Maypole School (Leigham Court)

Inspection of Maypole School (Leigham Court) 76 Leigham Court Road, Streatham, London SW16 2QA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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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 are happy at Maypole School. Many arrive after difficult journeys through the education system. Pupils build strong respectful relationships with staff, appreciating that adults are there to guide and support them. This helps pupils to see school in a more positive light and enables them to access learning more successfully. Pupils feel safe and are kept safe here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils follow a broad and ambitious curriculum. They are supported to learn well and build their knowledge and understanding over time. The highly bespoke offer ensures that pupils typically achieve well and are prepared for the next stage of their education and future lives.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a say in the running of their school and are keen to take on additional roles and responsibilities. Electing their school council representatives, for example, helps pupils to understand the importance of democracy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the opportunities they have to learn off site on educational visits and for physical education. The consistent routines and strong relationships that exist ensure pupils access this provision successfully. Pupils readily choose to participate in additional activities that extend their talents or nurture new interests. These include in different sports and other games as well as contributing to the local community. As such, the development of pupils as individuals is exceptional.

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better?

Leaders, including those responsible for governance, have created an ambitious culture that puts pupils’ learning at the centre. Staff are committed to ensuring that each pupil receives bespoke support that both meets the requirements of their education, health and care (EHC) plan and helps them to transition successfully back into mainstream education.

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better?

Since the school opened, leaders and the proprietorial board have ensured that all the independent school standards are met. Through a process of continuous review and evaluation, they have secured a thorough and accurate understanding of the school’s effectiveness. This has enabled leaders to recognise strengths and build on their work, as well as identify the right priorities for further development. This work has also ensured the curriculum is well designed to meet the needs of all pupils. Where necessary, appropriate adaptations have been made. This work is continuing. However, many staff are new to the school, and developing in their roles. As a result, aspects of the curriculum are not yet fully embedded, and this is reflected in what some pupils know and remember.

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better?

Pupils are placed at Maypole School by their local authority as part of their EHC plan. Rightly, leaders have prioritised ensuring pupils are settled, able to access the curriculum and get the support they need to improve their reading and mathematics. Staff are well- trained to achieve this. Younger pupils learn phonics as soon as they arrive at the school. 11 to 13 June 2024 They practise reading with books that are typically well matched to the sounds they are learning. Across the school, any pupils who struggle with reading are identified and receive support to catch up. As a result, pupils are reading and using and applying their mathematical knowledge with more confidence and fluency. Pupils are also developing more positive attitudes towards this aspect of their education.

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better?

More recently, leaders have focused on the curriculum beyond English and mathematics. Leaders have ensured that the knowledge they expect pupils to learn has been more systematically identified and sequenced. Assessment is generally used well to identify pupils’ different starting points and to address any gaps in their learning. Implementation of the curriculum is at an earlier stage. Pupils work hard and typically produce work of good quality. At times, however, the tasks pupils complete do not fully reflect the ambition of the planned curriculum. Similarly, assessment is sometimes less precise at identifying and addressing pupils’ misconceptions. In these instances, pupils do not develop the depth of knowledge the curriculum intends.

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better?

The support for pupils’ behaviour is excellent. Leaders work closely with specialists, including speech and language and occupational therapists, producing individualised integrated therapy programmes that compliment pupils’ EHC plan targets. All pupils need help to manage their behaviour, due to their high levels of need. Useful advice and guidance support staff to manage incidents of poor behaviour and help pupils to regulate their emotions. Information is detailed and clearly communicated with staff, ensuring the agreed strategies are used consistently. Over time, pupils are recognising what will help them manage their own behaviour. Their self-control is developing and, as a result, negative behaviours are reducing. This means classrooms are usually calm and conducive to learning and pupils are well placed to access the planned curriculum. Attendance is monitored rigorously. Any patterns are identified, and families

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better?

supported to ensure pupils attend school each day. Pupils with a history of poor or non-attendance are now accessing learning due to the positive support they receive.

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better?

Pupils’ wider personal development is exceptional. The curriculum for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, including relationships and sex education, is carefully designed. For example, pupils learn about important values such as equality, tolerance and respect. Pupils are well supported to understand the importance of healthy and safe relationships, including more complex issues about consent and appropriate behaviour towards others.

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better?

The school has a well-structured careers programme, including impartial information about different professions and courses. Pupils are helped to make informed choices about their next stage of education, employment or training. The ‘Pathway to Employment’ route provides opportunities for older pupils to learn within the community and ensures they are well supported to integrate into life beyond school.

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better?

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about leaders’ support for their workload, well-being and professional development. They value being part of a new and developing school and are fully committed to supporting their pupils. 11 to 13 June 2024 The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In some subjects, the newly designed curriculum is not fully embedded. In these instances, pupils have not secured as deep a knowledge and understanding and make more limited connections. The school should ensure that the ambitious and well-designed curriculum is fully embedded.  Staff are all new to the school and many to their leadership roles. Training to develop leaders at all levels has started but more is needed. The school should ensure staff and leaders receive the planned offer of professional development to further build leadership capacity and curriculum oversight.

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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. 11 to 13 June 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 149917 DfE registration number 208/6008

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School details

Inspection number 10342210 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Proprietor Maypole Therapeutic Education Ltd

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £60,546.15 to £98,976.73

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School details

Email address acherrywood@maypoleschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected 11 to 13 June 2024

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Information about this school

 Maypole School (Leigham Court) is a specialist day school located in Streatham. It caters for pupils aged five to 19 with special educational needs/and or disabilities. The school opened in September 2023 and is part of Maypole Therapeutic Education Ltd.  The school is registered for up to 40 pupils aged from five to 19. There are currently 38 pupils on roll from Years 1 to 10. The majority of pupils are educated onsite. At the time of the inspection, a small number of pupils were being educated offsite within the community as part of the school’s ‘Pathway to Employment’ provision.  All pupils have an education, health and care plan. They are placed at the school by their local authority.  The school offers provision from 8.50am to 2.30pm. This includes daily breakfast and lunch.  The school currently makes no use of alternative provision.  This was the school’s first standard inspection.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which

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Information about this school

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

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

The school has applied to the Department for Education (DfE) to make a ‘material change’ to its registration. At the DfE’s request, we checked whether the school is likely to meet the relevant independent school standards if the DfE decides to approve the change. This part of the inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002.

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Information about this inspection

The school’s proposed change is to the maximum number of pupils from 40 to 60. Specifically, 45 pupils onsite and 15 pupils within their offsite provision (Pathway to Employment). 11 to 13 June 2024 The outcome of this part of the inspection is the school is likely to meet the relevant independent school standards if the material change relating to the school provision is implemented.

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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 inspection the school received since it opened in September 2023.  Inspectors discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the principal, the headteacher, other leaders and members of staff. They also spoke with a representative of the local authority responsible for placing pupils at the school. Discussions were held with four members of the proprietorial board and two governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and PSHE. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  The inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 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.  The inspectors looked at a range of documents, including leaders’ priorities for improvement.  The views of pupils, parents and staff were gathered through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Samantha Ingram, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrea Bedeau His Majesty’s Inspector 11 to 13 June 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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