Dorchester Learning Centre

Dorchester Learning Centre

Address: Monkton Park, Winterborne Monkton, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 9PS Unique reference number (URN): 130316

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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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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The personal development programme is highly ambitious for pupils and is at the heart of the school's work. Leaders and staff work collegiately to deliver it superbly. It entwines personal, social, health and economic (PHSE) education, relationships and sex education and health education (RSHE), social skills and life skills. Effective careers education, well- thought-out work experience and bespoke interventions for individuals bolster pupils' experiences. This broadens pupils' employability skills and sets them up well for their next stage of education.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Staff are highly trained in the school's relational approaches. High-quality pastoral support is consistently responsive to pupils' needs. The pastoral board ensures that a wide array of staff work relentlessly to offer enhanced personal development support. This has a demonstrable impact on pupils' experiences at school. Pupils build up their self-belief, their tolerance of others and their understanding of the rule of law as a result.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders and staff undertake robust reviews of the impact of the personal development programme so that it can continuously improve. They ensure that adjustments are carefully thought through and meet pupils' precise needs. For example, the school is proactive in delivering planned teaching content in PSHE and RSHE and is agile when following up on subject content that addresses specific situations as they arise. This flexibility ensures that pupils receive the right teaching at the right time. The RSHE curriculum provides all the required age-appropriate content. For example, it covers keeping safe online, sexual health and hate crime. Pupils learn not to discriminate.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The detailed work of the reintegration teams ensures that, when ready, pupils on short-term placements experience a successful return to mainstream education. Leaders rigorously track pupils' engagement in the many exciting extra-curricular opportunities, such as sailing, swimming and sports. Additional funding is used appropriately. This ensures that no pupil misses out on experiences and wider opportunities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Many pupils start at the school after having poor educational experiences. They make suitable progress through the curriculum from their varied starting points. The school's holistic approach to developing pupils' character ensures that pupils learn to feel safe and listened to and gain greater respect for adults and their peers. This supports pupils' greater self-worth and engagement in school life. Every small step of growth is championed by staff. For many, this means that after a fixed-term placement there is a successful transition back into mainstream education. Pupils who stay longer at the school learn to increase their resilience, attend lessons and gain more confidence to share their feelings. Pupils learn to read and to apply their mathematical skills increasingly well. This means that pupils can successfully access other subject content. The well-thought-out approach in vocational subjects ensures that pupils learn employability skills that act as a stepping stone to college.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

The school places developing relationships at the heart of its practice. Staff consistently promote a calm, safe and positive culture. They model the respectful behaviours and language they expect pupils to use. Over time, pupils learn how to better manage their emotions and understand boundaries as a result. Leaders are adept at monitoring and analysing behaviour trends. They adjust their support for pupils to provide early intervention. This ensures that they consistently set appropriate next steps for pupils. This increases pupils' access to lessons over time.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Any pupils who start on part-time timetables are reviewed appropriately. The vast majority of pupils build up to full-time education again after often long gaps of non-attendance at other settings. The school has stringent systems in place to work with pupils, families and external agencies to monitor pupils' attendance at school and lessons.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

When suspensions happen, staff carefully consider how their strategies can be adjusted so that when pupils return they receive the right support to help them move forwards with positivity. As a result, recurrences in suspensions have reduced considerably over time.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The various curriculum pathways are typically well sequenced and take into account pupils' varied admission arrangements. This ensures that, on the whole, pupils study curriculums that build on their starting points, knowledge and experience effectively. Staff have sound subject knowledge in the subjects they teach. This ensures that teaching generally builds pupils' knowledge over time.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The teaching of reading is particularly effective. Staff ensure that teaching supports pupils to develop their phonics knowledge well. Staff teams work together to ensure that pupils have ample opportunity to apply their basic skills in English and mathematics when learning in other subjects, for example measuring in millimetres in construction. On the whole, teaching supports pupils' individual needs and addresses pupils' specific targets set out in their learning plans.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths of the curriculum and any aspects that need refinement. For example, staff assess pupils on entry and use this information to plan suitable work. However, there are occasions when parts of teaching sequences for a minority of younger pupils do not address important barriers to their academic learning, including in their physical development and writing skills. This limits a minority of pupils' practice of important basic skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Prior to pupils' arrival at this school, staff work with them, their families and external partners to carefully design induction programmes for them. These take into account pupils' individual starting points and experiences. Well-established whole-school approaches identify pupils' ongoing needs. Staff use the wide-ranging information they have to implement pupils' individual plans to support their wellbeing. This helps pupils to build up their time in school and re-engage in school life.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff receive ongoing training. This ensures that they are skilled in responding to pupils' changing circumstances. A range of therapies is on offer for pupils as necessary, for example talking therapies or those to support pupils' sensory needs. Staff implement a range of interventions to help pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, to catch up with learning. Knowledgeable leaders regularly review the impact of these interventions. However, there are occasions when the intended academic support for pupils who stay longer at the school is not fully realised because a minority of pupils do not have access to appropriate adaptations in some lessons.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand the school's strengths very well. They make regular checks on the curriculum and teaching. This ensures that they identify improvement priorities and take effective action. For example, the school has extended the vocational curriculum. Leaders provide a comprehensive staff development programme, including for new staff. This ensures that staff implement the school’s expectations and policies effectively. Staff are proud to work at the school. They value the focus on their workload, wellbeing and the supervision they receive.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Communication between leaders and staff is a strength. Well-established meetings and procedures ensure that leaders put pupils at the centre of any decision-making. This ensures that staff take the right actions to support pupils' ongoing needs. For example, morning and after-school briefings allow teams to discuss potential concerns and prioritise the right support for pupils each day. Detailed and embedded systems provide timely updates about pupils' behaviour and attendance.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders build positive relationships with parents and carers and external agencies. The school's ongoing outreach work in the local area is commendable. Leaders' oversight of pupils' personal wellbeing is effective. Leaders ensure that staff respond quickly to emerging concerns and use the information they have to provide highly personalised support. Governors know what their statutory duties are. Typically, they have suitable oversight, for example concerning the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and the spending of additional funding. However, in a few aspects of the school's work, leaders' and governors' checks are not as stringent.

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

Pupils receive a bespoke programme that is fitting to their starting points, experiences and admission arrangements. Staff greet pupils with enthusiasm and warmth at the start of the day. Staff actively listen to and support pupils expertly. Pupils learn the routines quickly, for example handing in mobile phones and participating in tutor time. Pupils receive highly effective pastoral support and any therapies they need. Leaders and staff are persistent in modelling positive relationships. This distinctive feature sits at the heart of the school's work. Pupils typically understand clear boundaries because adults constantly reinforce them. This helps pupils feel safe. Parents and carers recognise the support and kindness that staff show. Everyone is treated as an individual. Staff celebrate every small step of progress to re-engage pupils in school life. Pupils are proud to receive a 'star message', for example. Over time, pupils learn to attend better.

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

Pupils typically achieve well from their varied starting points. Many pupils on short-term placements are supported to return to mainstream school successfully. In addition to academic subjects such as English, mathematics and science, many pupils experience vocational subjects such as catering or hair and beauty. Work experience is a strength. This helps pupils on longer-term placements to prepare for post-16 education. The school is astute at identifying barriers to learning. However, occasionally pupils do not get enough practice in a few aspects of academic learning. Leaders know that these academic barriers exist and staff are beginning to address them.

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

Pupils broaden their horizons through rich and varied activities, such as outdoor learning. Social times are used effectively to enrich pupils' experiences. Playing football with staff at social times is a favourite. Other pupils enjoy playing boules in the hall or playing chess. This supports pupils to build relationships with their peers and take turns.

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Next steps

Leaders need to ensure that they have stringent oversight of all aspects of the school's work so that they achieve consistently strong standards across all aspects of the school's work. Leaders should continue their work to enhance the implementation and impact of the curriculum and teaching by ensuring that staff use their assessments of what pupils know by designing teaching sequences that address pupils' barriers to learning consistently well.

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About this inspection

The interim chair of the board of governors in this school is Jonathan Anderson.

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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 headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other leaders and staff. An inspector met with four members of the governing body. An inspector met with a representative of Dorset Council.

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Lead inspector:

Julie Carrington, His Majesty's 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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Absence

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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Absence

An inspector visited the Kingfisher Learning Centre at Dorchester Hospital.

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Absence

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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Absence

Dorchester Learning Centre is a pupil referral unit. Pupil admissions come through different referral routes. There are a mix of pupils on single and dual registration placements. The number on roll reflects single registered pupils only. The school's capacity, as agreed with Dorset local authority, including dual registered pupils, is 100.

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Absence

The school manages Kingfisher Learning Centre at Dorchester Hospital. School staff deliver learning to children on the Kingfisher Ward 5 days a week.

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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

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 .

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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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