Eastwood Grange School

School material change inspection report

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Eastwood Grange School Eastwood Grange, Milken Lane, Ashover, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S45 0BA

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraphs 2(1), 2(1)(a), 2(1)(b)(i), 2(1)(b)(ii), 2(2), 2(2)(a), 2(2)(b), 2(2)(c), 2(2(h), 3(i)  Leaders have updated the school’s curriculum policy to include information about the proposed curriculum for key stage 1 and Year 3. The school has planned a broad and balanced curriculum which closely links to the national curriculum. There is a strong focus on promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Teachers have also planned for younger pupils to have the same opportunities as older pupils to learn outdoors in the school’s extensive grounds. For example, pupils will learn how to build dens and about the habitats of minibeasts.  Leaders have appropriate long-term and medium-term plans in place for pupils’ learning in key stage 1 and Year 3. The plans show the knowledge and skills that pupils will be learning in a broad range of subjects. The expectations of what pupils

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Main inspection findings

should know increases appropriately for their age. Pupils in key stage 1 will be taught phonics regularly, through a structured phonics programme. The school already has a coordinator for phonics who will have oversight of how phonics is taught for all age groups.  The school actively promotes fundamental British values. Pupils have thought about how the values relate to their own lives and their thoughts are on display. The proposed curriculum for key stage 1 and Year 3 shows that pupils will learn about different religions, including Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity. Paragraphs 2(2)(d), 2(2)(d)(i), 2(2)(d)(ii), 2(2)(e), 2(2)(e)(ii), 2(2)(e)(iii), 2(2)(i)  The school provides impartial careers guidance to pupils in key stages 3 and 4. Pupils have the opportunity to discuss their aspirations with a careers adviser who is independent from the school. Each week in key stages 3 and 4, pupils are taught

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Main inspection findings

about the world of work by a teacher at the school to help them to be prepared for life after school or in higher education. Pupils also participate in work experience to increase their knowledge of the world of work. In addition, pupils attend a range of alternative providers to study courses which are linked to their career ambitions.  Leaders are keen to ensure that gender stereotyping does not influence either girls’ or boys’ career choices. Leaders are committed to ensuring that there is no discrimination, and that pupils have respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the Equality Act 2010. Pupils learn about the differences in gender and transgender and about homophobia. Teachers have recently started to talk to the boys about the possibility of girls attending school to ascertain their views and resolve any anxieties they may have. Paragraphs 3, 3(a), 3(b), 3(c), 3(d), 3(e), 3(f), 3(g), 3(h), 3(j), 4

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Main inspection findings

 The school has recently employed a teacher who has experience of teaching in key stages 1 and 2 to ensure that the school will be adequately prepared to teach younger pupils. The lesson plans have aims which are appropriate to the age of the pupils and will support pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress. The school has purchased good-quality resources to support the academic and personal development of younger pupils, for example to help pupils to explain their feelings and read confidently to an adult.  The assessment of pupils’ needs is started before the pupils arrive at the school. The school’s induction manager meets all prospective pupils in their existing settings to learn about pupils’ social, emotional and mental health difficulties, any behavioural difficulties and their academic attainment. This information is used to plan an appropriate timetable which will include therapeutic support as well as teaching a

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Main inspection findings

broad curriculum. Leaders plan to take into account the particular needs of female pupils to ensure that the school will meet their needs. For example, older pupils learn about contraception in sex and relationships education. Leaders plan to take positive action and discuss the content of lessons with all pupils, so they have the opportunity to learn and ask questions without members of the opposite sex present.  The school has an assessment system in place which teachers use to track the progress of the pupils. The assessments check the pupils’ knowledge against the expectations in the national curriculum. Teachers will be able to use the assessments to check pupils’ learning in key stage 1 and Year 3.  The school is likely to meet the standards in this part.

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraphs 6, 7, 7(a), 7(b), 9, 9(a), 9(b), 9(c), 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 16(a), 16(b)  The school has a comprehensive safeguarding policy which includes the latest government guidance for safeguarding, and is published on the school’s website. The school have designated leaders for safeguarding who have received the appropriate training. Staff receive regular safeguarding training. Recently, this has included training on the latest government guidance for safeguarding. Staff have previously had training on female genital mutilation and child sexual exploitation, but leaders plan to update this training if they receive approval to have girls admitted to the school.  Staff write down any safeguarding concerns that they may have, and leaders record their response to the concern raised to ensure that there is an audit trail of the actions taken to protect pupils. Pupils also have the opportunity to complete a

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Main inspection findings

concern form and can choose who they would like to talk to. Leaders complete the local authority’s safeguarding audit as well as an audit for the proprietor to keep their practice up to date. Leaders work closely with external professionals, parents, carers and social workers to keep pupils safe.  Leaders have considered the potential safeguarding issues for the school if they admit younger pupils and girls. Leaders have audited the staff’s previous experience of working with younger pupils to ensure that the most appropriate staff are with younger pupils. In addition, leaders have appointed a female positive behaviour manager to increase the support for girls that may have behavioural difficulties. Leaders have also discussed the implications for the potential physical restraint of younger pupils and girls, and which strategies may be the most suitable.  The school’s behaviour policy includes rewards for good behaviour and the use of

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Main inspection findings

restorative justice to help pupils learn from poor behaviour. Pupils who are behaving well are nominated for ‘above and beyond postcards’, which entitle them to have breakfast with senior leaders on a Friday. Leaders plan to make these postcards more child friendly for younger pupils and ensure that they have food choices for breakfast which appeal to them. In addition, leaders have recognised that younger pupils may need rewards systems which are more visual and instant, for example the use of stickers. Consequently, resources have been purchased to motivate younger pupils.  Leaders have put systems in place to support pupils to report any forms of bullying. The school has pupils who are anti-bullying champions to help promote the message that bullying is wrong. There is a member of staff who is an anti-bullying officer to whom pupils are able to report any forms of bullying.  The school has an appropriate health and safety policy and a first aid policy. Risk

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Main inspection findings

assessments are completed for school activities to help keep pupils safe. Leaders have ensured that all actions recommended as a result of an interim fire risk assessment have been completed. They have also carried out a fire drill following the completion of the building alterations.  The school is likely to meet the standards in this part.

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Main inspection findings

Part 5. Premises of and accommodation at schools Paragraphs 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29  The renovated building has provided a large classroom to accommodate pupils in key stage 1, with new furniture suitable for younger pupils. This includes a play kitchen area to support pupils’ personal development. There is also a new arts room to enable pupils to develop their creative skills. The area is secure and cannot be accessed by older pupils.  There is a common room, which both girls and younger pupils can access, with appropriate staffing arrangements in place. Leaders have bought dining tables and chairs at a lower height for the younger pupils. There is also a new kitchen with space for older pupils to learn about cooking.  Also in the renovated building, there are new rooms in which pupils can learn, or have quiet time with the positive behaviour manager if they become anxious and require time out of the classroom.

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Main inspection findings

 The toilets in school are individual cubicles which can be locked from the inside. The school plans to have separate toilets for boys and girls in each part of the building. Similarly, there are individual shower units which will be labelled for the use of girls or boys.  The first aid room contains a medical bed, appropriate first aid equipment and is situated next to a toilet. Hot running water is at an appropriate temperature.  The school has a plentiful amount of outside space in which pupils can play. There is an adventure area with a slide and swings. Leaders plan to have separate times when younger pupils can access the equipment without the older ones being present. Pupils also have opportunities to play on the field.  The school is likely to meet the standards in this part.

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Main inspection findings

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34  Representatives of the proprietorial body have experience of leading special schools with girls and boys on roll. The chair of the governing body has been the headteacher of a special school. The proprietors have ensured that there is a member of the governing body who has experience of working in primary schools to strengthen their capacity to hold school leaders to account if they admit younger pupils.  Members of the governing body visit the school monthly to discuss the progress that leaders are making and hold leaders to account. The proprietorial body is very keen that school leaders work with other schools to moderate pupils’ work in order to check that their assessments are accurate.  Proprietors plan to continually update the staff’s safeguarding training. They plan to further update staff training on child sexual exploitation and female genital mutilation

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Main inspection findings

if they are given approval to admit girls. In addition, they plan to invite a senior adviser from the Derbyshire local authority to update the staff’s knowledge of safeguarding for younger pupils.  School leaders plan for staff to visit other primary schools to learn from good practice and help the staff with teaching younger pupils.  The school is likely to meet the standards in this part.

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Main inspection findings

Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010  The school has an accessibility plan in place. There is a disabled toilet and suitable access to the ground floor of the building for wheelchair users.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school is likely to meet the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that are relevant to the material change.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s likely compliance with the independent school standards relevant to the material change that the school has applied to make.

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School details

School status Independent special school

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School details

Proprietor Priory Education Services Ltd

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School details

Email address eastwoodgrange@priorygroup.com

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 8–10 December 2015

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recommendation

Age range of pupils 9 to 18 5 to 18 5 to 18

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recommendation

Number of pupils on the school roll 32 50 50

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Number of full-time pupils of compulsory school age 32 50

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Number of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities 32 50

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Of which, number of pupils with an education, health and care plan 32 50

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Of which, number of pupils paid for by a local authority with an education, health and care plan 14 50

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Number of full-time equivalent teaching staff 6 7

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Number of staff in the welfare provision 9 12

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Information about this school

 Eastwood Grange School is an independent special school owned by the Priory Group.  All pupils have an education, health and care plan. Pupils’ needs relate to their social, emotional or mental health difficulties.  The school’s previous standard inspection was in December 2015. A new headteacher was appointed in January 2018.  The school uses four alternative providers to contribute to the curriculum in key stage 4 and in the sixth form. These are: Genesis, Lane End Farm Trust, On Board, and Crisp Vocational Provision Ltd.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was commissioned by the DfE because the school has requested to admit pupils in key stage 1 and Year 3, as well as girls throughout the school. In addition, the school has requested to increase the total number of pupils it can admit from 36 pupils to 50 pupils.  The inspector met with the headteacher, two assistant headteachers and the lead for safeguarding. He also met the managing director and the operations director, who is also the chair of the governing body, representing the proprietorial body. He toured the building and checked documents related to health and safety. The inspector scrutinised documents related safeguarding, including pupils’ behaviour. He also looked at documentation related to the curriculum.

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Inspection team

Martin Finch, 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

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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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