Hospital and Home Education PRU

Inspection of Hospital and Home Education PRU Sherwood Education Centre, Perry Road, Nottingham, NG5 3AE

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 5 and 6 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

This rapidly improving and unique school has four separate sites. It does not matter which site the pupils are at. They get a good deal at each. Pupils are happy to attend. They say they feel safe. They enjoy the chance to re-engage with their learning. Pupils know that they can gain appropriate qualifications here. As one pupil at the Lookout site said, ‘Coming here has enabled me to be me again.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for every pupil. This is regardless of their background or any additional needs they may have. Pupils achieve well. They concentrate and join in with lessons. They work hard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Clear routines help pupils to behave well. Pupils say there is no bullying. There are many adults to help support pupils with their learning and their everyday lives. This care and help are a real strength. A pupil at the Sherwood site said, ‘The staff do so much more than education. They don’t expect anything in return.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents have positive views about the school. A parent of a pupil at the hospital site said, ‘The staff are so supportive, understanding and always flexible with learning. We feel very fortunate to have them.’

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better?

Staff treat each pupil as an individual. The curriculum that each pupil studies is tailored for them. This includes students in the sixth form. Staff are skilled in recognising the knowledge and skills that each pupil needs to learn and when they need to learn them. At the Nottingham Education Sanctuary Team (NEST), for example, a great deal of time is spent on pupils learning new words. This is because some pupils speak English as an additional language. Pupils here enjoy building on their mathematical knowledge of angles, by learning how to use a protractor. Pupils then use this skill to deepen their understanding of pie charts. Pupils are progressing well through the mathematics curriculum.

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better?

Specialist teachers have good subject knowledge. At the Sherwood site, for example, pupils deepen their knowledge and skills when conducting simple experiments. They know how to conduct a fair test by keeping some aspects of the test the same. In English, pupils at this site show a good understanding of different themes in a story, such as ‘prophecy’ and ‘capitalism’. Pupils build their knowledge well over time well in both of these subjects.

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better?

Teachers assess pupils in different ways. It does not take up too much time. There are some tests taken at the end of a unit or topic. Teachers also use ‘recall questions’. These help pupils to remember content they learned more recently. This is helping them to know and remember more. 5 and 6 October 2021

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Reading is a priority across the school. Staff in the early years at the hospital site are skilled in teaching children phonics. The available reading books match the phonic sounds the children are learning. Across the other sites there is a good selection of books for pupils to choose. Audio books are used successfully for the pupils who need them. Graphic novels are used well to support pupils who need them to understand more difficult texts, including ‘An Inspector Calls’ and ‘Macbeth’. These approaches are encouraging pupils to read for enjoyment. This work is also successful in ensuring that pupils can access the rest of the curriculum, including those who speak English as an additional language.

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Pupils’ behaviour is good. They have a very positive attitude to school and to their education. Pupils are keen to learn and want to do well. They listen carefully to staff and follow their instructions. Low-level disruption is extremely rare. Attendance is good, especially when compared to pupils’ previous school or setting. Some pupils have previously been out of education for over a year. These pupils are now attending much more frequently.

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The curriculum to support pupils’ personal development is well thought out. There are opportunities for pupils to learn about different faiths and cultures. Pupils learn how to keep healthy and how to stay safe when online. Pupils can debate and discuss different topics, such as gender identity and the recent Paralympics. Pupils are being well prepared for life in modern Britain. Leaders have developed an appropriate careers programme using recognised benchmarks. Pupils receive independent careers advice. They can attend work experience placements. This includes students in the sixth form. The careers programme meets the requirements of the Baker Clause, which requires schools to provide students in Years 8 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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The headteacher and other senior leaders have ensured that the four sites now operate as one school. Staff confirmed this view. For example, staff now work across the different sites and experience training together. Staff say that leaders are mindful of their workload. One teacher said, ‘I have never worked in a school where I have felt so supported.’

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As the school has grown, some leaders have taken on extra roles and responsibilities. Some of these roles are not clearly defined. Some leaders are too stretched in fulfilling their responsibilities. They do not always have enough time to complete these roles as well as they could.

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As a group, members of the governing body have a good mix of skills and experience. They carry out their statutory duties. They ask appropriate questions during meetings. Until recently, they have been unable to visit the school as much as they would like. They have relied on the headteacher to provide them with information. They have not found out enough information for themselves.

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The school has benefited from the local authority’s support. This has involved staff training and the introduction of whole-school systems, like staff appraisal. 5 and 6 October 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff are well trained. They are knowledgeable about issues such as female genital mutilation and the ‘Prevent’ duty, for example. Staff are vigilant of the potential signs of abuse. They know the procedures to follow should there be any concerns about pupils’ welfare or about the actions of adults towards pupils. Leaders ensure that detailed safeguarding records are kept. They ensure that pupils and their families who require extra help get it promptly. The safeguarding policy contains up-to-date statutory guidance on the dangers of peer-on-peer abuse and harmful sexual behaviours.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has grown rapidly in a short space of time. Some leaders now have various new roles that bring with them increased responsibilities. For some, their roles and responsibilities are not clearly defined. As a result, some leaders do not always have enough time to fulfil their responsibilities as well as they could. The governing body should ensure that leaders are clear as to what their new roles and responsibilities are and that they receive appropriate training and the time to carry out these duties effectively.  As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the governing body have not been able to find out enough for themselves about the work of the school. As a result, they have become too reliant on the information that the headteacher provides them about the quality of the provision. Members of the governing body should ensure that they are able to gather information about the school for

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

themselves, so that they can hold leaders fully to account.

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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 school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 5 and 6 October 2021

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In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 5 and 6 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200029 Type of school Pupil referral unit

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 8 (96 pupils are dual registered)

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 4 January 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has four sites: the Children’s Hospital School based at the Queen’s Medical Centre, The Lookout Education Centre, the Sherwood Education Centre and the NEST. All four sites are located in Nottingham.  The Lookout Education Centre opened in Easter 2018, the Sherwood Education Centre opened in Easter 2019 and the NEST joined the school in Easter 2021.  The Children’s Hospital School serves all paediatric wards in the 150+ bed children’s hospital.  The Lookout Education Centre is a 32-bed inpatient facility. It is for pupils aged 12 to 18 who are experiencing mental health difficulties such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and anorexia. 5 and 6 October 2021

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 The Sherwood Education Centre is a small group provision for pupils in Years 7 to 11. Pupils are medically unfit to attend their own schools, mainly due to social, emotional and mental health difficulties.  The NEST is a full-time 50-place provision for asylum seeker and refugee young people, aged 15 to 19.  The number of dual registered pupils can change every day. Pupils are dual registered with the school and their ‘home’ school.  Pupils attend from a variety of local authorities. Some pupils have an education, health and care plan.  Since the previous inspection, the headteacher and three assistant headteachers have taken up their roles.  The school uses the services of Nottingham College as a registered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors held various meetings with the headteacher, assistant headteachers, senior leaders, three members of the governing body including the chair, and two representatives from the Nottingham Schools Trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into individual pupils’ curriculum in each of the four sites. Inspectors looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about the learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  In order to inspect safeguarding, an inspector checked the single central record. Checks were made on staff training and their knowledge of the school’s safeguarding procedures. Safeguarding records were scrutinised.  There were 38 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire, one staff email

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Information about this inspection

response, three responses to Ofsted’s parent free-text service and four parental email responses that were taken into consideration.

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Inspection team

Peter Stonier, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Karen Hayes Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 October 2021

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regulates and inspects 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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