ALP Leicester

ALP Leicester Stonehill Avenue, Birstall LE4 4JG

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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

 Leaders at all levels know their school and its pupils well.  Good-quality teaching enables pupils to make good progress from their different, often very low, starting points.  Pupils make strong progress in their personal development because of the comprehensive programme of support and teaching that they receive, including through their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education.  Senior leaders have ensured that the curriculum matches the needs and interests of the individual pupils well.  Pupils develop positive attitudes to their learning due to the strong support that they receive from the adults who work with them.  Incidents of challenging behaviour are declining because of the comprehensive support that pupils receive to manage their behaviour.  Attendance at the school is high. Leaders work closely with parents and local authorities to ensure that pupils attend regularly.  Pupils above the age of compulsory education

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

continue to learn at an appropriate level and make good progress.  Staff are vigilant of pupils’ welfare. They are thorough in their approach to ensuring that pupils are safe and know how to be safe.  Senior leaders work well with other schools and organisations to continue to improve the quality of teaching and the support for the pupils.  The proprietor and those responsible for governance provide effective challenge and support.  Senior leaders are mindful of the well-being of their staff. Staff are appreciative of the support and direction that they receive from leaders.  Senior leaders’ checks on pupils’ progress do not ensure that pupils’ targets increase as they become secure in their understanding.  Not all adults increase the level of challenge in the work that they set pupils quickly enough, to help pupils to make even more progress.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

The school meets schedule 1 of the Education (Independent school Standards) (England) regulations 2010, as amended by The Education (Independent School Standards) (English) (Amendment) regulations 2012 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the progress that pupils and students make, particularly in English and mathematics, by ensuring that: – leaders identify in a timely manner the pupils who have made at least the progress that they should, so that these pupils receive more challenging targets to achieve – all adults know when and how to increase the level of challenge in the work that they set their pupils.  Increase the opportunities for pupils in the secondary provision to undertake work experience placements, to develop fully their understanding of the world of work.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The proprietor has ensured that the school meets all of the independent school standards.  All staff, ably led by the headteacher, know their pupils well. They are ambitious for their pupils. They are determined that pupils make good progress that will enable them to move on successfully to their next steps, including the return to mainstream education.  Senior leaders have ensured that pupils receive comprehensive support, to help them to attend regularly, learn to manage their behaviour effectively and catch up where previously they have fallen behind. Such support helps pupils to make good progress, both academically and in their personal development.  Senior leaders regularly check on the quality of teaching. They are quick to identify where teaching does not meet their high expectations, and they provide appropriate support.  Senior leaders have ensured that all adults engage in regular opportunities to undertake

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

training, including in developing their subject knowledge and their teaching skills. Staff frequently work together to plan pupils’ learning and to share best practice. Such training opportunities are effective in ensuring that the quality of teaching is consistently good.  Senior leaders closely monitor pupils’ behaviour, well-being and attitudes to learning. This has enabled leaders to identify the causes of pupils’ misbehaviour, and to take effective action to help pupils to manage their behaviour more effectively.  In particular, senior leaders have ensured that all staff know the signs that indicate that a pupil may demonstrate challenging behaviour, and the support that they must provide the pupil on any such occasion. As a result, staff are able to support pupils well in managing their own behaviour.  Senior leaders regularly review pupils’ progress against the targets within their education,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

health and care (EHC) plans and the personal education plans of the pupils who are in the care of the local authority. Leaders are quick to provide further support where it is necessary, to ensure that these pupils make the progress that they should towards their targets. Leaders engage well with the local authorities in reviewing these plans.  The well-designed curriculum for the primary provision provides pupils with effective opportunities to become secure in reading, writing and mathematics. Primary pupils receive opportunities to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding across a broad range of subjects, including science, art and technology.  Senior leaders have designed the curriculum for the secondary provision so that it caters for pupils’ aptitudes, additional needs and interests. Pupils receive regular opportunities to develop their communication and numeracy skills through studying English and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

mathematics. These subjects are supplemented by a wide range of work-related subjects, including construction, music, creative craft, and business and enterprise. Through studying these subjects, pupils prepare well for their next steps.  Wide-ranging extra-curricular and enrichment activities enhance both the primary and the secondary curriculum, helping pupils to develop their learning beyond the classroom, including within the local community. Assemblies, educational visits and trips to the local shops and library ensure that pupils receive opportunities to deepen their learning, understand the world around them and prepare for adulthood.  Pupils receive regular opportunities to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. The PSHE education ensures that pupils learn about different cultures, religions and beliefs. Staff challenge any discriminatory attitudes that pupils may hold, to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

ensure that pupils understand the importance of showing respect to all people.  Senior leaders have engaged well with local schools and other organisations to develop their own leadership skills. This has helped ensure that they have a precise understanding of the quality of the provision, and are able to bring about further improvements, including to the quality of teaching.  Senior leaders show great care for the well-being of their staff. They have put into place appropriate levels of support, particularly when staff deal with challenging and difficult situations, including those relating to keeping pupils safe.  Senior leaders undertake regular checks on pupils’ progress. These checks ensure that leaders quickly identify when pupils are not making sufficient progress, and they put into place appropriate support. However, leaders do not use this information well enough to identify those pupils who have already made the progress that they should, and whose

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

targets need to be increased, to ensure that they attain as highly as they can.

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Governance

 The proprietor is committed to ensuring that pupils receive effective opportunities to engage with their learning across a broad range of subjects and make good progress, both academically and in their personal development. It is his aim that the support that the pupils receive should help them to return to mainstream schools and colleges to continue their education.  The proprietor has an accurate understanding of the quality of the school’s provision. He receives regular reports from the managing director who oversees the school’s strategic development and who monitors the school’s day-to-day running.  Since the previous inspection, the proprietor has put into place an executive board to hold the school’s senior leaders to account. Members of the board provide effective levels of support and challenge. In particular, they ask searching questions about the support that individual pupils receive, to ensure that they are making sufficient progress.

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Governance

 The proprietor understands his responsibilities in relation to keeping pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school’s safeguarding policy is available on the school’s website. The policy reflects the latest government guidance in relation to keeping pupils safe.  Safeguarding leaders act in a timely and robust manner when they have a concern about pupils’ welfare. They are quick to make contact with parents and carers, and with local agencies, when this is appropriate. In so doing, they are tenacious in ensuring that pupils receive the right level of support. Leaders undertake regular checks with each pupil to ensure that the support that they are receiving is effective.  All staff understand that keeping pupils safe is everyone’s responsibility. As a result, all are highly vigilant of pupils’ welfare. They are quick to share any concerns that they may have with the safeguarding leaders.  Through the comprehensive training that they receive, staff are aware of the different

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Safeguarding

types of abuse and the signs to look for. In particular, they have received thorough training in the issues that most affect their pupils’ welfare, including online safety, mental health difficulties, child sexual exploitation and radicalisation.  Daily meetings with staff ensure that all are aware of any safeguarding issues that may affect the pupils. This ensures that all staff are vigilant of and supportive towards those pupils who may be experiencing difficulties.  Safeguarding leaders maintain meticulous, detailed records of the actions that they take to support pupils’ well-being. These records demonstrate the timeliness and the rigour with which they act to support pupils about whom they have a concern.  Pupils say that they feel safe. They know that the adults who work with them on an individual basis are people to whom they can speak if they have a concern. Pupils are confident that any member of staff that they speak to will take effective action to support

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Safeguarding

them in helping to resolve their concern.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Adults use information about pupils’ prior learning and additional needs well to plan activities that engage pupils positively in their learning and help them to make good progress.  Adults are quick to identify any gaps in pupils’ prior learning. They carefully plan activities that help pupils to fill in these gaps.  To ensure that pupils engage well with their learning, adults carefully plan tasks around pupils’ interests, particularly when studying English and mathematics. For example, in a mathematics lesson, the adult referred to catching fish to help explain the purpose of estimation. The pupil engaged well with the task because the examples that the adult used appealed to his interests.  The positive relationships that exist between the pupils and the adults who teach them help to encourage pupils to engage actively in their learning.  Adults ask questions of pupils to check that they are secure in their learning. When they

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

identify that pupils do not understand, they provide further support.  Adults are sensitive to pupils’ moods, anxieties and behaviours. They take swift, effective action to re-engage pupils with their learning when they become distracted from their work, or when they begin to demonstrate challenging behaviour.  Adults work together to plan pupils’ learning. This ensures that adults can fill any gaps that they may have in their own subject knowledge before they teach the pupils.  Adults responsible for teaching the work-related subjects regularly check on pupils’ communication and numeracy skills. They provide pupils with effective support so that they understand how they can transfer their learning in English and mathematics into their learning within the work-related subjects.  Not all adults increase the level of challenge of the tasks that they set pupils in a timely enough manner when they have identified that pupils are secure in their understanding.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

On such occasions, they do not ensure that pupils receive opportunities to make even more progress and attain as highly as they could.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  The well-targeted support that pupils receive ensures that most engage well with their studies and adopt positive attitudes to their education.  Due to this support, pupils are able to grow in confidence and self-esteem while they are at the school. As one parent said, ‘The staff make my child feel wanted.’  Pupils learn about how to make healthy choices, including in their relationships, in the food that they eat and in the exercise that they take. Pupils learn about the importance of caring for their mental health.  Pupils learn how to be safe, including when online. Through their trips to the shops and services, pupils learn how to be safe when out in the local community.  Pupils prepare well for adulthood. Lessons in cookery and personal finance ensure that pupils prepare for independent living.  Pupils learn about the different types of bullying, including physical, verbal and online

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Personal development and welfare

bullying. Pupils say that bullying is rare, because pupils get on with each other and because staff are highly vigilant. The school’s records show that incidents of bullying are rare, and that staff deal with them rigorously when they do occur.  Senior leaders undertake regular checks on the attendance, behaviour and welfare of the very few pupils who receive their education away from the school site. Senior leaders visit the pupils in these placements, to check on the quality of the provision and the progress that the pupils make.  Senior leaders have ensured that pupils in the secondary provision have regular opportunities to learn about the world of work and to receive impartial careers guidance. For example, pupils visit an annual skills fair to learn about careers that interest them. However, opportunities for pupils to undertake work experience placements are limited.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Attendance is high, in both the primary and secondary provisions. This is due to the close contact that senior leaders maintain with parents and carers, to ensure that pupils attend regularly.  Pupils conduct themselves calmly around the school site. Appropriate levels of adult supervision at the start of the school day, and at breaktime and lunchtime, ensure that pupils interact well with each other and with adults.  Because of the well-targeted support that pupils receive to help them to manage their behaviour, incidents of challenging behaviour are now reducing.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils arrive at the school with levels of attainment that are well below those expected of them for their age and stage of education. Senior leaders are quick to establish pupils’ starting points and their additional needs, and they put into place appropriate support to help them to catch up.  Due to this close support for the pupils, all of whom have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, pupils’ progress is improving towards that which all pupils make nationally. This is the case across a wide range of subjects, including English and mathematics, in both the primary and secondary provisions.  Most pupils who were at the school in 2017 made good progress from their starting points in English and mathematics, due to the good teaching that they received.  Current pupils continue to make good progress in mathematics, with some pupils in the primary provision making even more progress.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Most pupils make good progress in their reading and writing in the primary provision, and in English in the secondary provision. The pupils who do not make fast enough progress receive further support, particularly to develop their reading skills.  Pupils in the secondary provision make strong progress in the work-related subjects that they study, including, but not exclusively, construction, cooking, physical education (PE) and music. These subjects match pupils’ interests well, enabling them to engage positively with their learning.  All pupils make strong progress in their personal development. This is due to the well- targeted support that the pupils receive, including through their work with the school counsellor.  All pupils who left the school in 2017 successfully moved on to sustained places of education, including in mainstream colleges and secondary schools. Leaders continue to provide pupils with support when they have left the school, to ensure that they feel safe

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Outcomes for pupils Good

and make good progress. This support has been important in ensuring that pupils remain in their new places of education for sustained periods.

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Sixth form provision Good

 Students at the school who are above the age of compulsory education study from a wide range of work-related subjects, in addition to studying English and mathematics. The level of their study is appropriate to their prior learning and additional needs.  Good teaching and support ensures that students make good progress. This includes the progress that students make in English, mathematics and the work-related subjects.  As with the primary and secondary provision, leaders regularly check on students’ progress and on the quality of learning, to ensure that students are making at least the progress that they should.  Students learn how to be safe. Similar to the pupils in the primary and secondary provisions, students have staff to whom they can speak if they have a concern. Students are confident that they will receive effective support to help resolve their concern.  Students behave well. This is because they receive close attention from the adults who

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Sixth form provision Good

work with them on an individual basis. Adults identify the factors that may lead to a student demonstrating challenging behaviour, and they are quick to provide the necessary support to reduce the student’s anxiety and help them to manage their behaviour.  Students receive impartial careers advice and guidance. They have opportunities to undertake work experience placements, which help to prepare them well for their next steps.  Attendance is improving due to the well-targeted support that leaders provide to those students who find it difficult to attend regularly.  Students who leave the school move on to sustained places of education, including at mainstream colleges.

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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

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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School details

Of which, number on roll in sixth form 10

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14–16 January 2014

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Information about this school

 ALP Leicester is an independent special school located on the outskirts of Leicester.  The provision was formerly known as ASD Midlands – Leicester.  The school has moved to its current site since the previous inspection.  The school is registered to admit up to 35 pupils in the age range six to 19 years.  The school caters for pupils who have autistic spectrum disorders and/or social, emotional and mental health difficulties.  All pupils have an EHC plan.  The proportion of pupils who are in the care of the local authority is well above the national average.  A range of local authorities place pupils at the school who have been previously permanently excluded or are at risk of permanent exclusion.  The school provides short- and long-term placements for pupils.  The school makes use of two alternative providers: Teaching Educationally Creative Kids, based in Coalville; and Melton Learning Hub, based in Melton Mowbray.

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher took up her post at the school in April 2016. Prior to this, she had been at the school for a year, as a senior leader.  The managing director took up his post in January 2016.  The proprietor also owns two other independent special schools. The three schools are part of the ALP schools group.  The school’s last standard inspection took place on 14–16 January 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed learning on 10 occasions. He undertook these visits to lessons jointly with the headteacher. The inspector also observed an assembly.  The inspector undertook a tour of the school site, to check the facilities against Part 5 of the independent school standards.  The inspector looked at pupils’ books across a range of subjects as a separate activity.  The inspector held meetings with: the headteacher; the managing director; senior leaders; leaders in charge of careers, PSHE, the primary provision, and mathematics and English in the secondary provision; and the teaching and support staff.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime and lunchtime. He met formally with a selection of pupils and students.  The inspector spoke by telephone with the proprietor and the chair of the executive board.  The inspector spoke by telephone with a member of the local authority’s team of officers

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Information about this inspection

who are responsible for safeguarding. He also spoke with a local authority’s representatives who oversee the progress and welfare of children who are in the care of the local authority and of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.  There were too few responses to the online parent survey, Parent View. However, the inspector took into account the one response to the free-text service. The inspector met with parents who attended the leavers’ assembly.  The inspector took into account the 31 responses to the staff survey.  The inspector spoke with representatives of the two alternative providers that provide pupils at the school with education away from the school site. He also spoke with an educational consultant who provides the school with support.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation relating to the school’s provision, including: self-evaluation and improvement planning; achievement; behaviour and

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Information about this inspection

attendance; governance; and safeguarding.  The lead inspector checked the school’s single central register and the school’s system for recruiting staff.

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Inspection team

Simon Hollingsworth, 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

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