Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Greg Williams Interim Headteacher Brooke School Overslade Lane Rugby Warwickshire CV22 6DY

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Brooke School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 30 April and 1 May 2024, on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and was the second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded (section 5) inspection that took place in July 2022.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Brooke School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s overall effectiveness, but to identify and report on the school’s progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school’s previous graded inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Brooke School

During the inspection, Christopher Stevens, His Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), and I discussed with you and other senior leaders, the chief executive officer (CEO) of the trust, other staff and trustees the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also carried out visits to lessons, held meetings with curriculum leaders and looked at curriculum planning documents. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is

necessary for the school to be no longer judged as requiring special measures.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the last monitoring visit, there have been several leadership changes. A new headteacher who was appointed in September 2023 has since left. You took up the post of interim headteacher in April 2024. You are the director of school improvement for Unity Multi-Academy Trust (MAT) and have been working closely with the school since April 2023. This visit focused on the quality of education and aspects of leadership and management.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the last visit, you and your leaders have continued to make improvements to the quality of education in the school. You have continued to tackle weaknesses in a logical and considered manner. An ever-increasing number of staff are on board with these changes. The plans you had previously shared to develop three pathways to support pupils with similar needs to learn together are now in place. As part of your work, you have further clarified the roles and responsibilities of leaders.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You have paid serious attention to developing the expertise of your staff in reading across school and in the different pathways. This work is having a positive impact. In particular, the confidence of your staff in delivering the school’s reading programme, particularly in the formal and semi-formal pathways, is developing. This, in turn, has resulted in more pupils making better progress in their reading and pre-reading skills. In addition, your leaders now routinely check on how well pupils are progressing in their reading. Staff are using the information from these checks with increasing sophistication to ensure that pupils’ reading activities are closely matched to their individual needs. You and your leaders have identified the need to develop staff’s expertise further to support those pupils who are at a pre-reading stage. You and your leaders are well placed to drive improvements further in this area.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Leaders have taken further action to improve aspects of the curriculum. The range of subjects offered to pupils has continued to broaden. During this visit, it was evident how much pupils enjoyed and benefited from the new food technology curriculum. In addition, pupils now routinely learn and study music and art. The range of clubs and activities on offer at lunchtime, such as the singing and signing club, are also beginning to expand.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the last visit, some curriculum areas are now further forward. For example, the music, geography and history curriculums have improved. The curriculum leaders in these areas have now identified the precise knowledge they want pupils to learn from Year 1 to the sixth form. These are also now more logically sequenced. However, in the early years, the precise knowledge leaders want pupils to learn is unclear. You and your leaders are at the initial stages of redesigning the curriculum in this area.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You continue to improve the school environment. Since the last visit, purpose-built rooms for music, art and food technology have been added. A range of appropriate resources have also been purchased for the outdoor area.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You and your leaders recognise there is work to be done to establish early communication systems to help pupils with communication difficulties to be heard and understood. Some systems for early communication have been introduced, such as aided-language displays, to support pupils’ understanding and to help them access the curriculum. You have undertaken an audit to identify strengths and weaknesses in how well the school promotes pupils’ communication. You are in the process of analysing the outcomes and intend to use the findings from this analysis to inform future plans.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school has revised and developed the processes for conducting annual reviews. As part of this process, you and your leaders are now systematically gathering the views of pupils and parents. This work is starting to ensure that the provision in place for pupils better meets their needs, wants and wishes for their futures.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You and your leaders have established a clear, ambitious vision for the sixth form. The curriculum has been deliberately designed to ensure that students learn a range of suitable qualifications, essential life skills and other opportunities to prepare them for life in their communities. Students are increasingly studying a curriculum and participating in activities that match their individual aspirations and needs.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You and your leaders are improving the quality of careers education. You are using the Gatsby benchmarks to evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s programme and to identify further areas for development. As part of these improvements, the school now ensures that every pupil can learn from employers about future destinations, including employment opportunities where appropriate. This is being achieved through a range of activities, including visits from employers and local colleges as well as work experience placements.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The interim executive board continues to have a positive impact on improving the school. They are increasingly holding leaders to account for the quality of education pupils receive. They have identified appropriate next steps, such as the need to make swift improvements to the provision in the early years. You and your leaders continue to benefit from the wide range of external support. In particular, you have valued the support from external partners to support your development of reading.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the CEO or equivalent of the Unity MAT, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Warwickshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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