Birchwood

Inspection of a good school: Birchwood Bowen Road, Folkestone, Kent CT19 4FP

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who attend most regularly have a positive view of Birchwood. They trust school staff and enjoy social times. The school are careful to enrich the school day for pupils in a range of ways. A chef, for example, provides high-quality lunches daily, and gives pupils opportunities to try new foods. Small classes give more pupils the confidence to begin to engage in learning. Alongside their lessons, pupils benefit from a broad range of trips and experiences. Pupils are, for example, looking forward to their upcoming trip to Barcelona.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants to provide pupils with a high-quality education that prepares them for their next step. The school’s approach is most successful for the oldest pupils who are supported to gain the qualifications they need for their next step. However, staffing turbulence this academic year has impacted the quality of education that pupils receive. Staffing has now stabilised, and the school is working to ensure that across the subjects, pupils receive a high-quality education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils understand the school rules. However, some behaviour disrupts learning. Pupils sometimes refuse to follow adult directions and low-level behaviour can escalate. This is frustrating for pupils who want to learn. The attendance of many pupils has improved since joining Birchwood. The school are aware, however, that the attendance of too many pupils remains low. Staff work carefully with pupils, their families and external services to improve attendance. The school recognises the need to continue to focus on this important support to ensure pupils do not miss out on vital learning.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

This academic year, a number of changes and challenges in staffing have had a negative impact on the quality of education that pupils receive. Leaders have taken action to recruit new staff and begin to provide the much-needed training. There is a focus on supporting all staff to develop the knowledge and expertise so that pupils can benefit from a consistently high-quality education. All staff feel very well supported by leaders 8 and 9 May 2024

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and are committed to the school’s vision of a broad and ambitious curriculum. They are keen to ensure younger pupils successfully transition back to a mainstream school, and older pupils get the help they need to move into further education, an apprenticeship or employment.

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At present, however, the quality of education that pupils receive is variable. While the school ensures that pupils have access to a range of subjects, the curriculum in a small number of subjects lacks clarity and coherence. Teachers do not have a consistently strong understanding of how to adapt learning to ensure that it aligns with pupils’ starting points and addresses gaps in their understanding. Teachers are also not consistently clear about pupils’ learning needs, and how to adapt their teaching approach in response. As a result, pupils are not achieving as well as they should across the school’s curriculum.

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Where teachers do have a stronger understanding of what they intend pupils to learn, pupils are gaining key knowledge and skills. The oldest pupils, for example, are well supported to achieve the qualifications they need to successfully transition to their next step. However, the school recognises the importance of the much-needed work to improve aspects of the curriculum, and to provide the right training for staff, particularly in mathematics and English, to ensure pupils can achieve well.

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Pupils benefit from the school’s comprehensive personal development programme, which includes strong careers advice and guidance. The school is very successful in their work to identify pupils’ interests and strengths. This information is carefully used to personalise the guidance and experiences they provide for each pupil. Pupils who leave the school successfully transition back to mainstream, or onto their next steps in education, employment or apprenticeship.

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The school provides a carefully sequenced personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education for pupils, including relationships and sex education. In these subjects, the curriculum is carefully adapted to ensure that it aligns with the needs of pupils. Pupils learn about equality and diversity so that they are better prepared to engage positively with society. All pupils study religious education to broaden their knowledge and understanding of the world and develop a deeper understanding of the beliefs and religions of others. The personal development programme is well supported by a planned programme of trips and visits. Pupils, for example, are shortly to visit local council offices to develop their understanding of the role of local government and its importance to their own lives.

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All pupils need additional support with their behaviour and attitudes to learning. Many arrive in the school with very negative attitudes to education. The school is very successful at building positive and warm relationships with pupils and their families. Pupils enjoy the company of staff and leaders alike. Pupils feel safe and cared for within the school environment. They know adults will support them, and they feel safe asking for help when they need it.

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Behaviour in lessons, however, remains too variable. Too often, learning is disrupted. Not all staff have the confidence or expertise to respond to behaviour in the moment and de- escalate behaviours. This is compounded by the fact that staff are not adapting learning 8 and 9 May 2024

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consistently effectively to meet pupils’ learning needs. Consequently, the school is too frequently suspending pupils, which causes them to miss more education and potentially disengage further.

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Some pupils have high levels of absence while others do not arrive at school at the start of the day. The school does work carefully with pupils and their families to support pupils to attend regularly. The school is responsive to individual pupils’ interests and motivations and utilise these to entice pupils into school. For example, the school has introduced a hairdressing qualification, to encourage identified pupils to attend more regularly. However, this work overall is not yet having the intended impact in improving the attendance of some pupils. The school recognises the importance of continuing to help pupils recognise the importance of attendance and punctuality in readiness for their future.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in a small number of subjects lacks coherence, particularly for younger pupils and pupils on short-term placements at the school. The school must continue its work to develop the curriculum so that it meets the needs of all pupils and fully prepares those on shorter-term placements to successfully transition back into mainstream school.  Not all teachers have a secure understanding of how to adapt learning to ensure it fully aligns with pupils’ starting points and addresses their gaps in knowledge and understanding. Additionally, there is not a consistently clear approach to ensure that all teachers understand pupils’ learning needs and how to address these within lessons. The school should ensure that their systems and planned professional development programme supports teachers to develop their expertise.  Not all teachers have the knowledge and confidence they need to de-escalate

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

disruptive behaviour and re-engage pupils in learning. Suspension rates also remain high. The school should develop staff expertise and confidence. This is to ensure they can meet pupils’ needs and confidently respond to disruptive behaviour so that pupils are in lessons and learning well.  The attendance of a number of pupils remains too low. As a result, not all pupils consistently benefit from the education and wider experiences that the school offer. The school should continue to embed their work to ensure pupils attend school well and on time. 8 and 9 May 2024

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2019.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 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). 8 and 9 May 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 February 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2019.  The school is a pupil referral unit. All pupils on roll are dual registered at Birchwood, and their mainstream placing school. Pupils remain on roll for varying lengths of time. For most pupils, placements are reviewed every six weeks to consider if the pupil is ready to transition back to mainstream. However, once a pupil is in Year 11, they will remain on Birchwood’s roll for the remainder of the academic year.  The school is not using any alternative provision.  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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school's education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 8 and 9 May 2024

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 The inspectors met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. The lead inspector met with representatives of the school’s management committee, including the chair and vice-chair, and spoke to representatives of the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics and PSHE. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors considered pupils’ behaviour and attitudes throughout the inspection and discussed the school’s analysis of pupils’ behaviour and attendance with leaders.  The inspectors considered personal development through all deep dives. They met with leaders to discuss the school’s personal development programme. The inspector talked to pupils about the school’s personal development programme.

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 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.

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Inspection team

Alice Roberts, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Liz McIntosh Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 May 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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