Emily Wilding Davison School

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About Emily Wilding Davison School


Name Emily Wilding Davison School
Inspections
Ofsted Inspections
Acting Headteacher Dr Michael Hutchison
Address Thornhill Road, Ponteland, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE20 9QB
Phone Number 01912980838
Phase Special
Type Community special school
Age Range 11-16
Religious Character Does not apply
Gender Mixed
Number of Pupils 98
Local Authority Northumberland
Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has been through a period of substantial turbulence in leadership and staffing since its move to the current site.

As a result, the behaviour of a number of pupils is challenging. Some pupils leave their classes and wander the corridors at will. They swear at each other and at staff, block doors, shout, and kick doors and walls.

Staff are working hard to resolve this situation. It is made more difficult because of a shortage of employed staff who know the pupils well.

The quality of education has suffered, since the transition onto the new site, because the staff's attention is on managing pupils' behaviour.

Just under half of the pupils o...n roll experience a part-time and off-site education. Leaders are using this strategy while they establish a new behaviour policy following the move into the new buildings. In some subjects, pupils have completed virtually no work this academic year.

The curriculum is not ambitious enough. Important subjects which prepare pupils for adult life have been withdrawn or are not offered.

In some curriculum areas, pupils produce work of a high standard with teachers who know their subjects well.

Leaders and staff care deeply about the young people on roll at the school. There are some strong relationships between staff and pupils.

Inspectors found no evidence that bullying is an issue in school.

All of the pupils who spoke to inspectors feel safe in school.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The local authority (LA), leaders (including governors) and staff agree that the transition to the current site and the admission of new pupils was not handled well. All parties were motivated by the desire to provide a high-quality education for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Despite everyone's best intentions, the reality is that flawed transition planning and delivery have led to the school facing difficulties. School leaders say that the lack of readiness of the buildings at the new site, together with the significant increase in the number of pupils on roll and a difficulty in recruiting staff, have produced what the LA call a perfect storm. The impact of this is that, to give leaders time and space to manage the poor behaviour of some pupils as a result of the transition, just under half of the pupils on roll are currently on part-time timetables and/or placed in alternative provision (AP).

Initially intended as a temporary solution, this had been the case for over half a term at the time of this inspection.

There are numerous staff vacancies. These are making the job of leaders even harder.

On a day-to-day basis, leaders rely on supply staff to ensure there are enough adults in the school to keep pupils safe. Constant behaviour management means that leaders do not have the capacity to address the school's improvement priorities. Delayed priorities, as a consequence of the impact of the flawed transition process, include training for staff in how to use pupils' education, health and care (EHC) plans, essential safeguarding training; support for teachers at different points in their career; and the creation of curriculum planning across subjects.

Leaders are committed and energetic, but the short time they have had in their roles is limiting the impact of their work. They are stretched beyond capacity.

The quality of education overall is weak.

Staff make no, or limited, reference to pupils' EHC plans in their curriculum planning or teaching. In some subjects, pupils have completed little work. In subjects such as art and physical education, some pupils produce high-quality work.

The graffiti project in art, for instance, inspired pupils. However, curriculum plans in these subjects do not set out the detailed content pupils should learn and in what order. Pupils choose what they want to do in some subjects, partly to keep them engaged.

However, these pupils do not learn essential subject knowledge in an organised way. Consequently, pupils do not achieve as highly as they could.

The new leadership team has introduced some appropriate subject courses, such as construction.

They have narrowed the curriculum by withdrawing the teaching of computing. Many pupils have the academic ability to, and do, achieve grades at GCSE and BTEC level. Leaders take the views of pupils into account when making curriculum decisions, but pupils are not able to study a wider range of subjects, such as history and geography.

The level of ambition for such pupils is, therefore, too low.

Leaders do not use assessment effectively and consistently to identify and meet pupils' needs. In the foundation area, pupils across four classes are doing the same work with the same outcomes.

This is despite leaders' assertion that they adapt the curriculum for each class.

Leaders have not coordinated what pupils are learning at school and/or AP with the work packs sent home for those who are on part-time timetables. The curriculum is disjointed for these pupils.

Since the previous inspection, leaders have introduced a phonics-based reading scheme for the weakest readers. This is beginning to bring about improvements in early reading for these pupils.

Many pupils behave well.

However, a substantial number do not. Leaders state that they are in the process of regaining control and are, at the same time, introducing new behaviour policies. Suspensions are high and increasing because consequences are being applied in line with the new policies.

The provision for pupils' personal development is weak. Curriculum plans are in place, but are limited in content. Some leaders themselves have a poor understanding of crucial aspects of personal development, such as the protected characteristics.

There is no coherent plan for what, or when, the pupils in AP are to be taught about relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education.Similarly, leaders do not have a coordinated plan for pupils in AP to receive careers information, education, advice and guidance (CIEAG).

Despite the challenges faced by the school, staff are supportive of leaders.

They feel listened to, including about helping to make their workload manageable.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is not effective.

Firstly, leaders have fallen behind in their programme for training all staff in the 'Prevent' duty, with a substantial number of staff untrained.

Secondly, leaders have not secured written confirmation from the AP settings used by the school that all staff have had the necessary safeguarding checks, as set out in the government's statutory guidance 'Keeping children safe in education 2022'. At inspectors' direction, leaders began to get the necessary confirmations from the AP settings during the inspection. Thirdly, leaders could not describe with clarity and certainty the safeguarding arrangements for checking on pupils who were attending AP.

On a day-to-day basis in school, leaders have ensured that they have systems in place to identify pupils who may be at risk, to support them and to liaise with relevant external agencies to help them. The school's single central record of recruitment checks complies with requirements.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum does not meet the needs of the pupils who attend Emily Wilding Davison School on a full- or part-time basis.

As a result, pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable. Leaders should improve the quality of the curriculum with urgency. ? Leaders have not coordinated the curriculum for pupils who are learning at school with those who are attending AP.

Consequently, these pupils do not achieve well. Leaders should ensure that they have a coherent and coordinated curriculum in place for pupils not attending school on a full-time basis. ? Staff do not use pupils' EHC plans as part of curriculum planning or teaching.

As a result, pupils do not receive the adaptive support they need to achieve as highly as they could. Leaders should ensure that staff are trained in the use of EHC plans to support their teaching and improve the learning of all pupils. ? Leaders have made decisions which have reduced, or limited, the curriculum which is on offer for pupils with cognitive ability at least the equal of their peers in mainstream schools.

The ambitions for what some pupils could achieve are too low. Leaders should review their curriculum strategy so that all pupils achieve the best possible next steps at the end of Year 11. ? Curriculum plans in a number of subjects lack detail about precisely what subject knowledge and skills are to be taught and in what order, building to the completion of national awards at the end of Year 11.

As a result, pupils do not have sufficient understanding of central subject concepts and do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders should improve the quality of education by ensuring that curriculum plans in all subjects are precise in their subject content, skills and disciplinary knowledge, so that pupils learn subject components in a logical, cumulative sequence. ? The behaviour of a substantial number of pupils is poor.

This poor behaviour is affecting the quality of education for all pupils. Leaders, including governors, should continue to work with the LA to review current behaviour policies and strengthen the strategy so that pupils' behaviour improves significantly. ? The rate of pupils' attendance is low.

As with behaviour, leaders should work with the LA to review current attendance policy and practice, and strengthen the strategy where required. ? The provision for pupils' personal development lacks clarity and detail. Some leaders do not have a secure understanding of what the protected characteristics are, or where and how they are taught in the curriculum.

Leaders do not know what elements of the statutory requirements for RSE and health education, and CIEAG, are taught in the APs used by the school, or indeed if they are taught at all. There is no coordination of these requirements between school and home for those pupils on part-time timetables. As a result, pupils are not adequately prepared for life in modern Britain.

Leaders should ensure that staff are trained in statutory requirements for equalities, RSE and health education and CIEAG, and that curriculum plans set out with detail and clarity what is to be taught, when and where. ? Leaders must ensure that all staff are trained in the 'Prevent' duty, and that written confirmation of safeguarding checks at the APs used by the school are secured as a matter of urgency. ? Leaders and those responsible for governance may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection.

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