Woodside School

Draft and confidential - Not for disclosure or publication Inspection of Woodside School 25 Ravensdale Avenue, London N12 9HP

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good 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?

Pupils are happy, safe and well looked after. Over time, leaders have built strong professional relationships with pupils. Leaders have made the curriculum more accessible. Pupils’ complex needs are better taken account of now than has been the case, but there is still more work to do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff encourage pupils to communicate and to engage with their learning. They help pupils to convey their feelings through visual images and gestures. Teachers provide a range of fun activities. They give pupils choices so that they are more willing to be involved in their learning. Pupils learn how to treat each other with respect and to be kind. They use social stories to understand no hitting or kicking. As a result, there have been no incidents of bullying since the school opened.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well prepared to lead independent lives. They learn about relationships, living in the wider world and health and wellbeing. Pupils visit local shops and cafes. They pay for their purchases. Each week pupils visit a care farm. They learn how to look after animals and to grow plants. Pupils enjoy taking part in activities in the tuition centre and the care home. These include arts and crafts, baking and playing with puzzles.

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better?

Leaders have planned a broad curriculum. It includes literacy, numeracy, horticulture, animal care, arts, crafts and life skills. These subjects are taught through the lens of personal, social and health education. Pupils practise yoga and take part in physical activity in the spacious garden area.

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better?

The curriculum has been a work in progress since the school opened. Leaders have made adaptations as they have got to know pupils better. However, they did not assess pupils’ complex learning, communication and social emotional needs at the start of their time at the school. This made planning a bespoke curriculum difficult. The curriculum does not break down pupils’ learning into small enough steps of progress. Pupils’ individual targets are not reviewed often enough. They are not typically shared with all staff.

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better?

Teachers use signs, symbols, and photographs to familiarise pupils with the alphabet and simple words. Teachers read aloud to pupils to develop their engagement with language.

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better?

Staff have worked hard to improve pupils’ behaviour. Many pupils have had difficult experiences of school in the past. They have missed significant periods of time in education. At Woodside, pupils have been able to build relationships with staff based on trust. This helps them to take part in learning for longer periods. Their attendance at school has increased to one hundred per cent this term. 28 and 30 June 2022 The school works well with external agencies. Staff have received training from pupils’ educational psychologists. They work closely with social workers, occupational and speech and language therapists. They engage with child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). Pupils benefit from this collaboration.

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better?

Pupils learn how to stay healthy, how to eat well and how to keep themselves clean. They have learned about equalities at a level they can understand. Pupils recognise that people are the same but also have differences. They learn how to regulate their emotions through yoga and mindfulness. Pupils use deep breathing as a strategy to stay calm. Leaders encourage pupils to have quiet reflection time in the sensory room.

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better?

Staff respond to pupils’ talents and interests. For example, they encourage pupils to bake or to play with Lego. Leaders have organised swimming trips and visits to the cinema. Pupils go for walks in the community. Leaders have started to prepare pupils for transition to their next steps. They teach pupils about the different jobs people do and help them with college applications. However, this is on an ad-hoc basis rather than as part of a coherent sequence of learning about careers.

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better?

Leaders are hardworking. They are committed to providing a high-quality education for pupils with complex needs. They ensure that the independent school standards are met. The proprietor has provided a calm, clean and spacious environment in which pupils live and learn. Staff workload has been a challenge this year. The proprietor plans to address this. He will appoint more teachers for the new school year in September.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive regular training in how to recognise safeguarding concerns. They understand the mechanisms for reporting. Leaders work closely with the children’s home, social workers and CAMHS to keep pupils safe. Pupils’ personal risk assessments are thorough. These ensure pupils are safe in school and while on trips and visits. Teachers use social stories to educate pupils about how to keep themselves safe. Pupils learn about the potential dangers of road traffic and strangers. Leaders ensure that they carry out the necessary checks on staff, so they are safe to work with children.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Currently, the curriculum does not take accurate account of pupils’ needs in the key areas of learning. Leaders need to research and implement strategies for assessment. These should be used to gather baseline information when 28 and 30 June 2022 pupils join the school. Leaders should use this information to plan a curriculum that better meets pupils’ complex needs.  Leaders have started to prepare pupils for their next steps. However, they do not have a coherent plan for the teaching of careers at a level pupils can access. Leaders must develop a plan for implementation from September 2022 so that pupils have ample time to consider their next steps.

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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 . 28 and 30 June 2022

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School details

Unique reference number 148155 DfE registration number 302/6019

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School details

Inspection number 10226766 Type of school Other Independent Special School

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School details

School category Independent Special School

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll Less than 5

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £40,000 to £90,000

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected 28 and 30 June 2022

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Information about this school

 Woodside school is a small independent special school for up to 15 pupils between the ages of 8 and 18. It is in the London Borough of Barnet.  The school provides education for pupils with an education, health and care plan, specifically for those with autism spectrum disorder and complex learning difficulties.  The school is in its first year, having opened in August 2021. The school does not have a religious ethos.  The proprietor is Seva Childcare Limited, who also run two local care homes. Children start in the care home, Greenview house and then attend Woodside school.  Pupils are taught in a local tuition centre and at a care farm. Some of their education takes place in the care home.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the head of school who is also the designated safeguarding lead.  Inspectors looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons, reviewed pupils’ work, and met with the teacher. They looked at pupils’ education and health plans and annual reviews.  Inspectors considered the small number of responses to Ofsted’s staff surveys. They looked at the feedback the school has received from parents, pupils, and social workers.  Inspectors toured the site. They scrutinised a range of documentary evidence to check on the statutory requirements of the independent school standards. This included checking the school’s admissions register, risk assessments, attendance information and safeguarding training.  Inspectors met with the proprietor to discuss leadership and management.

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Inspection team

Lisa Strong, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jo Jones Ofsted Inspector 28 and 30 June 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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