New River College Medical

New River College Medical

Address: Maygood Street, London, N1 0TJ Unique reference number (URN): 134274

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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.

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Inclusion Exceptional

Leaders and staff model an inclusive culture in which pupils’ best interests consistently inform key decisions. From the start, pupils experience a welcoming and supportive environment that helps them to feel valued. Skilled staff quickly develop a detailed and holistic understanding of each pupil’s needs and experiences. This informs decisions about curriculum pathways, timetabling and therapeutic and academic support. Staff work in close partnership with medical professionals and external agencies to ensure that pupils’ needs are met effectively. Staff work collaboratively with other local schools as part of the outreach programme. This provides targeted support that enables pupils to remain in education where possible.

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Inclusion Exceptional

Support for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, is monitored rigorously through ongoing dialogue with pupils and families. Staff maintain a high level of flexibility. They respond promptly to changing needs by adapting provision where necessary. This includes offering opportunities that reflect pupils’ interests, helping them to rebuild confidence and a sense of purpose. As a result, pupils are increasingly able to contribute to school life positively. In many cases, pupils’ attendance improves rapidly.

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Inclusion Exceptional

The impact of leaders’ work extends beyond the school. The outreach programme has strengthened support for vulnerable pupils at both local and national levels. Other hospital schools are now benefiting from the high ‑ quality provision and inclusive practice the school has established.

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Achievement Strong standard

The school has developed a curriculum and approaches to teaching that are highly effective in helping pupils to overcome barriers to learning. Pupils make positive and often rapid progress from their individual starting points. Pupils who attend the school for longer periods build secure and increasingly detailed knowledge across a range of subjects. Leaders ensure that pupils who are unable to attend school because of their medical needs continue to achieve well through home tuition and outreach mentoring.

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Achievement Strong standard

Many pupils arrive with high levels of anxiety about education and limited confidence in their own abilities. Staff work sensitively and skilfully to develop pupils’ social and emotional skills, enabling them to access and benefit from the school’s high ‑ quality curriculum. As a result, pupils’ motivation and engagement increase over time. Pupils take pride in their achievements, which are celebrated and reinforced through the school’s rewards programme.

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Achievement Strong standard

Pupils follow a curriculum that is well matched to their needs and aspirations. They attain well in national tests and examinations, achieving positive outcomes in both academic and vocational qualifications. Leaders and staff work closely with pupils and their families to ensure that pupils secure the qualifications and accreditation needed for their next steps, including apprenticeships, further education and continued academic study.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders and staff are clear about the central importance of attendance. It is promoted consistently across the school. Robust systems are in place for when pupils do not attend, and staff follow these meticulously. Staff work closely with families to identify barriers to attendance and take effective action to remove them. Pupils who cannot attend for medical reasons are supported to learn at home and in hospital.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders’ focused work on attendance and tackling barriers leads to notable, often rapid, improvements. Flexible timetables help remove obstacles to learning. This enables many pupils, particularly those who have missed significant periods of education, to re-engage with school and attend regularly.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders have developed a calm and inclusive environment for learning. Pupils are given additional support so they can learn alongside their peers wherever possible.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils are typically focused in lessons, and, in the rare instances where conflict occurs, adults resolve issues well.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

A consistent approach to behaviour that places pupils’ needs at the centre helps pupils to meet leaders' high expectations. Pupils make use of strategies such as time-out cards to help manage their emotions. The curriculum supports pupils to understand their feelings better. This, along with sensitive support, helps pupils to develop their social and emotional skills, such as resilience. This helps them to participate and contribute positively in lessons.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

There is an ambitious curriculum in place across a wide range of subjects. This includes a broad vocational and personal development offer. Leaders' high expectations for pupils' learning are carefully balanced alongside pupils' therapeutic and medical support needs. Staff review pupils’ personal targets frequently. Regular and detailed feedback helps pupils to fill gaps in their knowledge and deepen their understanding. The ways in which staff adapt their teaching for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are highly effective. This helps pupils with negative experiences of education to re-engage with their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Teachers identify gaps in learning accurately through effective assessment. Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND receive carefully tailored support. The hospital provision delivers a bespoke curriculum to patients on short- and long-term stays. Staff are sensitive to these pupils' individual circumstances and expertly adapt the activities to create meaningful learning opportunities for them. This ensures that, wherever possible, pupils are supported to continue their education while in hospital. Trained staff ensure that pupils who need additional support with reading are identified quickly. Those at the earliest stages of reading make solid progress. Pupils benefit from the many opportunities they have to read throughout the curriculum.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have further enhanced the strengths identified at the last inspection. Leaders continue to respond and adapt to the changing circumstances of pupils and families. They are proactive in identifying and planning for future challenges. Leaders have developed the outreach programme so that the school's expertise is shared with a wider network of schools. This ongoing contribution at local and national levels has been highly influential.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

There is a strong and well-embedded culture of collaboration at the school, which puts pupils at the centre. Leaders have played a leading role in improving collaboration with external agencies. This approach is helping to smooth pupils' transition back into learning and to enable them to successfully move on to education, training or employment.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have successfully established a learning community. There is a comprehensive programme for staff's professional development. This is underpinned by leaders’ improvement priorities. Staff value the regular opportunities to learn from colleagues from their own school and from elsewhere. Staff take great pride in pupils’ achievements.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders take their responsibility for staff's wellbeing very seriously. Staff feel well supported. They know that leaders value their commitment and their expertise. Staff say leaders are approachable and always ready to ‘pitch in’ when needed.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The board of governors has been through a period of reorganisation. The new structure is now well established. Governors are knowledgeable about the work of the school and understand leaders' priorities. The board of governors have the expertise they need. This helps them hold leaders to account successfully.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders give the highest priority to pupils' personal development. Staff work closely with pupils to agree individual targets based on their personal circumstances. These are regularly reviewed, and progress is celebrated. This helps pupils to see what they can achieve.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Through the ambitious curriculum, pupils develop detailed knowledge about the issues that affect them. Staff handle personal issues with great sensitivity. Ongoing checks by teachers and support staff mean that gaps in pupils’ knowledge are quickly identified and addressed. This helps to keep pupils safe. Classroom teaching is supplemented with input from external agencies. Through these sessions, pupils gain valuable knowledge about areas such as the law, health and identity. Leaders have ensured that there are plentiful opportunities for pupils to rehearse the skills they need for success in their next stage of education or employment.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have established a wide-reaching programme of careers education. Opportunities such as the careers fair and visits to employers are closely linked to pupils' interests and aspirations. Every effort is taken to support pupils to participate successfully in work experience, including one-to-one guidance and mentoring. As a result, pupils are increasingly aspirational and better prepared for their next steps beyond school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

There is an extensive enrichment offer. Leaders and staff work tirelessly to ensure that any barriers to participation are removed. Staff are highly resourceful in identifying and sourcing opportunities to develop pupils’ talents and interests. These include music lessons, horse therapy and opportunities to take part in creative projects. Pupils benefit from a wide range of educational and cultural trips and opportunities that broaden their horizons. These opportunities help to build confidence and social skills. Families speak very highly of the positive impact these opportunities have on their children.

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

The college motto, ‘New River, new start’, is lived out every day. Pupils benefit from a positive and nurturing environment that helps them to re-engage with learning. Some pupils have had negative experiences of education. The induction programme helps pupils to settle quickly, and over time they develop a strong sense of belonging. Pupils are accepting and welcoming of their peers. This helps pupils form supportive friendships. The positive start means that for many pupils, attendance improves rapidly.

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

Staff know pupils and their families very well. They use these close partnerships to design bespoke timetables and programmes of study. These help pupils overcome barriers to learning and address gaps in their knowledge. This includes pupils in the hospital school and those learning at home. Pupils are proud of the progress they make from their different starting points.

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

Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and respectful. Pupils feel safe and know that adults will listen if they have concerns. Therapeutic support helps pupils to address issues linked to their mental health and understand how these may affect their learning and attendance. Pupils know that staff have high expectations. They value the effort that staff make to help them achieve and thrive.

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

The curriculum offers a wide range of subjects and qualifications tailored to pupils’ needs. As a result, many achieve well and are well prepared for their next steps. The extensive careers programme further supports pupils to have the skills and the confidence to be successful in the next stage of education, training or employment.

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

Staff work closely with each pupil to identify their strengths and interests. Staff plan therapeutic and enrichment activities that help pupils develop their talents and build confidence. Community projects and work with local organisations help pupils to develop the social skills they need to be successful beyond school.

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Next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure continued improvements in their ambitious programme to support high-quality teaching. They should ensure that all

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Team inspector:

Sam Johnson, His Majesty's Inspector staff have sufficient time to learn, practise and embed each of the school's approaches so that, over time, pupils benefit from an exceptional standard of teaching across all subjects.

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About this inspection

The school is part of a federation called New River College.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 executive headteacher, 2 heads of school, senior leaders from the school and the federation, members of the management committee, a representative from the local authority, a headteacher of the virtual school, staff, pupils and parents during the inspection.

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About this inspection

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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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school is a pupil referral unit that caters for pupils with medical needs, including social, emotional and mental health needs. The school has an outreach programme providing education in the home and in 'The Harbour' outreach centre. The school runs a hospital provision for pupils on short- and long-term stays.

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About this inspection

The length of placement depends on pupils' medical needs.

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About this inspection

The reported number on roll does not accurately reflect the number of pupils who attend this school. At the time of the inspection, 45 pupils were attending the school. Some of these pupils remain on the roll of their mainstream school.

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About this inspection

The school has capacity to accommodate up to 55 pupils.

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About this inspection

The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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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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Urgent improvement

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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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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