Bradford District PRU Ofsted Report

Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• As a matter of urgency, improve the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding arrangements by making sure that:
  • pupils’ behaviour, including the use of physical restraint, is managed safely and effectively at the vocational centre and at all alternative placements
  • the safeguarding policies at all alternative placements are up to date and all staff are knowledgeable about how to promote pupils’ safety and welfare.
• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and governance by making sure that:
  • leaders and the management committee have an accurate and comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the school’s performance improvement plans are sharply focused on the school’s key weaknesses and are regularly and robustly reviewed and updated
  • performance management is used to drive improvement in teaching, accelerate pupils’ progress and hold teachers and leaders rigorously to account
  • leaders and the management committee closely monitor the impact of additional funding on the attendance and achievement of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those at alternative placements.
• Improve the quality of teaching and accelerate the progress pupils make, especially pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those at alternative placements by making sure that:
  • teachers use assessment information to plan learning activities which are interesting, motivating and closely matched to pupils’ interests and levels of ability
  • teachers have strong subject knowledge and understand how to adapt learning activities and resources to meet pupils’ special educational needs
  • teachers assess pupils’ learning and progress accurately, identify errors and misconceptions in their work and tackle them effectively.
• As a matter of urgency, improve the level of attendance and reduce persistent absence. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the school’s use of pupil premium funding should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

• Senior leaders and the management committee have not made sure that pupils are safe or that they receive an acceptable standard of education. The arrangements for safeguarding pupils at some alternative placements give serious cause for concern. Similarly, weaknesses in teaching, learning and assessment combined with unacceptably high levels of absence have a detrimental effect on the progress pupils make, especially pupils who have special education needs and/or disabilities and those at some alternative placements.
• Senior leaders care deeply about pupils and want them to learn well, make progress and be better prepared for the next stage of their lives. However, the improvements leaders have made have not had the necessary impact on the quality of provision and the outcomes achieved by pupils. Crucially, the management committee and the local authority have not done enough to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to tackle the significant weaknesses in the quality of education at Bradford District PRU.
• During 2015/16, senior leaders reviewed the effectiveness of the alternative placements that were commissioned for individual pupils and groups of pupils. As a result of concerns identified at the time, some alternative placements for pupils were ceased and new provision was created at the Anerley Street Vocational Centre. Despite these changes, the quality of education at the vocational centre and across the range of alternative placements varies too widely. Consequently, pupils underachieve considerably.
• Although pupil premium funding is used to enhance and extend the curriculum and to support targeted interventions for disadvantaged pupils, the impact of this additional funding is not evaluated robustly enough by senior leaders or the management committee. There is an unacceptable lack of clarity about how additional funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is allocated to the school or how it is used to identify, assess and meet their needs. As a result, some pupils’ needs are unmet and their outcomes are poor.
• Senior leaders have a developing understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This is because they are beginning to monitor the effectiveness of provision at the vocational centre and at alternative placements more systematically. However, monitoring reports highlight serious concerns about the arrangements for safeguarding pupils, levels of attendance and persistent absence, pupils’ behaviour and welfare and the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, especially at some alternative placements. These weaknesses are not identified clearly enough in the school’s summary self-evaluation and the school’s improvement plan does not focus sharply enough on how they will be tackled. The management committee does not have a clear view of many areas of the school’s effectiveness. Collectively, the actions taken by senior leaders, the management committee and the local authority have lacked the necessary urgency and decisiveness.
• Systems to support improvement are developing as a result of some determined work by senior and middle leaders. For example, performance management plans have a sharper focus on improving teaching, the outcomes pupils achieve, and ensuring a more comprehensive programme of training and development is in place. Similarly, senior and middle leaders are monitoring key areas of the school’s work more effectively and a range of strategies to improve attendance have been developed and implemented. Much of this work is new and, at this stage, has had too little impact.
• Recent changes to the curriculum and the way pupils’ learning and progress are measured and tracked are beginning to impact on pupils. This is especially the case in English and mathematics at the vocational centre.
• Pupils’ moral and social development is promoted increasingly well because they are encouraged to participate in a range of activities and are expected to cooperate with other people and take responsibility for their behaviour and actions. The personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme at the vocational centre is effective because pupils are increasingly knowledgeable about how to keep healthy and stay safe. Importantly though, the quality of the curriculum across alternative placements is too variable.

Governance of the school

• The governance of the school is not effective.
• The management committee does not have robust oversight of the school’s safeguarding arrangements.
• Although the management committee meets regularly to discuss important areas of the school’s work, it has not done enough to assure itself that pupils’ behaviour is managed safely and well. Serious concerns about pupils’ safety and welfare, including those reported by senior leaders, have not been addressed robustly enough.
• The management committee does not have an accurate view of the school’s effectiveness. There is weak oversight of the use and impact of additional funding for pupils who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.
• Senior leaders and the management committee have not made sure that safeguarding arrangements are effective and that pupils’ behaviour is managed safely and well. Too little has been done to ensure that pupils attend regularly and are safe at the vocational centre and at all the alternative placements used by the school. In contrast, the support and help provided for the most vulnerable pupils is well coordinated and effective. Case files show that concerns about pupils are identified quickly, and timely and effective action is taken when pupils need help and protection.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment varies too widely at the vocational centre and across alternative placements. Too often, learning activities do not interest or engage pupils and sometimes, the work set does not build on what they already know and understand. As a result, the progress pupils make is too variable.
• Some teachers do not have secure subject knowledge, for example in English, mathematics and information and communication technology (ICT). As a result, they do not spot and tackle errors or misconceptions in pupils’ work quickly enough. This means that pupils do not develop their understanding of new ideas or concepts or gain confidence in using and applying their knowledge and skills.
• The needs of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are not identified or assessed well enough and there are too many occasions when their needs are not met. Teachers do not have a robust enough understanding of how to adapt learning activities and resources so that this group of pupils learn well and make strong progress. Thus, pupils who need support and those with an education, health and care plan underachieve.
• Some teachers at the vocational centre assess pupils’ starting points skilfully and accurately and plan learning activities which are closely matched to their different levels of ability and are interesting, motivating and challenging. Some pupils respond well to this approach and the work in their books and folders shows that they make stronger progress. Too often, however, the progress pupils make is hindered by poor or irregular attendance.
• Teachers and other staff work hard to build and maintain positive relationships with pupils. They are quick to praise pupils for their effort and achievement. Equally, teachers and other staff challenge pupils about their use of inappropriate language calmly and purposefully and they are patient, but persistent, in the way they encourage pupils to settle and keep focused on the work they are set.
• A new approach to supporting pupils who need help to improve their reading has been developed and implemented recently. Pupils’ reading skills are assessed effectively and support is well targeted and carefully planned.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate. This is because safeguarding is ineffective and, as a result, pupils’ safety and welfare are not promoted sufficiently well.
• At times, pupils work hard, have positive attitudes and enjoy learning. They willingly follow direction from adults and value the help and support they receive. Too often, however, pupils resist direction from adults and at times refuse to cooperate. Some pupils are not developing the positive attitudes they need to learn well, make good progress and be well prepared for the next stage of their education or training.
• Aspects of pupils’ personal development and welfare are taught well. The school’s personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme provides pupils with essential information about keeping healthy and staying safe, including valuable insights into personal safety and the risks associated with alcohol and drug use. Pupils said that this is helping them to understand the consequences of the decisions they make. Some pupils told inspectors that they trust the adults who care for them because they listen to them and act on what they say.
• The proportion of Year 11 pupils moving successfully on to further education or training has increased steadily since the school’s last inspection. Pupils receive helpful information, advice and guidance about their next steps. However, senior leaders do not systematically check whether pupils sustain their places on college courses or at training placements.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is inadequate. Pupils’ behaviour is not managed safely or well at the vocational centre or at all alternative placements. There are frequent incidents of violent and aggressive behaviour at some alternative placements and records of these incidents, including those involving the use of physical restraint, are either incomplete or insufficiently detailed. It is simply not possible for senior leaders or the management committee to be assured that pupils’ behaviour is managed safely. As a result, the oversight of this aspect of pupils’ safety and welfare is inadequate.
• Although there has been recent improvement, levels of attendance are unacceptably low. Pupils’ poor or irregular attendance has a profoundly negative effect on their learning and progress. This is especially the case for pupils who have an education, health and care plan and those attending some alternative placements. In contrast, pupils who are looked after by the local authority attend regularly. Equally, some pupils who have previously had high levels of absence have improved their attendance at the vocational centre and one alternative placement because of effective intervention and support.
• Some pupils are polite and respectful in the way they interact with adults and each other. This is because teachers and teaching assistants model these behaviours and give pupils timely reminders about the way they speak to each other and the language they use. These positive and respectful interactions are not the norm at the vocational centre or at all alternative placements.

Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

• The progress pupils make from their different starting points in English, mathematics and a wide range of subjects and courses varies too widely. Pupils who have an education, health and care plan and those at some alternative placements underachieve significantly. Pupils’ serially poor or irregular attendance has an unacceptably negative impact on the outcomes they achieve.
• Senior leaders have developed and implemented new systems for assessing pupils’ starting points and tracking their learning and progress. Some pupils’ starting points in English and mathematics, for example, are assessed accurately and the work in their books and folders shows that they are developing their knowledge, skills and understanding. In some cases, pupils make strong progress and achieve a range of entry level and Level 1 qualifications. However, too many pupils, especially those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those at some alternative placements, do not achieve the targets they have been set. Although there are no significant differences between the progress made by disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in the school, the outcomes achieved by both groups of pupils are inadequate.
• In 2016, Year 10 and 11 pupils achieved a range of entry level and Level 1 and 2 awards and certificates, including GCSE qualifications in English, mathematics, ICT and religious studies and the Level 2 Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (CoPE). The qualifications achieved by pupils varied widely across subjects and placements, as did the progress they made from their different starting points.
• Assessment information indicates that Year 10 and 11 pupils are making faster progress in reading as a result of better intervention and support. Similarly, the work in some pupils’ English books shows that they are developing their writing skills and the standard of their writing, especially in their shorter written responses to examination questions.
• In 2016, almost all Year 11 pupils moved successfully on to college courses, training placements or apprenticeships. Very few pupils were not in employment, education and training or were in employment with no training. The proportion of pupils moving on successfully increased year on year from 2012/13 to 2015/16.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 135732 Bradford 10003952 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Pupil referral unit School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Pupil referral unit 14 to 16 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 154 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Local authority Brent Fitzpatrick John Kane 01274 729 402 districtpru.co.uk admin@districtpru.bradford.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 23–24 January 2013

Information about this school

• Bradford District PRU is a pupil referral unit for 14- to 16-year-olds who have been permanently excluded from primary or secondary schools or have previously attended a maintained or non-maintained special school.
• Bradford PRU operates from Anerley Street Vocational Centre and at six alterative placements: Bradford College; James UK; Leeds City College, Keighley Campus; Prism; Ummid; and All Star Entertainment. In addition, pupils are supported by SkillForce, a national education charity. Many pupils have full-time alternative placements.
• A high proportion of pupils need support for their special educational needs and/or disabilities and about one quarter have an education, health and care plan.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is much higher than the national average for secondary schools.
• Pupils are referred to Bradford District PRU throughout the school year. The number of pupils on roll varies considerably but increases as the school year progresses.
• The headteacher is supported by an associate headteacher and an assistant headteacher who is also the school’s special educational needs coordinator.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning on both days of the inspection. They spoke to pupils, listened to them read and examined the work in their books and folders. Several lessons were visited jointly with the headteacher and associate headteacher. Inspectors also visited pupils at All Star Entertainment, Leeds City College, Keighley Campus and Bradford College.
• Meetings were held with teachers, senior and middle leaders, members of the management committee, including the chair and the vice-chair of the management committee, and a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors met with pupils and spoke informally to them at lunchtime and throughout the school day. Inspectors considered 31 responses to the online staff questionnaire.
• Inspectors examined documents relating to governance, self-evaluation, school improvement planning, pupils’ progress, attendance, behaviour, the curriculum and safeguarding.

Inspection team

Nick Whittaker, lead inspector Zoe Westley

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector