Cross Keys Learning

School material change inspection report

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Cross Keys Learning Suite 1 the Lead Centre, Dane Valley Road, St Peter’s, Broadstairs CT10 3JJ

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraph 2  Pupils currently in the school follow a suitably broad curriculum that meets their learning needs. This enables them to work towards achieving relevant qualifications by the end of Year 11.  Some pupils join the school during the latter part of key stage 4, after a period of disrupted or interrupted education. As such, they have a lot of missed learning to catch up on. Leaders’ plans to increase the school’s age range to 17 years would give these pupils an extra year to complete their GCSE studies. They would follow the existing key stage 4 curriculum, which meets the relevant independent school standards.  Leaders have given appropriate thought to the relevance of the existing personal, social and health education elements of the curriculum. They have identified where content would need to be adapted for pupils above compulsory school age, specifically

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Main inspection findings

in relation to careers information and guidance. Their plans to tailor work experience and advice about education, employment and training opportunities for older pupils are well considered.  The school is likely to meet the relevant parts of the independent school standards if the material change is implemented. Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraph 7  The proprietors and headteacher demonstrate a clear understanding of their safeguarding duties. The school’s safeguarding and child protection policy meets all requirements and is published on the school website. Leaders sensibly engage with local networks and experts from beyond the school to keep their knowledge current.  Ongoing face-to-face and online training ensures that staff are suitably knowledgeable about possible risks to pupils. Clear and rigorous systems are in place for reporting any concerns that may arise. Leaders have developed how they monitor incidents over

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Main inspection findings

time, so that any emerging patterns can be spotted and acted on quickly. Paragraph 11  The school’s health and safety policy is fit for purpose. It is published on the school website. It supports leaders’ work to support pupils’ health and well-being.  Leaders use helpful and rigorous processes to monitor health and safety in the school. They make routine checks on buildings and facilities, to ensure that they do not pose a risk to pupils. They seek advice from relevant experts, such as the health and safety executive, to satisfy themselves that they are being suitably vigilant. Paragraph 12  The proprietors continue to ensure that their duties around fire safety are met. The school has sufficient fire-fighting equipment, a working alarm system and clearly signposted evacuation routes. Equipment is checked annually by an external expert and routinely by school staff, with careful records kept. Leaders use practise drills to

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Main inspection findings

check that pupils and staff know what to do in the event of a fire. Paragraph 14  Leaders have appropriate arrangements in place for supervising pupils safely while on the school site. This includes when pupils are accessing the fenced outside space next to a building that is adjacent to the school. Published supervision rotas ensure that staff know who is responsible for supervising pupils at different points in the school day, starting with when they arrive on site. Leaders intend to recruit additional teaching and support staff in the event of being permitted to increase the number of pupils on the school role. Paragraph 16  Leaders give due regard to assessing risks associated with the school, as outlined in their risk assessment policy. They adopt a rigorous approach to identifying and reducing risks relating to the school site and off-site activities. They carry out detailed work to get to know pupils as part of their induction to the school. This helps adults in

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Main inspection findings

the school to understand and minimise risks that might link to pupils’ particular needs and vulnerabilities.  The relevant aspects of this part of the independent school standards are likely to be met if the material change is granted. Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors All paragraphs  Leaders have made all of the required checks on proprietors, leaders and adults working in the school. They demonstrate vigilance in their approach to vetting and recruiting staff, being alert to potential risks. Records of checks are kept meticulously on the single central register.  Additional staff will need to be appointed if the material change is granted. A teaching post currently being advertised promotes safer recruitment practices.  The school is likely to meet this part of the independent school standards if the material change is granted. Part 5. Premises of and accommodation at schools

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Main inspection findings

All paragraphs  The school’s accommodation is light, bright and fit for purpose. There is adequate space to accommodate the extra five pupils that leaders wish to add to the school roll. A member of staff contributes routinely to ensuring that the learning environment is safe and well looked after, through a programme of ongoing maintenance.  Pupils have access to appropriate toilet facilities, which are separate for boys and girls. This includes hand-washing facilities, with suitably hot and cold running water. These facilities would be sufficient in the event of the school roll increasing by the requested amount.  There is a space put aside for pupils in the event of them needing medical attention. This room is also used for meetings but has appropriate hand-washing facilities and access to a nearby toilet. A medical cabinet in the locked staff room is used to store pupils’ medication. Clear procedures are in place for administering this medication,

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Main inspection findings

with careful records kept.  Pupils have a safe space to spend time outside. They access suitable provision for physical education at a local venue on a weekly basis.  This part of the independent school standards is likely to be met if the material change is granted. Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34  The headteacher and proprietors are suitably knowledgeable about the independent school standards, which were all judged to be met when the school was last inspected. Their ongoing work to move forward from this point suggests that standards would continue to be met if the material change was granted.  Leaders are determined to provide the best possible education for the pupils served by the school. They describe a rigorous and appropriate response to the areas for improvement that were identified during the school’s most-recent standard independent school inspection in February 2019. The plans that they shared during

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Main inspection findings

this inspection demonstrate some of the work already done, and the careful consideration they have given to the implications of changing the school’s age range and number on roll.  School leaders know their pupils well. This enables them to plan carefully to meet pupils’ collective needs. They describe decisions that are made in pupils’ best interests, rather than those of the school.  The proprietors continue to be closely involved in the daily running of the school. They work closely with the headteacher and have clarified roles and responsibilities within this working partnership. This is helping to strengthen provision further. They are keen to seek more formal opportunities to gain external feedback on the school’s strengths and development priorities, to support their ongoing improvement work further.  This part of the independent school standards would be likely to be met if the material change was granted.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school is likely to meet the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that are relevant to the material change.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s likely compliance with the independent school standards relevant to the material change that the school has applied to make.

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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Proprietor Sharon Mount & Stephen Fuller

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School details

Email address enquiries@crosskeyslearning.com

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 26–28 February 2019

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recommendation

Age range of pupils 11 to 16 11 to 17 11 to 17

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recommendation

Number of pupils on the school roll 10 15 15

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Number of full-time pupils of compulsory school age 10 15 Number of part-time pupils 0 0

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities 10 15

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Of which, number of pupils with an education, health and care plan 10 15

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Of which, number of pupils paid for by a local authority with an education, health and care plan 10 15

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Number of full-time equivalent teaching staff 3 4

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Number of staff in the welfare provision 4 4

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Information about this school

 Pupils are referred to the school by the local authority. Pupils often join the school having had a period of absence from full-time education. Some have been permanently excluded from their previous school.  Most pupils at the school have an education, health and care plan, linked to their social, emotional and mental health needs. Some also have language and communication needs.  The school’s most recent inspection was a standard independent school inspection. This was the school’s first inspection and was carried out on 26–29 February 2019. It was judged to require improvement. All of the independent school standards were judged to be met at this inspection.  The school operates from a single site and does not use alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE) in response to a material change request from the proprietors. This request was for the school to be able to admit a further five pupils, increasing the school roll from 10 to 15 pupils.  The inspection was carried out with two days’ notice.  When leaders were given notice of this inspection, they asked for an additional material change to be considered. Their request was for the school’s age range to be extended so that pupils could stay on roll until the age of 17, instead of leaving at the age of 16. This request was notified retrospectively by school leaders to the DfE and considered as part of this material change inspection.  I met with the headteacher and both proprietors. We toured the school site together. I reviewed a range of relevant documents, including the school’s safeguarding, health and safety and risk assessment policies. I checked the school’s single central record of

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Information about this inspection

recruitment checks and the admissions register. I also scrutinised the school’s safeguarding, fire safety and maintenance records.

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Inspection team

Kathryn Moles, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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