Novaturient School

Novaturient School

Address: 22 Euston Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 1EA Unique reference number (URN): 138779

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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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Achievement Expected standard

All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities and have significant gaps in their learning. They are all working below age-expected levels. The school works effectively to ensure that pupils typically progress well from their various starting points. Pupils develop their reading and writing skills over time. This supports their learning in a range of subjects. Some pupils achieve functional skills qualifications, which prepares them well for their next stage of education or training.

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Achievement Expected standard

All pupils benefit from highly effective pastoral support to help them manage their emotions. Through this support, pupils are able to overcome barriers to their learning and wellbeing. They learn to recognise and manage their emotions. Pupils are helped to form friendships and healthy relationships with staff. They learn to interact with adults in a range of settings. From their starting points, most pupils develop the skills they need for their next steps.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils start at school having previously experienced significant disruption to their education. This includes significant absence from learning. Historically, many pupils held a negative view of education. The school works effectively with pupils and their parents and/or carers to help to turn around these negative views. As a result, pupils demonstrate increasingly positive attitudes to learning. Leaders support pupils to attend more frequently. They form positive relationships with pupils and their parents. They identify barriers that may prevent pupils having high attendance. In many cases, they are successful at ensuring pupils attend more regularly.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

All pupils all have an education, health and care (EHC) plan with identified social, emotional and mental health needs. The school has clear and appropriate boundaries in place to support pupils to manage these additional needs. The school is a calm and happy place to attend. Staff and pupils build positive relationships with each other. Staff teach pupils to manage their emotions and behaviour. Typically, pupils are respectful and polite. They appreciate the support they receive. Bullying or abuse of any kind is not tolerated. Occasionally, pupils behave inappropriately. Typically, this is online. However, the school act robustly if this happens. They educate and support pupils to demonstrate increasingly kind behaviour to each other.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a secure understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching. Typically, the curriculum is suitably ambitious and taught well. Staff receive appropriate training to help them deliver the subjects they teach. Staff provide pupils with appropriate help to progress well from their various starting points. All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities and significant gaps in their learning. The school ensure that these gaps, including in mathematics and English, are quickly identified. Additional help, such as reading interventions, supports pupils to close the gaps in their knowledge. Staff are confident using questioning to find out what pupils know and can do. They intervene promptly and effectively if a pupil does not understand. However, staff are not always confident in supporting pupils to act on written feedback. As a result, pupils do not consistently use feedback to deepen or extend their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The school has accurately identified that a small minority of pupils are not sufficiently challenged by the curriculum across the 2 sites. They are making appropriate adaptations to the curriculum to ensure it provides appropriate depth and breadth for all pupils. Where appropriate, they are introducing nationally recognised qualifications to ensure pupils are well prepared for their next steps.

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Inclusion Expected standard

All pupils have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The school ensures that pupils receive appropriate support to access their learning. Staff check pupils' knowledge and understanding regularly. They quickly adapt their support, if needed, based on pupils' academic or pastoral needs. Leaders ensure staff are typically well trained to teach the curriculum effectively. This includes the delivery of effective English interventions. Staff are aware of pupils' targets on their EHC plans. However, in some cases, the school has not ensured the steps needed for pupils to reach their targets are sufficiently specific. This means staff do not always know exactly what pupils need to practise or develop.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school operates across 2 sites. When it is in the pupils' best interests, they access vocational learning at the second site. This complements their academic curriculum. The curriculum at the second site is recently established and, therefore, embedding. Leaders also make use of a small number of external placements. This is carefully chosen and appropriate to pupils' needs. The school supports all pupils effectively. However, communication with the Virtual School is not as well established as it could be. This limits the extent to which planning for pupils' next steps is appropriately coordinated.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The proprietor has a clear vision to ensure that pupils are well supported academically and emotionally. The proprietor and leaders have a secure understanding of the school's strengths. They ensure pupils feel welcomed and cared for. Their actions ensure pupils benefit from a high-quality education, including effective pastoral care. Leaders recognise where there are actions for further improvement. For example, they are taking action to improve the consistency of the curriculum and teaching across the 2 sites. They act appropriately to help secure improvements over time.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The school work with an advisory board to support ongoing improvement. They ensure statutory duties are met. There is appropriate support and challenge in place to ensure that the provision is suitable. Leaders understand the additional vulnerabilities that pupils face. They consistently take appropriate action to address additional barriers. This includes supporting pupils' academic and wellbeing needs. For example, a soft start at the beginning of the day, where pupils talk to staff and their friends. This ensures they are ready for learning. Leaders demonstrate the capacity to consistently support pupils effectively. Leaders have an appropriate professional learning programme in place for staff. This takes into account the specific expertise staff need to meet the additional needs of the pupils. They provide all staff with additional support to deliver the curriculum appropriately. Leaders understand the pressures that staff face. They ensure that staff are well supported. Staff feel

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school ensures that the personal development programme is appropriate to meet pupils' needs. It prepares them well for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn that people have different views and beliefs. They are well supported to understand and respect differences. If conflicts arise, pupils are well supported to rebuild positive relationships with each other. The personal development programme is appropriately designed to enhance pupils' understanding of different cultures. In Year 11, pupils benefit from a trip to Morocco. This helps them to build confidence and appreciate diversity.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils learn how to stay safe and look after themselves. They understand about being healthy and how to keep safe. The school acts effectively to support pupils' changing pastoral needs. For example, providing pupils with additional online safety education if needed. Pupils learn about relationships and sex education at an age-appropriate level.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils enjoy developing new skills, such as playing the guitar or other musical instruments. The personal development programme also supports pupils to develop their emerging interests. Some pupils benefit from experiences in mechanics and construction. The school ensures that pupils develop the social skills they need to achieve success after education. Each week, pupils enjoy going shopping to spend the money they earn through the rewards programme. Pupils build their confidence as they learn to interact effectively with different adults.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school ensures that pupils receive careers guidance and support, including appropriate trips and visits that introduce them to different career pathways. For example, each year pupils visit Norfolk County Fair, which allows them to access careers information. However, the careers programme is not fully structured. As a result, some pupils' depth of knowledge of the range of career opportunities available is not as developed as it could be.

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

Pupils feel positive about their experiences at Novaturient School. The school has a clear understanding of how to address barriers to learning that pupils face. Pupils receive the targeted help they need to increasingly engage effectively with their learning. As a result, most pupils enjoy school and achieve well from their various starting points.

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

Pupils benefit from warm and caring relationships with the staff. They appreciate that the staff listen to their needs. Staff quickly help pupils when pupils need additional support. This is targeted closely to pupils' individual needs. Pupils learn how to make friends and manage disagreements. They enjoy eating lunch with their peers and socialising with other pupils. Bullying is rare. If unkindness happens, staff manage it effectively. Staff provide pupils with the help they need to identify and manage their emotions. As a result, pupils feel secure and included in school life.

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

Pupils display increasingly positive attitudes to their learning. Many lack confidence in what they know and can do. Staff are skilled at building pupils' self-esteem. They help pupils to develop their belief in themselves. When pupils struggle to manage their feelings, staff respond in a calm and consistent manner. This ensures that disruption to learning is minimised. Most pupils attend significantly more frequently than they did at their previous settings. They experience a variety of visits, including to London and the Norfolk County Fair. This helps to build their confidence and prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

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Next steps

Leaders should develop the ambition and consistency of curriculum and teaching across both sites to ensure pupils have full opportunities to achieve well, including in nationally recognised qualifications where appropriate. Leaders should ensure staff are appropriately trained to support pupils to act on the feedback they receive in order to deepen their understanding and improve their work. Leaders should develop the precision and clarity of the steps that are needed to support pupils to make secure progress towards their education, health and care targets. Leaders need to strengthen their careers programme to support pupils to develop a deeper understanding of the future opportunities open to them so they have a wide and informed understanding for their next steps. Leaders needs to strengthen their partnership work with the Virtual School to ensure pupils’ personal education plans are used well to improve pupils' learning opportunities

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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 proprietor, the executive headteacher, deputy headteacher and the chair of the advisory board during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The name of the proprietor is Michael Millage

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About this inspection

The email address of the school is gary@novaturient.school

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Independent school standards

Independent school standards are either met or not met for each category. All pupils have an educational health care plan with an identified need of social, emotional and mental health.

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Independent school standards

The school uses 2 unregistered alternative provisions.

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Independent school standards

The school operates across two addresses. 22 Euston Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR30 1EA Sequentis House, Unit I, North River Road, Runham, Great Yarmouth NR30 1TE

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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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Pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan

6. Provision of information Standards met

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Pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan

7. Manner in which complaints are handled Standards met

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Pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan

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

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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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