Setting

Mrs Karen Summerbell Headteacher Broom Cottages Pupil Referral Unit Broom Road Ferryhill DL17 8AN

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provision for pupils from day 6 of exclusion

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation and that of your colleagues during my visit to Broom Cottages on Thursday 9 October 2008 to look at the work of your centre in relation to the extent and quality of provision for pupils from day 6 of exclusion. I would be grateful if you would you pass my thanks to the pupils who met with me and to the parents and carer who spoke with me on the telephone.

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provision for pupils from day 6 of exclusion

During my visit I gathered evidence from discussions with you and from scrutiny of documents. I talked with two pupils who had been excluded and also with a parent and a carer. I observed a part-lesson in which a day 6 excluded pupil was being taught. My judgements are related to the arrangements and outcomes for pupils whose exclusions meant you had to provide education for them from day 6 of their exclusions.

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provision for pupils from day 6 of exclusion

The overall effectiveness of day 6 provision is good.

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Achievement and Standards

The progress made by the day 6 pupils is good. In the lesson I observed the pupil in question was making good progress. Your data shows that the day 6 pupils settle quicker, make better academic progress, reduce their difficult behaviour and attend better than other, non-day 6 pupils at your centre. The parent and carer I spoke to share the view that their children have made good progress at your centre, particularly in terms of improved behaviour and attitudes. Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404045 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@Ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Quality of teaching and learning of in the day 6 provision

The quality of teaching observed was of outstanding quality. The lesson was of a practical nature and the hands-on experience of examining a pig’s heart captured the pupils’ interest extremely well. Healthy and safety was given full attention. Planning was very thorough and appropriately matched to individual pupils’ needs. Relationships between staff and pupils were excellent. The teacher’s expectations of good behaviour and co-operation were very high and the pupils responded well. Their attitudes and behaviour in the lesson were extremely good.

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Quality of the curriculum for day 6 excluded students

The quality of curriculum for day 6 pupils is good. A thorough assessment of needs on arrival at the centre adds to the information received from the pupils’ previous schools and enables the centre to put suitable plans and priorities in place for their learning. Ongoing assessment is good and helps the centre be clear about the progress individuals are making and to adjust the curriculum as necessary. There is a purposeful emphasis on reducing the barriers to pupils’ learning and readying them for a return to mainstream schools or to other appropriate provision.

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Leadership and management of the day 6 provision

Leadership and management of the day 6 provision are good. The provision meets the day 6 exclusions requirements. Regular communications between the centre and the local authority make a good contribution to the good start made by pupils who attend from day 6 of exclusion. All permanently excluded pupils have full-time access to the centre from day 6. However, less the half actually attend on day 6. You report that in the vast majority of cases this is to do with parental issues such as lack of co-operation, delays whilst appealing the exclusion and communication problems. The other reasons appear beyond the control of the centre. Re-integration arrangements are very robust. They are established at the beginning of pupils’ placements at the centre and are implemented through good support from learning support assistants and with a flexibility that enables plans to be reviewed and changed as re-integration programmes unfold. 90% of pupils sustain their

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Leadership and management of the day 6 provision

placements wherever they are re-integrated. The centre follows-up the pupils’ school and alternative provider placements on an individual basis to check on the success of these. However, this information, along with information on the pupils’ academic and personal and social progress, could be usefully collated and analysed to demonstrate how the centre has contributed to sustaining pupils’ returns to mainstream schools and placements at other providers.

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Inclusion

Pupils are well known to staff because of the through assessments and good relationships they have. The two day 6 pupils report that they enjoy being at the centre and understand how they are improving. Indeed, one of them had pleasure in being able to give his current reading and writing ages. The parent and carer I spoke with were also very positive about how the centre has helped their children get back on track.

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Inclusion

Improvements that we discussed included:

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Inclusion

 working with the local authority and parents to increase the numbers of day 6 excluded pupils who actually start at the centre on day 6 of exclusion  analyse the academic, personal and social progress and reintegration data on the day 6 pupils as a group to identify patterns and trends, and any interventions that might be necessary, and report on this to the management committee and local authority.

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Inclusion

The visit will provide much useful evidence for our survey.

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Inclusion

Broom Cottages will not be named in any publication without your permission. Most evidence will be used at a general level to ascertain if schools and local authorities are complying with legislation and to identify the quality and extent of their provision.

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Inclusion

Thank you once again for your co-operation and the work you put in before hand and on the day to help me gain a good insight into the work of your centre.

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Inclusion

As I explained in my previous letter, a copy of this letter will be sent to your local authority and will be published on the Ofsted website. It will also be available to the team for your next institutional inspection.

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