Include Suffolk

Inspection of Include Suffolk Springvale Court, Hadleigh Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP8 3AS

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Inspection dates: 21 to 23 February 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school provides a haven for pupils who have been excluded or have struggled in other school placements. Staff know the pupils well and there is a warm relationship between them. As a result, pupils are enthusiastic about coming to school and know that staff will help them feel safe. They enjoy the activities they do, especially where they are practical, for example using blocks in mathematics to represent fractions. Pupils enjoy listening to their teachers read them stories. Pupils are not yet achieving as well as they could because some teachers have low expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils arrive at the school displaying exceptionally challenging behaviour. Staff are skilled at helping pupils to calm down and get back to learning. Most pupils are now able to learn to read, write and do mathematics, where previously they could not access mainstream classrooms. Teachers expect them to work, and most do. However, there are still too many occasions when disruptive pupils stop others from learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Where there is bullying, or when sexist or racist language is used, this is dealt with quickly and effectively by leaders. Pupils know who they can go to if they are worried or upset.

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better?

Leaders’ main aim is to get pupils to re-engage with education. All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Some are being assessed for an education, health and care (EHC) plan after arriving at the school. Staff make good use of detailed plans to adapt how they respond to individuals as needed.

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better?

The school aims to provide short-term education for up to three terms. Most pupils make progress in improving their behaviour. They move on to specialist provision or return to their mainstream school. However, there are some pupils who have not gained an appropriate placement and have been on roll for several years. Staff implement the behaviour policy well and tailor this to pupils’ needs. However, some pupils display very challenging behaviour and can disrupt learning for others.

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better?

Leaders plan the curriculum in half-term blocks. Teachers across the three sites collaborate to plan. The learning in each block builds knowledge week by week, covering a broad curriculum. The detailed planning of how these blocks build on each other over a longer period, term on term, is not yet in place.

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better?

Teachers feed back to pupils in each lesson on how they have met the ‘three Ps’, ‘people, place, purpose’. Pupils are motivated by the rewards they receive for good behaviour, being in the right place and successful completion of work.

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better?

Teachers make careful checks on pupils’ progress. They share this information with pupils’ home schools if they are on a fixed-term placement. Some teaching is 21 to 23 February 2023 engaging and motivates pupils to work. However, the activities that teachers choose for pupils to do are not always well matched to what they want pupils to learn. They are too easy and do not match the teaching. Many pupils are reluctant to write. Expectations about how much they will write vary too much from class to class.

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better?

Pupils enjoy reading. Staff make sure there are interesting books for them to choose from. However, the teaching of phonics is not strong enough. Not all staff are implementing the chosen scheme to the same standard. The books for early readers are not exactly matched to the sounds taught and so pupils are not practising or using the sounds they know.

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better?

Staff encourage pupils to be tolerant of and respectful to each other. Pupils learn about different religions and ways of life through the topics studied. The curriculum does not yet enable pupils to develop independence and confidence as well as they should. Adults are too quick to do pupils’ writing for them.

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better?

Leaders know what needs doing to improve the provision but have had limited capacity to do this. They have struggled to recruit skilled staff, and leaders have been covering several roles. Staff do feel well supported by leaders. They work closely as a team.

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better?

The proprietor body recognises that standards have fallen at the school. They are actively supporting leaders to improve provision. They have ensured that the Equality Act is followed.

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better?

Leaders have not ensured that all the independent school standards are met. The independent school standards about the quality of education are not met. Leaders have ensured that standards about pupils’ health, safety and welfare are met. Leaders provide parents with the information they require, such as the school’s safeguarding policy. The school complies with the 2010 Equality Act.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know the pupils very well. Staff have had comprehensive training on safeguarding, trauma and other adverse experiences that can have an impact on childhood. This means that pupils’ needs are identified quickly, and staff help pupils cope with any issues. Daily briefings ensure that everyone knows how to support each pupil on their site.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught about keeping themselves safe and about topics such as consent through the relationships and sex education programme.

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Safeguarding

Leaders work closely with a wide range of different agencies to ensure that pupils are safe, both at home and school, including those pupils who are vulnerable to criminal exploitation. They also have regular and positive communication with families, enabling both sides to support pupils better. 21 to 23 February 2023 Record-keeping is very thorough. This helps the process of applying for additional support, such as for mental health or bereavement counselling. All appropriate employment checks are made on staff.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The curriculum does not make it clear how knowledge and skills learned will be progressive term on term. This means that pupils do not build their knowledge from what they have learned previously. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum is well planned and sequenced.  Some of the activities that teachers choose for pupils to do are not well matched to the intended learning. Activities are too easy and do not rehearse the exact knowledge and skills taught. This means that pupils do not learn as well as they should. Leaders need to ensure that staff plan and choose activities that are closely matched to the learning intention.  Phonics is not taught consistently well. Some teachers do not always follow the school’s chosen approach. The books that weaker readers are given to read are not matched to the scheme. This means that pupils do not build the phonic knowledge they need to read accurately and fluently. Leaders should ensure that

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

staff are well trained in the school’s approach for teaching phonics and that books are well matched to the sounds pupils need to practise.  The expectations for writing are inconsistent across the school. Some pupils are reluctant to write. They avoid writing where staff do not expect them to do so. As a result, pupils are not developing the skills they need to write well. Leaders need to ensure that staff understand how to encourage reluctant writers and have higher expectations of pupils’ written work.

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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. 21 to 23 February 2023

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School details

Email address daryl.bates@catch-22.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 to 17 January 2019 21 to 23 February 2023

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Information about this school

 The school is split over three sites. These are the registered Ipswich site, the Old Kingdom Hall, Short Bracklands, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP33 1EL, and the Aspire Centre, Yarmouth Road, Lowestoft NR32 4BF.  Although compliant with the independent school standards, the site in Bury St Edmunds has small classrooms, a difficult interior layout and a playground in poor condition. The proprietor intends to merge the Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich sites into new premises.  The school has a contract with Suffolk local authority to provide 66 alternative provision places for pupils in key stages 1 and 2. Some pupils are on a dual roll with their home school. Others have been permanently excluded from their last school.  Most pupils have an EHC plan. Many pupils have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.  The school uses two unregistered alternative providers to enhance the curriculum for a small number of learners.

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Information about this school

 The headteacher has been in post since January 2022. Two of the three assistant headteachers started in post in Autumn 2022.  There is currently no local governing body, although there are plans in place to establish one.

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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 has failed to meet the independent school standards. These are the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other members of the leadership team. They met with members of staff. They spoke with the Catch 22 director of justice and education, who line manages the headteacher and was the proprietor’s representative. Some of these meetings were by video conference.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, religious education and ‘humanities’. For each subject, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 21 to 23 February 2023  Inspectors also looked at examples of pupils’ work in other curriculum subjects.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors scrutinised the single central record and a

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Information about this inspection

wide range of documents, including safeguarding files. Inspectors spoke to leaders (including the designated safeguarding leads), staff and pupils.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They considered the 23 responses to the staff survey and the responses to the pupil survey.  On some occasions when inspectors spoke to pupils, a member of school staff was present to support pupils. This did not affect the questions asked or the discussions inspectors had with pupils.

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Inspection team

Tessa Holledge, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kay Leach Ofsted Inspector 21 to 23 February 2023

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school— – 3(a) enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability so that they increase their understanding and develop their skills in the subjects taught; – 3(b) fosters in pupils self-motivation, the application of intellectual, physical and creative effort, interest in their work and the ability to think and learn for themselves; – 3(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time; – 3(d) shows a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and ensures that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons; – 3(e) demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being taught; – 3(f) utilises effectively classroom resources of a good quality, quantity and range.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school— – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently. 21 to 23 February 2023 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

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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