Jubilee School

Inspection of Hillcrest Jubilee School 84–86 Jubilee Road, Waterlooville, Hampshire PO7 7RE

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe at this school. They know that staff will look after them well. As one pupil said, ‘Staff will always help me if I’m feeling down.’ Pupils usually get on well together and say that staff deal well with any unkind behaviour. Staff are committed to providing a nurturing environment for pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school community has experienced an unsettled period over the last year. Changes in headteacher and a number of staff leaving destabilised the school. During this time of turbulence, the management of pupils’ behaviour deteriorated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The acting headteacher has provided consistent leadership since October. Pupils’ behaviour has improved with this strong leadership. Outbursts associated with pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are decreasing in severity and frequency.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in the primary phase receive a varied curriculum and do well. Older pupils have suffered most from changes in staffing and have missed out on some specialist teaching. The quality of education in the secondary phase is beginning to improve as staffing has stabilised. Expectations for what pupils can achieve are on the up.

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better?

The governance arrangements for this school are not effective enough. Governors did not support or challenge school leaders well enough to stop the school’s decline. While the school has improved recently, there are no suitable overarching plans in place to develop the school further.

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better?

Despite difficulties, current leaders in the school have high ambition for pupils. They want to provide pupils with a varied curriculum that prepares them for their future lives. Struggles in recruitment and staff retention have hampered this aim.

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better?

Staff are reworking curriculum plans at key stages 3 and 4 to take into account any gaps that pupils have in their learning. In most subjects, leaders have designed series of lessons that build pupils’ knowledge and skills sequentially. Other subjects which have staffing shortages, such as science, are not developed well enough. Pupils at key stages 3 and 4 do not get enough time to study science and the sessions do not build on existing knowledge. The opportunity to develop scientific investigative skills are limited.

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better?

Pupils have the opportunity to follow certificated off-site vocational courses at key stage 4. These include hair and beauty, motor vehicle maintenance and animal care. Leaders have not provided enough on-site academic courses that lead to external accreditation. This has partly been because of decreased curriculum time in some subjects. 25–27 February 2020

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Teachers’ expectations for writing across the curriculum are too low. Pupils are not always expected to record their ideas in writing in all subjects, despite being able to do so in English lessons. As a result, pupils’ writing skills are not developed well enough across the curriculum.

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Pupils usually behave well in lessons. However, they have not all developed a thirst for learning yet. This is in part due to the difficulties the school has experienced in providing a rich curriculum with stable staffing. It is also because teaching does not always focus precisely on pupils’ next steps in learning.

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The quality of education in the primary phase is strong. A well-organised curriculum follows the subjects of the national curriculum closely. Teaching builds new learning upon previous knowledge and skills. A vibrant, welcoming environment is inspiring for pupils. They enjoy learning because their teachers make it interesting.

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Reading is a strength in this school, especially at primary phase. Pupils join the school with reading ages commensurate with their chronological age. Pupils receive extra help with early reading skills should they need it. Pupils read books that match their ability. Able readers have access to challenging texts such as Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit’. Cosy library corners in primary phase inspire pupils and they love to read. Secondary aged pupils read a variety of materials including newspapers, novels and extracts from books. There is less impetus to read across the curriculum for key stages 3 and 4 pupils.

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During this academic year there has not been enough emphasis on helping pupils prepare for their next steps after they leave the school. Staff are aware of this shortfall in pupils’ personal development. They have imminent plans for improvement so pupils receive more focused careers education.

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Pupils have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of extra-curricular activities. They participate in trips including visits to the historic dockyard in Portsmouth and a sustainability centre on the South Downs. Pupils are taken regularly to local swimming and sports centres. Pupils have participated in music shows and hosted an event for senior citizens. Leaders make sure that pupils develop personal skills and understand the world around them.

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In the past, leaders have not always dealt with parents’ complaints well enough. The complaints procedures have been strengthened recently and now meet requirements.

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The proprietor ensures that the independent school standards and equality duties are met. Leaders carry out effective health and safety assessments, including fire- regulation checks, regularly. 25–27 February 2020

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are safe at this school because staff members know them so well. Twice-daily meetings enable staff to talk about the well-being of pupils. Leaders make sure that staff receive regular training and updates on recent safeguarding matters. Safeguarding records are kept carefully to document the communication with professional partners. Leaders carry out all the required statutory checks when recruiting staff.

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Safeguarding

The first aid provision and procedures for giving medicines to pupils are thorough and robust.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Those responsible for governance should ensure that the leaders of the school are provided with effective support and challenge. Governors should ensure that leaders make suitable improvement plans. Governors should check that leaders’ plans to develop the quality of education result in intended improvements.  Leaders should continue to review the current curriculum to make sure that it provides appropriate time for subjects and sets out the skills and knowledge to be learned in a carefully sequenced way. By working out what should be taught, and when, in each subject staff can ensure that new learning builds on what pupils already know. This is particularly needed in science. Leaders should make sure that pupils have access to courses at key stage 4 which result in appropriate accreditation.  Teaching does not always meet pupils’ learning needs precisely enough. Leaders should ensure that information about pupils’ exact learning needs is shared with

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

teaching staff. This will allow teachers to make appropriate and effective plans to overcome pupils’ barriers to learning.  Pupils’ writing skills are not developed sufficiently well. Leaders should ensure that pupils’ writing skills are practised regularly across the curriculum.  Careers education needs to be strengthened, as planned, so that pupils are well prepared to make choices for their future lives.

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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. 25–27 February 2020

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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If you are the provider and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 25–27 February 2020

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School details

Unique reference number 135105 DfE registration number 850/6086

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School details

Inspection number 10134613 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Website www.hillcrestchildrensservices.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22–28 September 2017 25–27 February 2020

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Information about this school

 Hillcrest Jubilee School is an independent special school catering for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. Some pupils have additional associated SEND. All pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The school increased its registration to accommodate 40 pupils after a material change inspection in June 2019.  The school’s last standard inspection was in September 2017, when it was judged to be outstanding.  The headteacher in post at the time of the last standard inspection left the school in February 2019. The headteacher appointed to lead the school after this time left the school in September 2019. The deputy headteacher led the school as acting headteacher from October 2019 to January 2020. The new headteacher took up his role in the school in February 2020, two weeks prior to this inspection.  The school uses South Down College to deliver some of its key stage 4 vocational

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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 Department for Education commissioned Ofsted to carry out this standard inspection earlier in the cycle than previously planned. This was because there were concerns about safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  This inspection was carried out without notice.  Meetings were held with the chair of governors and a representative of the proprietor.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other leaders.  Inspectors conducted deep dives in these subjects: reading, personal development, art and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). After a meeting with subject leaders, lessons were visited and pupils’ work was scrutinised. Meetings were held with teachers to discuss pupils’ learning.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their learning and other aspects of the school.  Inspectors considered the responses from Ofsted’s online questionnaires completed by staff, parents and pupils. Telephone conversations were held with

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 Staff recruitment records and safeguarding documents were checked. Inspectors conducted discussions with teachers and pupils about keeping safe. The lead inspector held a meeting with the school’s designated safeguarding lead.  A range of school documents were scrutinised including curriculum plans and the school development plan. Inspectors reviewed the school website.

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Inspection team

Sue Child, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Janis Rogers Ofsted Inspector 25–27 February 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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