The Levett School

Inspection of The Levett School Melton Road, Sprotbrough, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN5 7SB

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Inspection dates: 9 and 10 November 2022

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 9 and 10 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure The Levett School is inclusive and welcoming. Pupils learn at one of two sites, dependent on their age. Pupils benefit from a range of well-resourced learning environments. Leaders ensure pupils are taught a curriculum that meets both their academic and individual special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are taught to develop their reading skills by well-trained staff who know them well. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff take time to understand the needs of pupils. School leaders have developed a wide variety of systems to engage pupils when they join the school. This includes developing the curriculum to ensure pupils experience a broad range of lessons. Leaders aspire to deliver a high-quality curriculum to all pupils who attend school. The staff team shares this aspiration.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development is an important part of school life. Leaders ensure pupils experience a range of activities which include support for healthy lifestyles and positive mental health. Most pupils are happy at school. They feel well supported by staff. Most pupils say bullying is not an issue. If it were, pupils say staff would deal with it swiftly.

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better?

Leaders ensure that staff on both sites prioritise reading. The reading curriculum is well designed and staff implement this effectively. Staff provide additional phonics lessons to those pupils who need support to improve their reading. Pupils spoke positively about the support they receive. Leaders ensure staff have the resources and training to teach phonics effectively. As a result, staff teach phonics consistently well.

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better?

The curriculum is well planned and sequenced to meet the needs of all pupils. It considers pupils’ different admission points and any previous attendance gaps. Teachers use assessment appropriately. Leaders have identified the essential knowledge within topic areas that pupils should learn. Pupils’ work shows progress against the planned curriculum. Teachers revisit learning regularly to ensure pupils remember more. Most pupils take pride in their work. Provision for supporting pupils’ SEND is well led by the special educational needs coordinator. Leaders provide staff with detailed information that enables them to support pupils well.

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better?

An effective personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum supports pupils’ personal development. Leaders ensure the curriculum provides for pupils’ broader development. Pupils can develop their talents and interests through performance and music tuition. Pupils are taught about life in modern Britain. Lessons are clearly thought out and supported by themed assemblies. Staff skilfully support pupils with a range of teaching approaches to meet their emotional needs. 9 and 10 November 2022

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Staff use ‘Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired (HALT)’ pastoral time effectively to settle pupils during the school day. This helps pupils regulate themselves.

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Leaders have ensured there are a range of systems to support and engage pupils when they join the school. These arrangements do not provide staff with precise information about the needs of pupils. Some arrangements show variable success. Some pupils do not attend school regularly and are persistently absent. Staff do not manage the behaviour of some pupils consistently well across sites. School records show continued incidents of behaviour that involve violence towards staff. Some members of staff do not have the expertise necessary to manage pupils’ dysregulated behaviour swiftly.

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Governance of the school is effective. Records of meetings demonstrate how governors hold school leaders to account for the performance of the school. Governors have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Leaders recognise strengths within the school workforce. Some support staff have achieved successful career progression to leadership positions. Staff members have opportunities to develop whole-school responsibilities.

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Leaders recognise staff workload pressures. Staff appreciate the support they receive for their professional development. Leaders have carefully considered how to support the well-being of the staff team. They recognise the challenges staff experience working in a pupil referral unit. School leaders ensure support is available to staff through a mental health lead and a range of well-being activities. Staff say leaders are supportive and approachable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure there is a culture that promotes safeguarding across school sites. Procedures to check adults prior to their employment are strong. The systems used to record safeguarding actions are secure. Record-keeping is diligent and safeguarding concerns are reported in a timely manner. Staff understand the risks that pupils face in the community.

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Safeguarding

Pupils who spoke to inspectors said that they feel safe in school. Pupils know they can rely on adults to support them if needed. Arrangements for keeping pupils who attend alternative provision safe are secure.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 School admission arrangements do not inform staff precisely about the needs of pupils. This means some pupils’ needs are not met promptly. This can lead to pupils’ disengagement. Leaders should ensure the school admission arrangements 9 and 10 November 2022

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provide staff with the information they need to match support closely to pupils’ needs.  Leaders’ work to improve pupils’ attendance has had some impact. However, some pupils are disengaged from education and do not attend school regularly. Some parents need support to ensure their children return to school. Leaders should continue their work with parents and their children to overcome any barriers to attendance and ensure children attend school regularly.  Some members of staff do not intervene swiftly to manage pupils’ dysregulated behaviours. This means that some behaviour incidents can escalate unnecessarily. Leaders should ensure all staff have the required expertise to manage dysregulated behaviour consistently well.

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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. 9 and 10 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10242230 Type of school Pupil referral unit

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Karen Kellett (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The Levett School is a pupil referral unit for pupils aged between five and 14 years. It is based across two sites.  The school makes provision for up to 90 dual-registered pupils. At the time of the inspection the school had 38 dual-registered pupils on roll.  The school uses one unregistered and one registered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a graded (section 5) inspection under the same Act.

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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 executive headteacher, members of the senior leadership team, curriculum leaders, teachers and support staff. 9 and 10 November 2022

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 Inspectors met with members of the school’s governing body and scrutinised the minutes of governing body meetings. In addition, an inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority by telephone.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and PSHE. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with curriculum leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The provision for teaching English was also closely scrutinised.  The lead inspector met with the school’s designated safeguarding lead. The inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding records, relevant policies and other safeguarding documentation. The inspector reviewed the processes leaders use to identify and help pupils who need support. In addition, the inspector scrutinised the school’s records of checks carried out on adults who work at the school.

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 Inspectors visited lessons across the school sites.  Inspectors spoke to pupils formally and informally, including pupils who receive support to improve their reading.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including the school’s improvement plans.  An inspector held telephone conversations with representatives from the alternative providers used by the school.  The inspection team spoke to staff about their workload and pupils’ behaviour in the school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

David Mills, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Birch Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 November 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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