Brentwood School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Brentwood School Cherry Lane, Sale, Greater Manchester M33 4GY

p.1

Outcome

Brentwood School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love attending this school. Their smiles fill the corridors with joy. From when they arrive in Year 7, until they leave the sixth form, pupils are supported and cared for by staff who understand their varied needs and abilities exceptionally well. Pupils thrive here.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school ensures that this does not limit its ambition for what pupils can achieve. Pupils learn eagerly. They rise to meet the school’s high expectations. For many, this includes building the skills that help them to successfully move on to appropriate further education or employment.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about and respect each other’s differences and feelings. This helps them to treat each other with understanding and kindness. They develop a close bond with staff and firm friendships with their peers. Staff manage any incidents of challenging behaviour effectively to minimise disruption to learning.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a rich variety of experiences that help them to expand their interests and develop independence. For instance, they enjoy trips to the gym and cinema. Some pupils represent the school in disability sports tournaments. Pupils were proud to showcase their enterprise projects at the recent Christmas market.

p.1

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

Pupils, including those with the most complex needs, learn a broad range of subjects. This helps to develop their understanding of the world around them. The curriculum has been carefully designed to meet the wide range of pupils’ SEND. It identifies the most 4 and 5 February 2025

p.1

2

important knowledge that pupils need to learn, regardless of their starting points. This helps pupils to lay firm foundations, onto which they can build up their skills gradually.

p.2

2

Preparation for adulthood is meticulously incorporated into every aspect of school life. For example, staff first help pupils to build their social understanding through everyday experiences such as taking turns and asking for help. Later, staff provide opportunities for pupils to develop teamwork and take on responsibilities.

p.2

2

In the sixth form, students focus on skills for independent living such as cooking, personal hygiene and managing money. Furthermore, pupils learn about healthy relationships and the importance of consent in ways that are appropriate to their age and needs. This learning, combined with highly personalised careers guidance and supported work experience, enables pupils to take their place in society as young adults.

p.2

2

When pupils are ready, the school ensures that their learning is formally accredited. For instance, pupils in key stage 4 and students in the sixth form work towards a range of recognised awards and qualifications.

p.2

2

Staff know their pupils exceptionally well. The school draws on pupils’ education, health and care (EHC) plans to set individual targets. Staff are furnished with a wealth of information about how best to support pupils. Most staff use this information very effectively to adapt their teaching to meet pupils’ needs. This helps most pupils to learn well. However, there are occasions when activities do not take enough account of what pupils already know. As a result, a minority of pupils do not learn as well as they could.

p.2

2

Most pupils at the school are at the early stages of learning to read. They benefit from expert delivery of the school’s phonics programme. Many pupils develop into confident, accurate readers during their time at school. They develop a love of reading through the stories and books that staff share with them.

p.2

2

Communication and language development is a high priority in the school. Skilled staff support pupils to use a wide range of communication techniques including symbols and gestures. This enables pupils to have a voice, share any worries with staff and socialise with their peers. As pupils’ independence grows, they benefit from regular opportunities to practise their communication skills in the local community. For instance, students in the sixth form volunteer in a community café.

p.2

2

The school’s well-established routines help pupils to behave calmly and positively. Staff respond sensitively when pupils experience distress. They are skilled in therapeutic approaches that help pupils to regulate their emotions and quickly re-engage with their learning. The school has successfully helped some pupils who did not attend during the COVID-19 pandemic to build back up to full attendance once more.

p.2

2

Since the last inspection, governors’ rigorous oversight has helped to ensure that the school’s high standards have been maintained. Leaders have successfully expanded the school and responded to the changing profile of pupils' needs. Parents and carers are delighted with the care and support that their children receive. 4 and 5 February 2025

p.2

3

Staff are very proud to work at the school. They appreciate the high-quality training that the school provides to support them in meeting pupils’ needs.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasions, some staff do not make effective use of pupils’ assessment information when they design learning. At times, this means that lesson activities do not fully support the intended learning for pupils. This slows the progress that some pupils make towards the objectives in their EHC plans. The school should work with staff to ensure the better use of assessment information so that lesson sequences firmly take into account what pupils already know and can do.

p.3

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 outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in June 2019. 4 and 5 February 2025

p.3

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 4 and 5 February 2025

p.4

form

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

form

Website www.brentwoodschoolandcollege.co.uk

p.5

form

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school provides education for pupils with complex learning difficulties, many of whom have severe or profound and multiple learning difficulties. Some pupils also have physical disabilities.  All pupils at the school have an education, health and care plan. Places at the school are commissioned by local authorities.  The school is co-located with Brentwood Community College, a specialist provision for adult learners with SEND. This inspection only considered the 11-19 provision.  Since the previous inspection, the number of pupils on the school’s roll has grown considerably. A large number of new staff have also joined the school. 4 and 5 February 2025

p.5

6

 The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical-education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

p.6

Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, other school leaders and staff. The lead inspector also met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority by telephone.  The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils and looked at examples of their work. They also considered the school’s self-evaluation document, along with other documentation and analysis provided by the school.  The inspectors observed pupils during social times.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

p.6

Information about this inspection

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.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and pupils. They also took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

p.6

Inspection team

Ben Hill, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Phill Walmsley Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 February 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7