Green Heath School

Inspection of Green Heath School Oakwood House, 43-51 Whitmore Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B10 0NR

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Inspection dates: 29 April to 1 May 2025

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who join Green Heath School typically have a limited understanding of English. They have experienced disrupted education and some have no previous experience of formal education. Staff work closely with the placing local authorities to get to know pupils well. They gain an understanding of pupils’ lived experiences, their academic needs and ambitions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and feel valued. Staff want what is best for pupils. Relationships are a real strength. Classrooms and other areas are calm and purposeful. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils’ conduct in school is impeccable. They show respect for one another and for staff. Laughter and smiles are commonplace here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school puts emphasis on how well pupils learn English and expects them to do so rapidly. Pupils’ enthusiasm for learning English is evident, as are their positive attitudes. Staff are skilled at helping pupils at an early stage of learning English and provide carefully tailored support. Pupils do well in reading, writing, speaking and listening. However, pupils’ learning in other subjects is less successful because the curriculum is not implemented well enough.

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better?

Aspects of the school’s curriculum are ambitious for pupils, but some subjects are not fully implemented as intended. Pupils do not receive a full-time education or learn about a breadth of subjects due to the number of taught hours. Pupils attend school for 10 and a half hours per week. This limits the breadth of the curriculum coverage. For example, pupils do not get opportunities to engage in creative subjects.

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better?

The key focus of the school is to teach the English language. Pupils start with little or no knowledge of English. This includes students who are older than 16. The school has a carefully sequenced programme for teaching English. Staff understand this programme well and are skilled in delivering it. They provide clear instructions and guidance that help pupils acquire English quickly.

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better?

However, in other subjects, there is variability in the quality of how the curriculum is delivered. The activities and resources that teachers choose, do not always take appropriate account of the gaps in pupils’ knowledge of English. This means that learning is less accessible than it should be.

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better?

When pupils first join, teachers check how much understanding pupils have in mathematics and English. This information is used to ensure English lessons are well matched to pupils’ needs, including for post-16 students. But in mathematics, this is less successful. The checks are not used well enough by teachers to inform chosen learning activities. This results in pupils sometimes completing tasks which are too easy or too difficult. 29 April to 1 May 2025 Pupils learn about fundamental British values through conversations and interactions with staff. Teachers weave an understanding of British society into lessons and emphasise the importance of individual liberty and respect for difference. Pupils understand equality. They learn about aspects of relationships and sex education, such as consent. They develop an understanding of the rule of law and how to keep themselves safe. These aspects are helped by the strength of relationships at the

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better?

school. Currently, these aspects of education are presented regularly but not in a structured way. As a result, there is potential for important learning to be missed; particularly for those pupils who are only on roll at the school for a short time.

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better?

Pupils come to this school, often for short periods, before joining mainstream schools and colleges. The school engages well with other agencies that support pupils. The school plays a key role in supporting pupils into mainstream schools or into further education. It continues to contribute to pupils’ education after they have left, with its staff attending meetings with social workers, pupils’ new schools and local authority virtual schools.

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better?

This is a very small school. Staff and the proprietor work closely together and support one another well. Staff are happy. However, the school has not made appropriate checks on the quality of educational provision due to limited capacity in staffing. The proprietor has recently appointed an additional member of staff to help address this.

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better?

The proprietor has well-intentioned aims to support pupils’ education and pastoral needs. However, they have not ensured that all the independent school standards (the standards) have been met. The school meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 through a suitable accessibility plan.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The curriculum in subjects other than English is not delivered to pupils as intended, nor does the wider curriculum have sufficient breadth. This means that pupils do not learn a broad enough curriculum as required by the standards. The school should ensure that the curriculum is of suitable breadth and is implemented consistently well, so that pupils develop a broad range of knowledge and skills.  In some areas, assessment is not used well enough to identify pupils’ next steps in learning. This means that for some pupils, activities are too easy or too difficult. The school should ensure that teachers plan learning activities that are well matched to pupils’ needs so that they achieve as well as they could. 29 April to 1 May 2025  The teaching materials used in some lessons contain language that pupils do not understand and so they cannot access their learning. The school should ensure that staff choose resources that are well matched to a pupil’s level of English

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

understanding, so that pupils can access lessons fully and achieve well.  The school does not have a structured programme for relationships and sex education. This means that there is a risk that pupils who are at the school for a short time could miss important learning. The school should ensure all pupils, including those who only spend a short time at the school, gain an age- appropriate understanding of relationships and sex education.  The school has not checked the effectiveness of its work and the impact on pupils’ achievement. Consequently, pupils do not achieve as well as they should, and not all the standards are met. The school should ensure that appropriate actions are taken so all the standards are met consistently and securely.

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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. 29 April to 1 May 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 135688 DfE registration number 330/6205

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School details

Inspection number 10391748 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Email address contact@greenheathschool.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 29 November to 1 December 2022 29 April to 1 May 2025

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Information about this school

 Pupils currently attend from 9.30 to 13.00 for three days per week.  All pupils at this school are placed by local authorities. Pupils are currently placed by two local authorities, Dudley Metropolitan borough council and Telford and Wrekin Council.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school has 165 places registered with the Department for Education (DfE). The current building in which the school is housed would not accommodate this number of pupils. The proprietor stated that this information will be shared with the DfE with a view to lowering the maximum number of pupils on roll.

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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 has failed to meet the independent school standards. These are the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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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 second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, physical education and personal, social and health education. 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

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Information about this inspection

samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors held meetings with the proprietor and the headteacher.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at different times of the day and at breaktimes. They spoke with pupils in lessons and around school.  An inspector spoke to carers and the lead inspector spoke with representatives of the local authorities that place pupils at the school. 29 April to 1 May 2025  An inspector toured the school site to check compliance with the independent school standards  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents.

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Inspection team

Gareth Morgan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Cathy Young His Majesty’s Inspector 29 April to 1 May 2025

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if- – 2(1)(a) the proprietor ensures that a written policy on the curriculum, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work, which provides for the matters specified in sub-paragraph (2) is drawn up and implemented effectively; and  2(2) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(1)(a), the matters are- – 2(2)(a) full-time supervised education for pupils of compulsory school age (construed in accordance with section 8 of the Education Act 1996), which gives pupils experience in linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human and social, physical and aesthetic and creative education;  2A(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor- – 2A(1)(b) ensures that every registered pupil who is provided with secondary education at the school is provided with relationships and sex education, except in so far as the pupil is excused as mentioned in sub-paragraph (2),

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 2A(1)(d) in making arrangements for the purposes of paragraphs (a), (b) or (c), has regard to any guidance under section 80A of the Education Act 2002 that applies in relation to the provision of education by maintained schools, – 2A(1)(f) consults parents of registered pupils at the school before making or revising a statement under sub-paragraph (e), and – 2A(1)(g) publishes a copy of the statement on a website and provides a copy of the statement free of charge to anyone who asks for one.  3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school- – 3(a) enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability so that they increase their understanding and develop their skills in the subjects taught; – 3(b) fosters in pupils self-motivation, the application of intellectual, physical and creative effort, interest in their work and the ability to think and learn for

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

themselves; – 3(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time; – 3(d) shows a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and ensures that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons; – 3(e) demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being taught; – 3(g) demonstrates that a framework is in place to assess pupils’ work regularly and thoroughly and use information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress;

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Part 6. Provision of information

29 April to 1 May 2025 – 32(1) The standard about the provision of information by the school is met if the proprietor ensures that- – 32(1)(c) particulars of the arrangements for meeting the standard contained in paragraph 7 are published on the school’s internet website or, where no such website exists, are provided to parents on request; – 32(1)(d) following an inspection under section 108 or 109 of the 2008 Act, a copy of the report of the inspection (if it has been sent to the proprietor) is published and maintained on the school’s internet website, and provided to the parents of each registered pupil, by any date specified by the body who conducted the inspection; – 32(1)(j) particulars of any action specified in sub-paragraph (4) are published and maintained on the school’s website or, where no such website exists, are provided to parents.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school- – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and 29 April to 1 May 2025 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

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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