Clovelly House School

Inspection of Clovelly House School Clovelly, Merrylees Road, Thornton, Leicestershire LE67 1AP

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils hold positive views of the experience and education they receive at this school. They value the teaching time that they have with individual staff. This supports them to become better engaged with their learning. Pupils benefit from a good quality of education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and build strong relationships with key workers who keep a very close eye on them. Pupils all have an individual space that they customise. This allows them to feel at home. Pupils develop their speech and language through planned ‘talk time’ sessions. This also helps them to regulate their emotions better and to talk about any concerns that they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff plant a tree for every pupil that leaves the school. This indicates that a pupil always has a special place in the school and is never forgotten.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a moral purpose of ensuring that every pupil is developed to be independent and take their place in society. Pupils learn about budgeting by doing the weekly school menu and going to the local shops and purchasing the ingredients.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school builds close links with local businesses so that pupils benefit from experiences of visiting the local gym or tropical bird land. This helps pupils to learn as well as allowing them to develop physically.

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better?

Since the last standard inspection, the school has significantly improved the curriculum. There is a broad curriculum on offer. All pupils study a core curriculum, comprised of English, mathematics, science and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. Younger pupils have further study in humanities and creative subjects. Older pupils also study some vocational subjects, which prepare them well for their future next steps and/or independent living.

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better?

Each subject has been carefully designed using three strands, known as ‘pre- emerging’, ‘emerging’ and ‘developed’. The school places each pupil on the strand that is most suited to their ability. This helps pupils to take incremental steps forward in their learning. Every pupil has a highly bespoke curriculum plan for each subject. This considers their additional needs as well as appropriate strategies to help them to engage with their learning.

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better?

The precise knowledge and skills that pupils need to acquire are identified and sequenced. This helps pupils to build on what they know. For example, pupils learn about the structure of the earth before they learn about how volcanoes are formed.

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better?

Most teachers have good subject knowledge and present information in a way that does not overload pupils. Most pupils have one-to-one teaching and staff closely 16 to 18 April 2024 monitor how much time pupils spend learning. This helps pupils gradually to engage with learning for longer periods. There are occasions when some teachers do not use the most effective methods to teach. This results in some pupils not learning as well as they should.

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better?

There is a clear framework for assessment. This helps staff to identify pupils’ starting points and the gaps they might have in their knowledge. Staff use this information well to shape and teach the curriculum so that pupils move forward and progress.

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better?

The school understands that reading will support pupils to access the wider curriculum and support them to become more independent. Staff and pupils read together every day. Some younger pupils benefit from accessing an age-appropriate phonics curriculum with well-trained staff. Older pupils benefit from novel study, which exposes them to books from different authors and genres. Pupils do become better readers here.

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better?

Staff support pupils to manage their emotions. Pupils and staff build close positive relationships. This helps staff to work with pupils effectively and ensures that the school is a calm place. Staff record any poor behaviour in the school’s behaviour log. This helps staff to track patterns of behaviour, which they use to adjust risk assessments and to provide bespoke support to improve behaviour.

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better?

Pupils usually attend this school better than they did their last school. If pupils are struggling to attend, the school provides an outreach programme, which educates pupils at home. This programme is carefully designed to support these pupils in their learning. However, there are still some pupils who do not attend regularly enough. The school has devised strategies to support these pupils to become better attenders. However, these strategies have not been implemented yet.

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better?

Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures through religious education. The school provides opportunities such as the ‘Mad Hatters tea party’ and a carvery at Christmas to help pupils to develop socially. Pupils know that it is wrong to discriminate. They learn about fundamental British values in their citizenship studies. Older pupils access high-quality bespoke careers education, information and guidance. However, not all younger pupils nor all those pupils who are on the school’s outreach programme benefit yet from a careers provision of similar quality.

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better?

Staff are proud to work at this school. They know that, as the school improves, leaders have considered staff workload and well-being.

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better?

The proprietor has ensured that all the independent school standards are met. The procedures in relation to first aid, fire safety, and health and safety are appropriate. The school premises are well maintained, and appropriate resources are in place to help pupils to learn and to develop. All necessary documents are in place, and available to parents and carers. The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. 16 to 18 April 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Some staff do not always use the most effective teaching methods or activities. This can sometimes limit how quickly pupils learn. The school must ensure that staff know how to teach most effectively.  While, in general, pupils attend more regularly when compared with their attendance at their previous school, there are some pupils who are still absent too often. These pupils miss out on the good quality of education and care the school provides. The school should ensure that these pupils receive the support they require to help them attend regularly, including through the strategies that the school has devised but not yet implemented.  The careers education provision is of a suitably high quality for older pupils. However, some younger pupils and those on the outreach programme do not receive careers provision of a similar quality. The school must ensure that the careers education provision is of an equally high quality for all pupils.

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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. 16 to 18 April 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 144619 DfE registration number 855/6040

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School details

Inspection number 10341018 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 28 to 30 March 2023 16 to 18 April 2024

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Information about this school

 Clovelly House School is an independent special school that provides education to pupils aged 10 to 19 with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The primary area of need for most pupils is social, emotional and mental health needs. Some pupils also have autism. All pupils have education, health and care plans (EHC plans).  The school also operates from a second site at The Bungalow, Mill Lane, Enderby LE19 4LX.  The school’s previous standard inspection took place on 28 to 30 March 2023.  A small number of pupils are educated at home on the school’s ‘outreach’ pathway.  Pupils who are above the compulsory school age pursue a curriculum that is appropriate to their stage of education.  The school does not use the services of any alternative provision.

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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

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

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 Department for Education commissioned Ofsted to carry out the inspection earlier in the cycle than previously planned due to complaints it had received about the school which raised possible concerns related to the school’s safeguarding procedures and the school’s leadership and management. In line with the commission, the inspection was carried out at no notice.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The lead inspector met with the proprietor, the head of school, and the coordinator of the provision for pupils with SEND.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics and PSHE. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and pupils’ books and work for science,

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Information about this inspection

art and geography. 16 to 18 April 2024  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; reviewed safeguarding records; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around the school site and at lunchtime.  Inspectors also looked at the EHC plans for individual pupils and discussed them with the head of school and coordinator of the provision for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors considered a wide variety of school documents, including the school self-evaluation and school development plan.  Inspectors considered relevant documentation and reviewed the school facilities, to check the school’s compliance with the standards.

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Inspection team

Rakesh Patel, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Liz Moore Ofsted Inspector 16 to 18 April 2024 --------------------------

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Inspection team

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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