Two Bridges School

Inspection of Two Bridges School Charles Street, Southborough, Two Bridges School, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 0DS

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 February 2024

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Previous inspection grade Outstanding 27 and 28 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do not receive the education they need to prepare them well for the future. The narrow curriculum offer means that pupils do not learn important knowledge and key employable skills that they will require. This includes how to use information and communication technology. In addition, pupils also do not get the teaching and support that helps them understand how to take care of their health and well-being. Leaders recognise this and have started to construct a personal, social and health curriculum that will give pupils the age-appropriate relationships education that they need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils do not attend school regularly. The school has taken recent action to address this and some pupils now have an increased timetable when they should be attending the school. Infrequent attendance means that pupils often have disjointed learning experiences that do not help them realise their full potential.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive the expert help that they need. Significant staff changes have meant the pupils’ individual learning support plans are not regularly reviewed and updated. This means pupils needs are not always met in lessons. Changes and a lack of staffing has also led to pupils with social and emotional mental health needs not always getting the precise help they need to manage their emotions and behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

An inconsistent approach in how staff manage behaviour means that lessons are often disrupted. While staff strive to build pupils’ resilience in focusing on class activities, this is often unsuccessful. Time is taken to listen to pupils’ views and their frustrations. However, staff are not always confident in what strategies they should use to provide help to the significant minority of pupils who have complex behavioural needs.

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better?

The very recently appointed interim head teacher has quickly identified the areas of the school’s provision that urgently need to be improved. Some initial positive steps have been taken to address areas of significant concern. This is evident in the improvements that have been made to the safeguarding systems and processes that are now in place. Additional training has also ensured that staff know what actions they need to take if they believe a pupil is at risk of harm as well as the importance of recording safeguarding information in detail. Staff do know pupils well and complete regular checks on pupils’ welfare, including when pupils are not in school.

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better?

However, further plans to tackle the significant weaknesses in the school’s provision are not yet fully in place. Ongoing leadership changes have meant that the school, including the management committee, do not have strategic oversight or capacity to make the significant improvements that are needed. As a result, staff do not have a clear understanding of what is expected of them to ensure pupils receive the appropriate standard of education that they deserve. 27 and 28 February 2024

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The school’s curriculum is not preparing pupils to either return successfully to mainstream education or supporting them in achieving qualifications in readiness for their future. Pupils learn a narrow curriculum of mathematics, English and biology alongside one or two vocational courses. This limits their options when they transition into college or employment. Furthermore, in the past, pupils have not attended the school regularly, with many on a reduced timetable. Consequently, pupils have significant gaps in their learning. Teachers do not always identify these gaps and then address them. This means pupils often cannot remember important information that they need to move on to new learning.

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Staff do provide positive pastoral care to pupils. Time is taken to build pupils’ trust and form a positive relationship with them. Pupils report that they feel safe in school as they know staff will help them if they ask. Staff consistently praise pupils for doing the right thing. This helps to build pupils’ confidence and for them to feel accepted within the school.

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However, the provision for pupils’ wider development is very limited. There is no comprehensive curriculum in place for pupils personal, social and health education (PSHE). This means that pupils do not have the important opportunities to develop an age-appropriate understanding of healthy relationships through a relationships and sex education. While pupils in Year 11 have recently had a careers meeting, specific and well-considered careers education is not in place. This means pupils do not have the experiences and education they need for them to be readied for adulthood and life in modern Britain.

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Attendance is very low and pupils frequently do not arrive at school on time. The school also does not record attendance information correctly. This means staff are not aware of how well all pupils are attending. New approaches, such as improving communication with families, are beginning to ensure that some pupils are now attending school more often. However, there is still a significant amount of work needed to reduce absence and ensure that pupils do not miss out on important learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not have strategic oversight of the weaknesses of the school. Therefore, the school is not able to check if they are taking the right action to make the important improvements needed. The school must ensure that leaders 27 and 28 February 2024

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at all levels use accurate information to strategically monitor and evaluate the impact of the work of the school.  The school does not fulfil its statutory responsibilities around attendance recording. This means that leaders do not have an accurate view of attendance records. The school must take urgent action to ensure that staff have the training they need to maintain this record in line with legal requirements.  Pupils are not learning an ambitious curriculum that readies them for the next stage of their education, training or employment. This potentially limits how well pupils can successfully return to mainstream school or be well prepared for further education and employment. The school must review their curriculum offer, so pupils can learn the knowledge and skills they need.  There is not a clear process to ensure that pupils’ needs are being identified and met. This hinders how well pupils can engage positively in learning. The school

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must ensure that all staff know how to meet the needs of pupils to support them to achieve all that they can.  Too many pupils do not attend school regularly. This means that they miss out on the essential education they need to prepare them for the future. The school must continue to work with parents and services to ensure that the attendance of pupils significantly improves.  Pupils do not benefit from a carefully considered personal development curriculum. This means pupils are not getting the support they need ready for adulthood and life in modern Britain. The school must urgently review the personal development provision and offer.  The school may not appoint early careers teachers before the next monitoring inspection.

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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 27 and 28 February 2024

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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). 27 and 28 February 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 and 7 March 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This pupil referral unit is part of the West Kent Learning Forum, which means the school works in partnership with a number of local secondary schools.  The interim headteacher took up her post in November 2023.  The chair of the management committee took up her post in January 2024. Most members of the management committee are newly appointed.  At the time of the inspection, there are 44 pupils attending the school. These pupils are all dual rolled from their mainstream school.  All pupils have SEND and a small percentage of pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The school does not meet 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.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a graded (section 5) inspection under the same Act. 27 and 28 February 2024

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In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector also met with the representatives of the management committee, including the chair. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, science and personal, social and health education. They discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, teachers and pupils. They visited lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire, including the free-text comments. They also took account of the responses to the confidential staff survey and gathered the views of both staff and pupils

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throughout the inspection.  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 and scrutinised a range of the school’s documentation, including leaders’ plans for improving the school, minutes from the management committee meetings and records of attendance and behaviour incidents.

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Inspection team

Michelle Payne, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Louise Walker His Majesty’s Inspector 27 and 28 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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