Hospital Education Service Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders and managers should take effective action to ensure that:
  • the new governance arrangements have a marked impact on the quality of provision across the service
  • pupils’ attendance improves
  • the curriculum is developed so that pupils gain more accredited qualifications
  • pupils are given more opportunities to write at length
  • the revised feedback policy is swiftly implemented so that staff are provided with clear guidance on how leaders want them to give written feedback to pupils
  • learning time is maximised in the hospital
  • the website is updated so that it provides parents and pupils with more useful information.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders have taken effective action to maintain the good quality of provision delivered in the hospital and through the home tuition service. With support from the local authority, leaders have also transformed the quality of education provided at the annexe.
• Leaders are aware of the service’s strengths and weaknesses. They use this information to take effective action to improve provision. The relatively new leadership team has developed an ambitious culture which allows all to thrive. Positive relationships between leaders, staff and pupils support the good progress that pupils make.
• The acting head of service is passionate and committed to the pupils. She has ensured that communication is good and that all staff and pupils feel that they are part of the Hospital Education Service. Home tutors now attend staff meetings, and pupils who receive their education at home are invited to take part in trips and visits with other pupils.
• Staff value the professional development that they access and respond positively to the feedback that they receive. Staff benefit from tailored training to support them in their roles and to help them improve their practice. Teaching has improved as a result of recent training on meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and developing mastery in mathematics.
• The curriculum covers an appropriate range of subjects and it is adapted to suit the needs of individual pupils. It promotes personal development very well and makes a marked contribution to pupils’ positive behaviour and emotional well-being. Pupils are now accessing more work-related learning opportunities.
• A range of extra-curricular activities helps to enrich pupils’ learning. They are given opportunities to develop their cultural awareness and their social skills through trips and visits to museums, theatres, cinemas and theme parks.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and British values are embedded throughout the curriculum. Pupils listen to other pupils and staff talk about experiences that are different to their own. They are encouraged make the right choices. Pupils are provided with many opportunities to work together and they raise money for charities. Pupils also learn about local democracy, female emancipation, different faith groups, human rights and crime and safety. Their learning experiences help to prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• Provision for pupils with SEND is well led. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has ensured that all pupils receive the support identified in their education, health and care (EHC) plans and that all pupils with SEND are well supported to make good progress.
• Until recently, the service did not receive additional funding for pupils with SEND or for disadvantaged pupils. However, pupil premium and SEND funding are now used effectively for a range of interventions to support the progress made by specific pupils.
• Leaders and staff work very well with parents. Regular contact, attendance at events by parents and close working relationships between parents and staff help the pupils to do well. Parents are very positive about all aspects of the provision. For example, one parent praised the ‘school, child, parent relationship’.
• The local authority provides effective support and challenge to leaders. The local authority removed the management committee after weaknesses in the governance of the annexe were identified. It replaced the management committee with a strong IEB. Subsequently, the local authority has helped leaders to make substantial improvements to that part of the service’s provision. Support has continued. For example, the head of alternative provision continues to assist leaders for one day of each week. He has helped to develop the leadership capacity of the relatively new leadership team.

Governance of the school

• The previous management committee helped the service to provide pupils with a good quality of education in the hospital and through home tuition. However, those responsible for governance did not hold leaders to close enough account for standards at Whitmore Park Annexe. Additionally, they did not ensure that the service’s website contained all the required information. Aspects of governance that were weak in the past have now been addressed.
• Members of the recently created interim executive board have the skills, knowledge and experience to hold leaders to close account. They know the service’s strengths and weaknesses and possess a clear strategic overview of the provision. Clear plans have been put into place to improve governance further. However, it is too early to assess the impact of the IEB.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders acted on recent advice from the local authority to ensure that procedures are equally strong in all the service’s settings.
• Staff are well trained and know what to do if they have a concern. Staff have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding issues, including those that are pertinent to the local area. They know how to recognise the signs that a pupil may be at risk.
• Staff work well with parents and outside agencies to help to protect pupils. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations. For example, pupils at the annexe recently considered the potential dangers of social media. Pupils also learn about healthy relationships and managing risks.
• Appropriate checks are made on staff and visitors. Record-keeping is thorough, and information is stored securely. Keeping children safe is seen as everyone’s responsibility as part of the service’s strong safeguarding culture.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• There is some very high-quality teaching throughout the service. Staff use targeted questions, combined with their secure subject knowledge, to develop pupils’ skills and deepen their understanding. Pupils are given time to think and they are encouraged to offer considered responses to questions and tasks.
• Staff plan activities to challenge pupils of different abilities to make good progress. The most-able pupils access tasks that build on their prior knowledge and pupils with SEND are well supported. Staff now provide suitable learning experiences for pupils who have more complex needs.
• Staff use a range of resources, including information and communication technology, to support learning. They also take opportunities to promote reading, writing, mathematics and communication in many subjects. However, pupils are given too few opportunities to write at length throughout the curriculum.
• Staff use verbal feedback well, but leaders have not provided staff with the direction they need regarding the quality and consistency of written feedback.
• Homework is set in line with the service’s policy and pupils’ needs. Parents are given clear information about how their children are progressing and what the children need to do to improve their work. Regular meetings with parents give them opportunities to review their child’s progress with staff.
• Parents are full of praise for the home tuition service. Pupils are taught by specialist teachers and many pupils make excellent progress from their starting points. The comment, ‘The tutors have… re-installed his love of education’ summed up the views of many parents. Pupils who receive home tuition are taught well.
• There is now a positive climate for learning in the annexe. Staff know the pupils well and plan activities that interest pupils to help them make good progress. Staff work well together and use positive relationships to help pupils to learn. Pupils respond well to praise and guidance. Pupils are happy to support each other’s learning.
• Staff quickly develop productive relationships with pupils who are taught in the hospital. Teachers work hard to provide suitable work to help the pupils build on their prior learning. However, the time that pupils spend with specialist teachers is limited as staff use the start of lessons to locate suitable resources. This restricts the progress that pupils make.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The service’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Staff nurture pupils’ self-confidence by giving them opportunities to succeed. The service’s open culture, combined with personalised support, promotes all aspects of pupils’ welfare.
• Personal development is a core part of the curriculum. Pupils are well cared for and healthy eating and regular exercise are encouraged. Staff work effectively with pupils, families and outside agencies to promote pupils’ emotional well-being. Pupils believe that staff will listen to them and offer them appropriate support.
• Pupils are helped to develop the characteristics of successful learners. They are happy to talk about their learning and their books are well presented. Pupils are proud of their achievements, but they are not given regular opportunities to make decisions in lessons.
• Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of education, training or employment. They are helped to develop the skills that they will need for adult life and high quality, impartial careers advice and guidance helps pupils to make informed choices when they leave the service.
• Bullying is very rare, and pupils are confident that staff will deal quickly and effectively with any incidents should they occur. Staff and pupils challenge prejudice and intolerance if they encounter it.
• Pupils are taught to use the internet appropriately, and they learn how to stay safe in a range of situations. For example, they are taught about personal safety and how to protect themselves from the dangers of grooming.
• Procedures are in place to ensure that personal development, behaviour and welfare are promoted well in alternative provision. Robust safeguarding procedures, which are monitored by the local authority, help to keep pupils safe.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well in the different settings and in lessons. The learning of others is very rarely disrupted.
• Pupils’ behaviour is managed well. Staff are trained in de-escalating situations and there are now fewer instances of inappropriate behaviour.
• Pupils who find it more challenging to manage their own behaviour are effectively supported to improve their conduct. There have been no permanent exclusions and fixed-term exclusions are extremely rare.
• Some pupils always attend regularly, and many have been helped to improve their attendance considerably. However, overall absence rates are too high. Improving attendance is a key priority for the service.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Almost all pupils move onto appropriate and sustained destinations when they leave the provision. Most go to colleges or schools, some complete training, and a few enter employment with training. Many pupils who did not regularly attend school in the past are now re-engaged in education.
• Staff prepare pupils well for the next stage of their lives. They help pupils to fill gaps in their knowledge, develop their confidence and nurture the social skills that they will need for adult life.
• Attainment is improving. Some pupils, particularly those who receive home tuition, gain high grade GCSE passes in many subjects. In 2018, pupils achieved a range of qualifications, including GCSEs in English, mathematics, science, history and religious education. Almost all pupils gained appropriate accreditation in English and mathematics.
• Reading is promoted throughout the curriculum. Pupils are encouraged to read in lessons and for pleasure. The service has many reading materials that pupils can access.
• Systems are now in place to track the progress of pupils who attend the service for short periods of time. Staff liaise with pupils, parents and their home schools to provide suitable activities to support pupils’ learning when they are in the hospital. This helps pupils to continue to make progress.
• Current pupils, including those with SEND, are making good progress in a range of subjects, including English and mathematics. However, some pupils who attend the annexe and others who receive home tuition do not have access to a wide enough range of accredited qualifications.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 134970 Coventry 10058516 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Pupil referral unit School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Pupil referral unit 4 to 16 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 10 Appropriate authority Interim executive board Chair Acting head of service Telephone number Website James Gillum Sharon Cutler 02476 337734 www.coventry.gov.uk/hospitaleducationservice Email address Sharon.Cutler@coventry.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 6–7 November 2012

Information about this school

• The Hospital Education Service is situated on three paediatric wards within a large general hospital. Most pupils are very short-term admissions.
• In January 2019, the Whitmore Park Annexe became an integral part of the Hospital Education Service. It had previously been inspected separately.
• Most pupils who attend the annexe have an EHC plan. Many had poor attendance in their previous schools.
• The service also provides home tuition for pupils from Coventry who are unable to access schooling due to an accident, illness or personal circumstances.
• At the time of the inspection, 28 pupils were being educated in the hospital, 10 attended the annexe and 51 pupils were provided with home tuition.
• A very small number of pupils attend alternative provision at Belgrade Theatre and Moor Farm Stables on a part-time basis.
• The former head of service retired in August 2018. The current acting head of service has led the Hospital Education Service and the Whitmore Park Annexe since September 2018. The management committee was replaced by an IEB in January 2019.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors made short visits to lessons taught at hospital bedsides and observed learning in hospital classrooms, at the annexe and in pupils’ homes. All these observations took place with the acting head of service or the local authority’s head of alternative provision.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils formally and informally and considered five responses to the pupil questionnaire. The lead inspector also looked at 37 responses to the service’s most recent pupil feedback form.
• Meetings were held with the acting head of service, the acting deputy head of service, the SENCo and members of staff. The lead inspector analysed 14 responses to the staff questionnaire.
• The lead inspector met with the chair of the interim executive board, the chair of the management committee of the Coventry extended learning centre and the head of alternative provision from the local authority. He had telephone conversations with Coventry’s director of education and the local authority’s lead for work-related learning.
• There were not enough responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, to be analysed. The lead inspector considered 41 responses to the service’s parent feedback form.
• Various documents were scrutinised, including the service’s self-evaluation, and information about pupils’ progress, behaviour and attendance. Documents relating to safeguarding were checked and inspectors looked at published information on the service’s website.

Inspection team

Simon Mosley, lead inspector Sarah Ashley Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector