Harbour Vale School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an inadequate school Leaders and the management committee have failed to ensure that the school's safeguarding arrangements are effective. The local authority and the management committee have acted too slowly and done too little to tackle the significant weaknesses that have developed since the previous inspection.

As a result, the school is not providing an acceptable standard of education for pupils. The management committee has a weak understanding of the progress pupils make across the school. It does not consistently challenge leaders about the progress pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are making.

Support for pupils who have special educat...ional needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is poor. Personal learning plans for pupils do not identify precise next steps or strategies to achieve success. Improvement planning is at a very early stage.

The management committee has not ensured that a robust plan is in place to identify priorities and drive improvements across the school. Middle leaders are new and their skills in leading their areas of responsibility are at a very early stage of development. Teachers do not use assessment information to plan learning activities that match pupils' needs.

Expectations are far too low and there is insufficient challenge for pupils. The buildings in which key stage 3 pupils are taught are not fit for purpose. Urgent action is needed to improve the provision for these pupils.

The school has the following strengths Under the direction of new leaders, teaching, learning and assessment are starting to develop and improve, particularly in mathematics. These changes are very recent. All Year 11 pupils moved on to further education or employment in 2017 due to the support and advice provided by the school.

Strong relationships across the school help pupils to develop positive attitudes to learning. Pupils appreciate the way that behaviour is managed. Some aspects of the curriculum, such as outdoor learning and design and technology, provide useful learning experiences for pupils.

Information about this school

Sherborne Learning Centre is a pupil referral unit. Pupils come from a wide geographical area and most come to the centre by taxi. The majority of pupils attend the centre because they either have been excluded or are at risk of being permanently excluded from their mainstream school.

A significant proportion of pupils are eligible for pupil premium funding. The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is well above the national average. No current pupils are eligible for the Year 7 catch-up funding because most pupils join the centre later in their secondary career.

Pupils in key stage 3 attend an off-site provision on premises which are being used temporarily. This is due to the previous site being closed due to health and safety concerns being raised. The site, Sherborne Area Youth and Community Centre, is a community centre accessed by members of the public.

There is also an outside sports area at this site that all pupils access during physical education lessons. The school also uses alternative provision on a working farm called Rylands Farm, where pupils access land-based studies and design and technology projects. Some pupils are supported on-site by youth workers for specific areas that need extra support.

The interim headteacher took up post in May 2017. An interim deputy headteacher was appointed in September 2017. Leaders receive some support from a headteacher from a nearby pupil referral unit and a school education partner provided by the local authority.

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