Compass Community School Essex

Inspection of Compass Community School Essex 274 Harwich Road, Little Clacton, Clacton on Sea, EssexCO16 9PY

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Inspection dates: 16 and 17 November 2021 and 22 to 24 February 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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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?

Pupils speak positively about their school. They have forged productive working relationships with staff. The close-knit family ethos is helping pupils to trust in education again. Pupils feel like they belong, and they want to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff care greatly about each pupil and support them well. Sometimes, pupils can have a difficult day with their behaviour, but they know how to get back on track and do so readily. Pupils talk candidly about their helpful experiences of support and therapy. They know what they need to do to improve their mental health and behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from effective wrap-around care. Pupils have access to a wide range of professional services. Bespoke programmes for supporting pupils are helping to remove barriers to education. Pupils secure their next steps in education, training or employment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe at school and know how to keep themselves safe, including when online. They trust adults to deal with any concerns. This includes bullying when it happens.

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better?

Since its opening, there have been several changes in headteacher and key staff at the school. In the last year, the proprietor quickly took action to stabilise staffing, appointing an experienced regional executive headteacher as interim headteacher to secure improvement. Systems are now more rigorous. The recording and reporting of key information, such as attendance, behaviour and bullying, is as it should be.

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better?

There is an ambitious curriculum in place which is flexible according to the needs of pupils. Pupils can sit GCSEs, vocational qualifications and undertake training for work placements. Leaders have ensured that subject specialists teach pupils.

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better?

Each pupil has a bespoke curriculum designed to meet their individual needs. The starting point for each curriculum is the pupil’s education, health and care plan (EHC plan) and includes their interests and future ambitions. For example, a few pupils attend alternative provision part time. They are enjoying success in trades such as bricklaying, painting and decorating. Staff work closely with therapists and other professionals to provide support and to inform adjustments to planning.

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better?

Reading is at the heart of each pupil’s curriculum. Pupils value and appreciate the importance of reading. They know it is the gateway to better education, but they also value it for enjoyment and relaxation. They enjoy opportunities during the day to read and to talk about the books they are reading. For those pupils who find reading more challenging, there are support programmes in places. This is helping pupils to gain more confidence to become better readers. 16 November 2021–24 February 2022 The curriculum in many subjects is coherently planned. In the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum, pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of key content over time. This includes developing an understanding of healthy relationships and sex education. There are regular opportunities to revisit key learning or to go into more depth on a topic that is helpful for the pupil and their needs. In this area of the curriculum, teachers precisely check what pupils

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better?

know and understand. This is not the case across all subjects. In a few subjects, teachers have not thought carefully enough about the key information pupils need to know and revisit so they get better at the subject.

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better?

The personal development programme is well considered. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain and independent living. Pupils learn about difference, diversity and respect. They learn money management, such as how to set a budget and how to monitor spending. Every week, pupils engage in community visits to put into practice what they have learned, such as shopping for groceries and then cooking for others. Pupils receive helpful careers guidance. They each have a careers action plan which helps them to progress towards their future ambitions.

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better?

Staff recently received beneficial training in techniques to de-escalate tense situations with behaviour. Most staff are using such techniques consistently and well. In a few cases, staff shy away from telling pupils when they are wrong and why. Leaders know this and provide additional support if necessary.

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better?

Staff who responded to the Ofsted staff survey are proud to be members of the school. Staff say that leaders are mindful of their workload and well-being.

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better?

The proprietor and the governors have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They provide appropriate support and challenge for leaders. They seek external views to help inform their conclusions of the effectiveness of the quality of the school’s work. This includes systematically checking that all the independent school standards are met. Governors make sure that the school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. All policies are readily available on request to parents and carers.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand exceptionally well their role in helping the most vulnerable pupils stay safe. They are sensitive to pupils’ past experiences and are vigilant. They notice very quickly any small signs of changes in behaviour and report this promptly. Leaders’ daily briefings with staff and all relevant professionals ensure that swift action can take place where need be.

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Safeguarding

Record-keeping and safeguarding processes and procedures, including safer recruitment, are robust. The proprietor and leaders ensure that the right people are employed to work at the school. 16 November 2021–24 February 2022

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In a few subjects, staff are not precisely identifying the gaps in pupils’ knowledge and choosing judiciously what pupils need to learn to get better at the subject. There can be a tendency to keep delivering material to get through the content of the prescribed curriculum for the examination rather than securing knowledge and understanding. This can lead to confusion for pupils, and it also makes it more difficult for them to build upon what they know and can do. Leaders need to train staff further so that teachers consistently check pupils’ knowledge and understanding, amending their planning of the curriculum accordingly.  Since opening, staffing has not been stable. There have been several leadership changes. This means that some of the improvements to systems are new. The proprietor needs to ensure stability in leadership and staffing so that the good quality of provision is sustained.

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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 . 16 November 2021–24 February 2022

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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £61,300 to £87,000

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School details

Email address bernie.gibson@compasscommunity.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected 16 November 2021–24 February 2022

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Information about this school

 The school was first registered on 31 January 2020. This is the first standard inspection of the school.  Due to mitigating circumstances, this inspection was conducted in two parts. Inspectors visited on site on 16 and 17 November 2021. The inspection was paused. The inspectors completed the inspection from 22 to 24 February 2022. The inspectors only inspected the education provision at this school.  The school caters for up to 12 pupils aged 11 to 17 years of age. Pupils are referred by the local authority, typically because they have been excluded from mainstream schools, special schools or pupil referral units. Most pupils have experienced significant disruption to their schooling.  Almost all pupils have an EHC plan relating to their social, emotional and mental health needs.  The school uses one provider of alternative provision which is unregistered.  The current regional executive headteacher has been managing the school since

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Information about this school

November 2021. The proprietor has recently appointed a new headteacher who started in January 2022 and is working alongside the executive headteacher during a period of handover.

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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 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

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the proprietor, leaders from Compass Community Ltd and representatives from the governing body. They also met the regional executive headteacher from the East Midlands region, the newly appointed headteacher, senior leaders and staff.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, science, history and PSHE. For each deep dive, inspectors spoke with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans and visited a sample of lessons. Inspectors spoke with teachers and pupils and looked at examples of pupils’ work. Inspectors looked at work from a range of other subjects, including mathematics and art. 16 November 2021–24 February 2022  One inspector made a telephone call to the manager at the alternative provision.  Inspectors spoke with staff and pupils informally about different aspects of school life.  Inspectors toured the premises to review the suitability of accommodation.

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Information about this inspection

 To check the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors checked the single central record of pre-appointment checks, looked at safeguarding records and spoke with staff.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff and those for Ofsted’s survey for pupils. There were too few responses to Ofsted Parent View for results to be available. Any parental comments were evaluated.

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Inspection team

Liz Smith, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kim Pigram Her Majesty’s Inspector 16 November 2021–24 February 2022 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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