Brook Green Centre for Learning

Inspection of Brook Green Centre for Learning Bodmin Road, Whitleigh, Plymouth, Devon PL5 4DZ

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 December 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding 10 and 11 December 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ social, emotional and academic achievement. Pupils aspire to do well at the school and are successful learners. They value learning a range of subjects. Pupils are well prepared for the world beyond school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn exceptionally well to interact in socially appropriate ways. They are Well mannered, respectful and kind. Pupils have very strong, trusting relationships with staff and each other. They learn to form healthy relationships through the highly effective personal, social and health education programme. Through voting for the school council, pupils learn about the importance of democracy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to manage their emotional responses to the world around them. They value the house points system that rewards positive behaviour. Consequently, pupils behave well, both in lessons and around the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Through the curriculum, pupils develop their physical health very well. For instance, they swim regularly, and many learn to ride bicycles for the first time. All pupils learn about the natural world through outdoor learning. For example, pupils learn to create art using the symmetry of leaves and plants in the woods that surround the school. All pupils in Year 9 and Year 10 enthusiastically participate in the Duke of Edinburgh awards.

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

The school’s drive to ensure that all pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) thrive is shared by staff. Many pupils have missed a lot of schooling and have gaps in their knowledge by the time they arrive. The school has prioritised the development of pupils’ communication skills, including reading and writing across the curriculum. Pupils’ literacy skills are checked carefully on entry to the school. This ensures that those who struggle, study an appropriate early reading programme. Consequently, pupils learn to read well. The school has led staff training in adaptive teaching strategies to meet pupils’ identified needs in reading and writing in all subjects. In many subjects, staff use assessment information effectively to adapt the ways in which they teach reading and writing. However, in some subjects, this is not yet routine and pupils struggle to access learning successfully as a result.

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

Pupils learn a well-planned curriculum in many subject areas, which enables them to build on their prior knowledge well. For instance, the mathematics curriculum supports pupils to develop strong knowledge of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division to help them learn more complex concepts. The curriculum is ambitious and challenging, ensuring that pupils are well prepared for their next steps. For example, in science, pupils were observed formulating hypotheses and methodologies knowledgeably for their experiments with magnesium strips.

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

Pupils learn an exceptionally well-designed personal development curriculum. It prepares them very well to be informed citizens of twenty-first century Britain. The careers programme is coherently structured, enabling pupils to build incrementally on their 10 and 11 December 2024

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knowledge as they move through the school. Through the strong relationships with staff, pupils are exceptionally well supported to make informed decisions about their next steps. The school ensures that pupils access a range of trips and visitors to enrich the curriculum. For example, pupils visited Lille in France to enhance their study of French. Through the curriculum, pupils learn about different faiths and cultures very well. The school succeeds in shaping pupils’ characters exceptionally well.

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The school monitors pupils’ behaviour very well. It ensures that bespoke support is provided to help pupils manage their behaviour. The school is a calm, orderly learning environment. It has worked hard to improve the attendance of pupils. Through strong pastoral support, the school has forged strong relationships with pupils and families to ensure that most pupils attend well. However, pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding do not attend school as regularly.

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Governance is strong. Governors gather a breadth of information with which to challenge and support the school. Staff are overwhelmingly proud to work at the school. Parents and carers are effusive in their views of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment about pupils’ reading and writing knowledge is not used with precision in some subjects. This information is not used to inform adaptations to the teaching of reading and writing in these subjects. This means that some pupils struggle to learn successfully. The school must ensure that assessment information about pupils’ reading and writing knowledge informs appropriate adaptations to the teaching of all subjects.  Pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding do not attend school regularly enough. This means that they do not access learning as well as they could. The school must ensure that parents and pupils understand the link between school attendance and achievement so that these pupils attend more regularly.

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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. 10 and 11 December 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 special educational needs and/or disabilities (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). 10 and 11 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body David Fildes and Karen Powell

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 September 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Brook Green Learning Centre is a school for pupils who have cognition and learning and social, emotional and mental health needs.  All pupils who attend have an education, health and care plan.  The school uses two unregistered alternative provisions.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 10 and 11 December 2024

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher and members of the leadership team.  An inspector held discussions with the chair and members of the local governing body.  An inspector held discussions with an education improvement partner from the local authority and the school’s independent improvement partner.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, English, mathematics and history. In each subject, inspectors met with senior and curriculum leaders, talked to pupils, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and looked at examples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors considered key documentation, including school strategic development plans and governors’ minutes.  Inspectors met with staff to consider their views.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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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 views of parents and carers who responded to the confidential questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. They evaluated the views of staff from the Ofsted online questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Susan Aykin, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Lee Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 December 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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