The Henslow and Evolution School

The Henslow and Evolution School

Address: Middletown, Nr Welshpool, Shropshire, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, SY21 8FF Unique reference number (URN): 135511

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met. Insufficient evidence: Inspectors were unable to gather sufficient evidence to judge whether safeguarding standards are met.

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Inclusion Exceptional

Pupils receive the very best attention, care and support. This is from before they first set foot in the school to when they wave goodbye as they move to their next stage of education or life. Leaders draw on an extensive range of expertise and strategies. They use these with excellent effect to re-engage pupils and enhance their life chances. The school understands pupils’ barriers thoroughly. These are broken down, not in one go, but minute by minute, hour by hour and day by day. Staff’s belief in pupils deserving the best shines through. Staff more than demonstrate their expertise in ensuring pupils receive this.

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Inclusion Exceptional

The key to this success stems from the proprietor’s clear vision, which is brought to life in the school. Approaches such as ‘brew and chew’ sessions are worthy of sharing. These informal discussions bring together staff's, pupils' and professionals' voices alongside parents and carers. This helps to place the pupil front and centre of decision-making.

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Inclusion Exceptional

Regular routines reinforce the proprietor’s inclusive aims. A key example is the high-quality daily briefing. In this, leaders ensure that staff are equipped with everything they need to know to support pupils. This enables staff to pre-empt when a pupil may not be ready to learn and form a plan of action to support the transition between home and school, giving pupils the very best chance of success.

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Achievement Strong standard

Pupils start this school feeling little self-worth and with low respect for, or enjoyment of, education. The school changes this for the better. Pupils do really well. Their learning ebbs and flows as their emotions and self-regulation react to events in their lives. However, staff never take their eye off giving pupils the best chance of success for what comes next. They know just when to push on and when a gentler, steadier pace is needed. This fine-tuning supports pupils, over time, to make progress and consistently achieve well. They develop detailed knowledge and skills, and produce high-quality work across the curriculum.

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Achievement Strong standard

Younger pupils develop their confidence as learners. They gain secure knowledge in the basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics. For newer pupils, who have recently started at the school, gaps close quickly. On leaving secondary school, pupils gain a range of academic and vocational qualifications. Pupils are consistently well prepared for the next stage in their education, employment or training.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders are deeply thoughtful and precise in their work on attendance. Parents and carers, staff from school and external professionals work cohesively to support high attendance. At the very core of this are clear expectations that pupils will be in school, on time, every day. This work is wrapped in nurture. It makes a real and positive difference. Many pupils go from non-attendance or minimal time in school to consistent and punctual attendance. There are examples of notable improvements for nearly every pupil in the school.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

The school has a restorative approach to behaviour. This is a consistent, non-negotiable way of working across the school. Staff apply it expertly. The approach provides a clear framework that pupils know, accept and respect. There are wobbles, such as moments of anxiety and upset, that cause the routine to quiver on occasions. However, pupils benefit from dedicated support and clear and consistent expectations. Over time, they become much better at managing themselves and their behaviour and engaging with their learning with a positive attitude. An intrinsic part of this success is how staff respond to the school’s and pupils’ changing circumstances and needs swiftly and skilfully. Older pupils’ behaviour, including consideration for others, sets an excellent example.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The proprietor ensures this is a highly inclusive and effective school. There are pivotal and well-thought-out processes for recruiting and training staff. This leads to staff living out the ethos of the school and bringing its vision and values to life. The development of staff is individualised and ongoing. Staff are self-motivated. The proprietor has created a routine that achieves a culture of high expectations and professionalism. This ensures a consistently positive experience for pupils. The proprietor has ensured that the independent school standards are met.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders at all levels are highly knowledgeable and effective practitioners in the areas of need that the school provides for. They are educators, advocates and, on occasion, challengers when proposed provision does not meet pupils’ needs. Leaders use research intelligently. They foster close partnership work with an extensive number of local authorities across the country and professionals across therapy, health and clinical teams. This helps to ensure that they are acting in the best interest of pupils. Parents and carers commend this partnership work and the difference it makes to their child. Staff speak highly of the many development opportunities they have. Alongside this, they feel valued and protected. Leaders equip staff to make contributions to daily briefings, review paperwork and the ‘brew and chew’ sessions that are of importance to pupils’ successes at school and in the future. Overall, leadership and governance make a consistently positive contribution to the work of

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

the school and the lives of the pupils within it.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils are notably confident. This is especially the case for those who have been at the school the longest. Pupils shake hands politely, greet visitors to the school warmly and discuss school life in conversations. This demonstrates the positive and distinct difference this school makes to pupils’ personal development and wellbeing. Pupils contribute meaningfully to the ethos and environment. Younger pupils give enthusiastic tours, showing their pride in the school's facilities. Secondary pupils built the ‘bandstand’ and mountain bike storage unit. These provide both purposeful learning opportunities and meaningful resources for pupils to use.

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Expected standard

Pupils benefit greatly from an extensive and carefully tailored programme of personal development, including relationships and sex education and health education. This prepares pupils thoughtfully for adulthood. A bespoke pathway winds its way through school life for each individual pupil. This is from mountain biking to motor mechanics, varied sports, animal care and childcare. This starts in primary, with the ‘all about me’ part of the personal development programme. This includes possible career choices through ‘I want to be’ and ‘I am interested in’, supplemented by a range of visitors to the school. Secondary pupils receive specific careers guidance. They attend careers fairs, undertake work experience and learn about different options from employers. Recognising pupils’ needs, school staff attend college open events with pupils, offering reassurance, confidence and support. This ensures pupils gather the knowledge they need and have their questions answered. These

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Expected standard

combined actions mean that pupils know what they need to do to achieve their ambitions.

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Expected standard

Staff show attention to detail, intuition and expertise. They are tuned into pupils’ needs, interests and hobbies. This ensures the school anticipates and makes amendments to the programme in a timely manner. It does much effective work to support pupils to develop empathy, respect for others and understanding of the modern world we live in. Pupils learn about online and offline risks to their wellbeing.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have given careful thought to the way the curriculum is organised and taught. They bring learning to life through a range of experiences and opportunities that extend into the local community and beyond. Staff know what to teach and when. They are skilled at identifying gaps and have a range of ways to help pupils to close these. This helps pupils to move forward with their learning. The focus on core skills, including reading, writing and mathematics, is successful.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The nature of the school’s intake has changed. Leaders have rightly reviewed and refined the curriculum in response. They have made sensible decisions to ensure that it is suitable and well planned for each subject and year group.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure that the curriculum is generally taught well. However, this is not fully embedded and consistent across the school. Leaders are in the process of making sure that teachers have, or gain, the expertise they need to provide resources and support in a way that fully aligns to the changes in the curriculum. This does not detract from pupils’ achievement over time.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils begin at this school having had a very difficult previous experience of education. This school changes that. It helps pupils to adjust their view of the world. From the moment pupils join the school, they are wrapped in warmth and care. Pupils gain a sense of self- belief. This shows itself in how pupils greet adults with a handshake. Pupils chat confidently to visitors about their aspirations and their enjoyment of the school’s wide range of opportunities and experiences. From a typical starting point of no attendance or minimal attendance, pupils engage really well. They learn to value education and all that the school and the world beyond offers. Pupils, and their parents and carers, all agree on the positive and distinct difference that this school makes.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils work hard to make the right choices. When their choices are not the best, or their body and mind are not ready for learning, they receive subtle, sensitive support and guidance. A key part of this process is reflection. When the time is right, pupils reflect in depth and detail about their responses and behaviours. This consistent and specific approach helps pupils gradually, over time, to know more about themselves and how they fit into school life and the wider world. Just as importantly, it refocuses them on why they are in school and brings them back to their learning.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Indoors and out, pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They take pride in their learning. Pupils respect their peers and staff. Pupils feel safe and bullying is rare. They have opportunities to follow a bespoke pathway that builds on their interests, knowledge and skills. Pupils gain the qualifications they need to succeed. They benefit from the school’s excellent pastoral support. This ensures that pupils achieve, belong and thrive at school.

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Next steps

• Leaders should ensure that staff have the knowledge and expertise to teach the refined and revised curriculum consistently well across all phases.

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About this inspection

The chair of the proprietor body is Mandy Clarke.

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About this inspection

The fees currently charged are £59,845.00.

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About this inspection

The school's email address is admin@reflexionseducation.org.uk.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this standard inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, and checked the school’s compliance with the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, senior leaders and the chair of the proprietor body during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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Independent school standards

Independent school standards are either met or not met for each category. All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Most also have an education, health and care plan. The school caters for pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Pupils are referred to the school by a large number of local authorities.

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Independent school standards

The school uses 6 unregistered alternative provisions.

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Independent school standards

There are two sites. The address for the primary school is The Evolution School, Holyhead Road, Bicton, Nr Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY3 8EQ. The secondary school address is The Henslow School, Near Middletown, Welshpool, Shropshire SY21 8FF.

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Independent school standards

1. Quality of education provided Standards met

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Independent school standards

2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils Standards met

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Independent school standards

3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Standards met

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Independent school standards

4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors Standards met

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Independent school standards

5. Premises of and accommodation at schools Standards met

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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68

6. Provision of information Standards met

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68

7. Manner in which complaints are handled Standards met

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68

8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Standards met

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Insufficient evidence

Inspectors were unable to gather reliable enough evidence to grade an evaluation area. This is rare and normally only happens if there are no pupils on roll at the school.

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Insufficient evidence

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

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

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