Goldwyn School

Inspection of Goldwyn School Godinton Lane, Great Chart, Ashford, Kent TN23 3BT

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 October 2022

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Sixth-form provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding 19 and 20 October 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Goldwyn School thrive. There is a strong culture of ‘anything is possible’, and pupils’ personal development is at the heart of all that the school does. The Goldwyn’s ‘whole-child education’ covers all aspects of pupils’ lives. Consequently, over time, pupils develop their confidence, resilience and motivation to succeed. They learn to overcome successfully their personal barriers to learning and are exceptionally well prepared for their future lives. Pupils leave school with the determination, knowledge and academic qualifications needed to continue their successes. Pupils feel that their life chances are greatly improved as a result of their time at this school. As one parent told us, ‘This school has changed my child’s life.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave remarkably well. They are highly respectful, and the school is friendly, calm and studious. Highly skilled staff care deeply about pupils’ well-being and have an in-depth understanding of how to help them achieve their full potential. Staff enable pupils to realise that success is available for everyone. These strong, trusting relationships cannot be underestimated. As a result of these, pupils feel safe and secure and are supported well to manage any difficult situations successfully.

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better?

Aspirational leaders strive to ensure that pupils are as fully prepared for their adult lives as possible. All staff hold the highest of ambitions for every pupil, and pupils rise to these high expectations. Prior to joining the school, many pupils have been unable to attend school regularly due to their special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Because of this, staff rightly prioritise building warm, trusting relationships quickly. They work with drive and determination to ensure that pupils are fully engaged in full-time, meaningful learning as soon as possible.

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better?

Leaders ensure that pupils’ learning is meticulously well planned and organised. Pupils attend one of four school sites, depending on their individual needs. Each site has a carefully planned curriculum pathway, formed of academic and/or vocational studies. This forms the basis of a bespoke, tailored curriculum for each pupil, with their personal education, health and care (EHC) plan targets carefully woven throughout. Pupils benefit hugely from a broad range of useful interventions and personalised support, provided by staff with specific, relevant expertise.

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better?

Teachers are skilled in delivering their subjects and are experts in teaching pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. Staff have high expectations of engagement and participation in learning from pupils. Teachers know how to ‘hook’ pupils into learning and make sure that they remain motivated. All staff are acutely aware of pupils’ individual needs and monitor pupils’ progress carefully, skilfully adapting teaching strategies as needed. Consequently, pupils achieve exceptionally well. Their qualifications are appropriate and meaningful and allow the vast majority of pupils to move on successfully to mainstream college. The comprehensive careers information, education, advice and guidance pupils receive 19 and 20 October 2022

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enable them to make sensible, informed choices about their future. Pupils are encouraged to be aspirational and are supported well to achieve their dreams.

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If pupils join the school unable to read fluently, staff prioritise this. They quickly and accurately identify the specific additional support that pupils require. Skilled staff then use a range of highly effective strategies that allow pupils to gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident, fluent readers. As a result, pupils make excellent progress with their reading in an age-appropriate, functional way.

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The unwavering focus on promoting pupils’ personal development results in young adults who know they can succeed in life. ‘Goldwyn time’ is time dedicated daily to pupils’ personal and social development. Forming part of the curriculum designed specifically for Goldwyn pupils, this provision puts a strong focus on emotional self- regulation and how to make informed choices. As a result, pupils flourish, making excellent progress, particularly in terms of their social communication. Pupils are provided with a wealth of opportunities to develop their talents successfully, which they do. Leaders are committed to ensuring that these opportunities are extensive and bespoke.

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Throughout their time at Goldwyn School, pupils learn how to become as independent as possible. Students who stay on in the sixth form benefit hugely from the extra time to develop personally before embarking on their next stage of education, employment or training. Alongside their academic studies, they learn useful life skills that help prepare them exceedingly well for adulthood.

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Leaders have successfully created a culture where staff feel valued and know that their opinion really matters. Leaders ensure that all staff, including those who drive pupils to and from school, receive highly effective training. Staff appreciate the support that they get from leaders. They work collaboratively to share specialist knowledge and expertise across the school sites.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know all pupils and their families particularly well. Staff training means that all staff are very knowledgeable about school systems and about the additional safeguarding vulnerabilities of pupils that are a result of their SEND. Any concerns are recorded and acted on quickly.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have developed extremely useful, strong working relationships with multi- agency professionals. Leaders are tenacious in securing any extra help for families when they need it.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are helped to understand, and taught to manage, risks effectively. When needed, staff thoughtfully adapt the personal and social development curriculum so that they can react to issues happening in the wider lives of pupils. 19 and 20 October 2022

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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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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. 19 and 20 October 2022

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sixth form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

7 December 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Goldwyn School is a special school for pupils aged 10 to 18 years. All pupils at the school have an EHC plan. The vast majority of pupils have SEMH needs.  The school has four sites. At each site, a different curriculum pathway is taught, and pupils attend the site that is best suited to their SEND. However, this is not restrictive, as pupils are able to move between sites as their needs change.  Since the previous inspection, the school has more than doubled the number of pupils on roll and now has a sixth form. The sixth-form provision was previously an independent specialist college.  The school currently uses no alternative provision.  The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 19 and 20 October 2022

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 had 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 principal, senior leaders, subject leaders, teachers and teaching assistants. The lead inspector also met with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in English, mathematics, vocational learning, and personal and social development. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons with leaders, spoke to teachers, talked to or observed pupils and looked at their work or evidence of their learning.  Inspectors spoke with pupils on different school sites.  Inspectors looked at curriculum information, work and evidence used to gain

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Information about this inspection

pupils’ accreditations, and a range of documentation, including for individual pupils. This included EHC plans, behaviour plans and individual pupil targets.  To look closely at safeguarding in the school, inspectors spoke to leaders, pupils, staff and governors. The lead inspector looked at a range of safeguarding documentation and systems, including the school’s single central record, which contains details of recruitment checks.  Inspectors considered 18 responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. They also considered the views of 46 pupils and 65 staff who completed Ofsted surveys.

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Inspection team

Maxine McDonald-Taylor, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sue Bzikot Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 October 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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