Nightingale House School

Inspection of Nightingale House School c/o Bridge House, 1 Stuart Road, Bredbury SK6 2SR

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Inadequate Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who attend Nightingale House School are very well cared for. They feel safe. Staff at the school work hard to ensure that pupils are safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high aspirations and expectations for pupils. They help pupils to quickly improve their behaviour and language. During the inspection, pupils demonstrated self-control in regulating their language. Pupils receive praise when they make these positive changes. There is no bullying. Any minor disagreements are resolved rapidly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff help pupils to realise the importance of education. Pupils quickly re-engage with learning. Teachers work hard to provide an ambitious and relevant curriculum. This is not yet fully planned in some subjects. Teachers cannot always support pupils’ learning well enough as they need further subject knowledge training. The school has trialled a thematic approach to learning and pupils enjoy this. It helps them to recall what they have learned over time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development is a strength. Trained clinical psychologists and other specialists provide therapy. This is combined with high-quality personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE). This helps pupils learn about healthy lifestyles and build their self-esteem. Pupils learn about British values. They recently discussed International Women’s Day. They are clear in their views about equal rights.

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better?

The headteacher has made some real improvements to the school. The school offers a broad and ambitious curriculum. Teachers are fully aware of pupils’ needs and the gaps in their previous learning. Careful thought is given to what they will teach. Staff have been trialling different ways to help pupils learn more and remember more. The thematic approach is working well. Pupils have, for example, learned about the Holocaust. They linked this with genocide in Rwanda. This led to work on culture and food in that country. Pupils have produced some impressive art as part of these projects.

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better?

However, the school has not fully developed the curriculum. Teachers sometimes teach a broad range of subjects. In some cases, they lack the subject knowledge to fully complete curriculum plans. It is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken that new schemes of work are being developed. In addition, leaders are providing training to build teachers’ subject expertise.

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better?

Teachers use assessment to find out what pupils already know and can do. All pupils have individual education plans. These help teachers to be aware of the unique needs of each pupil, including those with special educational needs. Teachers 11–12 March 2020

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encourage pupils to try new tasks, while trying to keep anxiety levels low. They build supportive relationships. As a result, where teaching is most effective, pupils achieve well. In mathematics, there is close attention to mathematical reasoning. This helps pupils to learn how to complete challenging calculations using negative numbers.

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Teachers place importance on developing pupils’ interest in reading for pleasure. Although some pupils are reluctant to read, they are starting to take books to read in their own time.

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Staff are keen to help pupils to become independent and resilient young adults. This is an aim of the three-part therapy programme in combination with PSHE activities. Pupils learn about healthy lifestyles, relationships and sex education. Pupils enjoy yoga, meeting visitors to the school, such as a local member of parliament, and going to a local farm. They are well prepared for the next stage of education. They receive good careers education and guidance.

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The first phase of therapy can be difficult for pupils. Opportunities for developing their talents and interests are limited. They do not get opportunities to fully engage with the community. The school acknowledges this. The headteacher has ideas about how to improve this situation, but these have not been applied.

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Leaders and staff recognise the importance of building pupils’ self-esteem, trust and confidence. They understand how to develop pupils’ resilience in new situations. They skilfully weave support within the curriculum. For example, they link work in science to the therapy programme.

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Pupils respond well to the school’s routines. They behave well and quickly develop positive attitudes to their education and therapy programme. The longer pupils are at the school, the better their behaviour is. Current pupils have high attendance and few behavioural incidents have been recorded.

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Staff are very positive and passionate about their work. They work with a wide range of other professionals. These include psychologists, social workers and speech and language therapists. Together they effectively help pupils who arrive at the school with damaged confidence and little self-esteem.

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The school premises are maintained to a high standard. Refurbishment following recent flooding has been completed to a high standard. Close attention has been paid to health and safety and to fire safety.

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The proprietor ensures that the school meets all the independent school standards. Leaders ensure that the school meets all statutory responsibilities. This includes schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. Care 4 Children has a clear oversight of the school’s work. It is committed to providing leaders with the resources to offer a good-quality education. The proprietor is passionate about the work of the school. A 11–12 March 2020

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central team contributes well to the school’s strategic direction. All the required policies are in place and available to parents and carers on request.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders carry out thorough checks to ensure the suitability of adults working at the school. Staff have the qualities needed to work with traumatised pupils.

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Safeguarding

Staff are very well trained and do everything possible to keep pupils safe. There is a very strong safeguarding culture.

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Safeguarding

Teachers help pupils to build their emotional resilience. Pupils also receive high- quality therapeutic care. This helps pupils to learn how to stay safe. The school also works with a wide range of other agencies and organisations. This makes sure that pupils get the help and support that they need.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Leaders have recently developed a new approach to the curriculum. Early signs are that this thematic approach is beginning to help pupils to remember their learning and build up their knowledge. This approach is not embedded across all subject areas. Leaders should check the success of this approach and continue their work to further develop the curriculum.  Teachers are responsible for teaching a wide range of subjects. However, there is little training to build teachers’ subject knowledge. This means that teachers do not have the subject knowledge in some subjects to provide pupils with sufficient curriculum depth. Consequently, the curriculum is weaker in some areas than others. The proprietor should ensure that teachers have access to better training to improve their subject and curriculum knowledge. This will further improve the quality of education pupils receive.  Pupils who are in the early stages of therapy do not have opportunities to explore

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

their interests and hobbies or stretch their talents. Pupils do not have meaningful opportunities to engage with the wider community. This means that pupils are isolated for a significant period of time. Leaders should ensure that during this phase of therapy, there are clearly constructed plans and opportunities for pupils to explore their interests and hobbies. They should ensure that these opportunities quickly get under way when pupils are ready to engage. 11–12 March 2020

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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 . 11–12 March 2020

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School details

Unique reference number 143841 DfE registration number 381/6019

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School details

Inspection number 10110724 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Proprietor Care 4 Children Residential Services Ltd

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19–20 June 2018

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Information about this school

 The school provides care for the education of vulnerable pupils who have previously been traumatised.  The school’s previous full standard inspection took place in June 2018, when it was judged to be inadequate.  The school is registered for up to four pupils between the ages of 11 and 18. There are currently no students in the sixth form. 11–12 March 2020

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 The curriculum is designed to restore pupils’ well-being and to prepare them for employability as adults. Pupils follow a three-phase programme that is aimed to provide a balance of education, therapy and care over an 18- to 24-month period.  Some pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).  The school does not use alternative provision.

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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

 We met with the headteacher and senior lead teacher.  We spoke to the director of education of Care 4 Children on the telephone. We also spoke to a social worker and clinician on the telephone.  We looked at policies for all aspects of the school’s work, including the curriculum, safeguarding, equalities and behaviour. We looked at the schemes of work used by the school to plan pupils’ learning.  We carried out deep dives in history, mathematics, science and PSHE. In these subjects, we visited some lessons and looked at pupils’ books. We talked with leaders, teachers and pupils.  We looked closely at the school’s systems for checking the suitability of staff and for admitting pupils. We talked to staff about their training, including training about how to keep pupils safe.  We considered the views that were received to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and pupils. There were no responses to Ofsted’s survey for parents.

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Inspection team

Steve Rogers, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Debbie Redshaw Senior Her Majesty’s Inspector 11–12 March 2020

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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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