The Llewellyn School and Nursery

School material change inspection report

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The Llewellyn School and Nursery Quex Park Estate, Birchington, Margate, Kent CT7 0BB

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraphs 7–7(b), 32(1) and 32(1)(c)  The safeguarding policy is compliant with current guidelines and published on the school’s website. Staff understand the extra vulnerabilities that pupils with complex special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) face.  Leaders have ensured that key staff have accessed additional training commensurate with their responsibilities to safeguard children or to support the specific individual requirements of pupils.  Staff understand what to do if they have concerns. They have confidence in leaders to do the right thing when needed. Oversight from a named governor helps leaders to keep pupils and staff safe. This includes ensuring that the school meets all aspects of the independent school standards linked to welfare, health and safety. Paragraphs 11, 12, 14 and 16–16(b)  Leaders take the welfare, health and safety of pupils and staff seriously. Key policies

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Main inspection findings

are in place and fit for purpose. Checks on the school’s premises are ongoing and ensure that the environment, both indoor and outdoor, is a safe place to be.  A fire risk assessment is in place and completed by an external specialist. Safety checks on alarms and equipment such as fire extinguishers are also fully in place and completed by suitably qualified experts.  Ratios of staff to pupils are high. This is mostly due to pupils’ very complex needs. Because of the nature of the provision, pupils are supervised closely during their time in school. This includes at breaktimes and when using the school’s extensive grounds.  A suitable risk assessment policy is in place. Risk assessments cover a multitude of aspects of day-to-day school life. This might include using the school’s own minibuses, or for visits into the local community. Risk assessments also cover activities such as using the school’s outdoor environment, or to assess individual pupil’s personal

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Main inspection findings

requirements linked to their complex SEND.  This material change application proposes an additional 10 pupils to the school’s current registration of up to 14. It is not clear that the current accommodation at the school is suitable for up to 24 pupils. Simply put, an additional 10 pupils may compromise the welfare, health and safety of current pupils and staff because the accommodation available, including access for pupils who need support with their mobility, is not big enough.  School leaders have not ensured that all relevant standards assessed in part 3 are likely to be met if the material change is approved. Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors Paragraphs 18(2)–18(2)(e), 18(3), 21(1)–21(3)(b) and 21(6)  Leaders fully understand what checks are required on adults at the school. Details of these checks are contained in the school’s single central record, which is compliant

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Main inspection findings

with current guidelines and contains all the information required.  Pre-employment checks are thorough. Key members of staff have undertaken safer recruitment training. If the material change is approved, systems and procedures for the recruitment of new staff and checks on adults will likely continue to be fit for purpose.  The school does not use supply staff.  School leaders have ensured that all relevant standards in part 4 are likely to be met if the proposed material change is approved. Part 5. Premises of and accommodation at schools Paragraphs 23(1)–29(2)  All aspects of the relevant requirements of part 5 were met during the standard inspection which took place in June 2022. It should be noted that this report is still subject to confirmation and had not been published at the time of this material change inspection. The school does not offer residential accommodation.  Leaders intend to use the current premises and accommodation to expand the

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Main inspection findings

school’s roll. Plans are also in place to increase the school’s accommodation with additional permanent buildings on the same site over the next two to three years.  The current accommodation is likely to be able to safely cater for an additional six pupils. This is also very dependent on the specific complex needs of individual pupils who may attend the school, many of whom require assistance with mobility.  While the school has adequate classroom capacity for the expansion of the roll to 20, it is noted that facilities such as the staffroom are currently being used as a teaching space when required. While manageable in the short term, it is clear that the capacity to increase numbers beyond 20 pupils is limited at this time.  During the standard inspection which took place in June 2022, HMI felt that expanding the school’s capacity to 24 would place additional strain on staff and pupils alike. This is particularly the case when pupils’ very complex needs are considered.

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Main inspection findings

 Part 5 is unlikely to be met if the material change is approved in full. Expanding the roll to 24 at this point in time may compromise the school’s ability to meet paragraph 25 of part 5. This is especially the case when pupils’ complex SEND is taken into account. Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34(1)–34(1)(c)  Leaders have continued to ensure that the independent school standards are met over time. The school was recently subject to a standard inspection when the overall effectiveness was judged to be good, safeguarding effective, and all relevant independent school standards found to be met.  Leaders’ rationale for the material change is based on long-term plans to add to the school’s present accommodation. These long-term plans are well thought through but do not effectively address the short-term reality of the space required to adequately provide for up to ten additional pupils. Leaders now recognise this.

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Main inspection findings

 Part 8 is unlikely to continue to be met if this material change application is approved in full.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school is unlikely to meet the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that are relevant to the material change.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s likely compliance with the independent school standards relevant to the material change that the school has applied to make.

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School details

School status Independent special school

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School details

Proprietor The Llewellyn School and Nursery CIC

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School details

Headteacher Sara Llewellyn (School leader)

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £54,000 to £70,000

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School details

Dates of previous standard inspection 28 to 30 June 2022

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recommendation

Age range of pupils 2 to 25 Not applicable Not applicable

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recommendation

Number of pupils on the school roll 14 24 20

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recommendation

Additional accommodation to increase the capacity to 24 pupils is not yet built. Leaders intend to build additional accommodation at some time in the future. Capacity for an additional six pupils (not 10) in current accommodation is sensible and proportionate at this stage. The sole director is in agreement with HMI regarding this recommendation.

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Number of full-time pupils of compulsory school age 14 24

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities 14 24

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Of which, number of pupils with an education, health and care plan 14 24

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Of which, number of pupils paid for by a local authority with an education, health and care plan 14 24

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Number of full-time equivalent teaching staff 11 16

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School’s current position School’s proposal

Number of part-time teaching staff 11 16

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Information about this school

 The Llewellyn School and Nursery caters for pupils who have profound, multiple learning difficulties, including multisensory, communication and physical development needs.  The school is currently registered for up to 14 pupils aged from two to 25.  At the time of this inspection, the school did not have any pupils in the post-16 age range or children in early years.  The proprietor company has a sole director who is also the school leader. The school has a small governing board which works with the proprietor to provide governance. A new chair of the governing board has recently been appointed.  The school’s last standard inspection took place in June 2022. This proposed material change was identified by the proprietor at that time and discussed with inspectors.  The inspection report from the June 2022 standard inspection was not yet published at the time this material change inspection took place.

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Information about this school

 The school was subject to a material change inspection in February 2019 to extend the upper age range of pupils from 12 to 16. This material change was approved.  The school had a second material change inspection in February 2020 to approve a change of premises. Unmet standards were found at that time, leading to the school having to produce an action plan. The action plan was approved and the monitoring inspection that followed in May 2021 found that all previously unmet standards were met.  The Department for Education (DfE) further increased the age range of the school from two to 16 to two to 25 in August 2021.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out at the request of the DfE after the proprietor applied for a material change to increase the maximum number of pupils from 14 to 24.  The purpose of the inspection was to check whether the school is likely to meet the relevant independent school standards if the requested material change is approved.  This was the first material change inspection relating to this request to increase pupil numbers to 24.  The inspector also led the school’s recent standard inspection which took place at the end of June 2022. At that inspection, the school’s overall effectiveness was judged to be good, safeguarding effective, and all relevant independent school standards were met.  This current material change application was discussed with the school’s sole director during the recent standard inspection. As a consequence, this inspection has largely been carried out as a desktop exercise, which included additional telephone

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Information about this inspection

conversations with the school’s sole director to confirm the inspector’s recommendations regarding this application.  During the school’s recent standard inspection, inspectors checked a range of policies and documents, including the school’s single central record. They also reviewed the school’s website and other records regarding the welfare, health and safety of pupils and staff. A full range of inspection activities commensurate with a standard inspection was completed during that inspection.  The lead inspector further considered all independent school standards requested by the DfE in its inspection commissioning form for this material change inspection.

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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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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