Values Academy

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Values Academy Grove Road, Stockingford, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV10 8JX

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraphs 2(1), 2(1)(a), 2(1)(b), 2(1)(b)(i), 3, 3(a) 3(d)  At the time of the previous standard inspection, in November 2022, the curriculum in the foundation subjects was not well sequenced. In addition, staff were not aware of the needs of pupils as they did not have access to key documentation relating to pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).  The school is in the early stages of developing the curriculum in many foundation subjects, including history, geography, art and food technology. In various subjects, the school has planned a series of lessons that are starting to form the basis of a curriculum. However, there is not an overarching curriculum in these subjects that maps out the knowledge and skills that pupils will learn over time. In addition, due to turbulence in staffing, plans to develop the curriculum have been limited.

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Main inspection findings

 The school is in the process of overhauling its systems to make staff more aware of pupils’ SEND and the targets that individual pupils need to work on to make progress. The intention is that staff will be able to use this information to inform and support teaching in their respective subjects. Staff value the background information about individual pupils that is provided to them. This gives them an overview of the social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs of the pupils in their care. However, pupils’ individual targets remain too general. Leaders are aware of this, but again, their efforts to facilitate change have been hampered by the changes in staffing.  These independent school standards (the standards) remain unmet. Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraphs 7, 7(a), 7(b) 32(1)(c)  All staff, including those responsible for the leadership of safeguarding, are well trained.

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Main inspection findings

Training involves updates linked to statutory guidance, how to deal with pupil disclosures and how to spot signs of abuse. The school has also organised training linked to specific issues in response to the increased vulnerability of the pupils, such as how to stay safe when working online. Staff know the pupils well, so they are quick to spot any pupils who are acting out of character, which may indicate a cause for concern. Staff know what to do if they are concerned about a pupil’s welfare. Pupils say they feel safe in school because the teachers know them well and care for them. A pupil commented, ‘They treat us like real people, and they are there for us.’  The school makes appropriate checks on staff’s suitability to work with pupils before they start to work at the school.  The safeguarding policy adheres to government guidance. Currently, it is available to parents and carers on request because the school’s website is being updated.

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Main inspection findings

 The proprietor body has ensured that these standards continue to be met. Paragraphs 13, 14, 15, 16, 16(a) 16(b)  A detailed health and safety policy, which outlines the school’s approach to risk assessment is in place. A range of suitable risk assessments relating to the premises and extra-curricular activities are available. Procedures for administering first aid and prescribed medication are well organised. There are a sufficient number of trained first aiders in the school.  Admission registers are maintained by the school’s receptionist and monitored by school leaders. First-day absence procedures are in place and leaders make welfare checks when required.  Many pupils have one-to-one support. The school admits that maintaining this has been a challenge at times due to staff leaving and the challenge of recruiting new staff. However, there is no evidence that this has compromised pupils’ safety or welfare.

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Main inspection findings

 The proprietor body has ensured that these standards continue to be met. Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a) 34(1)(b)  At the time of the progress monitoring inspection in September 2023, the proprietor body and school leaders had addressed some of the weaknesses identified at the previous standard inspection. However, some of the areas linked to the curriculum had not been addressed. This impacted negatively on the quality of education being offered to pupils.  Since then, leaders at all levels, supported by staff, have started to make further improvements across the school. However, their efforts have been hampered by turbulence in leadership and staffing.  Staff leaving and recruitment challenges have also increased staff’s workload as they are covering for other staff who are absent.  Those responsible for leadership, including the proprietor body and the school’s two new

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Main inspection findings

school improvement partners, are aware that the school has gone through a difficult period. At times, this has meant that the school has been reacting to challenges, rather than being proactive. The proprietor body has identified the need to restructure the current leadership and staffing within the school. They are also in the process of putting measures into place which they hope will attract high-quality staff to the school.  The proprietor body has established monitoring systems so that staff and leaders can be held to account to ensure that pupils experience a better quality of education.  These standards remain unmet. Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010  The proprietor body has ensured that a suitable accessibility plan is in place. The plan meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet the requirements of the schedule to The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection, as set out in the annex of this report. This included the standards and requirements that the school was judged to not comply with at the previous inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which 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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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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School details

Of which, number on roll in sixth form 2

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £25,605 to £29,523

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School details

Dates of previous standard inspection 22 to 24 November 2022

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Information about this school

 Values Academy is a small, independent day school in Nuneaton. The school caters for pupils who have SEMH needs. All pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The proprietor body runs another school in Birmingham.  A range of local authorities place pupils in the school, including Warwickshire.  The school opened in 2011. The school’s last full inspection was in November 2022. The school was judged to be inadequate. The school received its first progress monitoring inspection in September 2023.  The school had fewer than five pupils on roll in the sixth form at the time of this inspection.  Currently, the school is making use of two unregistered alternative providers.  During the autumn term 2023, the school experienced a great deal of turbulence in staffing.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  This was the second progress monitoring inspection since the standard inspection in November 2022.  Following the first progress monitoring inspection, in September 2023, the Department for Education (DfE) required the school to prepare an action plan. The action plan was deemed unacceptable by the DfE in November 2023.  The inspector held discussions with school leaders, including a representative of the proprietor body, to review the school’s progress against the previously unmet standards.  The inspector reviewed a range of curriculum documentation. He visited English, mathematics, science and physical education lessons. The inspector met with three

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Information about this inspection

groups of pupils to discuss their learning and experiences at school, including an all-girl group of pupils. At the end of the school day, the inspector met with a group of teachers and a group of mentors.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; examined relevant documentation; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. The inspection was conducted without notice.

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Inspection team

Wayne Simner, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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The school does not meet the following independent school standards

Standards that were not met at the previous inspection and remain un-met at this inspection

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if– – 2(1)(a) the proprietor ensures that a written policy on the curriculum, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work, which provides for the matters specified in sub-paragraph (2) is drawn up and implemented effectively; and – 2(1)(b) the written policy, plans and schemes of work- – 2(1)(b)(i) take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan.  3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school– – 3(a) enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability so that they increase their understanding and develop their skills in the subjects taught; and – 3(d) shows a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and ensures that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school– – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently. guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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