Southend YMCA Community School

Inspection of Southend YMCA Community School The Ticket House, 110 East Street, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS2 6LH

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Good

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The headteacher of this school is Lee Thorne. The school is part of South Essex Community School Ltd, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Stephen Cooper. 7 and 8 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

In the short time that pupils spend at this school, they successfully re-engage with education. Pupils gain the qualifications they need for their next steps in education, employment and training. Staff carefully consider pupils’ needs and their previous experiences of education. This informs staff’s expectations which are realistic as well as aspirational. Pupils respond well. They want to achieve success in their studies and do so. Pupils with education, health and care (EHC) plans are particularly well supported to achieve their individual targets.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils quickly form warm and trusting relationships with staff. Many pupils speak about the positive influence of school. Pupils now have different attitudes towards life and others. As expressed in their words to inspectors, ‘you can be yourself and do not have to wear a mask or live up to a reputation’. Such positivity is palpable in lessons. Pupils behave well, listen attentively to staff and contribute good-naturedly to class discussions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupil and student voice is highly valued. Younger pupils are involved in the school’s decision-making. For example, they interview job applicants to see if they fit the school’s aims and ethos. Sixth-form students have created a garden on the sixth-form site. They benefit from a range of experiences to help them prepare for adulthood.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious and has appropriate breadth to meet the varying needs of pupils. There is emphasis upon pupils learning the basics so that they can engage fully in the wider curriculum offer. Pupils study a suite of qualifications that help them to achieve as well as develop personally. In some parts of the curriculum there is unnecessary repetition. For example, the school uses the King’s Trust accreditation which replicates some aspects of the curriculum that is in place for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. Similarly, there is work to do to bring the speaking and listening strands of different qualifications together to form a coherent oracy strategy.

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

The school looks carefully at what pupils know and can do. For pupils who struggle with their literacy and numeracy there is one-to-one support. Additional teaching sessions help to plug the gaps in knowledge and understanding that pupils have. Pupils who are struggling readers have resources such as reading pens to use in lessons and scribes to support with writing. The school is in the process of establishing a new phonics programme for the few pupils who require it. Pupils understand the importance of reading, however, as yet, some do not choose to pick up a book for their own enjoyment. This is an aspect the school is working upon as part of its development plan.

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

Sixth-form students benefit from helpful specialist teaching like their younger peers. Across the two sites, staff explain new concepts clearly and model how to complete tasks. Staff encourage pupils by ensuring pupils have success. For example, this may be through an easier task to start with. Staff build upon what pupils know. They make sure that pupils understand before they move on to more complex work. 7 and 8 May 2025

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are served well by the curriculum and through staff’s support. Teachers use the strategies on pupils’ individual support plans to help them access the curriculum. Skilled additional staff offer just the right amount of support to encourage pupils to be independent and to take responsibility for their work. The school’s online curriculum offer supports those who find attendance at school difficult. The school works successfully with a range of agencies to remove barriers to pupils’ attendance.

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Pastoral care is excellent. The school’s work to support pupils to be the best version of themselves is held in high regard by external professionals. Staff train and offer support services to other schools and agencies. They are highly skilled at reducing pupils’ stress and anxiety. Pupils respect the school’s systems and behaviour policy, for instance, undertaking brief respite from a lesson to return promptly ready to begin again. Consequently, lessons run smoothly, and pupils have the appropriate conditions in which to learn.

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The careers provision is a strength of the school. Sixth-form students have additional input on employability skills and preparation for job interviews. All pupils participate in work experience. Pupils have experiences that help prepare them for adulthood. They learn to cook, manage a budget and travel safely. The PSHE curriculum is age-appropriate and flexible. Staff spot readily opportunities to enhance pupils’ learning with external speakers and visits. A recent hate crime project run with Essex fire and police services sharpened pupils’ knowledge and understanding of this area. Pupils have access to a range of cultural visits, such as musical theatre, to broaden their horizons.

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The trust board has overseen carefully the expansion of the school across two sites. They, along with the governing body, support and challenge leaders robustly so that the school continues to improve. Staff are highly complimentary about the support and guidance they receive from leaders. Their workload is manageable, and they appreciate the school’s initiatives to support their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is some unnecessary repetition in the school’s curriculum. This is seen with the replication of some aspects of the Kings Trust accreditation with the school’s PSHE curriculum. In addition, the development of pupils’ oracy is driven by the qualifications pupils undertake. This means that pupils’ repeat work unnecessarily and their confidence with speaking and listening builds piecemeal rather than coherently. The 7 and 8 May 2025

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school should review its curriculum so that all elements coherently build pupils’ knowledge and understanding over time.  The school’s new phonics programme is in the early stages of development. Currently, the few pupils who require specialist teaching in this area are receiving support in other ways for their reading. As a result, these pupils are not gaining the skills they need to learn to read. The school should press ahead with its plans for implementation so that pupils learn to read quickly and fluently.

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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). 7 and 8 May 2025

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Website www.southendymcacommunityschool.org.u k Date of previous inspection 28 February 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is now based over two sites. The main site is located at 110 East Street, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS2 6LH. The new sixth-form site is located at 2a St John’s Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex SS0 7JZ.  The school caters for pupils who have had significant disruption to their education. Pupils are referred by local authorities and schools.  Pupils typically have SEND, including social, emotional and mental health needs, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.  The headteacher joined the school in September 2019. Since then, the school has significantly expanded in size. The senior leadership and SEND teams have also expanded.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provision. 7 and 8 May 2025

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 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.

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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.  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 chair of the trust, a trustee and member of the governing body, the headteacher, senior leaders and staff.  The lead inspector spoke to a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, food technology and physical education (PE). For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in other subjects, such as PSHE.

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Information about this inspection

 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.  The inspectors considered the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the free-text comments that were submitted. They also took account of the responses to the Ofsted staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Liz Smith, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Susan Sutton Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 May 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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