R.Y.A.N Education Academy Vocational Centre

Inspection of R.Y.A.N Education Academy Vocational Centre 334 Bordesley Green Road, Birmingham, West Midlands B8 1BY

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

‘Respect your achievements now’ is the motto which permeates this school. Proprietors have set clear expectations for themselves, their staff and their pupils. All adults are committed to helping pupils succeed. Leaders have set a clear vision and ethos for the school. The vocational aspect of the curriculum is particularly successful in supporting these aims.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and an education, health and care plan (EHC plan). They have all had long periods out of education and experienced difficulties in previous settings. Staff help pupils to overcome their barriers. Pupils re-engage with learning and develop the knowledge, skills and personal qualities they need to be successful in life. Leaders want pupils to gain the qualifications required for future training, education or employment. The school ensures that the courses pupils complete are accredited.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school works well to enhance pupils’ personal and character development. Pupils benefit from a wide range of activities that develop their personalities and further their interests. These activities include trips, visits to theatres and meals out. Pupils also volunteer at local food banks and learn how to be active in their local community. Pupils speak passionately about these opportunities.

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better?

Pupils access a broad range of subjects. They improve their knowledge and skills in English, mathematics, science, history, geography and personal, social and health education (PSHE). The curriculum is further enhanced by the offer of vocational courses in electrical installation and carpentry. Pupils benefit from weekly tutoring sessions where their progress is discussed and learning is individualised for the week ahead. Pupils are actively involved in their education.

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better?

The curriculum is well designed and structured. This is especially the case in the vocational subjects. Consequently, pupils learn particularly well in these subjects. However, in a few subjects, teachers do not always introduce new knowledge in a logical order. Content is sometimes muddled. This slows some pupils’ learning.

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better?

Many pupils who join the school have missed significant chunks of learning as a result of being out of education in the past. This means many pupils have gaps in their learning. Staff on the whole work well to help pupils catch up and address these gaps. However, some teachers do not use assessment well enough to find out how extensive these gaps are. When this is the case, teachers do not always adapt their teaching to support these pupils. Consequently, some pupils do not get the help they need to catch up.

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better?

Staff know pupils and their individual needs very well. Pupils who have experienced trauma in the past are effectively supported. This is because leaders share clear information with staff, including how pupils should best be supported in lessons. This 12 and 13 March 2024 usually works well. At times, staff do not always give pupils sufficient thinking time or pupils’ learning is moved on before they have fully understood their previous work. When this happens, pupils’ learning slows.

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better?

Pupils’ behaviour improves markedly after a short time at the school. This is because of the strong pastoral support and very positive relationships between staff and pupils. The school has high expectations of pupils’ conduct while at the same time having a very clear understanding of why some pupils behave the way they do. The school provides a calm and purposeful learning environment. Everyone understands the expectations and works hard to meet them. Staff spot immediately if a pupil shows signs of distress and act swiftly to mitigate this. As a result, pupils now enjoy coming to school and attend regularly.

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better?

Leaders have thought carefully about the programme to broaden pupils’ personal development. The PSHE curriculum and enrichment opportunities ensure that pupils learn about what it means to be a citizen in modern Britain. Leaders focus intensively on pupils’ mental health and offering a safe place where they provide nurturing, rich experiences and high-quality careers education so that pupils are ready for later life. Leaders prepare pupils well for their next steps.

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better?

The proprietor ensures that the independent school standards are consistently met. It has made sure that the school meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. It works together with all staff to find the most effective ways of meeting pupils’ individual challenges.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The way new content is introduced in some subjects does not always build logically on previous learning. This limits pupils’ ability to build a broad range of knowledge in these subjects. The school should ensure that the knowledge and skills pupils are expected to know and in what order are clear to all staff.  The school does not use assessment consistently well. Teachers do not always know what gaps in pupils’ knowledge exist. This lack of knowledge means that teachers do not always adapt their teaching to address gaps in learning or give pupils the help they need. This slows pupils’ learning. The school should ensure that all staff use assessment consistently well to identify what pupils can and cannot do so that teachers can adapt their teaching to give pupils the help they need. 12 and 13 March 2024

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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. 12 and 13 March 2024

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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Proprietor R.Y.A.N Education Academy - Vocational Centre Limited Chair Catherine Harris, Abdul Monaim

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £45,000 to £65,000

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School details

Website The school does not have a website

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School details

Email address Catherine.e.harris@ryaneducationacadem y.co.uk 12 and 13 March 2024

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Information about this school

 The school is an independent day school registered for up to 20 pupils between the ages of 14 to 19.  All pupils attending have a range of SEND and an EHC plan. All have been out of education for prolonged periods of time before joining this school.  Pupils are referred to the school by local authorities.  The school currently does not offer a post-16 provision. Therefore, the sixth form has not been reported on.  The school does not have a religious ethos.  The school does not use any alternative provisions.

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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

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteachers and other senior leaders. The inspector held a meeting with the two proprietors. Meetings were held with curriculum leaders and other staff.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: English/reading, science, PSHE and the school’s vocational curriculum offer. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour and interactions during lessons and at

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Information about this inspection

breaktimes and lunchtimes and spoke to pupils during the inspection.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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. 12 and 13 March 2024  The inspector took account of the parent free-text comments and the responses on Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also considered the responses to the pupil and staff surveys.

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Inspection team

Bianka Zemke, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 March 2024 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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