Burton PRU

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Burton PRU Church Hill Street, Winshill, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire DE15 0HR

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Outcome

Burton PRU has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Burton PRU, pupils are truly seen and heard. ‘Building positivity, resilience and understanding’ is more than a mission statement, it is the lived reality for those who attend. Staff listen, build trust and tailor learning to meet individual needs, creating a safe and nurturing environment. It is not just about academic progress, it is about helping every pupil to feel valued.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils arrive with difficult experiences of education. Most have faced exclusion, and some have undiagnosed or previously unmet special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Many lack confidence and belief in themselves. Yet, by the time pupils leave, they are caring, respectful and ambitious learners, ready for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Across all the school’s sites, relationships are built on care, trust and a deep commitment to mental well-being. Staff strive to understand each pupil and offer swift, thoughtful support. As a result, pupils’ behaviour is calm, respectful and reflective throughout the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Outdoor learning, through activities such as golf, climbing, mountain biking and more, helps pupils to discover new interests and build healthy hobbies. Enrichment weeks offer real-world experiences that inspire ambition among pupils. Trips to places such as a space museum to learn about space science and astronomy, and Derby’s faith trails, broaden pupils’ horizons and spark their curiosity. Pupils deepen their understanding of the wider world. 17 and 18 June 2025

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

The leadership team brings energy and purpose to the lives of some of Staffordshire’s most vulnerable pupils. Due to a rise in the number of Year 11 pupils excluded from mainstream secondary schools, the school has needed to rethink its curriculum and provision to meet this demand for places. Supported by a caring and attentive management committee, the team has swiftly made these changes and driven positive improvements at the school.

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

Pupils arrive at Burton PRU with a range of additional needs beyond the loss of self-belief caused by exclusion. Some have undiagnosed or unmet SEND needs. From the moment that pupils start at the school, staff work hard to understand and respond to pupils’ needs. Well-considered support and well-thought-out key-worker sessions help to remove barriers to learning for pupils.

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

The school has made bold, thoughtful decisions about what pupils learn and when. It ensures that mathematics and English, including reading, form a strong foundation to support pupils in returning to mainstream schools or college. Enrichment subjects such as art, physical education (PE) and health and social care broaden pupils’ skills. Clear, logically ordered curriculums guide teaching. While most subjects are delivered consistently, some aspects of some curriculums are not taught as well as others, if at all, across all sites. This makes it harder for pupils to learn and remember more in those subjects.

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

Learning is lively, and knowledgeable staff find creative ways to spark pupils’ interests. The school’s new ‘Super 6’ framework, co-designed with pupils, outlines six key features of every lesson, such as revisiting past learning and using questioning to deepen pupils’ understanding. In subjects such as art, PE, and personal, social, health and economic education, this helps the school to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. However, in some lessons, gaps remain and the school does not routinely provide opportunities for pupils to catch up on missed learning as part of subsequent lessons. This creates gaps in pupils’ knowledge and makes future steps in learning harder.

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

Reading is a key priority, supported well by the school’s focus on phonics, reading recovery and engagement strategies. Staff tailor support to pupils’ past struggles while nurturing a love of books. Well-chosen texts help pupils to explore themes of adversity and resilience.

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

Pupils’ attendance and engagement are improving thanks to strong relationships with families. Staff work hard to build trust with parents and carers, recognising that pupils’ past experiences of education may have been difficult. Weekly phone calls home are the norm, not just to address concerns but also to celebrate pupils’ successes and maintain conversations about their education at the school.

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

Pupils leave Burton PRU well prepared to return to mainstream school or move on to college. Activities such as art, cooking and outdoor learning in a specially adapted outdoor space help pupils rebuild confidence, manage emotions and develop positive relationships. 17 and 18 June 2025

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These are skills that are vital for pupils to thrive in a mainstream setting. Work-related learning in areas such as car maintenance, catering and construction provides pupils with hands-on experience, builds their responsibility and supports them in exploring future career paths with greater purpose and direction.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school does not routinely provide opportunities for pupils to catch up on learning missed by absence. This is particularly the case for those pupils who have time away from school or find it challenging to engage in lessons. This affects their ability to build on their prior knowledge. The school should ensure that all staff utilise the broad range of assessment data gathered to identify the time and opportunities to help pupils catch up on missed learning when they return to school or re-engage with lessons.  In some subjects, the school has not ensured that some aspects of the curriculums are taught as well as others or, in some cases, at all. Where this is the case, this limits the progress that pupils make. The school should ensure that its curriculum is taught well across all sites and subjects.

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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 to be 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. 17 and 18 June 2025

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in July 2019.

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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). 17 and 18 June 2025

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School details

Headteacher Sarah Bamber (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 July 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Burton PRU is a secondary-age pupil referral unit, supporting pupils who are at risk of exclusion or who have been permanently excluded from mainstream schools. Recently, the school has seen a considerable increase in the number of Year 11 pupils who have been permanently excluded from their mainstream provision. This has limited the number of places that it can provide for those pupils who are at risk of permanent exclusion.  Burton PRU is part of the East Staffordshire and Tamworth PRUs Federation, with Kettlebrook Short Stay School.  The school is based on three different sites. The main site is located on Church Hill Street, Winshill, with a second site on Union Street, close to Burton town centre. It also has a third site on Bradley Street in Uttoxeter.  Since the last inspection, the previous head of school was appointed to the role of executive headteacher over the East Staffordshire and Tamworth PRUs Federation in

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Information about this school

September 2024.  A new head of school was appointed and took up role in September 2024.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provision. 17 and 18 June 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

 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 executive headteacher, the head of school and other senior staff.  An inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair.  A meeting was held with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors focused inspection activity on the following groups of subjects: English including reading, and mathematics; and outdoor learning, physical education and art. For each group of subjects, inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and examined samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also sampled lessons in other subjects to evaluate the quality of the curriculum implementation in

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Information about this inspection

other areas.  Inspectors visited all three sites of the school to sample the consistency of curriculum implementation and provision and to speak with pupils and staff who were based at those sites.  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.  An inspector also spoke with the alternative provision that the school uses.  Inspectors spoke with several groups of pupils and observed their behaviour at breaktime and lunchtime.  Inspectors met with groups of staff and also considered the opinions expressed through the staff survey.  Inspectors took account of the views expressed through Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Chris Pollitt, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gwen Onyon Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 June 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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