Bristol Hospital Education Service

Inspection of an outstanding school: Bristol Hospital Education Service Falkland Road, Montpelier, Bristol, Bristol BS6 5JL

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Outcome

Bristol Hospital Education Service continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at this exceptionally nurturing provision. Staff promote very positive relationships. They ensure learning is taught in ways that pupils enjoy and can access. Consequently, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), quickly experience success. Most rediscover an interest in learning and optimism for their futures. The feelings of parents are summarised well by the comment of one, who said: ‘Bristol Hospital Education Service saved my child’s education.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff share very high expectations for pupils. Pupils benefit from following personalised programmes of study, within the context of a carefully planned core curriculum offer. Careers advice and work experience are woven into pupils’ planned pathways. This supports pupils in learning to value their place in their school and local communities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour in the school’s settings is exemplary. Lessons are highly focused, calm and purposeful. Pupils recognise that this supports them to learn well. Pupils take pride in their work. Staff are skilled and know how to support the needs of individual pupils. Bullying is extremely rare and resolved quickly should it occur. As a result, pupils rightly say they are kept safe.

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

Leaders, including governors, are unwaveringly focused on improving outcomes for pupils. Their rationale for the curriculum is underpinned by the shared ambition to reignite pupils’ interest in learning and prepare them for a successful future. Everyone recognises the importance of broadening pupils’ experiences and removing any barriers to their learning. To do this, leaders have planned a highly ambitious and effective curriculum.

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

The school’s curriculum meets pupils’ needs exceptionally well. Pupils arrive often with disjointed experiences of education and with very high levels of anxiety. Staff ensure that robust assessments happen at the earliest opportunity when pupils first arrive at the 28 and 29 June 2023

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school. Appropriate pathways and interventions are identified for each individual. All pupils benefit from a core academic offer, which includes all elements of the English Baccalaureate at key stage 4.

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Curriculum leaders have in-depth knowledge of their subjects and lead them with enthusiasm and skill. They ensure that planning is logically sequenced and ambitious. This allows staff to teach highly motivating and effective sequences of work. Skilled support staff enable pupils to experience wider opportunities in their locality and through social situations. This ensures that all pupils experience a broad and rounded education, including those with SEND. The diversity of the curriculum engages pupils’ enthusiasm. They achieve well over time and in the qualifications they gain.

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Expert staff deliver the intended curriculum very effectively. They have strong subject knowledge in the areas of the curriculum they teach. The school has many pupils with SEND, often unidentified at the point of referral. Staff creatively and skilfully engage pupils and entice them back to engaging in learning and social interaction. Teachers plan learning with pupils’ future destinations in mind. They use regular assessment to successfully adapt the curriculum. Consequently, pupils make rapid gains from wide-ranging starting points. They remember the curriculum very well. They are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Leaders’ ambition is reflected in their bespoke and targeted approaches to ensuring that all pupils can read. When pupils complete assessments on arrival, this includes a precise focus on their reading abilities. As a result, teaching of reading is finely tuned to the individual needs of pupils. Pupils in the early stages of reading make rapid progress. Many learn to love reading, despite it being a barrier to them in the past.

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Pupils’ wider development is promoted highly effectively. Staff utilise rich experiences of pupils’ local and wider communities to learn about different cultures, beliefs and moral dilemmas. Pupils discuss beliefs and values through personal, social and health education lessons and in response to their local context. Parents are very positive about the impact of this work. This all helps pupils to develop a stronger sense of success. As a result, they learn to believe in themselves and to find ways they can contribute to society.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The leadership of safeguarding is strong. Leaders know the local setting and contextual challenges very well. For example, pupils are often very vulnerable because of their isolation or well-being. Leaders have implemented strong systems for managing safeguarding and responding to these challenges. Consequently, staff follow processes diligently. Concerns are followed up in a timely fashion. Leaders work very effectively with other agencies.

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Safeguarding

Safer recruitment practices meet statutory expectations. Appropriate checks are made on new staff. These are recorded efficiently on a single central register. Leaders do all they can to ensure those who work at the school are appropriate and safe for pupils. 28 and 29 June 2023

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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 outstanding in November 2013.

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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.

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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. 28 and 29 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10227959 Type of school Pupil referral unit

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Appropriate authority The Management Committee

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Chair of governing body Mrs Vicki Franklin

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Website https://www.bhes.bristol.sch.uk/

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Date of previous inspection 31 March 2017

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Information about this school

 The Bristol Hospital Education Service is a pupil referral unit catering for primary- and secondary-aged pupils from across Bristol and from other local authorities, and sometimes from other countries, who are not able to attend mainstream schools because of their serious health conditions.  Since the last inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 7 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection of the school since the COVID-19pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 28 and 29 June 2023

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 Inspectors met with senior and subject leaders, including the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteachers and staff in a range of rolls across the school and its settings. Inspectors also met with representatives from the Management Committee, including the chair and vice chair, who provide governance oversight. The inspector discussed leaders’ evaluations, priorities for improvement and the curriculum.  Inspectors completed deep dives in four subjects: English, mathematics, science and art. As part of these deep dives, inspectors met with senior and subject leaders, teachers and pupils. Inspectors also visited lessons, scrutinised pupils’ work and talked to pupils. The inspector listened to some pupils read.  Inspectors analysed responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents, including the free-text facility. Inspectors also analysed responses to the staff survey.  Inspectors analysed school documentation, including leaders’ evaluations, paperwork

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relating to the work of trustees and the hub councillor. They scrutinised a range of policies and procedures including those that relate to the curriculum.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding arrangements by meeting with the designated safeguarding lead, reviewing safer recruitment processes and speaking to staff and pupils. School policies, governance arrangements, records of concern and links to other agencies were scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Matthew Barnes, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mike Thomas Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 June 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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