Stradbroke

Inspection of Stradbroke c/o TulipCare, 19-20 Bourne Court, Southend Road, Woodford Green, Essex IG8 8HD

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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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’ personal development and their well-being are at the heart of everything that happens at Stradbroke. Pupils develop trusting and positive relationships with staff. Pupils feel safe and happy in school. This is because they know that staff care about them and sort out any problems sensitively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told us that bullying is not tolerated and that it hardly ever happens. Staff know and understand the circumstances of each pupil. They set clear expectations for behaviour and learning. Pupils respond to these well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils join Stradbroke after very difficult past experiences. Staff foster pupils’ strengths and listen to their hopes and ambitions for the future. Over time, pupils learn to value themselves and engage in purposeful learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders make sure that pupils learn a range of subjects. Staff support older pupils to embark on accredited courses and work experience placements. However, the curriculum is developing. Leaders have not thought about each subject in enough detail to gain a secure picture of what they want pupils to learn and when. Some subjects are not planned or delivered well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personalised plans do not include all aspects of their learning and pastoral development. Their targets are not specific enough. Staff work together well to support pupils. However, pupils’ end goals are not clearly defined. Their goals are not understood by everyone concerned with their education.

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better?

All staff share the proprietor’s vision and aims. Everybody wants the very best for each pupil. Staff know pupils well. The small class sizes help staff to tailor activities to pupils’ interests. Staff meet every day to discuss pupils’ learning. They review how pupils have managed academically and emotionally.

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better?

Pupils learn a broad range of subjects. However, lessons are not planned consistently well. Staff are not always clear about what pupils need to learn and when. There are some gaps in subject plans. In physical education, for example, weekly sessions at the gym or swimming pool are not part of a well-planned programme which develops pupils’ skills over time. Lessons in history are not carefully sequenced in order to build on what pupils already know.

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better?

In some subjects, staff do not have a secure knowledge and understanding of what they are required to teach. This affects how well they plan and deliver lessons. Leaders do not have effective strategies to check the quality of education.

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better?

When pupils first arrive, staff try to find out as much as they can about what pupils already know and can do. But teachers do not follow up this initial fact finding well 25–27 February 2020

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enough to check pupils’ achievements. The use of assessment is variable. Although the work that pupils complete is age appropriate, staff do not use assessment well enough to find out where the gaps are in pupils’ learning or plan appropriate next steps for pupils.

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All this affects pupils’ learning and their ability to know more and remember more in the different subjects taught.

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Younger pupils read with enthusiasm. They enjoy sharing stories with staff and reading aloud. They particularly like changing their voices for different characters. Although pupils access a good range of texts, some pupils need a more carefully planned reading programme.

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Pupils begin to take pride in their work. They show great determination to write neatly, for example. In computing, pupils were eager to use the best possible formatting in their online presentations.

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Leaders, including the proprietor, want to continually improve the school. However, improvement plans do not focus well enough on the quality of education. The proprietor uses support from external consultants. It is too early to see the impact of this work, particularly on pupils’ learning. Leaders’ school improvement plans are not clear about what needs to improve and by when. The way in which staff work with other professionals, including therapists and carers, is strong. But this work does not always come together well enough to set pupils ambitious and measurable targets.

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Pupils behave well and show respect to each other. Older pupils offer gentle reminders to younger ones, carefully showing them the way. When pupils struggle to focus, staff use effective strategies to get them back on track. Over their time at the school, pupils’ attendance improves.

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Staff make sure that pupils learn about healthy lifestyles, including friendships and relationships. Through enrichment days and lessons, pupils learn about the world around them. They discuss national and international news, for example. Leaders plan visits to places of worship to help pupils to understand different faiths.

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Pupils learn about issues such as homelessness. Pupils come up with imaginative ways of fundraising to help those who are in need. For example, pupils want to hold a summer sale and offer a local dog-walking service. Staff support pupils’ wider development well. For example, they help older pupils to open a bank account for the first time. Other pupils learn how to budget their pocket money. Staff help pupils to travel independently when out and about.

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The proprietor ensures that the school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. Staff told us that they feel well supported by leaders. They said their workloads are manageable and that leaders consider their personal well-being. 25–27 February 2020

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn in a positive and safe environment. Staff understand the latest safeguarding legislation. They know how to report concerns about a pupil’s welfare. Staff use daily ‘handover meetings’ effectively in order to keep up to date with pupils’ circumstances and their emotional well-being. Staff support pupils to learn how to keep themselves safe. Pupils explore all aspects of safety in age-appropriate activities and workshops. For example, pupils learn about the potential dangers of social media. Older pupils learn about consent and healthy relationships.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Pupils’ individual targets are not always specific enough. Often, they do not reflect or incorporate the full breadth of pupils’ academic and pastoral development. Furthermore, the work of other professionals, such as therapists and carers, is not always clearly defined in pupils’ targets. Leaders should ensure that target-setting procedures improve so that pupils’ targets reflect their all-round development, with suitably challenging end goals. These should be shared with all staff so that everyone has a clear understanding and can help each other in meeting pupils’ needs.  The independent school standards that are not met relate to the quality of education provided. Although schemes of work and plans are in place for the different subjects taught, leaders need to put more thought into how these plans are sequenced and delivered. Some subjects are not planned or taught consistently well. Leaders have not developed a secure approach to checking

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

pupils’ achievements in each subject. Leaders should ensure that staff have training to improve their subject knowledge, expertise and their use of assessment across the curriculum.  Leaders’ plans for improvement are weak. Leaders do not evaluate the quality of education well enough. They should sharpen their plans so that these set out clearly what needs to improve, with clear criteria and milestones by which to measure their success.

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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 136244 DfE registration number 317/6080

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School details

Inspection number 10048718 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Headteacher Mandy Quinn (head of education)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 30 June 2015

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Information about this school

 Stradbroke started to admit pupils in September 2019 following a period of closure. Between July 2017 and September 2019, the school underwent significant maintenance repairs. During this time, there were no pupils on roll. The school’s most recent inspection was a full standard inspection in June 2015, where the overall effectiveness was judged as good.  Since the previous inspection, a new head of education has been appointed. She took up her post in October 2019.  Stradbroke caters for girls with social, emotional and mental health needs. The proprietor also manages a children’s home which is linked to the school.  The school does not make use of alternative provision. 25–27 February 2020

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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 has failed to meet the independent school standards. These are the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the proprietor, head of education and other staff. We spoke with representatives of the local authorities which place pupils in the school.  We did deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, physical education and personal, social, health and economic education. We discussed these subjects with staff, looked at pupils’ work, visited lessons and spoke with pupils.  We checked the single central record of staff suitability. We held meetings with the designated safeguarding leaders and looked at pupils’ records. We spoke with staff about their safeguarding training.  We toured the premises and looked at a range of documentation to check the school’s compliance with the independent school standards.  We observed social times and joined pupils for lunch.

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Inspection team

Gary Rawlings, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sue Cox Ofsted Inspector 25–27 February 2020

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school– – 3(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time; – 3(e) demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being taught; – 3(g) demonstrates that a framework is in place to assess pupils’ work regularly and thoroughly and use information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school– – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently. 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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