Eden Park Academy

Eden Park Academy Barkly Road, Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS11 7EN

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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 Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The proprietor has ensured full compliance with all the independent school standards and has successfully addressed the areas for improvement from the previous inspection.  The proprietor has an ambitious vision for the school. He has invested in well-qualified staff, training and resources that have allowed school leaders to implement changes which are leading to improved outcomes for pupils.  The proprietor has established a governing board which has successfully overseen the appointment of new staff, the development of an enhanced curriculum and the introduction of a new framework for assessment.  Governors do not have a wide enough set of skills and experience to provide the ongoing challenge to school leaders needed to continue to improve outcomes for pupils.  School leaders have the skills and experience to build on the improvements they have made in the school since the previous inspection. They have

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

addressed well the areas for improvement relating to teaching and learning.  Teachers are secure in their subject knowledge. They plan stimulating lessons that engage pupils and extend their understanding of themselves and the world in which they live.  Pupils spoken to during the inspection said they enjoy school and like the individualised programmes that teachers prepare for them. Pupils have consistently positive attitudes for learning and good attendance.  Pupils acquire skills for life in modern Britain. Their transition to future education and training is well supported. Those pupils who contributed their views during the inspection said they had more ideas about what they wanted to do in future, since joining the school.  Teachers have developed skills to support pupils with a wide range of additional needs, but there is variability in the practice of all teachers.  The role of the care staff, who are in the school to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

support pupils through the day, is not yet fully developed and, as a result, opportunities to maximise the use of these adults to support learning are lost.  School leaders have implemented a framework of assessment but it is still at an early stage of development. As a result, governors do not receive all the information they need to be able to monitor how pupils are progressing.

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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 independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve outcomes for pupils by:  ensuring that governors have the appropriate level of information, skills and experience to provide challenge and support to school leaders with regard to the assessment and monitoring of pupils’ progress  reducing the remaining inconsistencies in teachers’ understanding of pupils’ specific learning difficulties and additional needs  ensuring that additional adults in the classroom have the knowledge, skills and understanding to contribute to pupils’ learning.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 School leaders have ensured that all of the independent school standards are met and have made progress against the areas for improvement from the previous inspection. They have appointed a co-ordinator for special educational needs and disabilities (SENCo). They have developed a curriculum that broadens pupils’ skills and understanding. They have also ensured that the level of challenge for pupils has improved because of the positive developments in the quality of teaching and learning.  The headteacher and head of education were both new to their leadership posts at the time of the last inspection. They have implemented changes to the school quickly and effectively in order to address the areas for improvement from the previous inspection.  School leaders have created a culture of high aspirations in the school and have extended leadership responsibilities across the staff team. As a result, teachers have a more in-

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

depth knowledge of school systems and how to improve their own practice in the classroom.  School leaders have high expectations of pupils and staff. They lead by example, creating a nurturing atmosphere while ensuring a well-managed plan is leading to improvements in teaching and learning. Staff have very positive relationships with pupils. This is consistently modelled by the headteacher and is part of the school’s ethos.  The newly appointed SENCo has introduced a wide range of induction activities and initial assessments. These ensure that there is a robust set of information that staff can use to plan for future learning and provide information that supports pupils’ integration to the school community. For example, a pen portrait activity helps pupils to voice their likes and dislikes and contributes to the positive relationships between pupils and staff that are a feature of the school.  Staff who contributed their views during the inspection appreciated the continuing

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

professional development they receive from the proprietor. The headteacher has developed training for staff in early developmental trauma, which is delivered routinely to ensure that all staff keep the therapeutic needs of pupils at the forefront of their planning.  School leaders have designed a framework for assessing pupils’ skills and understanding. It incorporates initial assessments of pupils when they start at the school, individualised targets and termly tracking of progress. This framework of assessment is at an early stage of its development and is not yet populated with information showing pupils’ progress over time. As a result, governors are not receiving enough detailed information on pupils’ progress in the school to allow them to ask probing questions about how school leaders will ensure the current improvements to pupils’ outcomes will be maintained.  School leaders have developed a broad curriculum which is designed to meet the social,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

emotional and mental health needs of pupils as well as ensuring that they leave the school with transferable skills and publicly recognised qualifications.  The headteacher has ensured that pupils have access to independent careers advice, and this results in detailed transition pathways that are developed with pupils. For example, some pupils have been visiting a training agency to build their confidence in applying for work-based learning courses.  Local authority commissioners who were spoken to during the inspection stated they were pleased with the communication between the school and themselves. They confirmed that pupils who they had placed in the school had improved their attendance and engagement with academic work since joining the school.

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Governance

 The proprietor has a clear vision for the school, which is supported by the governing board. The proprietor continues to invest in the school, ensuring that all aspects of the independent school standards are met. The school buildings are well presented and provide welcoming and well-resourced learning spaces.  The proprietor has established a governing board which meets at least termly. The governors have the skills and experience to support the operational elements of school management, such as recruitment and resourcing. These skills have been useful in supporting the development of the school so far. Governors’ scrutiny of this work is well documented in minutes of meetings.  Governors have not yet shown the same level of challenge in the area of pupils’ progress. This is partly because the progress monitoring systems that school leaders have implemented are only now beginning to generate sufficient information for governors to

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Governance

scrutinise. However, there is not a sufficiently wide set of skills and experience among members of the governing board to support them in offering leaders a sharp enough challenge. The proprietor has identified a need for more educational expertise on the governing board and is in the process of recruiting new governors as a result.  The proprietor has invested in well-qualified staff. Staff appreciate the professional development routes offered to them. The proprietor has also invested in the school’s leadership through the appointment of a SENCo and through distributed leadership posts across the staff team. This has led to more capacity to improve the school further.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. School leaders have ensured that information about safeguarding and pupils’ welfare, such as the school’s safeguarding policy, is available from the school’s website and is compliant with current statutory guidance.  The headteacher has developed well-organised systems to foster and monitor the safety and well-being of pupils. There are robust risk assessments that reflect the individual needs of pupils. The headteacher ensures that these systems and risk assessments are implemented carefully by all staff.  The headteacher works closely with local authority partners to ensure that there is adequate support and involvement from other agencies if pupils need it. School staff are rigorous in their monitoring of pupils’ well-being and they are quick to follow up any cases of absence from school with carers.  The positive relationships between staff and pupils that are evident around the school

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Safeguarding

contribute to the safety of pupils.  The proprietor provides staff in the school with high-quality training in safeguarding and child protection. This ensures that all staff are up to date with their training and meeting the expectations of the governing board.  The proprietor group ensures that all appropriate pre-employment checks are completed, and they provide an induction programme for new staff that communicates the high expectations they have of staff with regards to safeguarding.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers communicate their high expectations to pupils through well-planned and engaging lessons and, as a result, pupils show very positive attitudes for learning.  Teachers receive a range of information about pupils when they enter the school. They use this information well in their planning for learning which shows consideration for gaps in pupils’ knowledge as well as pupils’ social, emotional and mental health needs. However, teachers’ knowledge about how to teach pupils with additional or specific learning difficulties is inconsistent and, consequently, the additional needs of some pupils are not being met fully in some subjects.  Teachers devise highly individualised learning opportunities using pupils’ personal interests as topics for delivering functional skills in English and mathematics. Pupils speak enthusiastically about the work they are doing in lessons.  Teachers plan for a range of accreditation opportunities so that pupils can build up to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

more challenging qualifications in stages.  Teachers are secure in their subject knowledge and plan stimulating lessons that extend pupils’ understanding of themselves and the world in which they live. Pupils’ folders of work in humanities, for example, show a high degree of care taken over a topic about the environment.  Teachers encourage pupils to improve their work and build pupils’ resilience through their use of questions, oral feedback and well-organised learning resources. In an art lesson, for example, pupils were encouraged to select something they had created several weeks before, and then challenged to improve and reflect on what they had learned since first completing that piece of work.  Care staff accompany pupils to school and are present during lessons. Their presence in the classroom is appreciated by pupils who are keen to include them in discussions about their work. However, their role in the school and what teachers can expect of them as

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

additional adults in the classroom is not clear and, as a result, their contribution to learning and pupils’ progress is inconsistent.  Parents and local authority commissioners receive regular and detailed reports, and those local authority partners who contributed to the inspection spoke highly of the information they received from teaching staff.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Relationships between pupils and staff are very positive, and this helps to build pupils’ self-esteem and emotional resilience. The staff work hard as a team to provide an enjoyable variety of extra-curricular activities to help pupils learn about the wider community in which they live, and to develop effective social skills.  Teachers have designed an outdoor learning programme. Pupils spend time each week having lessons out in the local area, which develops their social skills and broadens their knowledge about the community in which they live.  Pupils have been supported by teachers to complete charity fundraising projects, and this has helped to develop pupils’ citizenship skills, as well as broaden pupils’ awareness of the needs of people who live in different parts of the world.  The headteacher promotes healthy eating in the school, and pupils are encouraged to get

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Personal development and welfare

involved with the daily preparation of lunch alongside school staff. This helps build pupils’ skills for independent living and also promotes a community atmosphere during lunchtime, when everyone sits down to eat together.  The headteacher commissions an external careers adviser who provides one-to-one guidance sessions to pupils. Pupils can talk with confidence about their plans for life after school. They appreciate the support they have had to apply to local colleges and try out different employment routes through the school’s partnership with a local training agency.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils’ behaviour observed during the inspection was polite and friendly and there was no disruption to learning.  Pupils’ attendance improves during their time in the school, and overall attendance is in line with the figure for pupils in all schools nationally. Pupils who join the school have often had long periods of time away from education and have not been used to fitting in to a school community. Staff at the school prepare careful transition plans which help to reduce pupils’ anxiety about attending and contribute to the improvement in pupils’ attendance on admission to the school.  Pupils are quick to take direction from staff and say they are confident with the way any problems that arise in school are dealt with.  Pupils show their pride in the school through their consistent attendance, positive attitudes to learning, and their support of the school’s expectations with regard to uniform.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils make good progress in lessons and attain appropriate qualifications which help them to progress to the next stage of education, employment or training.  Pupils’ skills in English and mathematics are developed effectively by staff, and pupils’ work in books shows that they make consistently strong progress from their individual starting points. In English, for example, pupils’ improvement in extended writing can be seen in their increased skill in writing for different purposes. In mathematics, teachers identify gaps in pupils’ skills through initial assessments, and work in books shows that pupils improve their functional numeracy skills over time.  Pupils who are new to learning English make good progress in extending their vocabulary, and this can be seen in their work books as well as in the confidence they show when contributing in lessons and to enrichment activities.  Pupils are well-supported going into future education and training and no pupils left the

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Outcomes for pupils Good

school in the preceding full school year without a successful post-16 destination.

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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

Email address Elayne.bryan@pebblescare.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 to 13 July 2017

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Information about this school

 Eden Park Academy is a day special school located in the Beeston area of Leeds.  It opened in September 2013 and provides full-time education for pupils in the age range 11 to 16 years who have social, emotional and mental health needs. Some pupils have additional learning difficulties or neurodevelopmental needs. Most of the pupils have an education, health and care plan, but it is not a requirement for admission to the school.  The school is registered to accommodate up to 17 pupils. There are currently four pupils on the school roll. The vast majority of pupils live in accommodation arranged by the company that owns the school.  The school has a team of nine full-time equivalent staff, comprising the headteacher, SENCo, teachers and care assistants. The headteacher and SENCo divide their time between the school and a sister school, Eden Park Academy, Carlisle. There is a head of education, who oversees all the schools in the proprietor company.

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Information about this school

 The proprietor group has formed a governing board that meets with the headteacher every term.  The school’s last standard inspection was on 11 to 13 July 2017. There has been no change of headteacher or chair of the governing board since the last inspection.  The school has no specific specialism or religious affiliation.  The school is based on one site.  The school does not use any alternative education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector made a tour of the school with visits to all classrooms and social areas.  The inspector made a check of the school buildings against the independent school standards.  The inspector carried out observations of parts of lessons and of the start of the school day and breaktime routines.  The inspector carried out scrutiny of pupils’ work covering all subjects.  The inspector carried out scrutiny of the school website and documentation checks.  The inspector held meetings with staff, headteacher and governors.  The inspector had telephone contact with the proprietor.  The inspector had contact with parents via their responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire.  The inspector had telephone contact with local authority commissioners.  The inspector held meetings with pupils.  The inspector analysed the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Patricia Head, lead inspector Ofsted 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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