Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Matt Jacobs Executive Headteacher College Central 124 Brodrick Road Eastbourne East Sussex BN22 9RB

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Special measures monitoring inspection of College Central

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 5 and 6 November 2024, on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded (section 5) inspection that took place in February 2024.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of College Central

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s key and (where applicable) provision judgements, but to identify and report on the school’s progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school’s previous graded inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of College Central

During the inspection, I discussed with you and other senior leaders, trustees, the local authority and the chief executive officer (CEO) of the trust the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also met with staff, carried out lesson visits, reviewed pupils’ work and support plans and completed a scrutiny of strategic documents. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is

necessary for the school to no longer be judged as requiring special measures.

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

considered again during any monitoring inspection we carry out.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the previous graded inspection in February 2024, there have been additions to the leadership team. The trust has put in place a head of safeguarding to provide oversight in these areas. The school has recruited senior leaders to the secondary phase, to increase leadership capacity and support. While the school’s capacity remains at 140 pupils, following the safeguarding concerns identified at the previous inspection, the trust and the local authority have agreed to a reduction in places on both secondary sites. This has had a positive impact on behaviour and subsequent safeguarding of pupils and staff.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

There has been some improvement in the quality of education in the secondary phase. The school has used curriculum structures from the trust to design sequences of learning to form its curriculum. However, this curriculum does not yet align with identified ambitious endpoints. The school has recently begun work with the trust subject hubs to enhance the curriculum offer so that it builds a clear sequence of knowledge over time.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

There is an effective education in place for the primary pupils at the flexible learning provision. The pupils in this provision benefit from the embedded curriculum in place at the two trust special schools that they are based in. On these sites, teachers have secure knowledge of what pupils need to know and pupils are supported to learn well, which they do. In the secondary phase, teachers present subject material knowledgeably. However, with a new curriculum that is still in development, staff do not have secure understanding of the knowledge endpoints that pupils need to learn. As a result, while most secondary pupils engage with learning well, they are not securing knowledge as well as they could.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The provision to support the weakest readers is not effective in the secondary phase. In the flexible learning provision, a phonics scheme is securely in place and well-trained teachers help pupils learn to read. The school has taken action to improve this provision in the secondary phase. This has included purchasing training packages and resources for a validated phonics scheme. This has recently been adopted by the secondary phase and so the impact is not yet evident. A small number of staff have been trained to run phonics activities to help pupils with their reading. This training is planned for all staff, as currently not enough staff know how to support those at the earliest stages of reading. Due to this, too many pupils are not getting the support they need to be able to read fluently and accurately.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school has taken action to improve the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This includes the appointment of a special educational needs coordinator, who has oversight of the support in place for pupils across both phases. This role has only just begun and therefore intended changes are not yet securely in place. The previous inspection identified that there was not a coherent approach to teaching pupils personal, social, health and economics education (PSHE) or relationships and sex education (RSE) in the secondary phase. The school has now put in place a PSHE and RSE curriculum and scheduled regular lessons into the timetable. Through the PSHE curriculum, pupils learn about different religions and cultures. They also learn about protected characteristics. In addition, the school has designed a ‘personal development curriculum’. This sets out the wider life and social skills development that pupils need to

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

be prepared for their next stages. However, there is some variation in how well this is being implemented across the secondary phase.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The trust has recently taken appropriate action to support the school. The trust has recruited both a primary and secondary head of education. These leaders are supporting the school well to ensure improvements in the quality of education. The trust has commissioned an external adviser to ensure it is taking the most effective action to improve the school. The trust executive team, as well as the board of trustees, is aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Improvement has not been as rapid in some areas. Consequently, the trust has deployed resources to the school to secure the improvements needed.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Staff here are experiencing a period of uncertainty and change, with a planned move to a new academy trust. However, they are positive and motivated to achieve the best for the pupils. They feel very well supported and cared for by their site leaders. They appreciate the training they have received and express wanting more. There are inconsistencies in how the two secondary sites work together. This leads to differences in the quality of the provision pupils receive. Furthermore, staff do not share across both sites the programmes, resources and sequences of learning they create. This results in them replicating work and creating unnecessary workload for themselves.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

This is a safe site for pupils and staff to attend. Pupils’ behaviour is mostly positive, and they engage well with their learning. The relationship between pupils and staff is positive and trusting. As a result, pupils follow the direction and guidance from staff well. Pupils move around the school safely. Due to their complex needs, sometimes pupils find it hard to manage their emotions. When this happens, they are supported effectively by well- trained staff. Both pupils and staff feel safe in the school. They describe how much behaviour and conduct have improved.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The arrangements for safeguarding have improved but are not yet effective. Safeguarding records show a clear chronology of the support in place for pupils and their families. Staff are well trained to know when a pupil may need help. They share information quickly and effectively when they are concerned about a pupil.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

However, the level of persistent absence in the secondary phase is extremely high. This means that most of the pupils do not attend school most of the time. While there are secure mechanisms in place, which include phone calls or home visits when pupils are absent, with so many pupils not on site staff do not have secure oversight of where pupils are all the time. The trust has taken decisive action and deployed the head of safeguarding to oversee safeguarding and attendance at the school. This has resulted in a systematic approach to tackle attendance. There are attendance meetings twice a week to discuss the attendance of all pupils. The school has established strategies for pupils and their families to improve pupils’ attendance. Staff work with wider agencies to secure support for pupils who need it. While there are some signs of improvement, these strategies have not been in place for long enough to have an impact.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the CEO of the Sabden Multi Academy Trust, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for East Sussex. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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