Brook View School

Inspection of Brook View School Ward Green Lane, Ribchester, Preston, Lancashire PR3 3YB

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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?

Pupils are happy at Brook View School. Leaders have established a friendly and supportive environment. Pupils are warmly welcomed into school every day by staff. The positive relationships between pupils and staff help pupils to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils, who all have special educational needs and/or disabilities, experience a curriculum that is appropriate to their needs. Pupils are taught by staff who know them well and are skilled in supporting their individual learning and behavioural needs. This prepares pupils well for their next steps in education. As a result, pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the wide range of clinical and therapeutic care provided by leaders. Staff support pupils well to learn to regulate their behaviour. As a result, pupils successfully learn to understand and manage their emotions. Leaders listen to pupils’ concerns and act quickly to deal with them, including those about bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are provided with opportunities to work in the wider community. For example, pupils have worked on a local horticultural project and in a charity shop. These experiences help pupils to build confidence and self-esteem. They also help to prepare pupils well for adult life.

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better?

Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum. They have thought carefully about how the curriculum meets the needs of all pupils. Leaders and teachers ensure that each aspect of the education, health and care plans (EHC plans) are woven into the curriculum for every pupil.

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better?

Leaders have identified the essential knowledge that they want pupils to learn and have broken this down into smaller blocks of learning. This helps pupils to know more, do more and remember more. However, leaders have not ensured that the key stage 2 curriculum for prospective pupils is as rich as it should be.

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better?

Staff are skilled at teaching the curriculum in a way that meets the needs of individual pupils. Staff are given the information that they need to know what to teach and the order in which to teach it. Staff use assessment strategies effectively to identify gaps in pupils’ learning. This informs their future teaching. Staff know pupils well. They mostly choose appropriate activities and resources to ensure that pupils learn and remember the broad curriculum. However, leaders have not ensured that there are sufficient opportunities for pupils to link the curriculum to real-life experiences. This is so that pupils can apply what they know and can do with increasing independence. 29 November to 1 December 2022 Leaders have prioritised reading across the curriculum. Pupils have a well-structured timetabled reading session at the end of every day. This provides pupils with an appropriate opportunity for a quiet and calm end to the school day. It also

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better?

encourages pupils to read a wide range of texts.

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better?

Staff read to pupils often. They model how to use tone and expression when reading different texts. This generates interesting discussions between staff and pupils about authors and exposes pupils to a wider range of reading material and vocabulary. Leaders closely track what pupils are reading across all subject areas to ensure that they are reading widely and often. Staff focus on comprehension and inference to develop further pupils’ reading knowledge. Leaders have successfully introduced a phonics curriculum for those pupils who are in the early stages of reading. Staff have the knowledge and expertise to teach this well. This is to ensure that pupils who are behind catch up quickly.

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better?

Pupils are engaged in their learning because staff know how to teach the curriculum to meet the needs and interests of individual pupils. Staff are skilled at identifying pupils’ additional needs and working around any barriers to learning that pupils may face. Disruption to lessons is rare. When it does happen, staff are skilled in de- escalating situations and supporting pupils to regulate their behaviour.

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better?

Pupils benefit from a rich personal development curriculum that extends beyond the academic curriculum. Leaders have designed a comprehensive relationships and sex education curriculum. Staff teach this with sensitivity and ensure that pupils have the knowledge that they need to be prepared for adulthood.

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better?

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. For example, they can recall the ingredients of the lunchtime soup and understand why this is a healthy choice. Pupils benefit from extensive school grounds. They are encouraged to walk regularly and have weekly physical education lessons. Leaders have ensured that pupils understand diversity and the importance of tolerance and respect. Staff teach pupils about the protected characteristics in the curriculum and ensure that they learn about other faiths, cultures, beliefs and choices.

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better?

Leaders ensure that pupils are given impartial careers information, education, advice and guidance. This includes visits to local colleges and work experience. Pupils are prepared well for their next stage of education, training or employment. For example, some pupils have secured supported work placements following work experience.

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better?

The proprietor body knows the school well and has a clear vision to develop further the quality of education. Their ambition for pupils permeates through all levels of leadership. The proprietor body and governors provide effective support and challenge to leaders. They successfully hold them to account for the actions that they take to improve the school. 29 November to 1 December 2022 The proprietor body has ensured that all of the independent school standards are met. Leaders have ensured that they follow health and safety requirements, including fire regulations and risk assessments. The building is well maintained, clean and well resourced. Policies are available to parents and carers on the website and upon request. The complaints policy is fully compliant. Leaders have ensured that the school is compliant with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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better?

Leaders prioritise the workload and well-being of staff. They take effective steps to ensure that staff feel well supported. For example, staff appreciate regular supervision and daily briefings and debriefings. Staff feel valued by leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that there is an effective safeguarding policy that complies with the current government requirements. The policy is published on the website and is available on request.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff have appropriate training so that they can identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. Staff know how to record and report their concerns about pupils’ welfare. Leaders deal with any concerns swiftly and appropriately. They seek advice and secure help from external agencies to provide additional support for pupils.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff are alert to the additional safeguarding vulnerabilities that pupils may face. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe in the community. Staff ensure that pupils know about dangers and risks, including when they are online, and how to get help if they need it.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Leaders have not ensured that some aspects of the key stage 2 curriculum have the depth of subject knowledge that they could have. This means that some pupils are not as well prepared for key stage 3 as they should be. Leaders should ensure that the key stage 2 curriculum enables all pupils to know more, do more and remember more across all subjects.  Leaders have not ensured that there are enough opportunities in the curriculum for pupils to connect their knowledge to real-life experiences. This means that pupils do not always apply what they know and can do confidently and independently. Leaders should ensure that pupils have real-life experiences in the curriculum to develop their learning so that they can become increasingly independent. 29 November to 1 December 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. 29 November to 1 December 2022

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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

School category Independent special school

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School details

Email address sarah.chatterton@cambiangroup.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 and 21 March 2019 29 November to 1 December 2022

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Information about this school

 The previous standard inspection was on 19 to 21 March 2019.  An emergency inspection, commissioned by the Department for Education (DfE), was carried out on 14 November 2019.  The school caters for pupils with a range of special educational needs, including autism spectrum disorder. All pupils at the school have EHC plans.  Since the most recent inspection, there has been a change in proprietor. The new proprietor body is Cambian Autism Services Ltd. The new proprietor changed the school’s name from Mountwood Academy to Brook View School. A new principal has also taken up the post. These changes have been agreed with the DfE.  At the time of the inspection, there were no key stage 2 pupils or students in the post-16 provision at the school.  Leaders do not use 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 since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors spoke with the principal, the interim head of education and other school leaders. They also spoke with a range of staff.  The lead inspector met with the chair of governors. She also spoke with a representative of the local authority and the representative of the proprietor body.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including that relating to the independent school standards, the curriculum, school improvement, safeguarding and the checks undertaken on newly appointed staff. Inspectors also spoke to staff to check how well they understand safeguarding procedures. This did not impact either the quality of the inspection evidence gathered or the inspection outcome.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also considered responses from the staff to the Ofsted survey. 29 November to 1 December 2022  There were no responses to the Ofsted pupil survey. However, inspectors spoke

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Information about this inspection

with pupils about school life. All meetings with pupils were carried out in the presence of a member of staff. Pupils were given further opportunities to answer questions about their learning and experiences in school. The questions that were asked of the pupils were agreed upon with the headteacher.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime and lunchtime, in lessons and around school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and personal, social and health education. They met subject leaders and teachers and visited a sample of lessons. They also considered the curriculum across some other subject areas and looked at examples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector scrutinised a wide range of documents and information relating to the independent school standards. She also toured the school premises.

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Inspection team

Sally Timmons, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sue Eastwood 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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