St Peter's Centre

Inspection of St Peter’s Centre Corby Drive, Englefield Green, Egham, Surrey TW20 0RX

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected seven years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at that time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 7 and 8 June 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make strong progress academically, personally and emotionally. The school combines high-quality care with academic rigour. Staff have a deep understanding of pupils’ needs and high expectations of their learning and behaviour. Pupils work hard and achieve well. The school prepares them very well for the next stage in their education. The oldest gain national qualifications and have ambitious plans for their future.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ health issues mean that most have not attended a school setting for many months or years before joining the school. They settle into the school very well because they feel secure, respected, and valued. Pupils grow rapidly in confidence and self-esteem. They speak honestly and perceptively about the difference the school has made to their lives. Pupils appreciate being able to speak to staff about any problems or anxieties. They say that adults take their thoughts and feelings seriously and provide them with the help they need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like the quiet, calm and friendly atmosphere in the school. They say that everyone gets on very well together and they have no worries about bullying. School records indicate that the headteacher takes swift and effective action if any concerns about bullying arise.

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better?

The headteacher has been instrumental in securing improvements in the school since her appointment. She expects the best of everyone, including herself, but combines this with compassion and understanding. Parents are highly appreciative of the school’s work. One said, ‘My child was broken when he joined the school, but all the school’s care and effort means that I finally have my boy back again.’ All staff who responded to Ofsted’s survey say that they are proud to work in the school.

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better?

The teaching of English, mathematics and science is well established and effective. Teaching challenges and supports pupils effectively. Teachers assess pupils’ learning continuously. They tailor the curriculum well so that the work set is suitable for each pupil’s individual needs. Pupils routinely exceed the targets set for them by their ‘home’ schools (pupils are dual rolled) in English, mathematics and science. Last year, all pupils in Year 11 achieved GCSEs. All moved on to take up places on courses in colleges or apprenticeships.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced. The headteacher has extended the curriculum since her appointment. She has developed a carefully sequenced curriculum in subjects such as art, music, religious education, physical education (PE), and the humanities. This means that pupils are accessing a wider range of subjects than at the time of the previous inspection. However, this extended curriculum is still new and is not fully established. 7 and 8 June 2022

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Pupils’ reading skills vary widely when they join the school. Staff assess pupils’ reading when they arrive so that they can pick up those who need extra help quickly. Some pupils complete an intensive reading programme. They make striking progress in a short space of time. This ensures that they have the key reading skills needed to access the curriculum and to complete examination course work successfully.

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The headteacher has taken steps to promote reading for enjoyment more effectively during the past two years. For instance, she has established a school library and has involved pupils in selecting books. However, while some pupils enjoy reading, others rarely read for pleasure.

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Pupils behave well in lessons, during breaktimes, and around the school. Well- established routines and strong relationships ensure that they feel comfortable and secure. The school’s success in re-engaging pupils in education is clear. It secures remarkable improvements in attendance.

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The school’s personal, social and health education curriculum is carefully constructed and taught well. It includes regular opportunities for pupils to consider and discuss thought-provoking issues, such as social justice, power, and inequality. The headteacher is keen to provide a wider range of enrichment activities for the pupils, including trips, visitors and special events. However, until recently, the pandemic has made it difficult for leaders to develop this aspect of the school’s work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Ensuring pupils’ safety is fundamental to the school’s work and is given the highest priority. The headteacher has strengthened safeguarding arrangements since her appointment. For example, she has centralised records and has established regular external reviews of the school’s safeguarding procedures. Regular staff training, updates and briefings ensure that staff are knowledgeable about safeguarding issues. The headteacher has established several routes that pupils can use to report any concerns, including a special email address which she checks daily. The headteacher makes sure that roles and responsibilities in the school and in pupils’ home schools are clearly understood.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Revisions to the school’s wider curriculum ensure greater breadth and balance than at the time of the previous inspection. However, it is too soon for the revised curriculum in these subjects to have been implemented fully and subjects such as history, music, art and PE are not fully established in the school’s curriculum. 7 and 8 June 2022

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Leaders should make sure that the full breadth of the curriculum is securely embedded.  While some pupils are avid readers, others say that they rarely read outside English lessons. The headteacher is determined to make reading a routine part of the day and to encourage greater enjoyment of reading and books among all pupils. Leaders should implement plans to develop this aspect of the English curriculum.  Pupils enjoy special events arranged by the school, such as ‘PE drop-down day’, a sports event which took place during the inspection. However, there are too few activities to enrich pupils’ learning fully and to enhance their personal development. The headteacher has rightly identified the need to develop this aspect of the school’s work. She has suitable plans in place to do so.

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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.

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Further information

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. 7 and 8 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212243 Type of school Pupil referral unit

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 July 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2020.  All pupils are dual registered in St Peter’s Centre and their home schools. Most are following flexible timetables. They spend a proportion of the week in St Peter’s Centre and the rest of the time in their home schools.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and with other members of staff. The lead inspector had a telephone discussion with the chair of governors and with a local authority representative.  The lead inspector spoke with three of the pupils’ home schools by telephone. 7 and 8 June 2022

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 Inspectors spoke with parents in person and by telephone. They also considered the views expressed by parents, pupils and staff via Ofsted’s surveys, as well as reviewing responses to the school’s own surveys.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, and personal, social and health education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with the headteacher, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, talked with pupils about their learning, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke with pupils informally in lessons and at various times during the school day.  The lead inspector reviewed a range of safeguarding documents, including the single central record. She also met with the school’s designated safeguarding lead and reviewed the school’s safeguarding records.

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Inspection team

Julie Sackett, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Alan Johnson Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 June 2022

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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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