Bailey Street Alternative Provision Academy

Inspection of Bailey Street Alternative Provision Academy 1a Bailey Street, Stafford ST17 4BG

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 November 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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Sonia Lockett. This school is part of Manor Hall Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Richard Redgate, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Alexander. 28 and 29 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well cared for at this school. Many pupils arrive here having had negative experiences of education. Nevertheless, staff take time to build warm and trusting relationships with pupils so that they feel safe in school. Pupils know who to go to if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The behaviour of pupils is variable. At social times, pupils are generally calm. Many sit sensibly eating and drinking while chatting to their friends. Pupils enjoy talking to staff during this time and being with the school dogs. However, in some lessons, pupils can be disruptive and show a poor attitude to their learning. Some pupils do not attend school as often as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils study a suitable range of subjects as part of the school curriculum. Many pupils particularly value their learning in vocational courses, such as boxing and motor vehicle maintenance. However, in some subjects, the school is still developing the curriculum to set out the detail of what pupils should learn and when. Pupils are not getting the support they need to help improve their reading.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has started to plan activities and visits outside of school. Recently, pupils have enjoyed trips to Trentham Gardens and the National Memorial Arboretum.

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better?

The school curriculum carefully maps out the topics that pupils will study throughout the year. In many subjects, the school set out what key things pupils need to know and remember. In mathematics, leaders have used the national curriculum and the exam board specification to outline what pupils should learn. However, in some subjects, the school has not identified the smaller blocks of learning that pupils need to know and understand to complete more complex tasks. This does not help pupils to build on what they know or connect their learning together.

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better?

The school is still in the early stages of helping to support pupils with their reading. Leaders have recently assessed pupils to identify their reading age. Alongside this, a commercial scheme has been purchased to plan a programme of reading support. However, the school has not implemented this support to help pupils catch up. This means that some pupils continue to have weak reading skills and struggle to access parts of the curriculum.

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better?

All pupils at the school are recognised as having special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff quickly identify pupils’ behaviour and well-being needs to help construct learning plans. These plans are shared with staff so that they are aware of what appropriate support needs to be put in place in the classroom. Staff have received training on how to support pupils with SEND, including pupils with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, pupils’ learning plans do not include academic targets. The school has not identified what specific support and adaptations need to be made to develop pupils’ skills in literacy and numeracy. 28 and 29 November 2023

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Some staff do not have high enough expectations of pupils’ behaviour. They do not always apply the school behaviour policy consistently. In addition, some pupils do not arrive at lessons on time and occasionally decide to walk out of lessons without permission. When some pupils are in lessons, they disrupt the learning of others. This means that, for some pupils, they have a fractured learning experience.

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Leaders are aware that attendance to school is low. They work closely with outside agencies to encourage pupils to attend school more regularly. For some pupils, engagement with the school’s vocational courses is having a positive impact. However, for others, there is further work to do so that they attend more often.

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The school has put together an appropriate personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum. Over time, pupils are taught about key topics, such as healthy relationships, consent and the protected characteristics. Pupils are also taught how to stay safe online and the dangers of sharing images over the internet. Staff are flexible in their approach to PSHE so that it can respond to emerging issues that arise in school. However, some pupils do not recognise why the use of derogatory language is inappropriate.

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The school supports pupils with their next steps in education and/or training. Leaders ensure that pupils are made aware of the different pathways available to them when they leave school.

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Trust leaders have introduced a new governance structure this academic year. A local advisory board meets regularly to discuss the performance of the school and offer support and challenge to leaders. Trust leaders have a realistic view of the school. They recognise that the school has work to do to improve. However, trust leaders have not acted quickly enough to address some areas of weakness.

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Staff are positive about the way leaders engage with them about their workload and well-being. Staff are proud to work at the school and describe it as being like ‘one big family’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not identified the smaller blocks of knowledge and skills that pupils should learn in some subjects. This means it is unclear how pupils build towards understanding more complex ideas. The school should ensure that the curriculum sets out precisely what pupils must learn in each topic to enable them to build successfully on what they know over time. 28 and 29 November 2023

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 The school has not implemented a programme of support to help pupils develop fluency, confidence and enjoyment in reading. This means that some pupils who join the school continue to have gaps in their reading ability, including phonics. As a result, some pupils struggle to access parts of the curriculum. The school should ensure that all pupils, including those who are still at the early stages of learning to read, are given the support they need to develop their reading skills.  Pupils’ behaviour and conduct are disruptive and pupils do not demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning in too many lessons. This means that low-level disruption has a direct impact on how well pupils learn the curriculum, and the use of derogatory language is commonplace. The school should ensure that all staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and apply the school behaviour policy consistently.  Pupils do not attend school as often as they should. This means that pupils miss

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valuable time learning and gaps in knowledge and skills grow wider. The school should continue to take action to ensure pupils attend school more regularly.

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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.

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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). 28 and 29 November 2023

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School details

School category Academy alternative provision sponsor- led Age range of pupils 11 to 16

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School details

Website https://baileystreet.manorhall.academy

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School details

Date(s) of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Manor Hall Academy Trust in January 2021.  The school does not use alternative provision. Pupils have access to different vocational courses delivered in a separate building on the school site.  The school caters for pupils who have been permanently excluded from mainstream education across Stafford and South Staffordshire.  The school offers dual-registered placements for pupils who are at risk of permanent exclusion.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 28 and 29 November 2023

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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.  Inspectors met with a member of the local advisory board and the executive school improvement officer. Meetings were also held with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders, teachers and pupils. Inspectors also talked informally to pupils and staff to gather general information about school life.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, physical education and PSHE. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also

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Information about this inspection

looked at other subjects to check how they are planned and taught.  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 reviewed a range of school documents. These included information about behaviour, attendance, the school curriculum and improvement planning. The school website was also checked.  Inspectors observed informal times of the day to evaluate safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and free-text comments. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Mark Howes, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephanie Moran Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 November 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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