Falconer School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Falconer School Falconer Road, Bushey, Hertfordshire WD23 3AT

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school provides pupils with a lifeline back into learning and support for their future aspirations. Pupils arrive here often having had significant disruption to their education. The school is determined that every pupil will have improved life chances. It ensures that reasonable adjustments are in place for pupils to meet their needs. Once engaged in school, most pupils gain the qualifications needed to secure post-16 education or training.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are starting to benefit from improvements to the curriculum, the learning environment and behaviour expectations. However, some of this work is still in its early stages. There are instances where pupils are not having gaps in their knowledge addressed quickly enough. This can lead to some pupils disengaging from learning. Behaviour has improved, yet some unwelcome behaviours remain. While attendance is improving, there are still too many pupils not at school every day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff develop positive relationships. Pupils have trusted adults and mentors. They know the site is safe and secure. They appreciate the well-resourced vocational programmes on offer, such as motor vehicle maintenance, construction, and design and technology. Pupils enjoy off-site visits to bowling, swimming, climbing and a local café. This improves their confidence in social situations and their independence, preparing them for adulthood.

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

The school has successfully navigated a period of turbulence since the last inspection. In a short space of time, the school has built an ambitious curriculum to help pupils secure necessary qualifications for their future. The school has robust systems and processes to 18 and 19 March 2025

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set and review pupils’ education, health and care (EHC) plans. It uses its own occupational therapist and speech and language professionals to ensure appropriate adaptations are in place.

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When engaged in learning, pupils achieve well. They complete work to a high standard in their vocational studies, for example in design and technology. Most pupils sustain concentration well in subjects like mathematics and science. The school checks how firmly pupils are securing knowledge. However, often the work set for pupils is not suitably ambitious or does not align closely to the specific gaps in knowledge identified. This is particularly the case in writing. Misconceptions remain, and pupils complete work that they are already capable of. Pupils disengage from learning when it does not captivate their interests.

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The school has successfully raised the profile of reading. Pupils are less reluctant to pick up a book. The school identifies gaps in pupils’ reading knowledge and matches books to their reading ability. This has helped some pupils become more confident readers. However, the school is currently not providing systematic support to pupils who find reading tricky. As a result, these pupils are not catching up quickly enough.

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Pupils know the behaviour expected of them. They like the predictability of set routines. Once pupils settle, they manage their emotions with increasing independence. The school addresses any unwelcome behaviours swiftly. Suspensions are reducing. If any bullying occurs, it is dealt with. However, some pupils still find adapting to being in school difficult. The school works closely with pupils to reduce this anxiety. However, there are still too many pupils who are not accessing full-time education, which affects how highly they can achieve.

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The school’s personal development programme matches the needs of pupils. The school places a significant emphasis on improving pupils’ social interaction and communication skills. Pupils are confident to talk to different adults, ask for help, share their views and listen to others. Pupils learn which behaviours are socially acceptable. They understand how to stay safe online and form healthy, consensual friendships. They are provided with work experience, careers advice and how to manage money.

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Staff find working here rewarding. They are appreciative of the training they receive. Most feel that leaders do listen to them if they need support with their workload.

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Governors have a high level of expertise and provide effective oversight. The school and the local authority’s school improvement team have ensured rapid school improvement. Governors have clarity over the strategic direction of the school. They are managing resources as effectively as they can. However, some resource decisions are out of the school’s direct control. This is limiting the extent to which the next stage of the school’s strategic plan can be implemented.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 18 and 19 March 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, the work set for pupils does not have high expectations or is not tailored to fill specific gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This means some pupils disengage in learning, and gaps in knowledge, especially in writing, remain. The school needs to ensure pupils engage in ambitious learning activities that are more precisely focused on filling pupils’ gaps in understanding so that they achieve more highly.  The phonics programme is not being followed as consistently as intended. This means pupils who have gaps in reading knowledge are not being sufficiently supported to catch up on missed learning. The school needs to ensure that pupils who find reading tricky are provided with a consistent and systematic approach to ensure that gaps in reading are overcome quickly so pupils develop improved fluency.  There are still too many pupils who are not attending school often enough or full time, partly due to the turbulence the school experienced. This is impacting on how much

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils can achieve as they miss out on important learning opportunities. The school needs to ensure all staff have the knowledge and skills to support pupils to increase and sustain good attendance habits.  The school has been through a period of turbulence since the last inspection. This has impacted on resources available to the school to support it in delivering its ambitious strategic aims. The governors need to continue to work collaboratively with the local authority to ensure the necessary resources and external support are in place to realise and sustain this vision for continued school improvement.

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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 good for its overall effectiveness.

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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. 18 and 19 March 2025

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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2020.

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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.

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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). 18 and 19 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 March 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has had a complete change of leadership since the last inspection. The current headteacher started in September 2022. The substantive senior leadership team has been in post since 2023.  The local authority established an interim executive board in 2022 to oversee governance of the school. The current governing board was then appointed by the local authority in March 2024.  The school uses 11 unregistered alternative providers.  All pupils at this school have an EHC plan.  The school caters for pupils primarily with autism and social and communication needs.  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. 18 and 19 March 2025

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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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteachers, special educational needs co-ordinator, subject leaders, teachers and support staff.  The lead inspector met with the school’s local authority school’s effectiveness partners and read their notes of visits.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the governing board and four governors.  To evaluate the quality of education, inspectors met with staff, visited classes, looked at pupils’ work and spoke to pupils from across the school.  Inspectors also reviewed documentation provided by the school, including the school

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Information about this inspection

development plan, its self-evaluation document and governor’s minutes.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and children; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.  Inspectors met with groups of staff and considered the opinions expressed through the staff survey.  Inspectors took account of the views of parents expressed through the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments, and through telephone calls with some parents.  Inspectors also reviewed the responses to the pupil survey, as well as talking to pupils from all year groups during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Sara Boyce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lynda Walker Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 March 2025

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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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