Green Heath School

Inspection of Green Heath School Oakwood House, 43-51 Whitmore Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B10 0NR

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Inspection dates: 29 November to 1 December 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for their pupils. They want to engage pupils in education and improve their life chances. Pupils are at the early stages of speaking English. All have had a traumatic past. They have had prolonged periods out of education, or no formal schooling. After a short period of time, pupils engage in learning and do well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school and regularly attend. They feel and are safe. Pupils settle in quickly and build strong positive relationships with staff. This is because leaders focus on providing a nurturing and safe place for them. As a result, pupils behave well. The school is a calm and orderly environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders place huge emphasis on life skills and teaching pupils about fundamental British values (FBV). This is because pupils have little experience of British culture. For example, pupils learn about the UK and common traditions in Britain.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, very quickly, get to know their pupils. They have ensured that all staff know every pupil, their specific needs and passions. Staff use this knowledge well to ensure pupils learn through their passions. For example, in boxing sessions or learning English and mathematics through a topic about their favourite artist Van Gogh.

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better?

Leaders have altered the provision they are offering, based on a need in the local area. All pupils on roll are looked after lone asylum seekers who speak English as an additional language (EAL). Pupils join the school for a short-term placement, usually one to two terms, while the local authority find them a permanent place in a mainstream school. Pupils are in this school when they would otherwise not be in education.

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better?

Leaders want all pupils to be successful. They have created an individualised curriculum for every pupil. Leaders aim to meet pupils’ very specific EAL needs through bespoke teaching. Generally, this is successful. Leaders know that pupils have many gaps in their knowledge. They have effective plans in place to address the main priorities first: reading, speaking and writing in English and mathematical fluency. This, paired with the life skills programme and FBV scheme, allows pupils to overcome many barriers they face.

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better?

The curriculum is planned well; it is ambitious and broad. For example, pupils study the Van Gogh theme and cover English, mathematics, science, history, geography and creative arts. Pupils gain confidence in communicating in English and can start reading simple texts in a short space of time. Pupils develop their mathematical skills, increasing their knowledge over time. 29 November to 1 December 2022 Staff record what pupils learn and how well in an individualised learning file. Staff regularly assess and record what pupils understand and can do. Additionally, pupils add their interests, career ambitions and achievements. This information is used well to plan themes for pupils to cover. The files are an effective way of record keeping and sharing information with the pupil’s future mainstream school.

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better?

Staff generally adapt their teaching well to meet pupils’ needs. At times, learning materials are not always carefully chosen in terms of their literacy level. Some resources are too complicated or challenging and pupils cannot access them. When this happens, pupils do not understand the content and their learning slows.

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better?

Leaders have thought carefully about the programme used to broad pupils’ personal development. Leaders know that pupils have very limited understanding of what it means to be a young person in Britain. The life skill sessions and enrichment opportunities ensure that pupils learn about this. Leaders focus intensively on pupils’ mental health and offering a place of safety where they ‘provide nurturing, life- lasting experiences and education so that pupils are ready for mainstream education’. Leaders prepare pupils very well for their next steps.

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better?

Leaders make sure that all staff receive the training they need to be successful. When they identify a training need, they act swiftly to address it. For example, all staff are booked to attend training on effective EAL teaching strategies. This includes the proprietor who is also ensuring that she keeps up to date with relevant training.

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better?

Leaders ensure that the independent school standards are consistently met. They have ensured that the school meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that staff have regular training and reminders about how to report safeguarding concerns. This has included extensive work on understanding the mental health needs pupils may have. Staff know what to do if they are worried about a pupil. Leaders work well to safeguard pupils. This includes working with external agencies. Leaders act swiftly to ensure pupils who need help get the support they need.

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Safeguarding

Leaders complete appropriate checks on all staff they employ and keep accurate records. They have ensured that the school site is safe and complies with relevant health and safety regulations. 29 November to 1 December 2022

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Learning materials are not always carefully chosen to meet the specific literacy needs of pupils. When this happens, work is too complicated for pupils to access, and their learning slows. Leaders needs to ensure that all resources used are carefully chosen to match the needs of pupils.

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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. 29 November to 1 December 2022

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School details

Unique reference number 135688 DfE registration number 330/6205

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School details

Inspection number 10205092 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Email address contact@greenheathschool.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 to 18 May 2017 29 November to 1 December 2022

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Information about this school

 Green Heath School is an independent school registered for pupils between the ages of 11-19. The proprietor is currently in the process of changing this registration with the Department for Education (DfE). In future, leaders wish to admit pupils aged 14-16, all with EAL needs, many of whom will have Unaccompanied Child Asylum Seeker status. This process is not yet complete.  All pupils attending Green Heath School have a range of EAL needs. All are lone asylum seekers and currently looked after in care. Pupils have been out of education for a long time before joining this school. The school is providing short- term (approximately one to two terms) education for pupils referred to them by the local authority.  The school currently does not offer a post-16 provision. Therefore, the sixth form has not been reported on.  The school does not have a religious ethos.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this school

 The school was first registered by the DfE in 2012. The school’s most recent inspection was an emergency inspection in January 2020. The school’s last standard inspection took place in May 2017.

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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 since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the proprietor and the headteacher (who is also the designated safeguarding lead and curriculum leader). The inspector also met with class teachers.  The inspector carried out deep dives into English, mathematics, personal, social, health and economic education, creative arts, science, humanities and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, conducted lesson visits and looked at a range of pupils’ work. The inspector also reviewed work across the wider curriculum, including enrichment activities and work around FBV. 29 November to 1 December 2022  The inspector observed pupils at break time and spoke to them about their

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Information about this inspection

experience at the school.  The inspector scrutinised a range of safeguarding information, including the school’s safeguarding policy, spoke to staff about safeguarding and looked at how pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. The inspector spoke to the safeguarding leader about the reporting and recording of any safeguarding incidents.

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Inspection team

Bianka Zemke, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 29 November to 1 December 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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