TLG Wakefield

Inspection of TLG Wakefield All Saints Parish Church, High Street, Normanton, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF6 1NT

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a good school. Staff take a great deal of care of pupils. School leaders have a vision for the school which is about helping pupils reach their full potential. The ethos of the school is one of valuing and caring for everyone. The school is small and nurturing. Pupils are happy at this school and feel safe. Pupils behave in a considerate way to each other and bullying is rare. Pupils attend well and start lessons without delay.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are friendly and approachable. They show pupils how to behave well and what a difference school can make to their lives. Pupils are happy to follow the examples set by the staff in the school because they know they care about them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who come to the school have struggled to manage in their mainstream school for all sorts of reasons. This may have meant they stopped attending or had difficulties settling to their work. The staff at this school get to know their pupils quickly and have high expectations of them. Teachers build good relationships with pupils and help them see that they can learn.

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better?

The headteacher has thought carefully about the needs of pupils. He has made sure that the way the day is planned, the way staff talk to pupils and the activities in lessons help the pupils feel supported by the school. For example, staff welcome pupils at the start of the day. They provide breakfast and pupils can play table tennis, read newspapers or just chat with a member of staff. This helps pupils settle into the school day and be ready to learn.

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better?

School leaders have chosen to prioritise the teaching of English and mathematics. Leaders want pupils to do well when they leave the school. They believe that without qualifications in English and mathematics pupils will be restricted in what they can do in future. Pupils gain extra qualifications, called functional skills awards, in English and mathematics. Pupils are improving their English and mathematics skills and are on track to get better grades.

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better?

When pupils start at TLG, they do tests which help teachers identify what they know or do not know in English and mathematics. Teachers use this information to plan lessons to improve pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills.

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better?

Pupils also study science, religious education, history, geography, creative skills and personal, social, health and citizenship education. Pupils behave well and try hard in their lessons. They say that they feel more confident about what they know and can do in all their subjects since joining the school. The work in pupils’ books supports this view.

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better?

Pupils enjoy their science lessons. They find the topics they cover interesting. However, what is taught in science is too narrow at present. The order in which the 12–15 November 2019

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science topics are taught does not allow pupils to develop their scientific skills fully. School leaders are aware of this. They already have plans in place to improve what is covered in science lessons.

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Pupils learn a lot about themselves and the world around them from the teachers at TLG. This is especially the case in their personal, social, health and citizenship education. Pupils are encouraged to get involved in their local community. The headteacher helps pupils support local charities through events in school. He invites a wide range of speakers into school and takes pupils out on visits. For example, pupils visited the fire station to find out more about this local service and how to keep themselves safe. Careers advisers come into school to speak with pupils about what they want to do when they leave school. However, teachers do not always make the most of the link between what pupils are learning and the world of work.

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Pupils who come to TLG have a wide range of needs. Additional adults are on hand to provide help in lessons. Teachers are skilled at meeting the social and emotional needs of their pupils. However, some pupils have learning needs that have been missed in their previous school. School leaders do not yet have a full set of assessments in place to check this.

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The school complies with all of the independent school standards. The ethos and aims of the school permeate everything it does and are clearly stated in all the policies. The proprietor has provided well-maintained and comfortable rooms. Teachers have good-quality resources to support their teaching. The school has a small outdoor play area and plenty of space for pupils to socialise. The school does not have sports facilities but pupils have fitness lessons in a local gym two afternoons each week.

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There is a management committee that oversees all aspects of school life. The chair of the management committee is an experienced community leader who represents the proprietor group. He has a clear understanding of his responsibilities. For example, he is aware of the importance of the Equality Act 2010 and is proud of how this is implemented at TLG Wakefield. Parents are positive about the school and feel listened to. The headteacher is well supervised by experienced school leaders from the TLG education charity. Teachers say they are well supported and have access to a wide range of training. However, there needs to be more training for teaching pupils with specific learning difficulties.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The headteacher has put the school’s safeguarding policy on the school’s website. This information is easy to reach and is compliant with current statutory guidance.

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Safeguarding

The proprietor provides training in child protection for everyone who works at the school. There are positive relationships between school staff and pupils. This helps pupils feel they can talk to staff about any worries they have. 12–15 November 2019

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The headteacher provides risk assessments to ensure that staff know how to reduce any risks to the well-being of pupils. Staff know what the school’s health and safety procedures are and how to keep pupils safe.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school’s science curriculum needs to be improved. It is not yet sufficiently coherently planned and sequenced. Teachers do not make the link between topics explicit. This is limiting pupils’ development of scientific skills and knowledge. It is clear that school leaders are aware of this issue. They have already taken action to review the science programme and train staff in how to deliver it.  The headteacher has improved the amount of information collected about pupils when they join the school. However, there are still gaps in how well the specific learning needs of pupils are identified. This limits what teachers can plan for in terms of intervention strategies. School leaders need to implement the plans they have already identified to address this gap in expertise in some areas of special educational needs.  Pupils confirmed that they receive independent careers guidance. However, some schemes of learning do not make reference to the world of work and, as a result,

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

there are missed opportunities to make the link between school work and employability skills.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 12–15 November 2019

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School details

Unique reference number 143102 DfE registration number 384/6005

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School details

Inspection number 10110723 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22–24 May 2018

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Information about this school

 The school opened in July 2017 and was previously inspected in May 2018 when it was found to require improvement.  The school is run in partnership between All Saints Church, Normanton and TLG – Transforming Lives for Good, an education charity.  The school has a distinctive Christian ethos.  The school accepts pupils with a wide range of special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils who are referred to the school have found it difficult to cope with learning in a mainstream environment or have been or are at risk of being permanently excluded from school.  Pupils are referred from their mainstream school. Typically, pupils attend the 12–15 November 2019

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school for two or four days per week for specialist support to re-engage them with learning and improve their behaviour and attitudes to school. All pupils are dual-registered, remaining on the roll of the referring school. When not at TLG Wakefield, pupils attend their mainstream school or a college placement.  The school operates in church buildings which have been refurbished to accommodate the school.  The school does not use any alternative providers of education.  Pupils attending the school are currently mainly key stage 4 pupils, but the school is ready to teach key stage 3 pupils if any are referred to them.  A very small proportion of pupils have an education, health and care plan.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection 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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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

Two inspectors were allocated to this inspection and carried out the following activities:  a tour of the school and visit to all classrooms and social areas and a check of the school buildings against the independent school standards  deep dives into English, mathematics, science and personal, social, health and citizenship education, with the deep dive for each subject including: a meeting with the headteacher and subject leader; a review of subject documents and plans; lesson visits; meetings with pupils and scrutiny of pupils’ work  visits to lessons of other subjects  observing pupils at the start and end of the school day  scrutiny of school documents, policies and the arrangements to safeguard pupils, including checking the school’s safeguarding systems and the single central record and speaking with staff and pupils about safeguarding  meetings with the proprietor, headteacher and other senior leaders and all staff

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Information about this inspection

 contact with parents through telephone contact and written comments sent in during the course of the inspection  contact with local schools who had pupils at the school, through telephone calls and face-to-face meetings  meetings with pupils. 12–15 November 2019

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Inspection team

Patricia Head, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gordon Watts Ofsted Inspector 12–15 November 2019

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to achieve 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.

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