Dee Banks School

Dee Banks School

Address: Dee Banks, Sandy Lane, Deebanks School, Chester, Cheshire, CH3 5UX Unique reference number (URN): 111494

p.1

Safeguarding standards not met

Leaders have not ensured that there is an open and positive culture for safeguarding that adequately protects children from harm. Governors and leaders have not taken the action needed to keep pupils safe over a period of time. Some of the required checks on governors have been left incomplete for an unacceptable length of time. In addition, when some safeguarding concerns have been raised by staff, these have not always been acted upon swiftly. Leaders have acted recently to change this approach, but pupils have been put at risk for far too long.

p.2

Safeguarding standards not met

There is a concerning culture of complacency and lack of professional curiosity where safeguarding concerns are not treated with the urgency that they require. This has led to some pupils being placed at risk of harm.

p.2

Safeguarding standards not met

Safeguarding systems remain fragile and inconsistent. Too many staff do not report concerns quickly or consistently enough. Staff sometimes find it difficult to find equipment to record their concerns swiftly. This is an unacceptable delay which prevents leaders from taking prompt action. When staff do record, these records are unreliable. They contain gaps or inaccuracies, with unclear or unhelpful information at times. This prevents leaders from identifying risks and patterns. It hinders their ability to respond to pupils' emerging needs effectively.

p.2

Safeguarding standards not met

Although staff have recently received additional training, including on serious risk such as extremism, their understanding and confidence vary widely. This results in inconsistent responses to safeguarding concerns. While relationships between staff and pupils are positive, this does not outweigh the serious weaknesses in safeguarding practice.

p.2

How we evaluate safeguarding

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

p.2

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.

p.2

This school requires special measures

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education, and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

p.2

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school provides a broad and carefully designed personal development programme. Pupils take part in a wide range of activities that meet their individual needs. These include sessions with visiting specialists. In addition, there are a number of on-site therapy sessions which support staff to meet pupils' medical needs well. These experiences help pupils to build confidence and independence. Pupils spend time in the on-site swimming pool learning essential life skills such as swimming and water safety.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils benefit from opportunities to learn beyond the classroom. For example, outdoor learning in a woodland setting helps them to develop practical skills and resilience. Activities such as The Duke of Edinburgh's Award encourage pupils to develop teamwork and problem-solving skills. Pupils also learn important life skills such as travel training, which supports them to become more independent and prepare for adult life.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils learn about health, relationships and safety in age-appropriate ways which match their levels of understanding. Staff adapt these lessons and experiences more successfully than curriculum lessons. As a result, pupils develop an appropriate understanding of healthy relationships and how to stay safe.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school promotes respect, equality and inclusion with pupils well. Pupils learn about the important values that they understand. Shared experiences help pupils to explore different cultures, faiths and experiences.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school provides a clear and well-planned careers programme. Pupils receive regular opportunities to learn about the world of work. They explore different pathways in ways that match their needs and interests. Pupils have opportunities to visit places such as local colleges, which helps them to make an informed decision about their next steps in education or training.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff know their pupils' emotional needs well. This allows them to support pupils' wellbeing effectively. This helps pupils to know whom they can turn to if they need support during the school day.

p.3

Post-16 provision Needs attention

For students in post-16 provision, the curriculum is not designed well enough. It does not give students a secure understanding in the essential knowledge that they need in English and mathematics. Leaders have developed a more structured approach to the curriculum and teaching. However, in some instances, learning is not planned with enough precision. On occasion, staff do not accurately identify the right next steps for students. Activities are not well matched enough to students’ abilities. At times, students complete the same work.

p.3

Urgent improvement

This means that despite positive experiences outside of the curriculum, some students are underprepared for the next stages of education, employment or training.

p.4

Urgent improvement

Students benefit from positive relationships with staff. They feel safe and understand how to keep themselves safe. Behaviour is generally calm. Students typically follow routines well. Leaders have a better understanding of what students can access when they leave the school. For example, students visit local colleges to see whether they offer the right course for their next steps. In addition, students take part in Duke of Edinburgh opportunities or volunteer in the local café to gain important communication and independence skills.

p.4

Achievement Urgent improvement

Pupils make very limited progress through the curriculum from their starting points. They do not secure the basic skills that they need to succeed. Over time, pupils develop more gaps in their learning. This is because important knowledge and skills are not built carefully or consistently across the curriculum over time. Pupils do not gain secure understanding in essential areas such as communication. Where pupils are able to communicate more effectively, this is not extended further to develop pupils' early reading skills. Overall, this limits their ability to engage in further learning and make sufficient progress through the curriculum.

p.4

Achievement Urgent improvement

Learning is not connected well over time. Pupils forget what they have learned and, as a result, struggle to build new skills. As expectations are too low, pupils are not challenged to achieve what they are capable of. Many pupils make only minimal gains in their acquired knowledge. Others fail to develop skills securely enough to move on confidently to their next stage of learning. These serious weaknesses mean that pupils are not adequately prepared for their futures.

p.4

Attendance and behaviour Urgent improvement

Pupils' attendance is above the national average when compared to similar schools. Leaders monitor attendance and communicate with families where concerns arise. Overall, where attendance dips, leaders take effective action to improve it. However, at times, leaders do not analyse pupils' attendance rates deeply enough. They do not identify patterns or address underlying concerns quickly enough. It is not clear how leaders support individual pupils to overcome barriers so that they can improve their attendance.

p.4

Attendance and behaviour Urgent improvement

Generally, pupils are calm and follow routines. Staff build positive relationships with pupils. The school promotes a clear expectation that the environment is inclusive and free from discrimination. Incidents of bullying are rare, but when they do occur, staff deal with them quickly and effectively. However, too many pupils do not engage well in learning. Pupils often struggle to move between activities. Transitions are not planned well enough. Communication support is not used consistently. Despite procedures being in place, suspensions and/or exclusions have been used inappropriately and have not followed statutory guidance. This involves serious weaknesses in decision-making and processes. As a result, some pupils have been removed from school without proper, clear reasons. This has disrupted their education and limited their learning.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Leaders have failed to act quickly enough to improve the quality of education that pupils receive. Until recently, they have not had an accurate understanding of weaknesses in the curriculum and teaching. As a result, serious issues have remained unaddressed for too long. Pupils have not received the education they are entitled to.

p.5

Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

The curriculum is weak. Despite a broad curriculum being in place, it lacks structure, coherence and ambition. Many activities do not support learning. Lessons are not planned with clear purpose. With such deficiencies in the curriculum design, learning does not build successfully enough, over time, for too many pupils. Expectations are too low. Pupils spend too much of their learning time on tasks that lack meaning and do not support them to progress well through the curriculum.

p.5

Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Leaders' and staff's understanding of pupils' learning is ineffective. Staff focus too much on engagement rather than learning. They do not systematically check how well pupils are progressing through the curriculum. They do not know what pupils need to learn next.

p.5

Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Too many pupils have poor experiences in lessons. Staff do not meet pupils' needs consistently. Pupils do not have the support or communication tools that they need to be successful. Pupils disengage from their learning because the activities are not closely matched to what they need to learn. This means that pupils' day-to-day experiences and learning in lessons are not helping them to be prepared sufficiently for their next stage in their education.

p.5

Early years Urgent improvement

Children in the early years do not receive the quality of education that they need. The curriculum is not well designed to aid the development of young children. It lacks structure, clarity and ambition. Children are sometimes placed in classes with older pupils and follow the national curriculum, instead of the early years framework. This means learning is not matched to children's age or stage of development. As a result, activities and the interactions that staff have with pupils, lack focus and purpose. In addition, expectations for children in the early years are too low. Children are not supported effectively enough to develop the important skills that they need from their starting points. Checks on children's learning and understanding are weak. This means that staff's knowledge of children's starting points is also poor. Collectively, this makes it difficult to plan effectively for children's

p.5

Early years Urgent improvement

next steps. Children, overall, underachieve. As a result, children in the early years are not well prepared for key stage 1.

p.5

Early years Urgent improvement

Leaders previously had a more secure understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching in early years. However, this has not been maintained. When leaders have been required to focus on wider issues across the school, oversight of early years has weakened. As a result, weaknesses have not been addressed quickly enough.

p.5

Inclusion Urgent improvement

All pupils at the school have special educational needs and/or disabilities and an education, health and care plan. Leaders do not ensure that systems to support pupils with these additional needs are effective or consistently applied. Despite staff's best efforts, they do not keep up with pupils' changing or emerging needs well enough. Staff do not consistently follow a structured approach to assessing and supporting pupils' needs well enough. Barriers to learning are not identified clearly and support is delayed or ineffective. In part, this is because staff do not receive effective help or guidance in meeting pupils' needs. As a result, too many pupils receive support that is poorly matched to their abilities and often inaccurate. It does not meet their needs.

p.6

Inclusion Urgent improvement

Some pupils spend extended periods out of school. Leaders do not act with sufficient urgency or maintain oversight when this happens. This means that these pupils miss out on a full and suitable education for too long.

p.6

Inclusion Urgent improvement

The impact of additional funding for vulnerable pupils is weak. Leaders, including governors, do not rigorously check whether the intended actions are effective and make a positive difference to pupils' education. In many cases, the use of the additional funding is ineffective.

p.6

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders, including governors, have failed to provide effective, strategic leadership over time. They have not had pupils' best interests at the heart of their decision-making. This is because, until recently, governors and leaders did not have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and weaknesses. Their view of the school was too positive and did not reflect the day-to-day reality for pupils.

p.6

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

In the past, governors did not challenge leaders with sufficient rigour. They relied too heavily on what they were told. This allowed serious weaknesses to remain unchecked for too long. Leaders delayed important decisions, and governors have accepted assurances without verification. As a result, significant failures in safeguarding, staffing and financial oversight were not addressed promptly.

p.6

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders have recently started to take action to highlight these weaknesses. However, improvements are at a very early stage. Significant weaknesses remain across all levels of leadership. Leaders have not ensured that staff workload is manageable. Until very recently, staff workload has been excessive. Staff have not received their entitlement to planning and preparation time. This has had a serious impact on their wellbeing and morale.

p.6

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Professional learning for staff has been weak or absent. Although there are plans for this to change, staff have not been supported or held to account effectively enough by leaders or governors. Leaders have also failed to use funding appropriately. Poor planning has limited the school's ability to increase leadership capacity, which is essential to tackle the substantial shortcomings in pupils' education. In addition, leaders have not invested in the school environment. This means pupils learn in an environment which is not inviting or suitable to meet their needs. Parental and wider community engagement lack impact. Communication does not always build trust or resolve concerns.

p.6

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

The school is not providing the quality of education that pupils need or deserve. Governors and leaders have failed pupils through continued poor decision-making. Over time, there has been a serious decline in the quality of provision that the school offers pupils. Pupils do not achieve well enough. They do not experience a curriculum or access teaching that help them to succeed from their varied starting points. Staff do not have the expertise needed to help pupils overcome their barriers to learning. As a result, pupils fall behind in their learning. Although students in post-16 provision do slightly better, most pupils leave school underprepared for the next steps in education, employment or training. This limits their life chances.

p.7

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

Pupils say that they feel safe. However, they are not as safe as they should be. Safeguarding lacks the rigour needed. Too much is left to chance. Governors and leaders have not ensured a culture where keeping pupils safe is the highest priority. When behaviour is not managed well, too many pupils disengage from learning. This limits their learning and progress through the curriculum.

p.7

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

Staff and leaders make pupils feel welcome. They greet pupils warmly in the morning as they arrive. Pupils respond positively and show that they want to be in school. Attendance is high, and most pupils attend regularly. Positive relationships and attendance are clear strengths of the school.

p.7

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

Pupils take part in a range of activities. They enjoy outdoor play and practical work such as baking. They enjoy a wide range of enrichment opportunities, including clubs and outdoor visits. Leaders ensure that all pupils have the chance to take part. These are positive experiences for pupils.

p.7

Next steps

Leaders must strengthen the safeguarding culture and practice across the school. They should ensure that all concerns are reported promptly, that records are accurately kept and that procedures are followed consistently to keep all pupils safe. Leader and governors must ensure that they maintain highly effective oversight across all areas of the school by accurately identifying the school’s weaknesses in order to drive secure, rapid and sustained improvement. Leaders and governors must ensure that the school has an ambitious and well- sequenced curriculum, including in the early years, so that learning builds progressively and accurately meets pupils' needs. Leaders and governors must ensure that all staff are trained to adapt the curriculum effectively so that all pupils access purposeful and challenging learning that enables them to make secure progress from their starting points through the curriculum.

p.7

Next steps

Leaders and governors must ensure that there is a robust system for identifying and assessing pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities. They must ensure that systems and procedures are in place to review pupils’ needs, so that they are met consistently well over time. Leaders must improve pupils' achievement by identifying and addressing gaps in pupils' foundational knowledge, particularly in communication, English and mathematics. Leaders must ensure that behaviour systems, particularly those relating to suspensions, are used appropriately and lawfully. Leaders should strengthen the post-16 curriculum so that it is more ambitious, consistently embedded and prepares students effectively for education, employment and independent living.

p.8

About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Kevin Mitchell.

p.8

About this inspection

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

p.8

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.

p.8

About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the acting headteacher, the acting deputy headteacher and other staff and leaders. Inspectors looked at documentation including the school's self-evaluation, the school improvement plan and governing body meeting minutes, and the lead inspector checked the single central record. The lead inspector met with governors, including the chairperson. The lead inspector also met with a representative of the local authority.

p.8

About this inspection

There were no responses to Ofsted's survey for pupils or staff. The lead inspector considered 22 responses that school staff submitted separately. He also considered responses to Ofsted's online Parent View survey.

p.8

About this inspection

The school meets the requirements of the provider legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

p.8

About this inspection

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

p.8

About this inspection

The school may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection. The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be considered again during any monitoring inspections we carry out.

p.8

About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

p.8

Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

p.9

Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 23 June 2026

p.9

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.

p.9

45.30%

All pupils have an education, health and care plan. The school includes provision for pupils with profound multiple learning difficulties or severe learning difficulties including autism spectrum disorder.

p.9

45.30%

The school currently uses no alternative provision.

p.9

45.30%

The substantive headteacher was absent from school during the inspection. The school's current deputy headteacher began her role as acting headteacher in March 2026. An acting deputy headteacher was appointed 3 weeks before the start of the inspection.

p.9

45.30%

There have been some changes to the governing body since the previous inspection. A new chair of governors has been appointed. There are vacancies on the governing body.

p.9

What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

p.10

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.

p.10

What does this mean?

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

p.10

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.

p.10

What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

p.10

What does this mean?

The type of Special Educational Needs provision provided at the school (if applicable).

p.11

Destinations after 16

Percentage of pupils staying in education or employment for at least 2 terms after the end of secondary school (key stage 4).

p.11

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.

p.11

Persistent absence

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

p.11

Exceptional

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

p.12

Strong standard

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

p.12

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.

p.12

Needs attention

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

p.12

Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

p.12

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.13

Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.13

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.13

Urgent improvement

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

p.13