Haskel School

Inspection of Haskel School 53 Bewick Road, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE8 4DR

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small school with a nurturing ethos. Staff are friendly and approachable. Pupils feel safe at this school and are kind to each other. They attend very well and are highly motivated by what they learn. Pupils are respectful and do not disrupt the learning of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who attend Haskel have a wide range of needs. They may have struggled to learn in their previous setting or may not have been attending school. Pupils are taught in small groups or on a one-to-one basis. When a pupil joins the school, leaders find out what that pupil can do and what helps them learn. Specialist subject teachers and therapists use this information to make a personalised pathway for each pupil. All staff implement these plans well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s mission is to help pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) excel in life. Leaders provide pupils with an ambitious curriculum. Pupils learn about the world around them and how to play an active part in society. Most subject plans are well sequenced and detailed. The long-term plan for mathematics needs further development as it does not make clear how key learning will be revisited.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents are extremely positive about the school. One parent said, ‘The support provided is excellent; we are so lucky to have found Haskel.’

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better?

In all subjects, teaching is well matched to the needs of each pupil. Teachers follow the interests of the pupils without losing sight of the purpose of the lesson. Teachers are quick to spot anything that pupils have misunderstood. Teachers correct pupils’ misunderstandings in a positive and supportive manner.

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better?

Most subject plans are well sequenced. In these plans, leaders describe essential learning in small steps. Teachers revisit these learning steps routinely. Pupils can remember what they have been taught. The long- and medium-term plans for mathematics do not show how pupils will revisit key learning. This is affecting what mathematics content pupils can recall and use.

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better?

Leaders are aware of the importance of teaching pupils to read. Pupils who are at the early stage of reading are taught phonics every day by well-qualified staff. All staff encourage a love of reading through tapping into pupils’ interests and guiding reading choices. Not all staff are trained in phonics. This is leading to some missed opportunities to reinforce phonics knowledge across the wider curriculum.

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better?

Leaders ensure that all pupils have access to recognised qualifications. They provide a wide range of qualifications, which reflects the needs of pupils. Pupils can study 5 to 7 October 2021 for unit-based credits or full GCSEs. Older students follow an employability course and take vocational awards at the local further education college.

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better?

Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and behave consistently well in school. Leaders expect staff to model calm and respectful behaviour. Staff know how to help pupils keep calm and feel safe. Staff manage pupils’ complex needs well. Pupils are happy at school and attend well. Attendance rates are consistently high and there is no persistent absence.

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better?

All pupils are offered enrichment activities. Opportunities for personal development are well structured and wide ranging, for example going to a farm to learn about animal care or to the seaside to experience the beach and try fishing. Pupils have been trampolining with the British Gymnastic Association. They have experienced the challenge of outdoor learning with Adventure Sunderland. Speakers visit the school to talk about different jobs and community roles. Staff help pupils discover talents and learn hobbies, for example in gardening and music. One parent said that school staff had ‘dug out what my child likes and given them something for life as a result’.

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better?

The proprietor has ensured there is a policy that explains what the school offers for personal, social and health education (PSHE). Senior leaders have consulted with parents on the relationships and sex education (RSE) policy. There are learning plans in place for RSE that meet statutory requirements. Topics covered in PSHE lessons help pupils to understand themselves and others. Pupils learn about different lifestyles, cultures and faiths.

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better?

Pupils run a school council and learn how to share their ideas. Leaders listen to pupils’ views and act on their suggestions. Most pupils spend time each week in a neighbouring mainstream school. This helps to build their resilience to working around more people. Pupils learn about careers and the world of work. Older pupils do work experience and vocational courses at the local college. Pupils get impartial careers advice from a specialist careers adviser.

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better?

The proprietor and governors know their school well. They have a powerful vision for the school, which shines through the school’s teaching and pastoral care. Leaders offer specialist support to mainstream schools. They have also established close links with local special schools to support staff’s continuing professional development.

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better?

Governors meet termly to monitor school leadership and outcomes for pupils. Senior staff keep governors fully informed through comprehensive reports.

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better?

Staff are trained in how to meet the emotional and academic needs of the pupils at the school. Staff know how to keep pupils safe and have a keen sense of their professional responsibilities. Staff are well supported by school leaders.

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better?

The proprietor and governors are aware of their duties under the Equality Act 2010. The school’s policies and processes promote inclusion and respect for all. The 5 to 7 October 2021 proprietor has ensured that the independent school standards are met consistently and effectively.

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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. The proprietor ensures that staff receive regular training in child protection and wider safeguarding. Staff know that pupils who have SEND need additional help and protection. The designated lead for safeguarding (DSL), her deputies and the safeguarding governor have received enhanced training in child protection. The DSL is quick to identify pupils who may need help from external agencies. She liaises tirelessly with the local authority to ensure that pupils get the help and protection they need. The proprietor ensures that the school is a safe place for pupils and staff. The building is well maintained, and safety equipment is routinely checked.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Leaders have ensured that most subjects have well-developed, sequential plans. However, in the long- and medium-term plans for mathematics, it is not clear how staff will revisit key concepts. This is affecting pupils’ consolidation of mathematical methods. School leaders should complete their review of planning in mathematics and ensure that all subjects have rigorous and well-sequenced plans.  Reading is prioritised by leaders and taught well by specialist staff. However, outside of phonics lessons, some staff miss opportunities to reinforce phonics knowledge. Leaders should review their training plans for staff so that more staff can support the teaching of reading across the wider curriculum.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 . 5 to 7 October 2021

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School details

Unique reference number 139807 DfE registration number 390/6001

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School details

Inspection number 10202201 Type of school Other independent Jewish special school

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £23,911 to £40,648

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 to 7 December 2017 5 to 7 October 2021

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Information about this school

 Haskel School provides specialist provision for boys and girls aged five to 19 years with a wide range of SEND, including speech, language and communication needs, autism and social, emotional and mental health needs. All pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The school moved to its current premises in 2015 following a material change application.  The word Haskel is Hebrew for intelligence. The proprietor uses this word as an acronym to represent the school’s mission of ‘Helping And Supporting Kids to Excel in Life’. The school aims ‘to provide education for children whose special educational needs cannot be met in a mainstream school, so that they can blossom into self-motivated productive members of British society in which their academic and social potential is developed’.  The proprietor is the Haskel Society, which is a registered charity. The chair of the proprietor board has not changed since the school opened in 2013. There is a

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Information about this school

governing body, which was established in October 2017.  The school provides support to other independent schools in the area.  Pupils from Haskel School may spend time in other independent schools in the area and the local college for further education.  The school does not have a website.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors 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

 This inspection was carried out with one day’s notice.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, including the DSL. We also met with a range of other staff. We held several meetings with the chair of the proprietor board and governors, including the chair of the governing body.  We undertook a tour of the school and visited the classrooms, therapy rooms and social areas. We checked the school buildings and grounds against the independent school standards.  We did deep dives into English including reading, mathematics, art and PSHE. The deep dive for each subject included a meeting with curriculum leaders and a re- view of subject documents and plans. The deep dive also involved lesson visits, meetings with pupils and scrutiny of pupils’ work.  We visited lessons of other subjects taught at the school and looked at pupils’ work from these subjects. 5 to 7 October 2021  We observed pupils’ behaviour around the school throughout the day, including

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Information about this inspection

breaktime and lunchtime and in lessons. We spoke with pupils and observed them reading to their teacher.  We scrutinised school documents and the arrangements to safeguard pupils. This included checking the school’s safeguarding systems and the single central rec- ord, meeting with the DSL and speaking with staff and pupils about safeguarding.  We had contact with parents through telephone calls and written comments sent in during the inspection. We looked at responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. We considered surveys completed by 32 staff. We circulated a link for pupils’ surveys but did not have any responses.  We sought the views of the local authority who commission places at the school.

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Inspection team

Patricia Head, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Michael Wardle Her Majesty’s Inspector 5 to 7 October 2021 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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