TLG Hull

Inspection of TLG Hull School Street, Hull HU1 3SR

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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 Not previously inspected

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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?

The school has had its ups and downs since opening. Changes to leadership and staffing, in addition to the difficulties of COVID-19, have made it harder for the school’s leaders and the proprietor body to improve and promote the school. The number of pupils attending the school continues to be low. Pupils receive a lot of one-to-one support with learning. Staff know pupils well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

On starting the school, pupils’ attendance swiftly improves. While pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning also improve, there is some way to go to ensure lessons are calm and purposeful places to learn. Pupils frequently swear in class. They are unconcerned that staff are present. Pupils demonstrate a lack of tolerance from time to time. Staff do not put up with this type of behaviour. They consistently challenge pupils and, in conversation, try to help pupils reflect on the error of their ways.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand how to stay safe online. They can describe the steps they should take to keep personal information to themselves. Pupils say they are comfortable sharing a worry or concern with staff. They state that staff take safeguarding matters seriously.

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better?

The interim headteacher is experienced and understands well the unique demands of working in a school like TLG Hull. Since starting in September 2021, he has worked closely with the proprietor body to help new pupils re-engage in education and steady the ship following several staffing issues.

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better?

Pupils join the school at different times of the year, from several schools and with varying levels of understanding across the curriculum. To support staff, the proprietor body’s leaders have created and introduced curriculum plans and teaching resources that have been used across several schools in the organisation. This does, to some extent, make it easier for staff to teach subjects that fall outside of their specialism. However, curriculum plans do not highlight clearly what knowledge pupils should know in detail before they move on to something new. Plans do not build opportunities for pupils to revisit previous content into learning.

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better?

Staff sometimes adapt curriculum and lesson plans to try and meet the needs of each pupil. Levels of success in this regard vary. In history, pupils’ workbooks highlight that, over a period of weeks, pupils’ learning flits between women in the 16 th Century, Japan and World War II, castles and Christmas. Pupils’ understanding is not as strong as it could be. They rarely get to explore an idea or concept in depth before moving on to something new. Often, pupils’ subsequent work is unrelated to what has gone before.

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better?

Leaders share the information from pupils’ education, health and care plans with staff. Documentation provided to staff to support their planning is precise. However, staff do not use this information well to meet the needs of pupils with special 8 to 10 December 2021 educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In some instances, pupils are not provided with the learning aids or technology they require to be able to participate in lessons and be successful. This contributes to declining standards of behaviour as lessons progress.

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better?

Leaders, staff and the proprietor body appreciate the importance of reading fluency and comprehension. To this end, they have invested heavily in a wide range of reading materials. Pupils now have more opportunities to read. Staff regularly read to pupils, using class texts such as ‘The Outsiders’ by S. E. Hinton as a stimulus for wider discussions and teaching opportunities. However, some pupils need more help to read with fluency and increasing confidence. The resources and text pupils are asked to read can often be too hard for them.

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better?

Building pupils' self-esteem and self-confidence is a central feature across the school day. Staff frequently use the school’s rewards policy and involve pupils in periods of reflection before they leave for home. While current pupils have not participated in activities to help them understand the world of work, leaders have plans to hold a ‘careers week’ in the coming months. Some pupils have been supported well and have moved on to appropriate post-16 employment and training. However, at this stage, the school’s leaders and proprietor body have few coordinated plans or strategies in place to provide pupils with high-quality careers advice and guidance.

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better?

The proprietor body and leaders generally use established monitoring and reporting procedures to good effect to help them evaluate some of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. For example, the proprietor body’s leaders meet virtually, and in person, with the headteacher to review ‘personal success plans’ for staff and respond to the agreed actions from curriculum leader visits. Leaders have consulted with parents regarding the school’s approach to teaching relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education. The RSE and Health Education policy can be found on the school’s website. There has been a delay in the implementation of the policy and RSE lessons due to staffing issues. Pupils have a limited understanding of some important values, including democracy, liberty and tolerance.

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better?

Staff new to teaching and new to the school receive a comprehensive induction programme. Prior to taking up post, they visit other TLG schools and meet with more experienced staff. Leaders from the proprietor body provide staff with an array of training opportunities. Current staff understand in detail the school’s safeguarding procedures and where to turn if they need support with their mental health and well-being. Staff morale is high. There are regular opportunities for staff to meet, pray together or reflect on their own. The small size of the school means staff and leaders talk to each other often, including discussions about aspects of their work that may be causing additional stress or anxiety. In this way, measures are taken swiftly should staff require additional support or assistance. 8 to 10 December 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders from the school and proprietor body ensure safeguarding and pupils’ welfare are at the heart of all they do. Staff have a strong understanding of the additional vulnerabilities of pupils. Staff are alert to pupils’ conversations and passing comments. They pick up on content that may suggest a pupil requires additional support. Similarly, if, during more formal conversations, it becomes apparent that a pupil needs professional support, leaders are swift to make referrals to external organisations.

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Safeguarding

Each Wednesday, when pupils are not in school, staff and leaders share recent safeguarding guidance and emerging risks, including ‘chicken shop grooming’ and ‘county lines’ drug exploitation. Staff then ensure pupils are provided with advice and guidance to raise their awareness of local risks.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Curriculum plans do not identify well enough the substantive and disciplinary knowledge pupils should learn. There are few opportunities in plans and lessons for pupils to deepen their understanding. Staff do not currently have the experience or skills to adapt plans to meet the needs of pupils, including those with SEND. This, and the time pupils have been out of the classroom in recent years, contributes to pupils’ limited knowledge and understanding of a range of basic principles and ideas across several subjects. Leaders and the proprietor body must ensure the curriculum is broad, appropriately sequenced and provides pupils with opportunities to revisit their learning and deepen their understanding. Leaders and the proprietor body must also equip staff with the knowledge, skills and resources to develop and adapt the curriculum so that it is coherently sequenced and meets all pupils’ needs, starting points and aspirations.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Leaders and the proprietor body are starting to raise the profile of reading across the school. Recent investment in reading materials is supporting leaders’ efforts in this regard. However, there are no established systems or programmes to improve pupils’ reading fluency. The behaviour of some pupils is not as strong as it could be, often because they find reading materials too difficult to read. Some pupils need specific and regular support to become more confident readers. Leaders and the proprietor body must ensure that the weakest readers get the support they need to read with fluency, confidence and comprehension.  Pupils’ behaviour is poor. They regularly speak out of turn, swear and need frequent ‘time-outs’ during lessons. Staff challenge pupils’ poor behaviour consistently but with varying success. Lessons are regularly disrupted. Leaders, staff and the proprietor body must ensure the school’s behaviour policy is

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

consistently applied, improving pupils’ behaviour over time. 8 to 10 December 2021  The quality of careers information, education, advice and guidance requires improvement. There are limited opportunities for pupils to access unbiased information about potential next steps or explore the world of work. Pupils’ understanding of their next steps in employment, education or training is thin on the ground. Leaders and the proprietor body must ensure the personal development curriculum includes high-quality careers education that is relevant to local and regional employment and training priorities as well as pupils’ aspirations.

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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 . 8 to 10 December 2021

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School details

Unique reference number 147791 DfE registration number 810/6007

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School details

Local authority Kingston Upon Hull City Council

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School details

Inspection number 10202204 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Proprietor TLG - Transforming Lives for Good

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School details

Headteacher Gavin Budby (Interim Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected 8 to 10 December 2021

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Information about this school

◼ The school is part of the TLG (Transforming Lives for Good) group of schools and aims to meet the needs of a small number of pupils aged 11 to 16 years, most of whom have been excluded from other schools, or are at risk of permanent exclusion. ◼ The school has a Christian ethos. ◼ The school admits pupils referred by several local authorities and schools. ◼ An interim headteacher took up post in September 2021. ◼ The school has its own specialist teaching and support rooms that are separate to an adjoining church. ◼ Pupils join the school at different times of the year. Currently, pupils on the school’s roll are in key stages 3 and 4. ◼ The school is registered to admit 12 pupils. At the time of the inspection, there were three pupils on the school’s roll. ◼ Pupils are dual-registered and attend TLG Hull for up to four days each week. When not at TLG Hull, pupils attend their mainstream school or are supported to

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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

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

 Inspectors met with the headteacher, proprietor, leaders belonging to the regional and national management teams, pupils and staff. Some meetings were held virtually. An inspector spoke on the telephone with leaders from the commissioning schools. An inspector also spoke on the telephone with some parents.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of evidence, including the school’s planning documents and policies, behaviour and attendance records, safeguarding files, and checks on staff recruitment.  An inspector toured the premises and looked at a range of documentation to check the school’s compliance with the independent school standards.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons in English, mathematics, science and personal, social, health and economic education. Inspectors also scrutinised pupils’ books and other kinds of work produced by pupils who were part of the 8 to 10 December 2021 classes visited. Inspectors held discussions with teachers and staff from the

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Inspection team

Lee Elliott, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Michele Costello Her Majesty's Inspector 8 to 10 December 2021

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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(d) shows a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and ensures that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons;

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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. 8 to 10 December 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

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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