Enterprise Learning Alliance

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Enterprise Learning Alliance Westwood Centre, Westwood Industrial Estate, Enterprise Road, Margate, Kent CT9 4JA

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Outcome

Enterprise Learning Alliance has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is a lifeline for its pupils. Before joining, many have not attended school regularly or engaged in any learning for a long period of time. Some have significant social, emotional and mental health needs. Staff understand these challenges. They take time to get to know each pupil, their interests and their aspirations. As a result, relationships are strong. Staff know their pupils well and pupils feel valued as individuals.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff share a clear vision for getting pupils back on track with their learning. The school offers an adaptable curriculum that enables pupils to experience success. Staff work determinedly to identify and remove barriers to pupils’ learning, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils benefit from an extensive support programme that helps them develop resilience and small classes that help them regain confidence in their learning. As a result, many reintegrate quickly into mainstream schools, and older pupils are supported to gain the qualifications they need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and do not report bullying. The school uses clear routines to help pupils feel at ease. Adults model calm and supportive behaviours. Pupils usually behave well in lessons and during breaktimes, resulting in a calm learning environment.

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

Effective leadership has supported the school to reorganise the curriculum into three carefully curated pathways. This enables the school to offer different programmes of learning for pupils with different starting points. For some pupils, this enables them to 8 and 9 October 2024

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study an academically ambitious range of subjects broadly aligned with the national curriculum. It equips them to transition successfully back into mainstream schools. For older pupils, a range of vocational qualifications are on offer which have been chosen carefully to meet the needs of local employers. This enables pupils to develop the skills needed for their next steps. For pupils with more significant barriers to learning, the school has created a highly supportive, bespoke curriculum. This ensures that these pupils get the support they need to develop the confidence, trust and resilience to re-engage with learning.

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Outcomes are positive. A significant proportion of pupils rejoin a mainstream school successfully. Some transition to specialist settings. Pupils who remain in school achieve well, often from very low starting points. An effective reading curriculum supports pupils to become confident and fluent readers. They go on to obtain GCSEs and a range of vocational qualifications, allowing them to move on to further education, employment or training.

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Typically, teachers have good subject knowledge and present new learning clearly. However, despite effective systems in place to identify SEND and pupils’ academic starting points, teachers do not always adapt activities to meet pupils’ different needs. This means pupils cannot always engage with their learning. In addition, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge which are not being addressed effectively. This means they find it difficult to understand new topics and ideas.

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Pupils’ behaviour in the past, and at their previous schools, had stopped them from learning. The school promotes positive behaviour effectively. Pupils earn rewards when they do well. Many staff are around to support any pupils in crisis. Once a pupil is calm, they are returned quickly to their learning. As a result, pupils are ready to work and motivated to do their best.

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Attendance has improved for many pupils since joining the school. This is because the school works positively and proactively with parents and carers, and other agencies to encourage pupils to attend. However, the systems and processes used to monitor and analyse attendance over time are not as accurate or rigorous as they could be. Too many pupils still do not attend regularly.

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Pupils learn about a range of aspects to help keep themselves safe, including the dangers of substance misuse and the importance of healthy relationships. Enrichment activities such as canoeing and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award offer pupils new experiences that teach them about teamwork and resilience. In addition, a well-structured curriculum of careers information and guidance helps pupils to plan for their futures.

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Governance is effective. The school considers staff workload and well-being and ensures they get the training they need. As a result, staff are proud to work at this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 8 and 9 October 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Activities do not always meet the specific needs of pupils or ensure that learning builds on what they already know. This means pupils are not always learning as much as they could. The school should continue to monitor the implementation of the curriculum to ensure it is delivered consistently well across all subjects.  The school does not have a precise or rigorous enough overview of attendance over time. This means that, while attendance is improving for some, it is not improving for all pupils. Too many pupils do not attend regularly. The school should ensure that systems and processes allow them to accurately analyse attendance so that they can effectively evaluate the impact of the work that they do.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in June 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. 8 and 9 October 2024

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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 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 October 2024

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School details

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

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Information about this school

 The school is split across three sites in Deal, Margate and Ramsgate:  Southwood, Salisbury Road, Walmer, Deal, Kent CT14 7QJ;  The Westwood Centre, Unit L, Westwood Industrial Estate, Enterprise Road, Margate, Kent CT9 4JA;  Northwood, Highfield Road, Ramsgate, Kent CT12 6QX.  The school provides an education for pupils who have been referred to the school by the local authority or by mainstream schools.  Pupils join the school throughout the academic year. Many have had low attendance at their previous schools and arrive having experienced gaps in their education.  At the time of the inspection, 71 pupils were attending the school and were all dual rolled with their mainstream school.  The school offers an outreach service to local schools to pupils in mainstream schools.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires

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Information about this school

schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 8 and 9 October 2024

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, teachers and support staff.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the management committee and spoke to a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils. They considered the responses to the online parents’ survey, Ofsted Parent View.  Inspectors also spoke to pupils throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

James Stuart, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Graham Chisnell Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 October 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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