Craven Pupil Referral Service

Inspection of a good school: Craven Pupil Referral Service The Snaygill Centre, Keighley Road, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 2QS

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 February 2024

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Outcome

Craven Pupil Referral Service continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school offers pupils a fresh start to their education. It is calm and welcoming. Staff get to know pupils very well. They make sure that pupils are nurtured, feel safe and are valued as individuals. Pupils appreciate that the school encourages them to be themselves. They are listened to. Their needs are understood. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The school assesses, identifies and meets pupils’ individual needs in a timely way.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well. Skilled staff help pupils to develop a ‘toolkit’ of ways to manage their emotions and behaviour. Pupils develop their social skills and learn to regulate their behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum supports pupils to build their knowledge and skills well. There are high expectations for all pupils. Pupils are encouraged to be aspirational. Many achieve qualifications which help them with their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides many opportunities for pupils to develop their life skills. These help pupils to consider their future options for further education and employment. Pupils enjoy a range of trips and experiences that broaden their understanding of the world. These include learning first aid, canoeing, gorge walking and project work with local universities.

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

The school has undergone many changes since the last inspection. The number of pupils attending the school has increased. A restructure of staff has taken place. Leaders have established an ambitious vision to ‘empower pupils to succeed in life.’

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

Most pupils join the school having missed significant periods of education and lacking the incentive to learn. Staff assess pupils’ needs thoroughly. They use this information to create personalised learning and precise targets for pupils. When relevant, targets link to pupils' education, health and care plans. Staff are adept at identifying gaps in pupils’ 20 and 21 February 2024

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learning. They make sure that learning motivates pupils and helps them to flourish. Pupils, including those with SEND, engage with learning and develop personally. All pupils enjoy small group and, sometimes, one-to-one teaching and support. Staff often check on the progress pupils make. They use this information effectively to plan pupils’ next steps.

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The curriculum meets the range of pupils’ needs well. It is focused on developing pupils’ learning in English, mathematics and science. It is enriched by a broad offer of wider curriculum subjects. Curriculum content builds pupils’ knowledge and skills well. Staff work closely with external professionals. They ensure that pupils are supported with their social and emotional needs, and are safe in school.

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Pupils are supported to read well. Staff prioritise the development of pupils’ vocabulary. Pupils read daily and in every lesson. Pupils who need extra help with reading, including those with SEND, receive timely and effective support. Although leaders ensure that pupils read often, the importance of reading for pleasure is not extensively promoted.

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Improving pupils’ attendance is essential to the school’s work. Leaders have strong procedures to promote pupils’ attendance and follow up absences. They work with pupils’ families and external professionals to overcome pupils’ barriers to regular attendance. During their time at the school, pupils’ attendance improves and they learn more and remember more of the curriculum.

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There is a strong curriculum to enrich pupils’ wider development. Pupils learn self-care and develop confidence. They learn about risks such as from drug abuse. They learn how to stay safe, including online. They discuss issues relating to gender identity knowledgeably and celebrate diversity. They receive appropriate relationships, sex and health education. They like cooking meals to share in school. The daily ‘Spartan Move’ lessons promote pupils’ awareness of the importance of maintaining their physical and mental health. Pupils enjoy taking part in team-building activities such as ‘ghyll scrambling’. They learn life skills through experiences such as the ‘life project’.

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Pupils receive independent careers guidance. There is a suitable programme in place to promote further education, employment and training options. Older pupils enjoy work experience.

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Staff are trusted and valued. They appreciate that leaders listen to them and are considerate of their workload and welfare. Staff are well equipped to do their jobs well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Reading for pleasure is not promoted as well as it could be. This makes it difficult for pupils to learn to appreciate a broad range of literature and develop a love of reading. 20 and 21 February 2024

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The school should redouble its efforts to establish a strong culture of reading.

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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 September 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.

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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). 20 and 21 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The local authority

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 September 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a pupil referral service that serves North Yorkshire and Bradford local authorities.  Since the last inspection, there has been a restructure of the school. The vast majority of staff have been appointed since September 2021. The headteacher and deputy headteacher took up their posts in September 2021.  The school caters for pupils who have been permanently excluded from mainstream schools and for pupils who are at risk of permanent exclusion.  The number of pupils on the school roll has increased significantly in the last year. Some pupils are dual registered with their mainstream schools while they are educated at this school.  The school day starts at 8.15am and ends at 1.15pm.  The school provides an outreach service to schools within North Yorkshire.  The school does not use any education alternative providers.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires

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Information about this school

schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 20 and 21 February 2024

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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 the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the designated leader for safeguarding, the business support manager (who is also the attendance and behaviour lead) and some curriculum leaders. They met with some members of staff and some pupils. They spoke on the telephone with leaders from two commissioning schools. The lead inspector met with a principal education advisor from North Yorkshire local authority and two members of the management committee including the chair.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into English, science and personal, social, health and citizenship education. Inspectors looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke to

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Information about this inspection

teaching staff and spoke to some pupils about their learning. Inspectors also looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects including mathematics and art, and visited one of the school’s ‘MOVE’ lessons.  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 considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for parents and carers, pupils and staff. The lead inspector spoke with some parents on the telephone.

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Inspection team

Stephanie Innes-Taylor, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Angela Spencer-Brooke Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 February 2024

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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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