Waterton Newstead Academy

Inspection of Waterton Newstead Academy Newstead Road, Athersley, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S71 3NA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in this school learn in a safe, nurturing and inclusive environment. Skilled adults build positive relationships with pupils. Consequently, pupils are happy and eager to learn. They are supported to make friends and to develop their confidence and self-esteem. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They commonly talk about how their children are ‘thriving’ and ‘flourishing’ here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well. Some pupils find it hard to manage their own behaviour, but when this happens, staff intervene quickly and sensitively. They are trained well in meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils say that they are kind to each other. They understand the school rules, which include ‘kind hands’ and ‘kind words’. Bullying is not tolerated. Pupils know that there are adults in school who can help them if they are worried.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Most pupils live up to these expectations and achieve well. There is a determination to ensure that pupils become valued members of society. The school provides opportunities for pupils to play an active part in the local community. For example, pupils visit the local community shop and allotments.

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better?

The school has developed a broad and ambitious curriculum. Long-term sequences of learning are coherent and clear. Some commercial schemes of work are used to support teaching. Teachers adapt these sequences to create individual series of lessons. In some subjects, such as mathematics, staff do this well. Pupils gradually move on to more complex learning and their knowledge builds over time. Pupils can talk about some of their learning. For example, one pupil spoke confidently about her learning about space, while others talked about significant figures such as Rosa Parks.

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better?

Sequences of lessons in other subjects are not as coherent. The precise knowledge that pupils need to know and remember at the end of a unit of work is not clear. In addition, sometimes the activities that teachers give pupils to complete do not match the learning intention for the lesson. This means that pupils remember the task rather than the key knowledge identified in curriculum plans.

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better?

Teachers regularly check the progress that pupils are making through the curriculum. They identify pupils who require additional support and put interventions in place. Pupils have positive attitudes towards learning. They demonstrate perseverance when they find things difficult.

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better?

The school understands the importance of pupils learning to read fluently. The phonics programme is adapted to ensure that it meets the needs of pupils. All staff are trained in how to teach phonics. However, when teaching phonics and when hearing pupils read, staff do not consistently use the teaching strategies that the 2 to 4 July 2024 programme prescribes. Sometimes staff intervene too quickly rather than allowing pupils thinking time. They give pupils the answers or encourage them to use strategies other than phonics to read words. Staff do promote a love of reading among pupils. They frequently read to pupils and encourage them to read a range of materials, such as environmental print and newspapers. Adults effectively support pupils who are not ready for formal phonics teaching. They use multi-sensory approaches to help pupils recognise and tune into sounds. Pupils have positive attitudes towards reading.

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better?

The school considers how to broaden pupils’ experiences and prepare them for the next stage of their education and beyond. Significant events are used to give learning a real-life context. For example, pupils had the opportunity to vote during the inspection as it coincided with the general election. Some topics are deliberately chosen to give pupils experiences of, for example, other cultures or faiths.

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better?

There is a very strong sense of teamwork in the school, despite it having only been open for a short time. Leaders, including those responsible for governance, have a strong vision for the school. They understand their responsibilities and fulfil these well. Staff are committed to the school. They benefit from comprehensive professional development opportunities, as well as packages to support their well- being.

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better?

Clear lines of accountability are in place between the proprietor board and the school. The trust commissions external support to validate leaders’ evaluations of the school. For example, the trust uses an external agency to conduct an annual safeguarding audit. The proprietor board ensures that the school complies with the independent school standards, such as through the appointment of a premises manager. It also ensures the school’s compliance with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The trust is committed to making sure that the right staff are recruited to the school. They have put robust recruitment procedures in place to ensure that this happens.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Staff do not use consistent strategies when teaching phonics or when hearing pupils read. This means that pupils have insufficient opportunities to practise and consolidate sounds or to develop their reading fluency. Consequently, pupils’ progress in reading is impeded. The school should work to further develop staff's understanding of the strategies used in the chosen phonics programme so that teaching is consistently effective.  In some subjects, sequences of learning lack coherence. It is not clear precisely what pupils should know and remember by the end of a unit of lessons. This 2 to 4 July 2024 means that pupils do not build knowledge cumulatively over time. The school should ensure that staff are supported to plan sequences of lessons that follow a coherent structure so that pupils remember the key knowledge identified on long- term overviews.  Sometimes, the tasks that teachers ask pupils to complete do not match the

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

learning intention for the lesson. This means that pupils are more likely to remember the task that they have done rather than key knowledge. Staff should ensure that they choose activities carefully so that pupils learn the key knowledge identified in curriculum plans.

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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. 2 to 4 July 2024

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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

School category Independent special school

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School details

Headteacher Laura Thresh (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) From £10,000 per annum

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School details

Email address Newsteadsend.office@watertonacademytr ust.org 2 to 4 July 2024

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Information about this school

 The school was registered by the Department for Education on 26 June 2023. This is the school’s first standard inspection.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school operates from its premises in Newstead Road, Athersley, Barnsley, S71 3NA.  The school provides full-time education for up to 30 pupils with an education, health and care plan where the primary need is communication and interaction, including pupils with autism. Places are commissioned at this school by the local authority.  The school is part of Waterton Academy Trust. The trust comprises 14 schools. Thirteen of these schools are mainstream settings, with this being the only independent special school.

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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

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 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

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher (who is also the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator) and the deputy head for provision. In addition, they met with trust leaders and those responsible for governance. This included the chief executive officer, a representative from the trust board and members of the academy standards committee. They also met with subject leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and personal, social and health education (PSHE). Inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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Information about this inspection

Aspects of the curriculum in other subjects, including several foundation subjects, were considered as part of the inspection.  The inspectors considered how the school caters for pupils’ personal 2 to 4 July 2024 development, including reviewing the curriculum for PSHE.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The lead inspector toured the school site and reviewed the various policies in place and the actions taken by leaders to ensure compliance with the independent school standards.  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 .  Inspectors considered the responses made by parents to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. This included any free-text comments. The responses to the

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Inspection team

Philippa Kermotschuk, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

David Mills His Majesty’s Inspector 2 to 4 July 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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