Future Education

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Future Education 168b Motum Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR5 8EG

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraph 2(1), 2(1)(a), 2(1)(b), 2(1)(b)(i), 2(1)(b)(ii), 2(2), 2(2)(a), 2(2)(b), 2(2)(d), (2)(2)(d)(i), 2(2)(d)(ii), 2(2)(i) Paragraph 3, 3(a), 3(c), 3(d), 3(e), 3(f), 3(g), 3(i), 3(j)  This standard was not met at the previous inspection because: – the quality of teaching was too variable, meaning time in lessons was not used productively enough – pupils’ misconceptions were not being addressed so pupils continued to make the same mistakes in their spelling and grammar – teachers’ expectations of what pupils could achieve were too low and the work in pupils’ books over time lacked quality – there was no framework in place to assess pupils’ work regularly, meaning some teachers did not guide pupils well enough on how to improve their work – there was no scheme of work in place to teach pupils’ personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) and pupils showed a limited awareness and

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Main inspection findings

understanding of either British values or about different cultures and beliefs – not enough time was allocated to teaching English and mathematics each week meaning pupils lacked essential literacy and numeracy skills.  Leaders undertook to: – redevelop the school’s policy for teaching and learning and provide further clarity on the use of assessment information – undertake regular work scrutiny and learning walks – introduce additional pupil assessments to better inform planning – retrain teaching and support staff on the standards and expectations of the school – provide training for staff and opportunities to visit other schools to learn from their good practice – provide staff with training from a speech and language therapist that equips them with skills to complete their work more effectively – provide further training and guidance on providing pupils with written feedback on the quality of their work

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Main inspection findings

– revise the job description and duties of the coordinator of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and recruit a new, full time special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) – agree strategies to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and review them in weekly curriculum and teaching team meetings – recruit an additional teacher to add capacity to the teaching team – implement a support programme for underperforming staff, including regular appraisal and feedback to staff – review and adjust the school timetable to maximise learning time particularly in mathematics and English – develop a new curriculum policy and ensure that detailed schemes of work were in place for all subjects.  Pupils often arrive at this school with gaps in their learning. It is not clear how schemes of learning identify key knowledge which pupils need to learn or how the schemes can

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Main inspection findings

be adapted to help pupils close any gaps quickly.  The recently appointed SENCo has focused on the annual reviews for pupils’ EHC plans. There needs to be a greater emphasis on how the curriculum can be adapted to meet the learning needs of these pupils.  In mathematics, too much time is spent on assessing pupils’ starting points. This slows the pace of learning and as a result some pupils do not demonstrate good attitudes to learning. Evidence shows that some of the work is not challenging enough. Pupils spoken with during the inspection agreed.  School leaders know that many pupils’ poor literacy skills act as a barrier to some parts of the curriculum. The school has yet to introduce a systematic approach to assess pupils’ starting points in literacy and develop ways of helping them read, write and speak more confidently.  When pupils understand the purpose of their lessons they show positive attitudes to

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Main inspection findings

learning. For example, in science, pupils learned about cell structure and they were starting to use the correct vocabulary to describe it. Although they still lack confidence these pupils recognise that their teacher expects them to know and use the right scientific terminology.  Relationships between pupils and their teachers are a strength of the school. However, maintaining good relationships sometimes gets in the way of making effective use of learning time during lessons. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress they should.  Pupils now have regular lessons in English and mathematics as well as other subjects such as music technology and personal development.  Leaders’ review of the curriculum across all subjects has given them a greater understanding of what needs to be done to ensure that pupils at the school have a good range of learning opportunities.  Leaders have produced detailed curriculum plans for English and mathematics. These

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Main inspection findings

curriculum plans are now starting to help less-experienced or unqualified teachers to plan learning more effectively. However, plans in most other subjects are not well developed.  Recently appointed teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge, and this is helping to strengthen teaching and learning in subjects such as science.  School leaders have recently started to monitor and evaluate pupils’ progress more closely. Although this work is at an early stage, leaders are using it to identify best practice and provide additional support if the quality of teaching does not meet their expectations.  The PSHE scheme of work and teaching resources are now in place and weekly lessons are timetabled for all year groups. The newly appointed lead has supported staff to deliver this aspect of the curriculum effectively.  School leaders now assess and recognise pupils’ learning of the PSHE curriculum more precisely. This links to the introduction of an external accreditation for PSHE.

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Main inspection findings

 Displays in classrooms and in the school corridors show the personal development of pupils now has a much higher profile. For example, one display board is used to pose a weekly ‘challenge’ question about rights and wrongs.  A school council meets regularly to give pupils a voice in decision-making in the school.  Although improvements against some of the requirements in the paragraphs for this standard were seen, these standards remains not met. Part 2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils Paragraphs 5, 5(a), 5(b), 5(b)(i), 5(b)(ii), 5(b)(iii), 5(b)(iv), 5(b)(v), 5(b)(vii), 5(c), 5(d), 5(d)(i), 5(d)(ii), 5(d)(iii)  At the time of the last inspection, pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) understanding was underdeveloped. For example, pupils had too few opportunities to improve their understanding of different cultures and beliefs because there was no systematic curriculum plan in place.

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Main inspection findings

 In the school’s action plan the proprietor proposed to: – identify a working group for PSHE to undertake a new curriculum to promote pupils’ SMSC development alongside an appropriate external qualification – allocate sufficient time to teaching PSHE, ensuring that this incorporates the teaching of fundamental British values, risks attached to radicalisation and the protected characteristics – review regularly the quality of work in pupils’ books and portfolios to monitor pupils’ progress – develop a calendar of activities across all subjects to support the promotion of pupils’ SMSC, and increase the school’s budget for educational trips, visits and activities.  The PSHE curriculum is now in place and SMSC now features in subjects which have a written detailed curriculum.  There is evidence of how pupils’ SMSC development has been covered in the displays throughout the school. In conversation with the inspector, pupils talked about the

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Main inspection findings

opportunities that they have to learn more about other cultures and points of view.  Some pupils are developing as leaders. For example, one Year 11 pupil talked about how she helps to support others when they struggle to stay in the classroom for whole lessons.  This standard is now met. Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraph 7, 7(a), 7(b)  At the time of the previous inspection, safeguarding arrangements were effective.  The safeguarding policy reflects the updated guidance published by the Department for Education (DfE) and is available on the school’s website.  However, some pupils who spoke with the inspector said that they do not always report concerns when they have them because they do not have confidence that school leaders will take effective action.  Other pupils spoken with said that they feel safe on the school site because they are always well supervised, and staff know them well.

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Main inspection findings

 The school maintains an accurate single central register of all staff working in the school. Leaders also check the suitability of all staff before employing them.  School leaders make sure that all staff receive training about how to keep pupils safe. This meant that teachers could explain to the inspector signs that a pupil might need help.  Governors check how the school plans to keep pupils safe. They review the school’s safeguarding policy at least once a year.  Governors also check how the school records and responds to information when staff make safeguarding referrals.  This standard which was met at the previous inspection is now not met . Paragraph 9, 9(b)  These standards were not met at the inspection in March 2019 because, as stated in the report: – the school’s written behaviour policy was not implemented effectively – overall attendance was low and too many pupils were persistently absent from

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Main inspection findings

school – the proportion of pupils excluded from school had risen and leaders were not making enough use of information about exclusions and bullying to reduce the number of incidents.  In the school’s action plan the proprietor proposed to: – consult with leaders and develop new procedures to promote better attendance – commence an annual strategic review of attendance and review policy and procedures – begin using individual, personalised plans to monitor the attendance of each pupil and undertake weekly progress reviews – reorganise the school’s outreach activities and adding additional capacity to oversee the attendance and welfare of pupils taught off-site – review the school’s procedures for managing behaviour and attendance information.  School leaders now analyse pupils’ behaviour carefully. This helps them to understand what behaviour is like in the school and which pupils need help.  Pupils who struggle most to meet the school’s expectations of their behaviour now have

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Main inspection findings

individual support plans. In September 2019, the school introduced a number of strategies, such as a nurture room which is helping some pupils to settle more quickly when they first arrive at the school.  Teachers are starting to use information about pupils’ behaviour needs to plan lessons so that pupils learn better and attend school more often. This is helping pupils to develop more positive attitudes to learning.  Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. Leaders know who these pupils are and provide additional support such as the school’s nurture group to help pupils get back into the habit of coming to school.  This standard is now met. Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b), 34(1)(c)  This standard was not met at the previous inspection because: – since the previous inspection, leaders had not brought about improvements quickly

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Main inspection findings

enough, including tackling the weaknesses in teaching – leaders had not rigorously applied the school’s procedures for managing the performance of staff – schemes of work have been updated in some subjects, but not in others – the systems and procedures used by senior leaders to collate information about pupils, staff and the school’s overall performance were too cumbersome – leaders had a limited range of analysis and evaluative information to illustrate the impact of their work – the curriculum was underdeveloped, and not enough time was allocated to teaching English and mathematics each week, preventing pupils from gaining essential literacy and numeracy skills.  Leaders undertook to: – seek external guidance and advice on restructuring staffing to enable the school to secure improvement – identify recruitment needs and appoint new staff – induct, train and support new leaders in their roles and responsibilities

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Main inspection findings

– review and update governors’ roles and responsibilities to ensure that they monitor more effectively the school’s work against the independent school standards – provide governors with further training to audit provision, act on their findings and hold leaders to account – revise procedures so that governors oversee regularly the school’s safeguarding records – commission an external audit by the local authority of the school’s safeguarding arrangements – enable the headteacher to undertake and complete a professional qualification for headship.  The action plan submitted to the Department for Education in May 2019 was not deemed to be fit for purpose, in large part because what the school proposed was unlikely to be achievable in the timescales indicated. Governors have only recently received this feedback and are seeking further guidance from the local authority about how to modify their action plan.

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Main inspection findings

 Evidence gathered during this inspection shows that improvements that school leaders planned are currently taking longer than anticipated. Many of the actions listed in the plan have not been completed. The headteacher told the inspector that ‘We are behind where we should be.’  The school has increased its capacity to do outreach work and roles in the school are now more widely understood by staff. However, governors are aware that too much responsibility for making improvements in the curriculum, teaching and learning still rests on the deputy headteacher.  School leaders have ensured that all staff are well trained about safeguarding and that this training is regularly updated. However, conversations with pupils during the inspection show that the culture of safeguarding is not effective.  These standards remain not met.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet the requirements of the schedule to The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection, as set out in the annex of this report. This included the standards and requirements that the school was judged to not comply with at the previous inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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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 0

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School details

Email address office@futureeducation.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 19–21 March 2016

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Information about this school

 Future Education is a day special school operated by Future Projects charity.  It is registered to educate 44 pupils. At the time of the last inspection, it had 29 pupils on roll. There are currently 28 pupils on roll. There are four pupils at key stage 3. The majority of pupils joined partway through key stage 4.  All pupils are placed and funded by Norfolk County Council for pupils with SEND, mainly social, emotional and mental health needs. All pupils have an EHC plan.  All pupils have missed long periods of their education prior to joining the school. Some of them have been out of mainstream education for up to two years. The school aims to re- engage pupils in learning through a range of on- and off-site enrichment activities, awards and national curriculum subjects.  The school’s philosophy is founded on Secure Base, a framework for therapeutic care given to pupils to build security and resilience by providing them with the care that they

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Information about this school

need. It aims to understand the different attachments of pupils for each pupil and ensure that this is considered in every interaction with them.  A small team of staff provide outreach support for pupils in their own homes and in community settings.  The school currently uses St Edmunds Society, an alternative provider, to enable pupils to learn vocational skills. A few pupils also access The Hub, part of the Short Stay School for Norfolk.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  At the standard inspection in March 2019, the school was judged as requires improvement and five of the independent school standards were not met.  This is the school’s first progress monitoring inspection since the standard inspection in March 2019. The DfE commissioned Ofsted to conduct this progress monitoring inspection at no notice.  The DfE rejected the school’s first action plan in July 2019.  The inspector visited lessons jointly with the deputy headteacher and they discussed the work in pupils’ books.  Meetings were held with the proprietor, senior and middle leaders, a group of staff, two

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Information about this inspection

members of the governing board and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector met with a small group of pupils to gain their views.  The inspector looked at safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures, self- evaluation and improvement planning, the action plan which the school sent the Department for Education, minutes of governing board meetings, records of pupils’ behaviour, monitoring of teaching records and other information provided by school leaders.

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Inspection team

Jenny Carpenter, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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The school does not meet the following independent school standards

Standards that were not met at the previous inspection and remain unmet at this inspection

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if- – 2(1)(a) the proprietor ensures that a written policy on the curriculum, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work, which provides for the matters specified in sub-paragraph (2) is drawn up and implemented effectively; and – 2(1)(b) the written policy, plans and schemes of work- – 2(1)(b)(i) take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan.  2(2) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(1)(a), the matters are- – 2(2)(a) full-time supervised education for pupils of compulsory school age (construed in accordance with section 8 of the Education Act 1996), which gives pupils experience in linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human and social, physical and aesthetic and creative education; – 2(2)(b) that pupils acquire speaking, listening, literacy and numeracy skills.  3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

school- – 3(a) enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability so that they increase their understanding and develop their skills in the subjects taught; – 3(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time; – 3(d) shows a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and ensures that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons; – 3(e) demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being taught; – 3(f) utilises effectively classroom resources of a good quality, quantity and range; – 3(g) demonstrates that a framework is in place to assess pupils’ work regularly and thoroughly and use information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress;

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school- – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and – 34(1)(c) actively promote the well-being of pupils.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Standards that were met at the previous inspection, but are now judged to not be met at this inspection

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 7 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that- – 7(a) arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school; and – 7(b) such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that- – 2(1)(b)(ii) does not undermine the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs – 2(2)(d) personal, social, health and economic education which- – 2(2)(d)(i) reflects the school’s aim and ethos; and – 2(2)(d)(ii) encourages respect for other people, paying particular regard to the protected characteristics set out in the 2010 Act 1 ; – 2(2)(i) effective preparation of pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life in British society.  3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school- – 3(i) does not undermine the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

beliefs; and – 3(j) does not discriminate against pupils contrary to Part 6 of the 2010 Act 2 .

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

1 The protected characteristics are set out in Chapter 1 of Part 2 of the Equality Act 2010. 2 Part 6 relates to education and consists of two Chapters. Chapter 1 relates to schools and Chapter 2 to further and higher education.

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Part 2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

 5 The standard about the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils at the school is met if the proprietor- – 5(a) actively promotes the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs; – 5(b) ensures that principles are actively promoted which- – 5(b)(i) enable pupils to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and self- confidence; – 5(b)(ii) enable pupils to distinguish right from wrong and to respect the civil and criminal law of England; – 5(b)(iii) encourage pupils to accept responsibility for their behaviour, show initiative and understand how they can contribute positively to the lives of those living and – 5(b)(iv) enable pupils to acquire a broad general knowledge of and respect for public institutions and services in England; – 5(b)(v) further tolerance and harmony between different cultural traditions by

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Part 2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils

enabling pupils to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures; – 5(b)(vii) encourage respect for democracy and support for participation in the democratic process, including respect for the basis on which the law is made and applied in England; – 5(c) precludes the promotion of partisan political views in the teaching of any subject in the school; and – 5(d) takes such steps as are reasonably practicable to ensure that where political issues are brought to the attention of pupils- – 5(d)(i) while they are in attendance at the school, – 5(d)(ii) while they are taking part in extra-curricular activities which are provided or organised by or on behalf of the school, or – 5(d)(iii) in the promotion at the school, including through the distribution of promotional material, of extra-curricular activities taking place at the school or elsewhere, they are offered a balanced presentation of opposing views.

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 9 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor promotes good behaviour amongst pupils by ensuring that- – 9(b) the written behaviour policy is implemented effectively. 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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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

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