Baxter College

Inspection of Baxter College Habberley Road, Kidderminster, Worcestershire DY11 5PQ

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 14–15 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Baxter College are looked after well. The pastoral support given to them is highly effective. Every pupil matters. Pupils say that they feel safe. If bullying happens, pupils say that they have someone they can talk to. They trust them to sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in the vast majority of lessons is good. Very little learning time is lost. Pupils enjoy their lessons and want to do well. Positive relationships between staff and pupils support pupils’ learning well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers a full range of activities and trips for pupils. These include trips to Venice, Iceland, the theatre and local places of worship. Activities include music, drama, sport and science. Pupils value these activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Students in the sixth form are well prepared for the next stage in their education. All students go on work experience. They all take part in enrichment activities, including gardening and care for the elderly. As a result, the vast majority go on to higher education, employment or training.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All staff have high expectations for what pupils can achieve. This means getting good qualifications and preparing them to be good, active citizens. For example, pupils raise money for charities, including Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

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better?

Leaders have thought carefully about the curriculum that pupils follow. They have high expectations for what pupils can achieve. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Last year, a full review of the curriculum was carried out. Consequently, pupils in key stage 3 are now well prepared for the choices they make at key stage 4. The school offers a full range of subjects at key stage 4. These subjects and the curriculum are well matched to pupils’ interests and ability. While the number of pupils studying the English Baccalaureate (a specific set of subjects at GCSE level) is increasing, it remains low. Leaders are taking effective action to address this.

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better?

Pupils achieve well in most subjects. They are well prepared for the next stage in their education. The vast majority of pupils in Year 11 last year went on to education, employment and training.

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better?

Teachers have good subject knowledge. They plan and deliver lessons in a logical order. This helps pupils to build on what they knew before and to develop their knowledge and skills well. The use of assessment is effective. For example, pupils and sixth-form students speak positively about learning forward forms and the use of bridging questions. They say that these approaches are helping them to remember more of the work and to challenge their thinking. The work in pupils’ books supports this. 14–15 January 2020

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The school provides good support and care for pupils with SEND. They can study all subjects and access the whole curriculum. Pupils value this, but they could achieve better. Staff receive training and information on how to meet pupils’ needs in the classroom. However, leaders do not check to see if staff are using the guidance and information well. As a result, some teachers do not make sure that learning tasks are appropriate to the pupils’ ability and needs.

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Pupils receive high-quality pastoral care and support. Staff in the inclusion team are highly effective in helping pupils manage their emotions. Sometimes a small number of pupils find it difficult to manage their behaviour. Staff in the inclusion team are highly skilled in helping pupils with this. As a result, the number of repeat fixed-term exclusions is falling.

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Leaders monitor the attendance of pupils in school and in alternative provision well. Consequently, some pupils have improved their attendance from low starting points. However, attendance overall remains low. This is particularly so for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Persistent absence is high. This is hindering pupils’ progress.

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Students in the sixth form speak positively about the school. They say that teachers are ambitious for what they can achieve. Students are highly motivated to do well and take responsibility for their learning. As a result, most achieve well. For example, in art, students talk confidently about their work and how they are going to improve it. In sociology, students take part in healthy debate about current affairs and show a good level of understanding.

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Leaders take care of their staff. All staff say that they are proud to work at the school. They say that they are well supported by leaders.

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The trust supports the school well. For example, it has added capacity to the leadership team with the secondment of a deputy headteacher from the trust central team. The setting up of the project board has provided additional support to governors. For instance, the project board has provided training for governors on the school’s priorities. As a result, governors’ minutes show governors challenging leaders on issues such as the impact of inclusion on the progress of disadvantaged pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is a strength of the school. The designated safeguarding lead is highly effective. The risks pupils face in the local area are identified well as a result of effective links the school has with the police. Staff receive specific training on this. Pupils learn about this in assemblies and in lessons. As a result, pupils say that they feel safe.

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Safeguarding

Staff know pupils well and take their concerns seriously. They quickly report any concerns, confident in the knowledge that leaders will deal with them effectively. 14–15 January 2020

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Records are detailed and well organised. Adults who work at or visit the school are appropriately checked.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school provides effective care and support for pupils with SEND. However, their learning and academic outcomes could be better. Although leaders ensure that staff receive appropriate information about individual pupils’ needs and training in some aspects of SEND provision, they do not routinely check and review how well this information or training is being used. Leaders need to regularly monitor and evaluate how well the needs of pupils with SEND are being met, so that they achieve their full potential.  Leaders monitor pupils’ attendance well in school and in alternative provision. They use a range of strategies to improve attendance. For some individual pupils with particularly low starting points, this is beginning to have an impact. However, attendance overall is low and persistent absence remains high. This negatively affects the learning of those pupils who are frequently absent. Leaders need to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

work with parents and carers to improve the attendance of pupils who are regularly absent from school so that they are in school, learning well and making better progress.

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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 are the provider and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 14–15 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10122427 Type of school Secondary

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sixth form

Chair of governing body Sarah Beadsworth

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Baxter College converted to become an academy on 1 February 2017. When its predecessor school, also known as Baxter College, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate.  The principal was appointed in January 2018.  The school currently uses alternative provision for 16 pupils on a full-time or part- time basis. The providers used are Abberley Care Farm, ContinU Plus Academy, Crowsmill Craft Centre and the MET (Medical Education Team).

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the principal, other senior leaders, members of the local governing body, including the chair, the chief executive officer, a director, the chair of the 14–15 January 2020

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project board, the business manager and the principal’s personal assistant. An inspector visited an alternative provider used by the school.  The inspection focused on English, mathematics, physical education, history and art. We met with curriculum area leaders and teachers. We visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work. We talked to pupils about their learning.  An inspector checked the single central record and the procedures for the recruitment of staff. An inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and checked pupils’ records.  We reviewed the 39 responses from staff and the 132 responses to one of the school’s pupil questionnaires. We also considered the 57 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View survey, including the 35 free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Lesley Yates, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Steve Byatt Ofsted Inspector 14–15 January 2020

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regulates and inspects 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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