IMPACT

Inspection of a good school: IMPACT Daleacre Campus, Daleacre Drive, Bootle, Liverpool, Merseyside L30 2QQ

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Outcome

IMPACT continues to be a good school. However, inspectors have some concerns that standards may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The pupils that we spoke to told us how the school has helped them to believe in themselves again. They clearly explained their hopes and ambitions for their future. Pupils said to us that the friendly relationships they have with staff make them feel valued. They said that staff never give up on them. This support, along with high expectations, has helped pupils to improve their learning and behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They say that their children are getting the right help. They said that staff understand them and help them with a range of problems. They feel listened to, supported and could not praise the staff enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. They said that they have staff they can go to if they have any worries or problems and that the staff ‘give us the help we need’. They said that when there are disagreements between pupils, staff help to resolve them. Pupils and parents agreed that pupils learn to improve their behaviour and take responsibility for their actions. They also agreed there was very little bullying and that when it does happen it gets sorted very quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school and the headteacher are currently receiving full-time support from the local authority to lead and manage the school. The school is currently overly dependent on external support.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

There have been some recent turbulence and difficulties within the senior leadership team. This has resulted in vacant posts for the past term, which has stretched and challenged leaders’ capacity to manage the school well. The local authority has acted quickly to secure temporary leadership until the staffing situation can be stabilised. However, this unsettled situation is not allowing leaders to stand on their own two feet. It is stopping them from setting a clear direction for school improvement. 8–9 January 2020

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Most pupils who join the school have had a disrupted education. They often have gaps in their knowledge. The school’s ambitious curriculum is well designed so that pupils build their knowledge in a logical way. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to revisit learning and practise their skills, which allows them to catch up quickly.

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In English, leaders identified that the previous curriculum did not engage pupils effectively. As a result, some pupils did not achieve as well as they could have in their external English examinations last year. A new curriculum has now been implemented. A new leader for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education has recently been appointed and has also introduced a new curriculum. At the time of this inspection, it was too soon to see if these changes were having the intended impact in English and PSHE.

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The vast majority of pupils who arrive in school during key stage 3 move back into mainstream education before they start their key stage 4 studies. Those pupils who remain in key stage 4 have the opportunity to study a broad range of vocational and academic subjects. These include construction, sport and GCSEs in English, mathematics and science. Pupils in key stage 4 gain nationally recognised qualifications including GCSEs, BTEC National Diplomas and functional skills. Most pupils achieve well and progress onto college courses, training or employment.

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The inclusion of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Bronze Award into the school curriculum allows some pupils to develop their self-confidence and self-esteem. Pupils told us about how they had gained knowledge of map-reading and survival through camping expeditions. Pupils said that the school has given them opportunities that they would never have experienced before. Learning boxing skills has inspired some pupils to join a gym and take part in new sporting activities outside of school.

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The curriculum supports pupils’ wider development well. Pupils learn about the dangers of knife crime and gang culture. Pupils develop knowledge of healthy relationships and how to stay safe. They also learn how to maintain positive mental and physical health. Staff and pupils routinely encourage and remind each other about making the right choices.

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Pupils appreciate the school’s reward system. They told us that it helps them to make the right choices and to manage their behaviour better. Low-level disruption is not tolerated, and staff manage any disruptions quickly and quietly. Staff help pupils to understand the impact of their words and actions on other pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Systems and procedures are robust. Staff training is thorough and up to date. The governor with responsibility for safeguarding works closely with the school staff to share her professional expertise. Leaders make sure that all pupils who are educated off site with alternative providers are safe. They work closely with all providers to ensure that all safeguarding procedures are secure. 8–9 January 2020

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School staff work closely with external agencies including the local authority, police and youth offending team, to keep pupils safe from harm.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The headteacher has been dealing with a number of difficult staffing issues for some time. This has led to a reduction in the capacity of leadership within the school and required additional external support and guidance. Appropriate actions have been taken to begin to resolve the issues. Leaders, including governors, must strengthen the capacity of leadership and reduce its reliance on external support.  Subject leaders identified that the curriculum for English and PSHE were not as strong as they wanted them to be in helping pupils to engage in learning and achieve well. They have taken appropriate action to begin to resolve these issues. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum for English and PSHE is fully implemented across key stage 3 and key stage 4 to engage pupils further in learning, promote their knowledge and understanding of the subjects and ensure that pupils achieve the best possible

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Background

When we have judged a pupil referral unit to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged IMPACT to be good on 28–29 June 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 8–9 January 2020

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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. 8–9 January 2020

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28–29 June 2016

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Information about this school

 The school admits pupils who are out of mainstream education due to permanent exclusion. It also has a number of pupils on dual roll placements who attend for a short period of time before returning to their mainstream school.  The school uses 11 alternative providers. They are: Educ8; Cornerstones; Engage and Change; Rotunda; Pathways; Phoenix; CST; motiv8; Pro-vision; Prudentia; Triangle group.

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Information about this inspection

 We held discussions with the headteacher, teachers, other members of staff and members of the governing body including the chair. We also spoke with the local authority. These discussions considered the quality of education, the wider experiences of pupils at the school, aspects of pupils’ behaviour and leadership and management. An inspector met with a number of parents and took account of parents’ comments through letters and Ofsted Parent View.  In considering the quality of education, we concentrated on English, science and PSHE in depth. We discussed the arrangements for the curriculum and teaching with the headteacher, subject leaders and teachers. We visited lessons and talked with pupils 8–9 January 2020

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about what they had been learning. We looked at pupils’ exercise books and folders in these subjects. An inspector also visited three alternative providers, spoke with staff and pupils and looked at evidence of work.  We spoke to staff, governors, parents and pupils about how the school keeps pupils safe. We examined the single central record of the checks undertaken to make sure that staff are suitable to work in school. We reviewed the school’s safeguarding policy and looked at safeguarding records.  We also spoke to pupils, parents and staff about the wider curriculum, including the school’s work to enhance pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Inspection team

Julie Bather, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Linda Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 8–9 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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