the context and staffing of this school.  Ensure that improvement planning addresses the aspects identified in the existing review of the school and its priorities, is ready to be adapted to pupils’ particular needs and is set out in sufficient detail to help leaders and other staff implement the plans successfully.

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amnesty granted

 The ISS concerning leadership and management are met. However, as no pupils have attended the school since its registration, there is insufficient evidence to make a judgement on the impact and effectiveness of leadership and management on the education provided.  While leaders are aware of the requirements of the ISS, the complaints policy did not include all the necessary details at the start of the inspection. Leaders quickly made sure that this policy complied with part 7 of the ISS.  Leaders have continued to support the development of the school, even with the difficulty of having no pupils on roll. Leaders have time allocated to ensure that they give the school the attention it requires. Leaders are positive and optimistic despite their frustration about having no pupils registered. The commitment of the proprietor and leaders to the school is demonstrated by the appointment of the new lead teacher to fill

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amnesty granted

that vacant post. The headteacher will continue her direct leadership once the lead teacher takes up her role. In addition, the deputy headteacher will provide training, support and monitoring concerning teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement. Other support, such as by sharing the other school’s special educational needs coordinator, is also planned.  Leaders have developed the systems and policies for Eden School from the effective approaches used in the proprietor’s other school. This means that these have already been tried and tested, although not in the particular circumstances of this school. Leaders have considered how policies need to be adjusted to make them suitable for Eden School. However, a small number have not been fully updated.  The curriculum in based on the national curriculum. However, leaders intend to adapt this, if necessary, to ensure that each individual pupil’s needs are met. The curriculum is

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amnesty granted

balanced between subject learning and the development of pupils’ wider confidence and skills, as part of the school’s therapeutic approach. Plans for personal, social and health education and citizenship cover topics about equalities. They also plan to develop pupils’ understanding of values such as tolerance, respect and the rule of law. These plans are therefore intended to help pupils to prepare for their role in modern Britain.  The school premises are well maintained and attractive. The proprietor has continued to improve the buildings, for example by the recent installation of new and effective internal lighting.

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Governance

 The proprietor has established clear procedures to ensure that leaders and other staff are held accountable for the school’s development and effectiveness. The headteacher is already required to report on developments at Eden School at board meetings and to the management committee of the proprietor’s other school.  While Eden School does not have a management committee of its own, leaders intend that this level of governance will be considered once the school is fully operating. In the interim, the chair of the other school’s management committee has provided additional scrutiny, for example in visiting the school to evaluate how ready it is to admit pupils and immediately provide high-quality education. This work identified refinements to improve the school’s initial operation. These are appropriate. However, unlike some other aspects of the school’s development, they have not been set out in a detailed improvement plan.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school’s safeguarding policy is detailed. It provides clear information about the responsibility of staff and others for safeguarding pupils and provides advice about how they can keep pupils safe. The policy was not available on the school’s webpage within Family Care Associate’s website at the start of the inspection. However, this omission was quickly rectified.  Leaders’ expectations about safeguarding are very high. For example, staff are not allowed to work at either of the proprietor’s schools until detailed pre-employment checks have been completed. In fact, the proprietor’s requirements are even more stringent than those set out in the government’s guidance about safeguarding. The new lead teacher will not be allowed to start until she has completed suitable training to confirm that she has the confidence and awareness needed to fulfil the role of designated safeguarding lead

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Safeguarding

(DSL) at the school. When there are definite plans to admit pupils, leaders intend that an additional teacher will be appointed. They state that this person will also be required to undertake DSL training. Also, additional safeguarding support and advice are available to school staff from other people employed in the social-care provision of Family Care Associates.  Staff training about safeguarding is enhanced by the broad range of courses provided by the proprietor about the different risks which could affect pupils and other young people. This training covers topics such as child sexual exploitation, domestic violence, and radicalisation and extremism.  The school’s record of safeguarding checks on staff already includes senior leaders and staff employed by the proprietor who may have contact with the school. An administrative error of not recording checks of leaders’ suitability to undertake that responsibility in an

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Safeguarding

independent school was corrected during the inspection.

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amnesty granted

 The ISS relevant to the planning and organisation of teaching, learning and assessment are met. However, as no teaching has taken place in the school, there is insufficient evidence to make a judgement on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment.  The school’s curriculum policy and schemes of work provide a secure framework to allow for teaching and learning to be provided and matched to the specific needs of individuals. The plans cover a suitable breadth of subjects, activities and experiences.  The assessment systems that leaders intend to use are already in operation at the proprietor’s other school. Leaders will extend the recording system there to include pupils at Eden school. Leaders already use this system to ensure that additional teaching is provided if pupils are at risk of falling behind the school’s expectations of their learning, including in English and mathematics. Similarly, leaders also use assessment information

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amnesty granted

to ensure that they can identify and respond to less-effective teaching in different subjects.  Leaders intend that pupils in key stage 4 will complete external assessment leading to GCSEs, unit awards and other qualifications, as appropriate to individual pupils and their learning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The ISS relevant to the planning and organisation of approaches to the personal development, behaviour and welfare of pupils are met. However, as no pupils have attended the school since its registration, there is insufficient evidence to make a judgement on pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare.  Leaders have prepared suitable policies about aspects such as behaviour and anti- bullying. However, it was not possible to evaluate their implementation or impact.  The planned curriculum includes opportunities for pupils to learn about their responsibility towards themselves and others, relationships and sex education, and how to keep themselves safe when they use the internet. The school’s computer system has suitable filtering and monitoring to reduce the risk of pupils accessing unsuitable materials online.  The school is committed to providing therapeutic education. This means that aspects such

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Personal development and welfare

as helping pupils to build their trust in adults, develop their self-esteem and manage their own feelings are built into staff training and form a key expectation of the school.

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Behaviour

 There is insufficient evidence to judge the behaviour of pupils because no pupils have attended the school since its registration.

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amnesty granted

 There is insufficient evidence to judge pupils’ outcomes because no pupils have attended the school since its registration.

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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

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll None

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School details

Email address eden.school@family-care.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is a small independent special school situated near Macclesfield.  The school is registered to admit up to eight pupils aged six to 16 years who have SEN and/or disabilities.  The school was first registered in February 2017. Since then, it has not admitted any pupils. Therefore, there were no pupils on roll at the time of this inspection.  The school specifically caters for pupils who have cognitive and learning needs, behavioural, emotional and social development needs, and communication and interaction needs. It is envisaged that all the pupils will have an education, health and care plan.  The school aims to match the education offered to the national curriculum, wherever appropriate for individual pupils. In addition, the school provides a therapeutic approach which aims to identify and respond to pupils’ wider needs.  The proprietor is Family Care Associates Limited, which also provides residential care

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Information about this school

and fostering services.  Eden School’s headteacher is also the headteacher of Access School, Family Care Associate’s other school, in Shropshire. The two schools are roughly 50 miles apart. Eden School currently has a vacancy for the lead teacher based on its own site. A new lead teacher has been appointed to take up post from September 2018.  The school has no plans to use any alternative providers. However, as with other aspects of the curriculum, any use of such provision will be determined in response to pupils’ specific needs.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector toured the school site accompanied by the headteacher.  There was no teaching and learning to observe and no pupils to speak with.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. He held a telephone conversation with a representative of the proprietor.  The inspector reviewed documents to confirm compliance with the independent school standards and to provide other inspection evidence. These documents included policies, minutes of meetings, health and safety records and other safeguarding information. In addition, he scrutinised samples of records about pupils’ progress from Access School, which provide a model for the approach at Eden School.  No responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, nor to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and pupils were received.

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Inspection team

David Selby, lead inspector Her Majesty’s 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

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

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