Kettlebrook Short Stay SchoolOfsted report card, 22 Sept 2026

Kettlebrook Short Stay School

Address: Tame Street, Kettlebrook, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B77 1AL Unique reference number (URN): 133583

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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 Expected standard

Many pupils join the school with significant barriers that have affected their education. Leaders have established a strong culture of inclusion where understanding and meeting pupils' individual needs is central to the school's work. Staff identify pupils' strengths, needs and barriers carefully and use this information to provide appropriate support and personalised approaches to learning.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders reduce barriers to learning and wellbeing through effective adaptations, targeted interventions and support that reflects pupils' individual circumstances. Staff receive training that helps them understand and respond to pupils' social, emotional and learning needs. As a result, pupils access education successfully and feel well supported.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders monitor pupils' academic, social and emotional progress closely. They review the impact of interventions and adjust support where necessary to ensure that provision remains effective and responsive to changing needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff work closely with families, external professionals and partner agencies to ensure that support reflects pupils' circumstances and aspirations. This collaborative approach helps many pupils engage positively with school life and make progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school's satellite provision provides effective support for pupils who require a more personalised pathway. Leaders use pupil premium funding and other resources appropriately to improve pupils' access to learning and wider opportunities. Pupils known to social care receive suitable support, and leaders work effectively with the virtual school and external agencies to help vulnerable pupils overcome barriers to education.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders place a high priority on pupils' personal development and wellbeing. Staff build positive relationships with pupils and help them develop confidence, resilience and a more positive view of their future. Pupils know where to seek help when they need support. As a result, many develop increasing confidence in themselves and greater belief in what they can achieve.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils benefit from a carefully planned programme that helps them learn about healthy relationships, equality, protected characteristics, online safety and the law. Learning reflects pupils' experiences and the challenges they may face within their local community. Leaders adapt the programme when new issues emerge and ensure that pupils access support when needed. Partnerships with organisations such as We Are Tamworth and the Pathway Project provide additional support and help pupils develop a wider understanding of the world around them.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Preparation for adulthood is a notable feature of the school's work. Pupils receive regular careers guidance and learn about future education, employment and training opportunities. Leaders make sure that pupils understand the different pathways available to them and receive support when making decisions about their future. Former pupils return to share

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Needs attention

their experiences and successes. This helps current pupils understand what is possible beyond school and raises their aspirations. Leaders continue to support some pupils after they leave the school to help them sustain positive destinations.

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Needs attention

Pupils benefit from opportunities that broaden their experiences and develop their interests. These experiences help pupils develop confidence, independence and resilience. Effective support for emotional wellbeing helps many pupils manage difficulties more successfully and participate positively in school life. Pupils increasingly recognise the importance of education and develop greater ambition for their future. As a result, pupils are prepared appropriately for adulthood and their next stages of education, employment or training.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils do not consistently secure the knowledge and skills they need to achieve as well as they should. Teachers do not identify and address gaps in learning quickly enough. As a result, some pupils struggle to build securely on earlier learning and are not always ready for more demanding work. Consequently, pupils’ progress through the curriculum is variable.

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Achievement Needs attention

Many pupils join the school following disrupted education and with significant gaps in their learning. Some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known to children’s social care, achieve success across a range of subjects and develop the knowledge, skills and independence needed for their next steps in education, employment or training.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils who have the aptitude to follow GCSE courses achieve particularly well and attain impressive examination outcomes. However, some pupils continue to struggle with important basic knowledge and skills that should already be secure. Leaders have strengthened systems to identify gaps in pupils’ learning more accurately, although this work is not yet established well enough to ensure consistently positive achievement across the provision.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Many pupils improve their attendance after joining the school. Leaders understand the barriers that prevent some pupils from attending regularly and work closely with families and external agencies to address them. Attendance information is analysed carefully and used to inform personalised support. As a result, many pupils attend school more often and engage more successfully with education. Leaders know pupils and families well. They use positive relationships and tailored support to help pupils attend regularly. Attendance remains a priority for the school and leaders continue to take appropriate action when concerns arise.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Behaviour expectations are not applied consistently across the provision. Some pupils disengage from learning, and staff do not always challenge this quickly enough. On occasion, inappropriate behaviour is not addressed consistently by all staff. As a result, some pupils spend too much time away from learning and do not access the curriculum as successfully as they should.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Relationships between pupils and staff are mostly positive. Pupils feel safe and most feel supported. Restorative approaches, and additional pastoral support to improve behaviour and engagement, work well when pupils wish to engage. When successfully implemented, pupils learn to manage their behaviour more successfully. However, not all staff implement these approaches consistently.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Pupils do not consistently receive teaching that helps them build securely on what they already know. Teachers do not consistently identify gaps in pupils' knowledge quickly enough. As a result, some pupils do not develop the knowledge and skills they need as well as they should. Pupils' experiences of learning vary too much across the provision.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have developed a curriculum that helps some pupils rebuild important knowledge and skills while preparing them for their next steps. The curriculum combines academic learning with opportunities that help pupils develop independence and prepare for future education, employment and training.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Where teaching is most effective, staff build an understanding of the difficulties pupils face and use this to support them in their learning. Some pupils engage positively with learning and make progress from their starting points. However, this is not typical across the provision. Staff do not always identify when pupils have misunderstood important learning. Nor do they adapt learning opportunities quickly enough to help pupils secure new knowledge and skills. Consequently, some pupils continue to struggle with important learning that should already be secure.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders understand these weaknesses accurately. They have introduced new approaches to improve teaching and create greater consistency across the provision. However, staff do not yet implement these approaches consistently enough to ensure that all pupils experience effective teaching.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders do not yet secure sufficient consistency in teaching, behaviour and achievement across the provision. As a result, pupils do not experience the same quality of education in all classes and across all sites. Recent improvements help to address identified weaknesses, but these do not yet have enough impact on pupils' experiences.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders know the school and its pupils well. They understand the barriers many pupils face and place a high priority on helping pupils engage successfully with education. Safeguarding, support for vulnerable pupils and preparation for adulthood are central to the school's work. Positive relationships with families and external agencies help ensure that pupils receive appropriate support when needed. Leaders are committed advocates for pupils and work effectively with external services to secure support that helps pupils remain engaged with education. Leaders understand where improvement is needed. They have introduced changes to improve teaching, behaviour and assessment. Professional development helps staff develop their knowledge and strengthen classroom practice. These developments improve practice in some areas. However, they are not yet embedded securely enough to ensure that pupils experience consistently effective provision across the school. Leaders recognise this and

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

have identified the correct priorities for improvement.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Staff value the support they receive from leaders and appreciate leaders' focus on their wellbeing. Governors understand the school's context and provide an appropriate balance of support and challenge, but recognise there is more work to do to improve the quality of education. External partners are positive about the school's commitment to improving outcomes for vulnerable pupils. Leaders demonstrate the capacity to improve the school further.

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

Many pupils join the school after experiencing exclusion or significant disruption to their education. Kettlebrook provides them with an opportunity to re-engage with learning and develop greater confidence in themselves and their future. Staff take the time to understand pupils as individuals and build positive relationships with them. As a result, pupils feel safe and receive the support they need to access education successfully.

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

Small classes and personalised support help pupils re-engage with learning and build confidence. Staff understand pupils' needs well and help them overcome difficulties that have previously affected their education. Older pupils develop aspirations for their future and gain a better understanding of the opportunities available to them after leaving school. They increasingly develop the confidence to explore future pathways and pursue their ambitions.

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

Preparation for adulthood is an important part of school life. Pupils receive regular careers guidance, learn about further education and employment opportunities and are encouraged to think positively about their future. Former pupils return to share their experiences and successes. This helps current pupils understand what is possible beyond school and raises their aspirations. Many pupils develop a stronger sense of purpose and ambition because of these opportunities.

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

Positive relationships are central to pupils' experience of the school. Staff know pupils well and understand the challenges many face. Pupils know that adults will help them when they need support and that concerns are taken seriously. This helps many pupils develop greater trust in education and confidence in their ability to succeed.

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

Pupils also benefit from opportunities that reflect their interests and talents. These experiences help them develop confidence and resilience. Many pupils take increasing pride in their achievements and develop more positive attitudes towards learning. However, pupils do not experience consistently high expectations in every classroom. At times, some pupils disengage from learning and inappropriate behaviour is not addressed quickly enough. As a result, pupils do not always benefit from the same quality of learning experience across the provision.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that highly effective teaching is embedded consistently so that all pupils benefit from teaching that helps them learn successfully and improves their achievement. Leaders should strengthen the identification of gaps in pupils' knowledge, skills and language development so that learning builds securely on what pupils already know and can do. Leaders should develop teachers' expertise in adapting learning and responding to pupils' misconceptions so that pupils receive support that helps them to be successful in lessons. Leaders should ensure that behaviour expectations are applied consistently across the provision so that pupils experience the same high expectations for behaviour, engagement and learning in all classes.

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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, the head of school, senior leaders, governors, staff, pupils and representatives from the local authority during the inspection. Inspectors also spoke with representatives from the virtual school and other external partners who work with the school.

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About this inspection

Inspectors visited lessons across the main site and the satellite provision. They reviewed pupils' work, visited pupils during social times and spoke with pupils about their experiences of school, their learning and their future aspirations. Inspectors reviewed safeguarding records, attendance information, behaviour records and case studies relating to vulnerable pupils.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

This school is part of the East Staffordshire and Tamworth PRUs Federation. The federation is led by the executive headteacher, Sarah Bamber. The chair of governors is John Brodie.

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About this inspection

The school provides short-stay alternative provision for pupils aged 11 to 16. Pupils may attend the school through dual registration with a mainstream school or as single registered pupils. The school also operates a satellite provision to support pupils who require a more personalised approach to their education.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, the school used no alternative provision.

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Lead inspector:

Antony Bradshaw, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Sarahjane Cuncannon Edwards, Ofsted Inspector Sally Philpotts, Ofsted Inspector

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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.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 22 September 2026

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What does this mean?

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

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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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Year This school

2023/24 (3 term) 57.7% Executive Headteacher: Sarah Bamber

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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

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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