Setting

Ms P Ashworth The Francis Barber Pupil Referral Unit Franciscan Road Tooting London SW17 8HE

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provision for pupils from day 6 of exclusion

Thank you for your hospitality and co-operation, and that of your staff, during my visit on Monday 6 October to look at your work in providing for pupils from day 6 of their permanent exclusion.

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provision for pupils from day 6 of exclusion

The visit provided valuable information which will contribute to our national evaluation and reporting. Published reports are likely to list the names of the contributing institutions but individual institutions will not be identified in the main text. All feedback letters will be published on the Ofsted website at the end of each half-term.

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provision for pupils from day 6 of exclusion

The evidence used to inform the judgements made included interviews with yourself, the Head of School at the Westdean Pupil Referral Unit and the teachers responsible for delivering the outreach programmes, a tour of the unit, scrutiny of relevant documentation, a phone call to a parent, the observation of one lesson and a conversation with the pupils at the end of this lesson. 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 the day 6 provision was judged to be good.

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Achievement and standards

The overall achievement of the pupils in the day 6 provision is good. The unit’s success in reintegrating pupils, including those in the 6 day provision, into mainstream schools has much increased. Initial assessments of each pupil on joining the unit informs their individual work plans and makes a clear basis for the detailed value-added work the unit undertakes. Targets for Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 08456 404045 F 020 7421 6855 enquiries@Ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk academic work and behaviour are carefully set and evaluated with the pupils, who make good progress in both aspects.

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Quality of teaching and learning

I was able to observe one lesson which included day 6 pupils and others. The quality of teaching observed was good. The teacher had organised plenty of activities in this preparation session for an English oral assessment. Pupils responded well to her good pace, clear directions and direct and relevant questioning.

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Quality of the curriculum

The quality of the curriculum is good. The unit is well provided with specialist rooms. The curriculum is well matched to pupils’ needs and supports the curriculum in their mainstream schools. The unit provides a full range of GCSE subjects and the chance to gain a wide range of accreditations. The curriculum is helpfully extended by a range of outside activities, giving it interest and practical challenge.

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Leadership and management of day 6 provision

The leadership and management of the day 6 provision are outstanding. The unit has developed rapidly in recent years, in close partnership with the local authority, which has provided a clear structure and outstanding leadership for the development of its day 6 provision. Senior staff give experienced, very effective leadership. Overall attendance has improved though figures relating solely to the day 6 pupils were not seen.

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Inclusion

The unit’s work to support good behaviour and prevent exclusion is a very strong aspect of its work. For pupils excluded for 6 or more days and who are in the unit, staff provide relevant, helpful programmes. They know their pupils well. The one parent interviewed was very positive about the quality of provision for his son. He had settled well, and the unit had been successful in giving him a fresh start.

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Area for further investigation:

 to analyse the attendance of pupils excluded for six or more days, to compare this with the attendance of all other pupils and to continue to improve it.

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Area for further investigation:

I hope these observations are useful as you continue to develop the day 6 provision in the centre. 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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