Turnstone House School

Inspection of Turnstone House School Birtwick Park, Old Bungay Road, Kirby Cane, BUNGAY, Suffolk NR35 2HP

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Insufficient evidence 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?

Turnstone House is a secure, safe place where pupils rebuild their lives. Pupils join the school after a heavily disrupted previous education. Some have experienced significant trauma. Pupils’ well-being is ably provided for through adults’ expert support. Pupils learn to trust the adults responsible for their education and care. Pupils say they feel safe, including from bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make significant strides in managing their own behaviour and emotions in their time at the school. Skilled staff teach and support pupils to behave well. Adults spot and react quickly when pupils struggle with their emotions. Pupils make positive behaviour choices. They are polite. Relationships between pupils and staff are very productive and constructive. This creates a strong foundation for pupils to learn and thrive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn in well-resourced, bright classrooms. Each pupil has a personalised programme of study. Pupils learn in very small groups, or through one-to-one tuition. Pupils discover how rewarding learning can be. Their reconnection with learning is evident in their high attendance and considerable improvement in their attitudes to education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ lives are enriched by the impressive array of activities provided for them. They speak with pride of their achievements, and the awards they have won.

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better?

The proprietor’s clarity of vision underpins the school’s work. Leaders’ commitment to providing a ‘no limits’ education provides the foundation for each pupil’s programme of learning. Staff have a firm grasp of pupils’ academic, social and emotional needs and capabilities. Leaders create precise programmes of learning that make up for gaps in pupils’ previous learning, help pupils to develop their resilience and self-esteem, and prepare pupils for the next stage of their education. Leaders have done a great deal of work to develop the breadth of each pupil’s programme of learning. A few aspects of this work are not yet complete.

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better?

The programme of learning for each pupil is different. Leaders have made clear the common educational principles that underpin them. Leaders set out the ‘sticky’ (important) knowledge that pupils must know in each subject. Leaders use external expert guidance to inform teachers how best to teach in a way that re-connects pupils with learning. Teachers deliver the curriculum well in most subjects.

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better?

Teachers build up pupils’ knowledge in small steps. Teachers check pupils have a firm grasp of the important knowledge before moving on to new topics. Pupils remember what they have learned. This approach reduces pupils’ anxieties and develops their confidence in learning. Pupils radically improve their view of, and engagement with, learning. Pupils make significant gains in literacy and numeracy skills, in particular. 15 to 17 March 2022 Leaders suitably support pupils to develop a love of reading. Teachers read to pupils often. Leaders provide books and articles that interest pupils. Staff also highlight and explain complex subject-specific language. Most pupils read for pleasure. They become fluent in reading and use subject-specific vocabulary accurately.

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better?

In a few subjects, the curriculum is not as well established. Teachers do not have the same depth of knowledge of these subjects and how to teach them. Leaders are putting this right with planned training and support.

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better?

The school’s first-rate personal, emotional, social development framework (PESD) has a striking impact on pupils’ personal development. Using the excellent regular careers education programme, staff help to raise pupils’ aspirations. Pupils set themselves ambitious goals. They create realistic action plans to achieve these goals. Pupils learn about relationships and people’s differences. They are increasingly respectful of others. Within the PESD framework, leaders provide pupils with a wealth of carefully planned extra opportunities. Activities such as work experience, residential visits, climbing, dance and diving help to transform pupils’ belief in their own potential.

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better?

Leaders have designed the school’s learning centre to provide a safe, supportive learning environment. Leaders focus on pupils’ personal and academic development. They maintain the learning centre to a high standard. Visitors cannot fail to notice the breadth of pupils’ work and photographs of their many achievements displayed on each wall.

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better?

External experts and school leaders provide the proprietor with regular updates about the quality of the school’s work. The proprietor is assured, and has ensured, that the independent school standards continue to be met.

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better?

The school’s health and safety and safeguarding policies are on the school’s website. All essential policies are made available to parents and carers who ask for them. The proprietor ensures that the school complies with the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have comprehensive arrangements in place to safeguard pupils. Staff receive suitable safeguarding training. They are alert to any small changes in behaviour that could suggest a pupil may be at risk. Staff follow the school’s processes for reporting concerns about a pupil’s well-being. Leaders work with a wide range of external agencies to make sure pupils get the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught important strategies to stay safe. Pupils say that if they become worried, they will speak with an adult at school. Pupils trust that adults will resolve any issues that arise. 15 to 17 March 2022

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Leaders have made well-considered changes to the curriculum to provide pupils with broad, rich programmes of learning. In a small number of subjects, teachers do not have the same depth of subject-specific knowledge that is evident across most other subjects. This results in teachers choosing some learning activities that do not enable pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding to the same extent that they do in most subjects. Leaders should continue to provide staff with the guidance and training they need to deliver the curriculum well in all subjects.

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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 . 15 to 17 March 2022

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School details

Unique reference number 138880 DfE registration number 926/6009

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School details

Inspection number 10212835 Type of school Other Independent Special School

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School details

School category Independent special school

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form N/A at present

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sixth form

Email address turnstone.house@specialisteducation.co.uk

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 16 to 18 May 2017 15 to 17 March 2022

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Information about this school

 Turnstone House is part of Specialist Education Services group. It is a small independent special school that is registered for 10 pupils between eight and 18 years of age.  There are currently no pupils in the school’s sixth-form provision. Therefore, amnesty was granted, and no judgement awarded.  A single proprietor provides governance of the school.  All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Almost all pupils have an education, health and care plan relating to their social, emotional and mental health needs.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school does not use supply staff.  The school was last inspected in May 2017 when the overall quality of education was judged as outstanding, and all the independent school standards were met.

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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

 The standard inspection was carried out at the request of the Department for Education.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the head of education and other leaders at the school. They spoke formally and informally with staff and all pupils.  Inspectors also met with members of the senior executive group. Present at these meetings were the proprietor, the principal and the operational director. Minutes from meetings of the senior executive group were evaluated.  The lead inspector also met with an external school improvement professional working with the school and considered information from a monitoring report.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, history, mathematics, and personal, social, health and economic education. Inspectors met with the curriculum leaders for these subjects, visited lessons, looked at a range of pupils’ work and spoke with teaching staff and pupils.  Inspectors examined a range of school documents, including the school’s own

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Information about this inspection

self-evaluation and improvement plans, school policies, child protection and 15 to 17 March 2022 safeguarding information, curriculum plans, and attendance and admissions information.  The lead inspector scrutinised the school’s single central record of checks on the suitability of staff.  There were no responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff or for pupils.

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Inspection team

John Lucas, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

John Mitcheson Her Majesty's Inspector 15 to 17 March 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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