The Emscote School

Inspection of The Emscote School Nelsons Lane, Nelsons Lane Industrial Estate, Warwick, Warwickshire CV34 5JB

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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 Requires improvement

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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 arrive at The Emscote School having experienced disruption to their education. Staff prioritise getting to know the pupils well. They quickly form positive relationships with the pupils. This helps pupils to feel safe and settled. There is a positive fresh start approach that builds pupils’ self-belief. Pupils appreciate that they have a second chance at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders hold high expectations of pupils and what they can achieve. They make sure that staff understand the individual needs of all pupils. Staff establish positive learning routines. This motivates pupils to reconnect with their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has set clear boundaries for pupils. Poor behaviour does sometimes happen. However, pupils understand that staff are there to support them. They do so with patience and understanding. This helps pupils to regulate. Over time, pupils’ behaviour and attendance improve.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils receive high levels of pastoral care. They learn about themselves and the key skills required for their personal success. The school has established partnerships with alternative provisions, work placements and colleges. This enriches pupils’ personal development and wider experiences beyond school. The school prepares pupils well for their next steps.

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better?

Pupils have varying starting points when they join the school, and many have gaps in their learning. The school has designed a curriculum that is broad and interesting for pupils. The specific content that they want pupils to know and remember has been carefully set out. There are regular opportunities to revisit important topics. This helps pupils to build their learning over time. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who attend on short-term placements. Some subjects are further developed than others. For the less developed subjects, learning does not always build purposefully towards ambitious end points.

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better?

There are clear routines for learning throughout the school. This is because there is consistency in the expectations staff have of pupils and the way in which the curriculum is delivered. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and adapt the curriculum well. Regular use of assessment supports pupils in their next steps of learning. Teachers are quick to identify gaps and errors and work well with pupils to address these. For some pupils, this is the first time they have experienced success in learning or developed a favourite subject. Pupils take pride in their achievements. They are enthusiastic to talk about their learning and show off their books to visitors. 7 to 9 November 2023 Supporting pupils to read fluently is a school priority. Some pupils are in the early stages of reading and require further support to help them catch up. The school is developing the reading programme to support these pupils. As yet, the checks staff

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better?

make on what pupils know and can do are not precise enough. This means that some pupils do not receive the targeted support for their reading that they need. This impacts on how well they can access their learning across the curriculum.

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better?

Some pupils do not attend school as often as they should but this is improving. Leaders work extensively with parents, carers and professionals to tackle poor attendance. Leaders monitor and analyse attendance. This helps them to offer personalised plans to support pupils in attending school more often. These strategies are effective.

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better?

The school has established careful approaches to support pupils with their behaviour. Pupils learn and understand what is expected of them. Pupils are respectful of each other. They say that bullying is not tolerated. Pupils are incredibly positive about how staff help them. They rightly say that staff do all they can to help them improve their behaviour and learn to manage their feelings. Pupils receive positive praise when things go well. Pupils appreciate that the school contacts their home to share these positives. They say this is different to their other experiences in school.

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better?

Careful attention is paid to pupils’ wider development. Pupils are helped to learn about themselves and make sense of their experiences. Leaders recognise the importance of teaching pupils important topics and concepts, including safeguarding risks. This is delivered through personal, social and health education (PSHE). Pupils also benefit from life skills lessons and individual mentor sessions. Pupils talk clearly about their learning, for example when they have learned about different types of relationships, online safety and money management.

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better?

Pupils receive careers planning and advice, which includes impartial guidance. They benefit from work placements in key stage 4. This includes opportunities in retail, hospitality and mechanics. This helps pupils to experience different choices and prepare for their next stage of education or employment.

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better?

Leaders and staff are clear about their ambition for their pupils. This includes trustees, who have a clear oversight of the school. They meet regularly, hold school leaders to account and set strategy for the school. There is a real commitment to supporting pupils’ individual needs and providing them with a different and positive educational experience. Leaders ensure that the school meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 and a suitable accessibility plan is in place.

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better?

Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel well supported by leaders and say that their workload and well-being are considered by all.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7 to 9 November 2023

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school has not yet implemented a rigorous approach to accurately identify any gaps in pupils’ phonics or reading knowledge. This means that some pupils at the early stages of reading do not get the precise help and support that they need to become fluent readers. The school should continue with its current plans to implement an appropriate programme to support the weakest readers.  Some areas of the curriculum, such as some foundation subjects, are not as well developed as others. This means that teaching does not always build on what pupils already know and can do. Pupils are unable to make connections in their learning. Therefore, they do not retain as much content as they could. The school should continue to develop the curriculum to ensure that it is equally well planned in all subjects.

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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. 7 to 9 November 2023

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £33,150 for pupils on roll. £100 per day for commissioned places Telephone number 01926 492609

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School details

Email address parneetkang@emscoteschool.org

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 to 23 June 2022 7 to 9 November 2023

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Information about this school

 The school provides short-term, part-time and full-time placements for pupils who have experienced difficulties in their home school or may have been permanently excluded or at risk of exclusion. These placements are commissioned directly by the home school or by the local authority.  The school has a small number of pupils on its roll. These pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The school uses two unregistered alternative providers.  The proprietor is also the principal.  The school was last inspected in June 2022. Overall effectiveness was judged to be requires improvement.

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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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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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

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, science, humanities and PSHE. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupil’s work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors took into account the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online

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Information about this inspection

questionnaire for parents. Inspectors also consider the responses to the questionnaire for staff.  Inspectors met with the proprietor and other leaders.  The lead inspector scrutinised a number of key policies, including those relating to 7 to 9 November 2023 curriculum, behaviour, anti-bullying, admissions, complaints and health and safety. The lead inspector also toured the premises to check for compliance with the independent school standards.

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Inspection team

Gemma Mann, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Pamela Matty Ofsted Inspector 7 to 9 November 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 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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