Park School Teaching Service

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Hazel Banks Academy Lead Park School Teaching Service Roscow Fold Centre Stephens Street Breightmet Bolton Lancashire BL2 5DX

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Short inspection of Park School Teaching Service

Following my visit to the school on 14 February 2019 with Dawn Farrent, Ofsted Inspector, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since your predecessor school was judged to be good in February 2013.

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Short inspection of Park School Teaching Service

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. This is a school where every pupil is treated in a unique and personalised way. Leaders have embedded a culture of respect and understanding, where staff have the time and patience to unlock the key that will allow each young person to thrive. Nurture is at the heart of this school. This good practice was acknowledged recently when the school received an award for nurture provision.

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Short inspection of Park School Teaching Service

Park School Teaching Service has expanded to provide a full range of provision to meet the needs of pupils who have been out of school. This could be due to physical, social, emotional or mental health reasons. Whether a pupil needs support while in hospital, is preparing to move back to their mainstream school or is making the transition to a post-16 college, the teaching service provides the support and education required. One pupil summarised the views of many: ‘It has taken baby steps to get me into the school and then into a classroom. I am now in here five days a week.’ Other pupils talked about their improved confidence and how the school has helped them to move on in their lives. As another pupil noted, ‘I am not the same person any more.’

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Short inspection of Park School Teaching Service

Leaders have successfully addressed the actions for improvement identified at the last inspection. Leaders were asked to complete the re-constitution of the management committee. This has been achieved, as the school is now part of the Bolton Impact Trust. It has a separate governing body with responsibility for the school. Under the direction of the trust, the school has grown and the number of pupils who access the school has doubled since the last inspection. The trust provides opportunities for leaders and managers to work collaboratively and to share best practice. This has led to a culture of self-improvement across the trust.

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Short inspection of Park School Teaching Service

Leaders were also asked to improve teaching and assessment. Tracking systems are now in place so that teachers and staff can track the progress of pupils across a range of academic subjects. Leaders place as much importance on personal progress as they do on academic progress. Staff are now able to monitor a range of personal skills, such as creativity and confidence, engagement, independence, well- being and life skills. The systems to track pupils’ progress are still in the early stages. They need further time to develop and embed so that leaders can analyse pupils’ progress, outcomes and the impact of targeted interventions more closely.

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Short inspection of Park School Teaching Service

The high staff to pupil ratio works well to keep all pupils safe in school. Close liaison with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) ensures that pupils with mental health needs are safe and supported appropriately. Staff who work in the hospital meet daily with NHS staff to ensure that pupils’ learning needs are considered alongside their medical needs. A lone-worker policy and procedure ensures that staff working with pupils on home tuition follow safe practice. Regular child action meetings are held with pupils, parents, carers and relevant agencies to monitor the personal progress of pupils, including how they keep themselves safe. Across all areas of the school there is a strong culture of safeguarding.

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Short inspection of Park School Teaching Service

The safeguarding team works closely with other agencies, including those providing early help. Referrals to the local authority are followed up quickly. Required checks on members of staff are compliant.

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Short inspection of Park School Teaching Service

Parents speak highly of the school and about the support their children and the family receive. For some parents, their children have been out of school for a long time. There is anxiety around returning to education. Parents appreciate the patience and small steps taken by staff to build the confidence in their child to eventually return to school. They feel reassured that their child is safe and secure in school, which puts parents’ minds at ease. One parent typified the comments of others: ‘Knowing he is thriving and safe we can start to move forward, we are truly grateful to all the staff at the school.’

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Inspection findings

 One of the key lines of enquiry I explored with you was around the effectiveness of the school’s curriculum. There is a clear rationale designed to meet the needs of the pupils within each provision of the teaching service. Topics are used successfully within the hospital to engage and motivate pupils while also covering the key skills of literacy and numeracy. The exciting displays of work within the hospital are an example of how pupils have responded well to their learning. Teachers find the hook that will encourage pupils working at home to take the steps back into school. The nurture curriculum within The Bridge provision then supports pupils to gradually move into full-time education at The Roscow Fold centre. Leaders have successfully embedded a strong curriculum that allows pupils to build their knowledge, skills and independence in a safe and nurturing environment.  I also looked at the progress pupils make in their learning and their outcomes

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Inspection findings

during their time in school. Pupils leave the school at the end of Year 11 with a range of GCSE qualifications, including English, mathematics and science. Some pupils also access specialist GCSE subjects within their mainstream school. This broad curriculum helps pupils to become independent and confident. For the past three years, all Year 11 leavers have moved to their chosen post-16 provision. Pupils in other areas of the school also make strong progress. A high number of pupils have successfully returned to continue their education in their mainstream school. Pupils’ achievements, alongside being well prepared for the next stage of education, demonstrate the positive impact the school has in turning young people’s lives around.  The school careers information, advice and guidance have a positive impact on pupils in Year 11. Pupils are able to make choices about their future. They talk positively about their planned interviews at college and the help they receive

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Inspection findings

from school staff. For example, during one discussion, a pupil explained the reasons for choosing to do motor vehicle maintenance and the future career it would offer. Other pupils shared their feelings about joining a mainstream college and supported each other with practical advice to manage the interview process. While there is some good practice within the school, particularly in Year 11, this is not as strong as it could be, as the advice and guidance are not currently available for younger pupils.  A further line of enquiry concerned pupils’ attendance. Due to medical reasons, many pupils join the school with very low and sometimes zero attendance. Over time, pupils’ attendance improves as pupils start to engage more readily with their learning. Pupils who are now in school full time have attendance figures in line with national averages. Leaders have recently improved the system to track attendance. Although this system is in its early days, pupils have responded well

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Inspection findings

and are now working with staff to set their own challenging targets to improve attendance as well as their engagement in learning.  My final line of enquiry looked at pupils’ behaviour. The social and emotional needs of every pupil are supported very well. Pupils have individual personal plans to give them the strategies to manage their own behaviour and emotions. Safe places are used by pupils to calm their anxieties so that they can return to their learning. This personalised approach to managing behaviour results in a calm, supportive atmosphere within school. The school’s vision of unconditional positive regard, affection and warmth is used by pupils, staff and the wider community. As a result, pupils’ behaviour is excellent.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 tracking systems are further developed so that leaders can analyse pupils’ progress, outcomes and the impact of targeted interventions more closely  the careers programme is further developed to allow pupils of all ages access to quality careers information, advice and guidance.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the chair of the board of trustees and the executive principal of the multi-academy trust, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Bolton. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection, inspectors met with you and senior leaders. They held a meeting with three members of the trust, including the executive principal. Inspectors met with the safeguarding leads and scrutinised paperwork and safeguarding records, including the record of checks completed on staff. Joint learning walks with leaders were completed and pupils’ books and learning records were scrutinised. There were two responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents (Parent View) and inspectors met with one parent and conducted telephone conversations with four parents. Inspectors took account of the 10 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff, spoke to staff during the day and also met formally with a small group of staff. Inspectors spoke with pupils informally during the day and met formally with four pupils. Inspectors observed behaviour in lessons and around the school. Documents were scrutinised, including information about pupils’

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Information about the inspection

progress, the school’s self-evaluation, the school improvement plan, records of pupils’ attendance and information relating to the work of the governing body.

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