Esland Daven School

Esland Daven School

Address: Unit 2 Dane Valley Mill, Havannah Street, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 2AH Unique reference number (URN): 149448

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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 Expected standard

The school knows pupils very well as individuals. Information known about pupils’ needs is efficiently shared across the staff team. For example, pupils’ individual risk assessments are frequently updated with key information to make sure that staff have a consistent approach to supporting each pupil. The school works well with external agencies to secure the support that vulnerable pupils need. The support for each pupil helps them to overcome their barriers to learning. For example, the clinical team provides sound advice for school staff about strategies to use to support each pupil with self-regulation. Over time, this support helps pupils to access learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school carefully monitors the impact of the support that pupils receive. Frequent changes are made to respond to emerging strengths or concerns. This reflects the school’s determination to have the flexible approach that most pupils require. Over time, the school builds effective working relationships with parents and carers. They share key information about pupils’ achievements, which helps pupils to develop a sense of being proud of themselves. This is often for the first time in the pupils' experiences of education.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school makes appropriate use of alternative provision for a small number of pupils. This contributes positively to pupils’ education.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils’ personal development is central to their success at Esland Daven School. Leaders take the right steps to help pupils learn about themselves to support how they learn about others. Understanding and appreciating difference helps pupils to be able to engage in activities in the local community. When pupils have been at the school for longer, they learn to consider the thoughts and views of others where they may differ from their own. This helps some pupils to engage in opportunities such as work experience.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Through the carefully considered outdoor learning programme, pupils focus on different aspects of their character development. The school prioritises specific aspects for each pupil that will make the most difference to their daily engagement with education. For example, outdoor and adventurous activities help some pupils to develop perseverance and resilience. Other pupils benefit from specialist music lessons that capture their interest and engagement and support their reintegration with education.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education is carefully set out. Although the school is clear about what pupils must learn, for example about relationships and sex education, the content of the curriculum is carefully tailored to each pupil’s needs. This makes sure that pupils have the knowledge that they need to keep themselves safe, for example by learning about healthy relationships.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school works effectively with parents, carers and external agencies to help to prepare older pupils for their transition out of the school. For example, the school provides bespoke support to help some pupils learn about personal finance and other aspects of independent

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Needs attention

living. This makes a positive difference to pupils when they come to leave the school and helps to keep them safe.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils do not achieve as well across the wider curriculum as they do in reading, writing and mathematics. This is evident in the quality of work that pupils produce and means they are not as well prepared for their next steps as they could be. In addition, too few pupils work towards recognised qualifications. Despite this, recent improvements to the curriculum in reading, writing and mathematics have had a positive impact on pupils’ achievement in these subjects. Pupils build securely on what they already know and make clear progress from their starting points. A core part of this school is its work to help pupils become emotionally ready to learn in a classroom environment. Pupils achieve well in this aspect of their development, which in turn supports their self-esteem, confidence and resilience.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Too many pupils still do not attend school regularly enough. Although the school has recently overhauled its approach to improving attendance, the impact of this work is not yet evident for enough pupils over time. New procedures to identify concerns promptly are working well, and the school draws effectively on the detailed knowledge it holds about each pupil to provide individualised support. This is beginning to make a positive difference to how often some pupils attend. However, despite leaders doing all they can to improve attendance, it remains too early to see the embedded improvement for a wider group of pupils.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Staff do all that they can to foster warm and supportive relationships with pupils. Recent work to improve the way that staff manage pupils’ behaviour is starting to have impact. For example, there are more consistent approaches being used to help pupils to manage their emotions. This is starting to help more pupils to develop positive attitudes to learning. Pupils learn about the different types of bullying. Staff support pupils to recognise how bullying may impact others. This helps pupils to think carefully about their actions and to share any concerns about bullying with trusted members of staff.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Pupils do not learn as well in some foundation subjects as they do in reading, writing and mathematics. While the school has rightly prioritised strengthening the curriculum in these core areas, work to identify and sequence the most important knowledge in other subjects is still at an early stage. As a result, pupils’ learning in these subjects is less secure and does not yet match the stronger progress seen elsewhere.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The school has, at pace, made valuable improvements to the curriculum for reading, writing and mathematics. As a result of this, staff plan a pathway for each pupil based on any gaps in knowledge they may have. This means that pupils learn key knowledge in an order that makes sense to them and helps them to build on what they already know. In these subjects, teachers swiftly make changes to the curriculum to respond to pupils’ emerging needs. Teachers have the secure subject knowledge that they need in the core subjects to explain learning carefully, while considering adaptations that are needed for each pupil.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

In reading, writing and mathematics, staff build a comprehensive picture of each pupil’s ability when they join the school. The detailed information that the school gathers about each pupil is used to identify individualised packages of support that help most pupils to progress well in these subjects.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have not ensured that the independent school standards (the standards) are met.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

There have been recent significant changes to leadership in the school. Although current leaders have quickly identified the school’s strengths and areas for improvement, some actions are in the early stages of implementation. This has led to some unmet standards in the quality of education that the school provides. That said, leaders’ prioritisation of development actions are well thought out. Most crucially, leaders have identified these areas for improvement based on what will make the biggest impact on pupils’ experience of education at the school. Leaders recognise the multiple barriers to learning that most pupils at the school face. Their work to improve the school has carefully taken this into account. However, the impact is not yet evident.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Throughout the many recent changes, leaders have been sensitive to staff's wellbeing and workload. Alongside this, staff benefit from a wealth of training that helps them to carry out their roles effectively. This training has been carefully designed and planned to build staff's expertise and confidence.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The proprietor has the appropriate knowledge and experience to fulfil their role. They hold leaders to account for the education that pupils receive and support the school to make realistic plans for further improvement. However, some actions have not led to improvement quickly enough.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

There is an appropriate accessibility plan in place.

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

For many pupils who attend Esland Daven School, this is their first positive experience of education. Pupils typically join the school from a range of previous settings and with a wide range of experiences of education. This includes pupils who have not accessed education for extended periods of time. The school supports pupils to be able to manage their emotions and to build positive relationships. Over time, this helps pupils to develop more positive attitudes to learning. Staff know pupils well as individuals. They use this in-depth knowledge to plan individual packages of support based on pupils’ vulnerabilities. All pupils who attend the school have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff skilfully recognise the challenges that pupils face and work closely with the clinical team to provide the support that helps pupils to reintegrate with education. That said, recent changes to the curriculum are at the early

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

stages. As a result of this, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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

Positive relationships with staff help pupils to build trust and start to learn what it means to show respect. Over time, pupils learn to respond to different challenges because staff know how to help them to succeed. This helps pupils to feel safe and secure. Although leaders do all that they can to promote positive attendance, this remains a key focus for improvement. Too many pupils do not attend regularly enough. This limits their ability to feel part of the school team and benefit from the wide-ranging support offered to help them to engage with education.

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

Pupils have confidence in staff to deal with any incidents of bullying effectively. Consequently, they do not worry about it. Pupils gain valuable work experience opportunities. This helps to prepare them for when they come to leave the school.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that the school meets all of the independent school standards. Leaders should continue to develop the systems recently introduced to improve pupils' attendance so that they have a positive impact over time. Leaders should prioritise developments to the curriculum in foundation subjects so that pupils learn as well as they do in the core subjects and achieve well.

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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, the deputy headteachers and other staff. They also spoke with representatives of the proprietor body and governors.

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About this inspection

Inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

All pupils at the school have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school caters for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder.

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Independent school standards

Independent school standards are either met or not met for each category. The school uses one unregistered alternative provision for pupils.

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Independent school standards

The name of the proprietor is Esland North. The chair of the proprietor body is Jill Palmer.

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Independent school standards

The school's email address is davenschool@eslandcare.co.uk.

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Independent school standards

1. Quality of education provided Standards not met

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Independent school standards

The following standards have not been met:

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Independent school standards

The standard in this paragraph is met if–

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Independent school standards

(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

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Independent school standards

(b) the written policy, plans and schemes of work– (i) take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan; and

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Independent school standards

The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school–

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Independent school standards

(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time; (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;

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Independent school standards

2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils Standards met All standards have been 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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Independent school standards

6. Provision of information Standards met

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Independent school standards

7. Manner in which complaints are handled Standards met

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Independent school standards

8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Standards not met

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Independent school standards

The following standards have not been met: Paragraph 34(1)

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Independent school standards

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–

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Independent school standards

(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently;

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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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Exceptional

(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and (c) actively promote the wellbeing of pupils. 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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