Cambian Dunbroch School

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Cambian Dunbroch School Fordham Road, Newmarket, Suffolk CB8 7LF

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraphs 3, 3(a) to 3(d)  At the school’s standard inspection in September 2023, inspectors found staff did not deliver the curriculum well enough. Work was not well-matched to pupils’ academic needs, and in some areas, work was too easy. At the monitoring inspection in May 2024, some progress had been made. There remained a lack of phonics support for pupils who needed further help with reading. Additionally, some staff did not consistently deliver lessons to help pupils learn well enough.  The school’s action plan sets out the steps the school intended to take to rectify these weaknesses. These steps included: providing staff with professional development programmes to strengthen their pedagogical and subject knowledge; providing phonics training for staff who teach early reading and phonics and ensuring all subjects in the curriculum have suitable schemes of work.

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Main inspection findings

 The school has now established an effective phonics programme to help pupils who need support with early reading. Adults have received training to deliver this programme. Whilst no current pupils need this additional support, the school are now well-placed to provide support if a pupil were to join the school and find reading tricky.  The curriculum sets out the important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember. This is ambitious with a growing number of pupils following GCSE pathways in some subjects. Lessons are delivered in a sensible sequence to help pupils to remember key concepts over time. For example, pupils develop a secure understanding of algebra. This is because adults teach this content in an order in which pupils link new learning to what they know. Similarly, pupils produce high-quality creative writing. They learn about the key language features as they move through the curriculum, which

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Main inspection findings

pupils go on to apply well in their own work.  The requirements of the independent school standards (the standards) are now met. Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraph 7, 7(a), 7(b)  The school’s safeguarding policy is compliant with statutory requirements and provides staff with much useful information to help them carry out their roles well. Leaders make the right checks on staff before they start work in school. Adults are well-trained to help them understand the important role they play in keeping pupils safe. They receive regular and relevant training from school leaders and the proprietor body. Any concerns are followed up swiftly by school leaders if required.  Adults provide high-quality care and support for pupils. The learning environment is safe and provides pupils with a vibrant space to explore and feel at home.  The standards in this part continue to be met. Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Main inspection findings

Paragraph 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b)  In September 2023, inspectors found that leaders had not ensured that the school consistently met the standards including the quality of education. At the monitoring inspection in May 2024, although improvements had been made, there remained more work to do to make sure the curriculum was fully developed and pupils learn well.  The school has implemented its action plan effectively and has addressed the weaknesses identified in the previous inspection. The proprietor body and school leaders use their ever-growing knowledge and experience to ensure that the curriculum in all subjects is well-designed and implemented as intended. Adults benefit greatly from the training and support that they receive to help them teach well. They appreciate the regular, high-quality feedback from school leaders to help them to improve their work continually.  The proprietor body maintains a strong oversight on the quality of the curriculum and

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Main inspection findings

teaching. There are now well-established systems and processes for checking the quality of the school’s work. This provides the proprietor body with a clear picture of what is working well and what aspects of the school need further improvement. This means that the proprietor body is reassured that the work of the school is improving all the time.  The requirements of the standard in this part are now met.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection. This included the standards and requirements that the school was judged to not comply with at the previous inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school–

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(a) enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability so that they increase their understanding and develop their skills in the subjects taught; – 3(b) fosters in pupils self-motivation, the application of intellectual, physical and creative effort, interest in their work and the ability to think and learn for themselves; – 3(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time; and – 3(d) shows a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and ensures that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school–

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

– 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which 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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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

School status Independent special school

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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School details

Website www.cambiangroup.com/residential- services/our-care-homes/mental-health- services/merida/dunbroch-school/ Email address karen.carrington@cambiangroup.com

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 19 to 21 September 2023

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Information about this school

 The school caters for pupils who have a primary special educational needs or disabilities diagnosis relating to their social and emotional mental health. Pupils’ needs may include autism, cognitive and learning needs, specific learning difficulties, behavioural, emotional and social development needs, behavioural, emotional and social difficulty, communication and interaction needs, and speech and language needs.  The school caters exclusively for children looked after by the local authority. Placements are commissioned by a range of local authorities.  The proprietorial body is a private limited company. There are five directors. The company body operates 22 other schools and 16 post-16 colleges nationally.  The school has a governing body.  The headteacher was appointed 1 September 2023. Most staff also joined the school at this time.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  This is the second monitoring visit since the first standard inspection in September 2023.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  During this unannounced inspection, the inspector met with senior leaders, including the headteacher. He also met with a representative of the proprietor body and the head of standards from the company.  The inspector reviewed the single central record of pre-employment checks and a range of documents relating to safeguarding, school improvement and curriculum planning. The inspector reviewed the work of pupils in several subjects.  The inspector visited lessons and spoke informally with pupils. The inspector also spoke with teachers and support staff to consider the support they have had to deliver the

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Inspection team

Nathan Lowe, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/ofsted .

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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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