Eton Dorney Independent Therapeutic School

Inspection of Eton Dorney Independent Therapeutic School 34 Lake End Road, Dorney, Berkshire SL4 6QS

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils comment very positively on the sweeping changes that are happening at Eton Dorney. The school environment is thoughtfully designed to re-engage pupils back into education. Adults provide a high level of pastoral care for pupils, leading to positive and trusting relationships.

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What is it like to attend this school?

With a renewed ethos and more consistent approaches from adults in order to support pupils in their education, pupils behave well. They are motivated to come to school and are optimistic in striving for their goals and ambitions. Through hard work and good behaviour, pupils are enthused by collecting as many rewards points as they can to then spend in the online shop.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides important therapeutic support to help pupils believe in themselves and be emotionally resilient. There are well-planned opportunities for pupils to experience school life and the world around them. Pupils develop their social skills, learn to work as a team, undertake outdoor pursuits and go on school trips. Pupils say their voices and ideas are heard and welcomed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Academically, pupils are not getting an ambitious enough education. This is because the curriculum lacks clarity in some subjects and some pupils are not acquiring appropriate literacy and numeracy skills quickly. This means not all pupils achieve the qualifications they need to be successful in their future education, training or employment.

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better?

Continued leadership and staffing changes since the last standard inspection have slowed progress towards achieving the proprietor body’s ambition and vision of education at Eton Dorney. This academic year, there is a new senior leadership team in post. They have made a promising start in quickly identifying that the school’s provision for pupils is not yet good enough. Some rapid actions are being taken. Pupils, parents and staff are energised and can see positive change for pupils and their school experience. Parents comment that they are now more involved in their pupils’ education and decisions about future pathways.

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better?

The school offers pupils a broad curriculum that mirrors the ambition and scope of the national curriculum. However, there are some weaknesses in how well this is organised within different subjects. Key knowledge is not always clearly identified and so it makes it harder for teachers to develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding securely. The information and support teachers are provided with is often confused. This means it is more difficult for teachers to ensure that pupils build on what they already know. Positively, the curriculum is becoming better personalised to pupils, and their education, health and care (EHC) plans are used as the starting point. Typically, these targets focus on supporting pupils’ emotional readiness to learn. 5 to 7 March 2024 There is work to do on the school’s approach of teaching pupils to read. Despite having an ambitious and carefully planned programme, it is not being utilised to its

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better?

fullest. Some pupils do not receive sufficient time and practice in appropriate literacy activities. This is because not enough staff have not had up-to-date training in how to successfully deliver the phonics programme. Furthermore, sometimes, pupils can be provided with complex written tasks beyond their current reading attainment. Across the school, a love of reading is promoted well. Staff recommend books and pupils have access to a range of high-quality books in the library.

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better?

The teaching of the curriculum is variable in its effectiveness on pupils’ achievement. There can be a tendency to think about activities for pupils to do, instead of considering what knowledge pupils need. Some tasks that pupils complete are not ambitious enough. The school has put in a comprehensive training plan to improve staff’s skills. This is starting to take effect with teachers presenting content in small steps and how they think on their feet if pupils become stuck and need help. Teachers’ questions to pupils are enabling pupils to recall what they have previously learned and encouraging them to speak their ideas with greater confidence.

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better?

A clear, strategic plan to ensure pupils’ behaviour, attitudes and attendance are positive is paying off. The ‘let us show you the R.O.P.E.S.S.’ (respect, on time, positive language, effort, spirit, staff bonus) mantra actively encourages pupils to accrue many points. The school shares information with parents about how pupils are doing and in order to celebrate their achievements. There has been significant impact in reducing persistent absence. This includes support for any pupil who has concerns about their mental health so that they can attend regularly.

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better?

Pupils’ personal development programme enables them to be successfully prepared for adulthood. In the school’s relationships and sex education curriculum, pupils learn, for example, about consent and the importance of positive and heathy relationships. Pupils are polite and understand to respect each other’s differences. The school has a strong careers provision to open up pupils’ experiences and support them in making informed choices for further education, employment and training.

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better?

The proprietor body has strengthened its knowledge and skills and this is evident in the recently formed education committee. Members of this committee are receiving transparent information from the school leadership team and, as a result, are challenging well and getting into the detail of the impact for pupils. The school is demonstrating sustained capacity to improve so that pupils can start to receive a good education. Therefore, part 8 of the independent schools standards (the standards) is now met.

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better?

All relevant policies are in place for the standards and published on the school’s website. This includes the school’s safeguarding policy. The proprietor body has ensured that the school’s plans meet schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. 5 to 7 March 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The curriculum does not identify all the essential knowledge that pupils will learn in different subjects and pathways across the primary and secondary phases. This has an impact on the teaching of the curriculum as staff are not always clear on what pupils need to learn. It also means that some pupils are not achieving as well as they could from their starting points. The school needs to review its curriculum to ensure that there is a clear identification and sequencing of knowledge within subjects and pathways for pupils.  The school’s approach to the teaching of early reading is not yet effective. Staff have not had expert training in order to know how to deliver the school’s phonics programme. Also, pupils are not learning the full phonics programme. This is hindering how quickly pupils learn to read, write and spell accurately. The school needs to ensure that all staff are fully trained in the teaching of early reading and

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

that the curriculum time for pupils prioritises the implementation of the agreed phonics programme.  Staff’s knowledge of how best to teach the curriculum to pupils is inconsistent. This is because of weaknesses in the school’s curriculum and some staff being unsure about the most appropriate work to set pupils in order to learn the intended knowledge. The school has begun to strengthen staff’s pedagogical knowledge. This should now continue so that pupils acquire suitable knowledge and skills to be ready for the next stage of their education.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 5 to 7 March 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 145298 DfE registration number 825/6048

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School details

Inspection number 10299238 Type of school All-through special

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School details

Proprietor Calcot Services for Children (Education) Limited Chair Harvinder Singh

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £56,305 to £84,000

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School details

Website www.etondorneyspecialschool.co.uk

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School details

Email address etondorneyschool@csfc.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 April 2023 5 to 7 March 2024

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Information about this school

 Eton Dorney Independent Therapeutic School admits pupils from key stage 2 through to the end of key stage 4. There is no post-16 provision. The school is closed to pupils on Wednesday afternoons.  The school caters for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. In addition, some pupils may also have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, attachment difficulties and/or pathological demand avoidance. All pupils have an EHC plan.  This standard inspection also included a progress monitoring inspection to evaluate whether previously unmet standards were now met.  The school’s last standard inspection was in July 2022, during which it was judged requires improvement and with unmet standards. An action plan in December 2022 was accepted by the Department for Education (DfE). A progress monitoring inspection took place in April 2023 with some standards remaining unmet. A second action plan in August 2023 was again approved by the DfE.

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Information about this school

 Since the last progress monitoring inspection, there is a brand new senior leadership team. Also, the proprietor body has set up an education committee to fulfil some aspects of governance.  The proprietor body oversees three independent special schools.  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.  The school currently uses two unregistered alternative providers.

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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. 5 to 7 March 2024  Inspectors met with senior leaders, staff and the director of education for the proprietor body. The lead inspector met with all members of the proprietor body and also held a telephone call with the chair of the education committee.  The inspection team carried out deep dives into these subjects: reading and English, mathematics, science, and personal, social, health and economic education. To do this, they met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum planning, had discussions with staff and pupils, visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work.  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

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Information about this inspection

culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors talked to pupils about their learning and experiences at school.  The views of staff and parents were gathered through discussions and Ofsted’s online surveys.  The lead inspector toured the school site to gather evidence about compliance with the standards. Inspectors also reviewed a range of other documents and policies, including on the school’s website.

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The school’s progress in meeting previously failed standards

During the inspection, we checked whether the school now meets the independent schools standards that it was judged to have failed at its previous progress monitoring inspection on 19 April 2023.  The outcome of this part of the inspection is: the school now meets the previously failed standards.

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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.

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Inspection team

James Broadbridge, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Caroline Clarke Ofsted Inspector 5 to 7 March 2024 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 looked after children, 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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