Brewood Secondary School

Inspection of Brewood Secondary School 86 London Road, Deal, Kent CT14 9TR

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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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?

Pupils at this school are getting a well-deserved second or third chance. They are safe in the knowledge that the staff here will care for them and support them to achieve as well as they can. Many pupils have missed out on education in the past and have now found a school where they are happy and can be themselves.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for what pupils can achieve now, and in the future. They make sure that pupils experience and learn the most important things while they are at school. Leaders ensure that pupils are well prepared for whatever they do next, when they leave Brewood.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils come to this school because they find it difficult to behave well. Sometimes pupils make poor choices, but they understand the consequences. Staff do all they can to defuse poor behaviour when it happens. Pupils know that leaders will not tolerate any kind of bullying behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils quickly see the benefits of coming to Brewood. They value the way the school supports their personal development. They like the rewards they receive for behaving and learning well. However, some pupils have poor attendance and are not benefiting from the good education the school provides.

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better?

Most of the pupils at this school have missed long periods of education in the past. Pupils also all have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have thought about this carefully when planning the work that they give to pupils. Teachers carefully assess what pupils already know when they choose what to teach. This helps pupils to start to catch up in subjects like mathematics. Teachers are promoting the importance of reading in English and across the curriculum. Pupils are also being encouraged to read more widely, including at home.

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better?

The curriculum has appropriate breadth and has been logically sequenced to meet the needs of pupils. Careful links exist between subjects to ensure similar topics are taught at the same time. For example, reproduction in science, and relationships and sex education in personal, social and health education (PSHE) are taught during the same term. This helps reinforce key knowledge for pupils.

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better?

Teachers have appropriate subject knowledge and use assessment well before and in lessons. This helps them to vary tasks to meet the changing needs of pupils. Teachers also make the most of opportunities to develop pupils’ spoken and written English, when appropriate.

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better?

Pupils learn and recall key facts well, especially in science and food technology. They have many opportunities to apply their skills in practical ways. For example, pupils applied a range of scientific techniques and their knowledge of cells to extract DNA 10–12 December 2019

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from kiwi fruit. Most pupils work towards appropriate qualifications across the curriculum. However, a few pupils and sixth-form students could be further challenged and entered for GCSE examinations in English language and mathematics.

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Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education, employment or training. Careers guidance is very helpful. Adults support pupils and sixth-form students with job and college interviews. Nobody leaves the school with nowhere to go. All pupils go on to further education, employment or training. School leaders check on how successful past pupils are when they leave the school.

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Pupils appreciate the support they receive from adults at the school. One sixth-form student told us that, ‘The support I receive is unreal.’ Pupils know that staff want them to attend lessons and that there are expectations about how they behave when they are there. In the lessons we visited during the inspection, pupils were trying hard with their work. Pupils conceded that this is not always the case. However, pupils behave more positively in practical lessons and where adults are supportive.

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Supervision around the school at breaktimes and lunchtimes is proactive and effective. Any problems or issues are normally dealt with quickly. On occasion adults have to intervene physically to keep pupils or staff safe. Staff are trained to do this, and such incidents are recorded carefully. However, pupils’ views are not routinely sought afterwards as part of a debrief. Leaders do not formally review the incidents quickly enough to help staff and pupils learn from them.

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The school is particularly effective at providing pupils with experiences beyond the classroom. These help to develop pupils’ skills, interests and character. Recent examples include fishing, completing army style assault courses and ‘working’ in professional kitchens. During the inspection, pupils took part in a football tournament for the first time, competing with similar local schools. For many pupils involved, this was the first time they have ever represented their school at anything.

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Leaders work well with local authorities to ensure that pupils meet their SEND targets. The school does not permanently exclude or ‘off roll’ pupils. Leaders use fixed-term exclusions only where necessary.

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Staff turnover is very low. This is because the proprietor and headteacher have made this a positive place to work. Staff feel well supported by leaders in all aspects of their work.

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The proprietor decided not to appoint local governors following the previous inspection. The managing director for education and their assistant have been appointed to provide the school with challenge and support. As a result, leaders have ensured that the school has continued to meet all the independent school standards.

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The proprietor has invested in a new building with three extra classrooms. This 10–12 December 2019

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means that the school can accommodate the proposed increase in pupils. The headteacher has well developed plans to ensure that the good behaviour and well- being of pupils continues. She has thought about the staffing needed to maintain the quality of the curriculum should the material change go ahead.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders responsible for safeguarding are appropriately trained and have ensured that all staff have received the required training and guidance to carry out their duties effectively. Staff know how to report concerns about pupils’ welfare.

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Safeguarding

Pupils, and especially those who are most vulnerable, are known very well by key staff. Record-keeping about concerns is appropriate and acceptable but could be strengthened. For example, leaders should record when they have needed to challenge other professionals, to help protect pupils.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum is peppered with a wide range of activities that help pupils learn to be safer, including online and in the community.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Safeguarding is effective. However, some documentation, relating to vulnerable pupils, risk assessments, the administration of medication and the use of restrictive physical intervention, needs to be improved. Although no pupil has been harmed, leaders need to ensure that documentation fully reflects the strong procedures they follow. For example, leaders should link risk assessments for individual pupils to activity risk assessments and record debriefs for pupils and staff after restrictive physical interventions.  Attendance is too low. Although leaders have secured improved attendance for some pupils, too many pupils still miss too much time at school. This restricts the progress they can make socially and educationally. Some well-tested methods to improve attendance are no longer working. Leaders need to refresh and innovate their approach to promoting good attendance for all pupils.  Pupils who attend school regularly are making progress in their learning. Teachers

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

adapt tasks well in lessons to challenge the most able pupils. However, some of the most able pupils are not working towards the most challenging qualifications, especially in English and mathematics. Leaders should consider entering the most able pupils for GCSE examinations in English language and mathematics. 10–12 December 2019

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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 . 10–12 December 2019

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School details

Unique reference number 119021 DfE registration number 886/6070

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School details

Inspection number 10103859 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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form

Proprietor Horizon Care and Education Ltd

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form

Date of previous inspection 18–20 October 2016

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Information about this school

 The previous standard inspection of this school took place in October 2016, when the school was found to be good in all areas.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher were both promoted to their current roles since the previous inspection.  The school does not have a governing body. The proprietor has appointed a managing director for education and assistant managing director for education, who hold school leaders to account.  The school does not use any alternative provision. 10–12 December 2019

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 All pupils have education, health and care plans. They are placed at the school by a number of local authorities. The main category of need is social, emotional and mental health needs.  A growing number of pupils are children looked after by the local authority.

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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

The school has applied to the Department for Education (DfE) to make a ‘material change’ to its registration. At the DfE’s request, we checked whether the school is likely to meet the relevant independent school standards if the DfE decides to approve the change. This part of the inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002.

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Information about this inspection

 The outcome of this part of the inspection is: the school is likely to meet the relevant independent school standards if the material change relating to the school provision is implemented.  The school had requested to increase the total number of pupils on roll from 30 to 45 through the ‘material change’ process.  We met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and the proprietor’s assistant managing director for education throughout the inspection. We also met with the special educational needs coordinator.  We did deep dives in English, mathematics, science, food technology and PSHE. These involved talking to leaders involved with the subject, visiting lessons, talking to pupils about their learning, looking at pupils’ work and talking to subject teachers.  To inspect safeguarding we looked at the single central record of recruitment checks, safeguarding policies and documentation. We discussed the school’s work

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Information about this inspection

with designated leaders for safeguarding. We observed the school’s work to safeguard pupils over three days.  The lead inspector held a telephone conversation with the proprietor.  We met with two groups of support staff and talked to pupils and staff around the school informally.  We considered six responses to Ofsted’s online Parent View questionnaire. We also took account of 12 responses to the confidential survey for staff. 10–12 December 2019

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Inspection team

Lee Selby, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Bagust Ofsted Inspector 10–12 December 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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