Sunfield Garden School and Children's Home

Inspection of Sunfield Children's Home Ltd Clent Grove, Woodman Lane, Clent, Stourbridge, West Midlands DY9 9PB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Sixth-form provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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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?

Sunfield School is a special place where pupils flourish. Pupils benefit from a remarkable range of experiences that develop their self-confidence and resilience. Leaders identify and celebrate the gifts and talents of every pupil in the school, be it making something from clay, forging metal or caring for the animals on the school’s farm. All pupils make a positive contribution to their school and the local community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for each and every pupil, both academically and socially. The school’s curriculum is carefully adapted to ensure that each pupil learns the knowledge and skills that help them to be successful. Expert staff develop strong relationships with pupils to help them overcome any barriers to learning. Pupils take pride in rising to these high expectations and relish the opportunity to share their achievements with others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils arrive at the school reluctant to learn after periods of disrupted education. The school’s comprehensive package of therapy and well-being support helps them to settle quickly. Leaders dedicate a significant amount of time for staff to get to know the pupils, therefore ensuring support is consistent and appropriate. Pupils feel very safe in school because they know that staff care for them.

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better?

This school is a special place, where pupils learn through the school’s practical skills therapeutic education (PSTE) curriculum. The pupils benefit from access to extensive land and resources such as the school’s farm, the walled garden, a forge and the school shop. This learning is at the heart of everything the school does and helps to transform the life chances of the pupils by giving them the skills and confidence to make positive contributions to society.

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better?

Staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Staff are trained to skilfully support the pupils and remove any barriers to learning. For example, those pupils with visual impairments are supported to learn phonics through linking sounds, letters and braille. Reading is a priority across the curriculum. Pupils who are ready, access high-quality formal phonics teaching. All staff have been trained in the school’s approach and leaders ensure that there is regular coaching and support so that they are all confident to teach the school’s chosen scheme. For those pupils who are at a very early stage of identifying sounds, staff have a precise understanding of how to develop the skills for reading.

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better?

The school has thought carefully about how they develop a love of reading. Leaders have carefully mapped out the books that the pupils will be exposed to across the different learning pathways. These books include diverse stories from other cultures that introduce pupils to a range of genres and authors from around the world. 21 to 23 May 2024 The wider curriculum is equally ambitious. All staff understand the pupils’ individual needs and work closely with other professionals, such as educational psychologists and speech and language therapists to plan learning that is bespoke to the individual pupils. Staff take into account the pupils’ education, health and care (EHC) plans. Staff use assessment well to identify how well pupils retain their learning. If misconceptions occur, learning is adapted well to address any errors. However, at times, learning is not broken down into small enough steps. This means that while

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better?

staff know the gaps to address, the activities that are planned do not always support the pupils to progress as quickly as they could.

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better?

Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. All staff know the behaviour plans for each pupil. Staff are experts at spotting emotional dysregulation. They skilfully work with the pupils to help them to understand potential triggers and support them to regulate their emotions and behaviours. Pupils know that adults genuinely care for them and want the best for them. This ensures that behaviour is managed with consistency.

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better?

The school’s personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum is exceptional. Pupils are taught to be independent and self-confident. The school uses the land to support this. For example, pupils grow food from seeds, harvest them and then sell them in the school’s farm shop. Pupils’ achievements are fully celebrated. For example, the whole school learned and performed a song a pupil wrote. This ensures pupils understand the positive contribution they make to the world.

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better?

Pupils take on a range of roles and responsibilities. For example, older pupils act as tutors to younger ones and lead sessions on taking care of the farm animals. The school council allows all pupils to have a voice. Activities and discussions are based on British values and the planned festivals calendar. Pupils have a strong understanding of diversity in modern Britain, including about different families and religions. Pupils learn to keep physically and mentally healthy through all aspects of the curriculum. They are taught about healthy relationships and healthy living.

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better?

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about working at the school. They appreciate leaders’ consideration of workload and well-being. Staff value the extensive induction they receive. They feel they have the knowledge, skills and understanding to support the pupils in the school.

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better?

Leaders are committed to the development of the whole child through high-quality staff training, which allows staff to meet the complex needs of pupils. For example, there are several staff that have completed site guide training for pupils with visual impairments.

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better?

The proprietor body and school leaders have meticulous oversight of the school’s work. They are committed to providing the very best educational experience for pupils. Their values and moral purpose permeate all aspects of the school. The exceptional work of leaders and the proprietor body means that all the independent school standards are met. The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. 21 to 23 May 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 At times learning is not always broken down into small enough building blocks. As a result, teachers are not always clear about the important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in order to achieve well. The school should continue to develop the subject expertise of all teachers so that they can sharpen the delivery of the curriculum to help pupils learn highly effectively across the whole curriculum.

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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. 21 to 23 May 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 117033 DfE registration number 885/6024

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School details

Inspection number 10322572 Type of school Other Independent Special School

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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sixth form

Email address enquiries@sunfield.rmt.org

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 16 to 18 November 2021 21 to 23 May 2024

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Information about this school

 Sunfield is an independent special school for pupils who have complex learning needs including visual impairments, autism spectrum disorder and pathological demand avoidance syndrome.  All pupils who attend the school have an EHC plan.  The school is part of the Ruskin Mill Trust. This is a national charitable trust that runs other special schools and colleges for adults with complex needs. The Ruskin Mill Trust is inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner, John Ruskin and William Morris.  The school has a specialist craft and land-based curriculum called Practical Skills Therapeutic Education. The PSTE curriculum uses applied principles, known as the Seven Fields of Practice. These are: genius loci (spirit of place); practical skills; biodynamic ecology; therapeutic education; holistic support and care; holistic medicine; and transformative leadership and management.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this school

 The previous standard inspection took place in November 2021.

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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. 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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met school leaders, including the executive principal and the director of education for the trust.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading and communication, PSHE, mathematical development and physical development. For each deep they discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited some lessons, reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with staff and pupils.  Inspectors met with representatives from the proprietor body and Ruskin Mill Trust.  Inspectors considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey. Ofsted’s staff survey was also taken into account. 21 to 23 May 2024  Inspectors talked to pupils throughout the inspection to gain their views about the

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Information about this inspection

school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.

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Inspection team

Eve Morris, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Simon Smith Ofsted Inspector 21 to 23 May 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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