Pinderfields Hospital PRU

Inspection of a good school: Pinderfields Hospital PRU The Wrenthorpe Centre, Imperial Avenue, Wrenthorpe, Wakefield WF2 0LW

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Outcome

Pinderfields Hospital PRU continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have ambition for pupils. From early years to key stage 4, they ensure the curriculum meets pupils’ needs. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are registered at the school for a variety of reasons. It provides home tuition for pupils who are unable to attend school. Some pupils have medical needs that prevent them attending mainstream school. Other pupils attend following a number of suspensions from another school. Some pupils have lessons in hospital. Leaders ensure pupils get the support they need to continue learning. This keeps pupils on track.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has seven sites. The curriculum at each site is well designed. Leaders place a sharp focus on reading. They ensure pupils are prepared for their next steps in education or towards adulthood. Provision is matched to pupils’ academic needs and SEND. It mostly meets pupils’ needs well. Pupils that need specialist adaptations are thoughtfully supported. Sites are generally well equipped. Children’s needs in early years are well met.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well. They have positive attitudes to learning. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Staff model positive attitudes. They develop secure relationships with pupils. This ensures each school site is calm and orderly in the main. Pupils feel safe in school. They say bullying is not a concern. If it were to happen, they know staff would sort it out.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders prioritise reading. Pupils read often as they progress through school. Pupils who need reading support have lessons to develop their phonic knowledge. This includes pupils in the hospital unit. Pupils that cannot access these lessons learn pre-phonics. Communication is an important part of the school’s work. Each school site is a language- and reading-rich environment. Appropriate books and texts are plentiful. They are matched to pupils’ abilities. They are prominently displayed around school sites. 7 and 8 March 2023

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The mathematics curriculum is well thought out. Curriculum plans are clearly sequenced. They take into account pupils’ academic needs and SEND. In early years, children explore numbers and mathematical concepts daily. These develop in complexity as they move through school. The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum supports pupils’ personal development. It is responsive to current issues that pupils face. Lessons are adapted to be accessible for pupils with SEND. Children in early years have the resources and support they need. This helps them work towards their learning and developmental goals. The curriculum ensures pupils build knowledge in a range of subject areas. It develops their independence. Pupils are prepared for their next steps in education or towards adulthood.

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There is an appropriate personal development offer. It includes comprehensive spiritual, moral, social and cultural topics. The curriculum has clear relationships and sex education and health education links. Pupils learn about consent. They can confidently define its meaning in sensible ways. Their work details convincing lessons on personal space. Pupils have opportunities to engage with people that are different to them. This includes those from different walks of life and cultures. Leaders have made sure the staff population is representative of multi-cultural society.

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Most pupils attend school regularly. Many are transported to school each day. Those pupils that previously struggled to engage with school usually improve their attendance. Leaders have established secure systems to tackle absence. They have invested in dedicated staff to support families. They work together to overcome any barriers that prevent pupils attending school. Pupils behave well in general. In some settings there are occasional incidents of poor behaviour that do not meet leaders’ expectations. This is often due to staffing turbulence and issues with the premises that leaders are working to improve.

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A minority of pupils attend alternative education provision. This is overseen by the local authority. Leaders check pupils’ welfare and attendance each day. However, leaders do not ensure staff visit each alternative education provision. They have not checked the quality of education provided to pupils when they attend provision elsewhere.

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Governors know the school well. They want the best for staff and pupils. They ensure pupils follow a curriculum that meets their needs. Governors keep staff well-being in their sights. It is an important part of school life. Staff access well-being gym days and social events. There is a collaborative culture. Staff work together to deliver lessons that meet pupils’ needs. This includes interventions and small group work. Staff feel supported to develop their teaching practice. They work with other local schools to moderate assessments and improve the work they do. Staff feel they have the tools to do their jobs effectively. They recognise their workload has natural peaks and troughs. They say their workload is manageable and realistic.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7 and 8 March 2023

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Checks made on adults prior to their employment are appropriate. Leaders ensure there is an air of vigilance to safeguard pupils. Staff understand their responsibilities to keep pupils safe across school sites. They know pupils with SEND face additional safeguarding vulnerabilities. There is a large proactive safeguarding team. Leaders ensure staff are well trained. They receive weekly safeguarding updates in briefings. There is a deep-rooted culture of safeguarding.

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Pupils feel safe in school. They know how to keep themselves safe while online and using technology. Pupils are aware of the risks they may face in the community.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are facing some ongoing issues with staffing and premises in a minority of school sites. This turbulence has led to an increase in the number of incidents of behaviour that do not meet leaders’ expectations. Leaders should ensure that staffing is stable in those settings and issues with premises are addressed to better meet pupils’ needs.  Checks on pupils who attend alternative education provision are not tight enough. Though leaders keep a close eye on pupils’ attendance and welfare with daily checks, they do not assure themselves of the quality of education each pupil receives. Leaders should regularly visit alternative education providers to check the quality of education experienced by pupils.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2014.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 7 and 8 March 2023

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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. 7 and 8 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10242140 Type of school Pupil referral unit

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School details

Appropriate authority The management committee

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School details

Website www.pinderfieldshospitalpru.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Pinderfields Hospital PRU is a pupil referral unit for pupils aged between two and 19 years. It is based across seven sites.  Most pupils have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. Some pupils attend the school during assessment for an EHC plan. A minority of pupils are admitted up to the age of 19 years.  The school facilitates home tuition for pupils in the Wakefield area with additional needs that have prevented them from attending school.  The school makes provision for pupils with a range of SEND. This includes speech, language and communication needs, autism spectrum disorder and social, emotional and mental health needs.  The school uses two alternative education providers. One of the providers is unregistered.  The school measures itself against the Gatsby benchmarks to ensure pupils receive high-quality careers advice.  The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause. This means that pupils receive

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Information about this school

information about the full range of education and training options available to them, 7 and 8 March 2023

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including information about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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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 headteacher, members of the senior leadership team, subject leaders, teachers and support staff.  The lead inspector met with the teacher in charge of the hospital provision in an on- screen remote meeting.  The lead inspector met with members of the management committee. They also spoke by telephone to the local authority school improvement adviser.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and PSHE. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector met with members of the school’s safeguarding team, including the

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Information about this inspection

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.  Inspectors visited lessons across the school sites.  The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The lead inspector met with the special educational needs coordinators. They evaluated the support provided for a sample of pupils with SEND.  Inspectors spoke to pupils formally and informally, including pupils who receive support to improve their behaviour.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans.  The inspection team spoke to staff about their workload and pupils’ behaviour in the

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Information about this inspection

school.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils, staff and parents. This included any free-text responses. 7 and 8 March 2023

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Inspection team

David Mills, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Marian Thomas Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 March 2023

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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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