Tuition, Medical and Behaviour Support Service

Inspection of a good school: Tuition, Medical and Behaviour Support Service Central Office Admin, Sundorne Education Centre, 218 Sundorne Road, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY1 4RG

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 October 2023

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Outcome

Tuition, Medical and Behaviour Support Service (TMBSS) continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At the heart of TMBSS lies a belief that all pupils should leave as confident young people who are 'world ready'. Inspirational leaders, caring staff and well-planned support combine to provide the right support at the right time. Pupils start at TMBSS with a wide range of previous educational experiences and very varying needs. All these needs are well catered for. One parent told inspectors that TMBSS helped their child to achieve what they never thought was possible, and others echoed this view.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships are a strength at TMBSS. Some pupils believe education is not for them before starting here. However, at TMBSS, they quickly become settled and happy to learn, knowing they are cared for and that support is available. Consequently, behaviour is strong across all settings. Those who need specialist help to continue their education while they are unwell thrive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The belief that every moment must count at TMBSS drives wider opportunities for all pupils in all settings. Visits to museums, castles and local sports centres enrich the reality for older students. The ‘50 things to do before you are 11’ in primary provides exciting experiences, such as building dens, skimming stones or rolling down hills.

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

Many pupils join TMBSS with undiagnosed or unmet additional needs. The service gains a clearer understanding of those needs over time through well-considered interventions and support. For some, this means an accurate identification of special educational needs and/or disabilities and a support plan. For others, it means uncovering the need for intensive short-term intervention to support mental health needs.

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

From the moment pupils start, staff work hard to find out what pupils can do and those areas they need more help with. Personal learning plans are focused on developing the knowledge and skills that pupils need to be successful when they return to their own 24 and 25 October 2023

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school or move on to a new provision. Consequently, barriers to learning and life are understood, and interventions are precise and well planned.

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Over the past few years, the service has developed a new, ambitious and exciting curriculum across all of its provisions. The service knows which subjects are strong and which areas need improvement. For example, in mathematics, leaders have rightly identified that lessons in algebra, measures, numbers, shape and space are strong and well planned. However, they also know that further work is required to provide opportunities for pupils to learn functional problem-solving skills and apply their mathematical knowledge.

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Staff are knowledgeable about how to adapt how they teach in order to best meet the needs of their pupils. Regular staff training and opportunities for staff from different sites to work together enrich everyone’s skills and knowledge. Leaders know that pupils’ previous experiences will affect how they learn. Staff are skilful in not overloading pupils and in finding the right moment to challenge further.

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Reading is rightly a priority for all pupils. Over the last few years, the service has introduced programmes to help pupils to read with increasing accuracy and understanding. For many, these programmes are successful. However, some pupils join in key stages 3 or 4 unable to read, and these programmes do not always meet their needs as well as they should. Staff know that further work is needed to support those pupils with significant gaps in their phonics knowledge and early reading skills.

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Relationships and behaviour are strengths across all sites and aspects of the services. Many pupils’ needs are complex and long-standing, and they are often related to behaviour and mental health. Staff understand these needs and work consistently well to develop pupils’ sense of self-esteem and personal belief. There are regular planned opportunities for pupils to develop confidence and resilience. Consequently, over time, pupils rebuild belief in themselves as learners.

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The school has worked hard to understand what being a pupil growing up in Shropshire is like. Staff, parents, carers and pupils are united in their ambition that pupils will become active members of the world around them. Lessons in personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education develop awareness of community safety.

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All pupils, including those in the hospital provisions, benefit from high-quality enrichment during their time at TMBSS. As well as the more active opportunities for those who are able to take part, personal mentoring, pet therapy, art workshops and even visits from a local magician broaden and enrich their daily lives.

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Partnership working across all settings is a real strength. A sense of mutual support and encouragement inspires staff to feel well supported. They rightly think that the service is well led and managed. The service goes the extra mile to cultivate relationships with other services. For example, the exceptional partnership between the nursing and education staff at the hospital provision is striking. 24 and 25 October 2023

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Many pupils return to their previous schools because the reasons that brought them to the service have been overcome. Regular meetings with parents and different education settings keep everyone involved and informed.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Intervention programmes for pupils with significant gaps in their reading ability and/or phonics knowledge are in the early stages of development. As a result, this limits the ability of some pupils to access the wider curriculum and the world around them. The school should ensure that pupils in the early stages of reading are quickly identified so that appropriate provisions can be implemented at the earliest opportunity in order to allow them to access the curriculum fully and to prepare them well for their next steps.  The school has not ensured that all pupils can routinely use their mathematical knowledge to solve problems and reason mathematically. This means that, when faced with a complex question, some pupils cannot select and use the correct approach and knowledge that will enable them to succeed. The school should ensure that teachers provide all pupils with a rich range of resources that help them apply their numerical,

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

algebraic and geometrical knowledge in various contexts and situations.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2018.

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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. 24 and 25 October 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' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 24 and 25 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 27 and 28 February 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 TMBSS is a provision based on eight sites and one outreach service. There are four teaching centres for pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs at Harlescott, Sundorne, Bridgnorth and Oswestry. There are two specialist teaching centres for pupils with complex SEMH needs at Hook A Gate and Ludlow.  Hospital education provision is provided by TMBSS at Princess Royal Hospital Telford and at Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital.  The school also runs an outreach provision that supports pupils at home until they can access education at one of the centres.  There is also a service to support reintegration into mainstream schools that involves staff working alongside staff from mainstream and specialist provisions to support pupils back into their previous or new schools.  Since the last inspection, a new chair of governors was appointed in September 2020.  The school uses five alternative provisions, all of which are unregistered.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  During the inspection, inspectors completed deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, PSHE and art. In these subjects, they visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, and talked with pupils and staff about how these subjects were taught. Inspectors also looked at other subjects in less detail to check how they were planned

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Information about this inspection

and taught.  Inspectors visited all of the TMBSS-named sites and one alternative provision. These visits included both hospital provisions. The inspectors also visited a local primary school to evaluate the impact of the school’s reintegration work. Two inspectors also visited home settings to talk with parents and evaluate the quality of the outreach service.  During the inspection, inspectors had formal meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject teachers, teachers and pupils. They also talked with parents, carers, pupils and staff to gather general information about school life.  An inspector spoke with representatives of the local authority. A conversation was also held with members of the governing body.

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Inspection team

Chris Pollitt, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Melanie Callaghan-Lewis Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Janet Lewis Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 October 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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