Include Suffolk

Catch 22 Include Primary School Suffolk Springvale Court, Hadleigh Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP8 3AS

p.1

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

p.1

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

p.1

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

p.1

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The proprietor and senior leaders have ensured that all of the independent school standards are met.  The senior leadership team of Catch 22 Include and the headteacher have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school.  Leaders of the three school sites, the headteacher and staff share a clear and ambitious vision for ensuring that pupils return as rapidly as possible to mainstream schools.  Teaching is good. Staff know their pupils exceptionally well. Consequently, provision to meet pupils’ learning and emotional needs is strong.  The curriculum is broad and balanced and contributes well to the typically good progress that pupils make from when they start at the school.  Pupils say that the school has made a real difference to their learning and behaviour. One pupil said, ‘I have learned how to control my anger.’  There is a strong and effective focus on safety. Pupils feel safe at school and say that they can

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

talk freely to staff if they have any concerns.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. The consistently high- quality pastoral care and approach to managing pupils’ behaviour make a strong contribution to pupils’ outstanding personal development and welfare.  Parents cannot praise the school enough. One parent said, ‘This school is a miracle school. Almost instantly things were so much better.’  Pupils’ progress in writing is not as strong as in reading and mathematics. This is because they do not get sufficient opportunities to develop their writing skills in all subjects.  Teachers’ assessment of pupils’ learning is not consistently effective.  Safeguarding is robust, and staff know precisely how to keep children safe. However, time is wasted repeating the same information on several different forms.

p.1

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.

p.1

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve outcomes in writing by ensuring that pupils have more opportunities to write at length in subjects other than English.  Strengthen the accuracy of teachers’ assessment by ensuring consistency in their judgements about the quality of pupils’ work in mathematics and writing across the curriculum.  Streamline the process for recording safeguarding and safety incidents so that staff and school leaders do not waste time repeating the same information on different forms unnecessarily.

p.2

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders have ensured that all of the independent school standards are met. Leaders have successfully addressed the issues raised in the previous standard inspection and the progress monitoring inspection.  Senior leaders give strong support and challenge to the headteacher. Together, they have accurately identified priorities for further improvement. For example, two of the recommendations for improvement from this inspection are included in the vice-principal for curriculum’s current improvement plan.  The headteacher has robust and effective systems in place to check the quality of education on all three school sites. He is ably supported by the curriculum learning leads, who have a good understanding of their schools and of the next steps required to further improve provision.  The headteacher is skilled at recognising teachers’ strengths and has successfully moved staff into strategic leadership positions where they are having a strong impact on school

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

improvement.  There are effective systems for performance management and supervision across the three school sites. This has resulted in carefully targeted training that enables all staff to develop new skills and successfully implement new learning and assessment programmes. For example, staff in Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich are using the reading and mathematics programmes introduced in September effectively. Training for Lowestoft staff is scheduled for this term.  The new leader for special educational needs (SENCo) is rapidly addressing issues raised by the headteacher in the recent special educational needs review. For example, since the start of term, most education, health and care plans are scheduled for timely annual review.  The school follows the national curriculum so that pupils can readily reintegrate into mainstream school. Last year senior leaders reviewed and revised the curriculum.

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

Medium-term planning is supported by the vice-principal for curriculum and based on national curriculum objectives for each age group. Knowledge is organised into topics that appeal to the pupils who, prior to attending the school, had switched off from learning due to their behaviour difficulties.  There is flexibility within curriculum topics so that if pupils become fascinated by a topic they can deepen their knowledge and understanding. For example, in one class, pupils were able to achieve both Year 1 and Year 2 science objectives when learning about everyday materials. The teacher recognised their interest and was able to extend the topic to strengthen their learning.  Although the full range of curriculum subjects are offered, there is not sufficient emphasis on developing pupils’ writing skills in subjects other than English.  Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. During their time at the school, pupils

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

learn how to manage their behaviour and work and play successfully with other pupils. There are strong transition arrangements in place so that pupils rapidly settle in to their Catch 22 Include School.  Parents often notice an immediate change for the better in their child’s attitude to school and in the progress they make with their learning. There is at least daily communication between home and school, so parents are fully informed about successes as well as any issues with behaviour or learning.  Senior leaders have produced a useful map of how to include British values within all curriculum subjects. This is proving very helpful to teachers when planning lessons.  There are strong and effective transition arrangements back into mainstream schools. For example, a member of staff accompanies a pupil on their school visits and stays with them in their new school until they feel sufficiently confident and at ease. The school

p.3

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

keeps in close contact with receiving schools and offers immediate support if there are problems with the placement.  The local authority provides good support to the school. The local commissioners are pleased with the improvements since the previous standard inspection. They are confident that pupils make strong progress from their starting points with learning and behaviour because of the good provision.

p.4

Governance

 Catch 22 provide effective strategic oversight to the school. For example, they have recognised that pupils require a high level of staff support. The current ratio of staff to pupils provides effective support to teachers and ensures that both teachers and pupils are safe.  Catch 22 provides strong oversight of health and safety and safeguarding processes and procedures. In addition, senior leaders make regular checks to ensure that the school meets the independent school standards.  Catch 22 have rightly recognised that the school would benefit from a local advisory board to strengthen relationships with local mainstream schools. They have developed, with the headteacher, robust terms of reference for this group.  The local advisory board has had one meeting, so is at a very early stage of development. However, this meeting has already proved helpful with local schools represented in the group offering training opportunities for staff in return for behaviour management

p.4

Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  There are highly robust and effective systems in place to ensure that pupils are safe. The safeguarding policy is on the school website and meets current government requirements.  Safeguarding is of the highest priority for the proprietor. For example, last year, Catch 22 appointed a vice-principal with special responsibility for monitoring safeguarding and health and safety in all their schools.  Staff on all three school sites are vigilant and rapidly refer any cause for concern to the designated safeguarding leads (DSLs) on each site. Pupils’ safety and safeguarding are the first item on the agenda of the daily briefings at each school site.  DSLs are tenacious both in referring concerns to the multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH) and in following up referrals to check on the outcome.  Staff are required to complete several different forms relating to the safeguarding and

p.4

Safeguarding

safety of pupils. Although systems are robust, duplication of information increases staff workload unnecessarily.

p.5

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers have high expectations for what pupils can achieve in lessons. This is because, due to the restructuring of the curriculum, teachers understand and apply national curriculum age-related objectives (intended learning goals) when they plan learning activities.  Teachers ensure that activities are interesting, and pupils understand why they are learning different topics. Consequently, pupils are motivated to learn, and their interest is sustained throughout the lesson.  There is effective communication between teachers and support staff before, during and after lessons. Consequently, support staff understand what is expected of pupils in lessons, and they help them to achieve the objectives.  Each pupil has an individual learning plan which provides a succinct picture of the pupil, including their interests and their learning and behaviour needs. Teachers use the individual learning plans alongside age-related objectives to plan learning activities. This

p.5

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

increases pupils’ interest and engagement in what they are learning.  Teachers are skilled at modifying their approach to teaching to meet the specific needs of pupils in their class. For example, in a Year 6 class this enabled all pupils to read and answer questions about the same story. In a Year 3 and Year 4 class, pupils worked on the same theme but the expectations for recording their ideas varied slightly to support the learning needs of each pupil.  Senior leaders introduced a revised approach to assessing pupils’ progress at the start of the school year. Within each school, teachers assess pupils against their expectations for each year group and discuss work, but there is no discussion of expectations across the three sites. Consequently, there is a lack of consistency in teachers’ assessment across the three sites.

p.5

Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Every activity from the start to the end of the day is focused on supporting pupils’ personal development. Pupils are greeted with a smile every morning and this sets the tone for the whole of the school day. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere in every classroom, and because the staff know pupils so well, they understand when something has upset a pupil, and they need time on their own or on a different activity.  Pupils understand what bullying means and say there is hardly ever any bullying in the school. If there is an incident of bullying, it is dealt with rapidly and effectively.  Pupils settle in to school rapidly because leaders ensure that there is a detailed evaluation of their emotional needs during the transition period. The school provides a wide range of therapeutic support that enables pupils to cope with changing situations in their lives. For

p.5

Personal development and welfare

example, through the work of the integrative child psychotherapist, who helps pupils to express their emotions in a safe and reasonable manner.  Pupils have opportunities to contribute ideas for therapeutic support through the spiritual, moral, social and cultural sessions developed by staff. For example, in Bury St Edmunds pupils suggested an anger management workshop. This has been instrumental in enabling pupils to deal with things that would otherwise have set off inappropriate and dangerous behaviour. One parent told inspectors that her child uses the strategies learned during the sessions successfully at home.  The school council offers most pupils the opportunity to contribute to school improvement. Pupils are also involved in recruitment panels and are consulted before new staff are appointed.  Pupils’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted throughout the curriculum and is strongly reflected in their writing. For example, in one

p.6

Personal development and welfare

Year 6 class pupils wrote poems about what they would put into a magic box. One pupil wrote, ‘I will put in the box sunny videos of me when I was little and older. I will cherish my memories.’ Another pupil wrote, ‘I will put in the box tears of people that are suffering the pain.’

p.6

Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  There are strong, consistently applied and effective behaviour management systems in the school. All staff follow these systems to the letter. Consequently, pupils understand the meaning of appropriate behaviour and are motivated to maintain their behaviour throughout the school day.  There is a suitably strong focus on rewards for appropriate behaviour. Pupils really value the rewards, and they look forward to being able to exchange them for treats in the school’s rewards shop.  Pupils come to school every day unless they are unwell. Unauthorised absence is rare and there is no persistent absence. Most authorised absences are due to illness or medical issues. All absence is followed up immediately to ensure that pupils are safe.  Fixed-period exclusions have increased over the last two years. This is due to increased pupil numbers and many pupils’ higher levels of mental health needs. Exclusion is used

p.6

Behaviour

only as a last resort to ensure that other pupils and staff are safe.

p.6

Outcomes for pupils Good

 Overall pupils’ outcomes are good because once their behaviour issues are well managed and settled, pupils are keen to learn and make rapid progress in closing the gaps in their learning.  Classes are broadly grouped according to pupils’ level of knowledge and understanding when they start the school. Pupils work on appropriate subject objectives and move as rapidly as possible to those suitable for their age.  Pupils make strong progress in mathematics due to teachers’ high expectations and good explanations. They record their work carefully and take pride in their written work. The new computer-based mathematics programme is beginning to have an impact in Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich where it was introduced in September. Pupils really enjoy practising their mathematics skills using this programme.  Pupils make strong progress in reading due to the effective teaching of phonics. The new reading programme introduced in Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich in September ensures

p.6

Outcomes for pupils Good

that pupils’ reading books are closely aligned to the stage of phonics they are learning in class. This is accelerating progress because pupils can practise words and sounds they have learned in class.  Teachers encourage pupils to talk about and explain their learning in class. Consequently, they are making strong progress in listening to each other and in clearly expressing their ideas.  Progress in writing is good in English. However, pupils do not make as strong progress in writing overall, because there are not sufficient opportunities to write at length in other subjects.

p.7

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.8

School details

Email address alan.waldron@catch-22.org.uk

p.8

School details

Date of previous inspection 14 to 16 March 2017

p.8

Information about this school

 The school operates on three sites, in Ipswich, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds.  The school’s proprietor is a not-for-profit, charitable organisation.  The school caters for pupils who have social, emotional and mental health needs. Some pupils have autism spectrum disorder and many display challenging behaviour.  Most pupils have an education, health and care plan. They are placed at the school by the local authority in which they live. Most pupils stay at the school for two or three terms before being reintroduced to a mainstream school.  The headteacher is currently setting up a local advisory board to support governance of the school at a local level.

p.8

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning on all three sites. They heard pupils read and looked at pupils’ work across a range of subjects.  Inspectors talked to staff on all three sites.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, the school improvement plan, terms of reference for the new advisory board, training logs, policies, information about the curriculum, information about safeguarding pupils, individual learning plans, and information about the progress, behaviour and attendance of pupils.  Inspectors scrutinised two responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents. Two inspectors spoke to parents on site. One inspector spoke to some parents on the telephone.  Inspectors spoke to pupils from different year groups.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s online staff or pupil questionnaires.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the curriculum learning leads at all three sites, the

p.10

Information about this inspection

executive principal for education, the assistant principal for curriculum, the school’s integrative child psychotherapist, the SENCo and the commissioning officers from the local authority.  Inspectors toured the school sites.  The single central record of employment checks was scrutinised.

p.10

Inspection team

Julie Winyard, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.10

Inspection team

Christine Dick 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 .

p.10

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.

p.11

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 .

p.11

Inspection team

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

Inspection team

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

Inspection team

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

Inspection team

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

p.11

Inspection team

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

p.11