Brewood Secondary School

Inspection of Brewood Secondary School 86 London Road, Deal, Kent CT14 9TR

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Inspection dates: 26 to 28 November 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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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 re-engage with learning and achieve well in Brewood School’s positive, upbeat and caring atmosphere. Staff have high expectations and everyone in the school is determined to provide the best education for every single pupil. During the inspection several pupils spoke about their work with understandable pride. They are perceptive about the difference that the school has made to their engagement with education. Pupils recognise and appreciate that teachers are ‘very good at what they do, and they treat us with respect’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Attendance has improved over time because pupils like being in school and parents feel involved and informed. Pupils speak happily about subjects, such as science, mathematics and art. They enthuse about clubs like football and board games club. They often make mature contributions to personal, social and health education lessons because staff make sure that they feel secure and valued.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils usually behave well and often work with great care. They are very well prepared for the next stages in their education, employment and training. Parents are very happy with the school’s work. One parent’s comment reflected the views of others, ‘Since my son has been at the school his love for learning has returned. The school is set up for children to succeed’.

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better?

Improvements made since the previous inspection have raised expectations, improved achievement and strengthened pupils’ engagement with learning. The school has reviewed the curriculum and updated it to ensure that pupils’ needs are supported with increasing effectiveness. For instance, GCSE courses were introduced following the previous inspection. Since then, a small number of pupils have studied and achieved GCSE qualifications in English and mathematics each year. There has been a renewed drive for improvement in the past six months and the pace of development has accelerated. Leaders and staff are united with a renewed drive for improvement following recent staffing appointments. This has led to raised expectations, improved achievement and strengthened pupils’ engagement with learning.

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better?

Pupils have often had an unsettled time in education before joining the school, including extended periods of absence from education. The school targets gaps in pupils’ learning effectively. Staff assess pupils’ needs accurately and make sure that the curriculum is adapted accordingly. Pupils follow curriculum ‘pathways’ which enable each to access learning and curriculum content successfully. The content of the curriculum in each subject has been carefully identified. The teaching of reading, English and mathematics is appropriately prioritised and well established. However, implementation of the curriculum in a few other subjects are at an earlier stage of development. 26 to 28 November 2024 Regular training ensures that staff are well informed about curriculum, behaviour and safeguarding matters. Training priorities are identified appropriately to support ongoing developments.

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better?

The school’s phonics programme has been updated to ensure that it is suited to pupils’ needs and contexts. All staff have been trained in the teaching of phonics. The programme is delivered effectively.. Pupils’ appreciation of the benefits of and enjoyment in reading are enhanced through bespoke tactics and resources. Leaders are rightly focusing now on making sure that developments in reading are securely embedded and on strengthening support for some of the older pupils.

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better?

The school’s work to support pupils’ personal development is central to the curriculum and exceptionally strong. The personal development programme is meticulously planned to make the most of every learning opportunity. There is a wide range of engaging trips, visits and activities to develop pupils’ awareness and understanding of culture. Opportunities to discuss and debate challenging topics are a regular feature of the curriculum. Pupils speak confidently about what they have learned and can relate this to their own circumstances. The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. Careers guidance is a notable strength in the school’s work, providing pupils with high-quality, independent advice. All pupils move on to further education, employment or training when they leave the school.

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better?

Leaders have increased expectations of pupils’ attendance since the previous inspection. Robust procedures have been established to monitor and support pupils’ engagement. There have been some significant improvements in attendance for individual pupils, including for some who had not been attending school at all prior to joining Brewood.

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better?

Pupils often behave very well. At times, their additional needs make it hard for them to comply with expectations consistently. Staff respond calmly and quietly when this is the case. On some occasions they need to intervene physically to keep everyone safe. The school keeps such interventions to a minimum. These incidents are reducing in frequency. Leaders have robust systems in place to check that physical interventions are used appropriately and safely.

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better?

Senior leaders work very well with staff and with each other and staff are proud to work in the school. The proprietor has established rigorous procedures to monitor the school’s work and to hold leaders to account, including appointing an independent school improvement adviser. They have a clear and accurate view of what the school does well and where further developments can be made.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 26 to 28 November 2024

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school’s curriculum is not securely and consistently embedded across some foundation subjects. In some subjects, lessons do not build pupils’ knowledge and skills successfully. The school should ensure that it keeps a careful oversight of how well the curriculum is being implemented and provide support so that foundation subjects are taught as well as English and mathematics, enabling all groups of pupils to achieve well.

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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. 26 to 28 November 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 119021 DfE registration number 886/6070

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School details

Inspection number 10299166 Type of school Other Independent Special School

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School details

Proprietor Horizon Care and Education Ltd

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £64,506 to £71,225

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School details

Email address alex.leng@horizoncare.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 to 12 December 2019 26 to 28 November 2024

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Information about this school

 The previous standard inspection took place in December 2019, when the school was judged good in all areas.  The headteacher was appointed acting headteacher in April 2024, and substantive headteacher from September 2024.  The school uses one registered and one unregistered alternative provision.  The school has fewer than five pupils in the sixth-form provision. Therefore, a separate judgement is not made.  All pupils have an education, health and care plan. The main category of need is social, emotional and mental health. Pupils are placed at the school by a number of local authorities.

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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

 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  An application for a material change was considered at the same time as this inspection. The proprietor wishes to increase the maximum number of pupils on roll from 45 to 70.  Inspectors held a wide range of meetings during this inspection. These included discussions with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteachers and other school leaders. They also spoke with a range of staff at different times during the inspection.  The views of pupils, parents and staff were gathered through a range of sources, including Ofsted’s surveys and discussions. Inspectors spoke with pupils in lessons

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Information about this inspection

and at other times of the school day. The lead inspector also met formally with a group of pupils.  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. 26 to 28 November 2024  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics, physical education and personal, social and health education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum documentation, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Compliance with the independent school standards was checked throughout the inspection, including tours of both sites, discussions with leaders and a review of

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The school’s proposed change to the maximum number of pupils

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.  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.  The school is currently operating from the main site at 86, London Road, Deal. The second site, 12 Mill Hill, Deal, is located in a Victorian building a short distance away from the main site. The premises has been refurbished throughout to a high standard. Accommodation across the two sites provides ample space if the proposed increase in the number on roll is approved by the DfE.

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The school’s proposed change to the maximum number of pupils

 The premises at 12 Mill Hill provide suitable accommodation for school use. Teaching and communal spaces are heated and well lit with an appropriate range of furniture and resources to support learning. The site has suitable toilet facilities and a well-equipped kitchen finished to a high specification.  The site includes suitable outdoor space which is securely fenced and well equipped with a range of resources for pupils’ use.  Suitable fire precautions are in place. The proprietor has suitable plans in place to ensure appropriate staffing arrangements for the proposed number of pupils. The proprietor intends increasing the number of pupils on roll gradually over time with additional staff appointed as required.

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Inspection team

Julie Sackett, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Caroline Clarke Ofsted Inspector 26 to 28 November 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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