Ofsted report
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Bridgeway PRU
| Unique Reference Number | 133918 |
|---|---|
| Local Authority | Tameside |
| Inspection number | 341413 |
| Inspection dates | 22–23 April 2010 |
| Reporting inspector | David Smith |
This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.
| Type of school | Pupil referral unit |
|---|---|
| School category | Pupil referral unit |
| Age range of pupils | 5–16 |
| Gender of pupils | Mixed |
| Number of pupils on the school roll | 28 |
| Appropriate authority | The governing body |
| Chair | Mr Malcolm Knight |
| Headteacher | Mrs Mary Cullen |
| Date of previous school inspection | 18 April 2007 |
| School address | New Century House |
| Victoria Road, Dukinfield | |
| Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester SK16 4XS | |
| Telephone number | 0161 330 7970 |
| Fax number | 0161 330 7435 |
| Email address | mary.cullen@bridgeway-pru.tameside.sch.uk |
| Age group | 5–16 |
|---|---|
| Inspection dates | 22–23 April 2010 |
| Inspection number | 341413 |
ofsted.gov.uk
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Introduction
This inspection was carried out by an additional inspector. The inspector spent the majority of his time looking at learning. The inspector observed five lessons each with a different teacher. The inspector also visited two part lessons and spent an hour at the hospital classroom. Meetings were held with a parent, groups of pupils, members of the management committee and staff. The inspector looked at the pupils' work books, assessment information about their progress, records of the centre's review of its work, the current development plan and documentation to ensure that the pupils are safe. In addition, the inspector read 16 questionnaires completed by parents and carers as well as 12 staff and 18 pupil questionnaires.
The inspection reviewed many aspects of the centre's work. It looked in detail at the following:
- how well the leadership of the centre promotes continual improvement
- the collection, evaluation and use of data
- the centre's arrangements for safeguarding
- the effectiveness of the centre's curriculum
- the impact of attendance on pupils' achievement.
Information about the school
Bridgeway PRU (pupil referral unit) is situated on two sites which are three miles apart. New Century House caters for pupils in Years 7 to 11 who have an illness or injury that prevents them from attending school, including many that have diagnosed mental health problems. There are currently 21 pupils on this site and most are in Year 11 with a similar number of boys and girls. Pregnant schoolgirls and young mothers also attend this site. The pupils have a complex range of needs and an increasing number have autistic spectrum disorders. The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is 36%. Almost all pupils are of White British background and a very small minority are in public care. A large majority of the pupils remain on the register of their local secondary school. The hospital classroom caters for pupils in Years 1 to 11 who are short-term patients or day patients at Tameside General Hospital. The PRU has National Healthy School status. The headteacher retired in August 2009. The school is currently led by an acting headteacher and deputy headteacher whilst the local authority reviews the staffing in their PRUs.
| Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate |
|---|
| Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms |
Inspection judgements
Overall effectiveness: how good is the school? | 2 |
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The school's capacity for sustained improvement | 2 |
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Main findings
The Bridgeway PRU provides a good education for its pupils. Pupils are provided with the highest quality of care, guidance and support, which often transforms their opportunities to succeed. They develop the confidence and aspirations to enjoy their education, feel very safe in the centre and achieve well. The centre is tenacious in ensuring that every opportunity is provided for the pupils and that they develop the confidence to excel in settings such as their work and college placements. Partnerships with other agencies, a local special school, mainstream schools and colleges make an excellent contribution to the pupils' learning and well-being. Also, the centre works exceptionally well with parents and carers to raise the pupils' confidence and ambition to achieve. Major improvements are made in the attendance of most pupils and non-attendance is usually linked to medical issues. However, there are a few instances where a pupil's reluctance to attend leads to satisfactory rather than good achievement and the centre is considering extending their range of strategies to address this issue. The staff works well as a team at New Century House and have the subject expertise to offer a wide range of courses that engage the pupils. This ensures that the pupils achieve well and attain the accreditation required to move to the next stage of education or employment. Information and communication technology (ICT) is used well in a minority of subjects but this is not consistent across the curriculum. The large majority of pupils take the opportunity to be involved in physical activity as part of their good progress in developing healthy lifestyles. The outstanding teamwork at the hospital classroom and excellent links with other agencies, combined with a flexible curriculum, ensures that the pupils achieve well.
The acting headteacher and deputy headteacher know the centre well and are fully aware of the strengths and areas for development. Self-review now involves all staff and this helps to ensure that they have a shared vision and ambition for improvement. The role of subject leaders has been extended and they are helping to raise expectations across the centre in the drive to increase the amount of outstanding teaching and learning. The variation in the quality of lesson planning is an aspect that requires improvement to ensure that there is an increased focus on learning rather than the tasks in lessons. The management committee values the work of the senior leaders and provides well informed challenge which helps to sustain the centre's good capacity for continual improvement. The centre provides good value for money.
What does the school need to do to improve further?
- Ensure that lesson planning is consistently good and makes clear what pupils will learn.
- Extend the use of ICT to boost pupils' learning in other subjects including mathematics and science.
- Ensure that by building on the centre's links with other agencies and partnerships with parents, that pupils who are reluctant to attend the centre attend regularly.
Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils | 2 |
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When the pupils start at the centre they are working at levels which are well below average. During their time at the centre most pupils make good and at times outstanding progress, as they become more confident, and thoroughly enjoy their learning. By the end of Year 11 attainment is broadly average. Achievement is therefore good and reflects the positive impact of the centre on the pupils' attitude to work. The pupils are successful in sustaining progress and make up for very significant deficits in their past educational history. A parent commented that her son had, 'achieved well beyond her highest expectations'. Attendance is broadly average but the small minority of pupils with continued poor attendance make satisfactory rather than good progress. This limits the pupils' preparation for their future economic well-being to satisfactory. The achievement of groups of pupils including those eligible for free school meals and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are consistent with their peers in the centre. Particularly good progress is made in English as the pupils work towards their challenging targets in writing and reading. The pupils respond well to the teachers' high expectations in mathematics and achieve well. Their progress in GCSE science is good as pupils are effectively motivated and enjoy their practical work. Pupils take great pride in their work in all subjects and their folders are a credit to them. The pupils' artwork is displayed throughout the centre and reflects the pupils' particularly good progress in this subject. The pupils in the hospital classroom achieve well as their learning needs are met so effectively.
The centre provides a highly supportive environment and provides pupils with the security and confidence to behave well in this cohesive and harmonious community. The inclusive ethos and calm setting provides the pupils with the opportunity to form friendships that often continue when they leave. The pupils are more willing to exercise regularly and take a keen interest in the food provided at the centre. They have requested a more varied menu and, as a result, hot food will be provided in the near future. The greatest progress is made in the development of the pupils' self-esteem and confidence. This often transforms the pupils' life opportunities and they openly discuss what a major impact the centre has on their lives. They feel very safe and form friendships. A pupil stated that he had never felt, 'at home in any other school'. The pupils talk enthusiastically about the recent residential trip. They helped to plan the trip and took part in activities that were very challenging. The pupils take a full and active part in the assemblies which contribute to their good spiritual, moral and social development. However, they make satisfactory progress in their understanding of life in a culturally diverse society.
These are the grades for pupils' outcomes
| Pupils' achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning Taking into account: Pupils' attainment¹ The quality of pupils' learning and their progress The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress | 2 |
| 3 | |
| 2 | |
| 2 | |
| The extent to which pupils feel safe | 1 |
| Pupils' behaviour | 2 |
| The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles | 2 |
| The extent to which pupils contribute to the school and wider community | 2 |
| The extent to which pupils develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being Taking into account: Pupils' attendance¹ | 3 |
| 3 | |
| The extent of pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development | 2 |
1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4 is low
How effective is the provision?
The teachers' good knowledge of their subjects makes a major contribution to the pupils' good progress. This helps to maintain high expectations across a wide range of externally accredited courses. The teaching assistants provide a good balance of support and challenge to help boost the pupils' learning. The pupils are made fully aware of the requirements of each of the courses they are studying and work hard to make up for lost time. There is variation in the effectiveness of the lesson planning. The majority of the planning does focus on learning but a minority of the plans are less clear and this contributes to a very small minority of lessons that result in satisfactory rather than good progress. The excellent teamwork in the hospital classroom ensures that the pupils' wide range of learning needs is effectively met.
The curriculum is flexible as it is responsive to the pupils' complex and individual needs. There is a strong focus on the promotion of literacy and numeracy in other subjects with, for example, good opportunities for pupils to extend their writing. Information and communication technology is used well in subjects such as art to research the work of other artists. However, opportunities are missed to use new technology to extend pupils' learning in subjects such as mathematics and science. The pupils are positive about their work-placements and these help to inform their decision for future careers. The pupils' involvement in the Duke of Edinburgh Award helps to enrich and extend their curriculum. They would appreciate an increase in the activities provided after school to help further extend their achievement and personal development.
The commitment and expertise of the staff ensures that the pupils are provided with the highest levels of care, guidance and support. Each pupil has a key teacher who ensures that there is someone to talk with if they have any concerns. Pupils enjoy, for example, sharing a game of chess with a member of staff, which helps to build strong relationships. Also, members of staff eat their lunch with the pupils and that provides an excellent opportunity to develop their social skills. Pupils are encouraged to travel independently, which helps to prepare them for life after school. The centre and other agencies work very hard to promote good attendance and this is helped, for example, by a flexible taxi service. However, the centre is determined to extend their very good systems with an even sharper focus on pupils who are reluctant to attend school.
These are the grades for the quality of provision
| The quality of teaching Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning | 2 |
| 2 | |
| The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships | 2 |
| The effectiveness of care, guidance and support | 1 |
How effective are leadership and management?
The acting headteacher and deputy headteacher are confident and well-established members of staff. They lead the centre well and have effectively tackled the areas for development identified in the previous inspection. The senior leaders are effectively supported by a team of subject leaders who have increased levels of accountability, including responsibility for the leadership of school improvement priorities. The leadership of the hospital classroom is very enthusiastic and particularly good. Excellent working partnerships are established with other agencies and their spacious new hospital classroom is close to completion. The staff team on both sites share the vision for improvement and are fully involved in the self-review and planning processes. The management committee have a good range of expertise and provide very good support on safeguarding which helps to ensure that procedures are effective. The subject plans and centre improvement plans provide a manageable number of clear priorities for improvement. However, the success criteria do not have sufficient reference to pupil achievement. The excellent promotion of equality is central to the centre's ethos and the very best interests of the pupils are placed at the heart of their work. The centre is extending its effective promotion of community cohesion by developing its links with schools in other countries. The centre's very positive partnerships with parents help to boost the pupils' confidence and raise their aspirations to achieve. An ex-pupil described his very positive experiences at the centre and is now embarking on a career in politics.
These are the grades for leadership and management
| The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning | 2 |
| 2 | |
| The effectiveness of the governing body in challenging and supporting the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities met | 2 |
| The effectiveness of the school's engagement with parents and carers | 1 |
| The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being | 1 |
| The effectiveness with which the school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination | 1 |
| The effectiveness of safeguarding procedures | 2 |
| The effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion | 2 |
| The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources to achieve value for money | 2 |
Views of parents and carers
The overwhelming majority of questionnaire responses from the parents and carers were positive. Remarks such as, 'The school has gone out of it way to support my son.' and 'They regularly update me on any progress.' are representative of the views of parents and carers. They are particularly pleased with the opportunities provided for their child to complete examinations and appreciate the way the centre helps to raise their child's level of confidence. All parents and carers who completed the questionnaire agree that the centre is led and managed effectively.
Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted's questionnaire
Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Bridgeway PRU to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school.
In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school.
The inspector received 16 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 34 pupils registered at the school.
| Statements | Strongly agree | Agree | Disagree | Strongly disagree | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | Total | % | |
| My child enjoys school | 4 | 25 | 9 | 56 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| The school keeps my child safe | 11 | 69 | 5 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| My school informs me about my child's progress | 10 | 63 | 6 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| My child is making enough progress at this school | 11 | 69 | 4 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The teaching is good at this school | 13 | 81 | 2 | 13 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| The school helps me to support my child's learning | 7 | 44 | 9 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle | 6 | 38 | 9 | 56 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) | 13 | 81 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The school meets my child's particular needs | 14 | 88 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour | 10 | 63 | 6 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns | 9 | 56 | 7 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| The school is led and managed effectively | 12 | 75 | 4 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school | 13 | 81 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.
Glossary
What inspection judgements mean
| Grade | Judgement | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | Outstanding | These features are highly effective. An oustanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs. |
| Grade 2 | Good | These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. |
| Grade 3 | Satisfactory | These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. |
| Grade 4 | Inadequate | These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves. |
Overall effectiveness of schools
| Overall effectiveness judgement (percentage of schools) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type of school | Outstanding | Good | Satisfactory | Inadequate |
| Nursery schools | 51 | 45 | 0 | 4 |
| Primary schools | 6 | 41 | 42 | 10 |
| Secondary schools | 8 | 34 | 44 | 14 |
| Sixth forms | 10 | 37 | 50 | 3 |
| Special schools | 32 | 38 | 25 | 5 |
| Pupil referral units | 12 | 43 | 31 | 14 |
| All schools | 9 | 40 | 40 | 10 |
The data in the table above is for the period 1 September to 31 December 2009 and is the most recently published data available (see ofsted.gov.uk). Please note that the sample of schools inspected during the autumn term 2009 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.
Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Secondary school figures include those that have sixth forms, and sixth form figures include only the data specifically for sixth form inspection judgements.
Common terminology used by inspectors
| Achievement: | the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training. |
| Attainment: | the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons. |
| Capacity to improve: | the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement. |
| Leadership and management: | the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school. |
| Learning: | how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners. |
| Overall effectiveness: | inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be. |
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| Progress: | the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started. |
This letter is provided for the school, parents and
carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's
main findings from the inspection of their school.
|
26 April 2010
Dear Pupils
Inspection of Bridgeway PRU, Ashton-under-Lyne, SK16 4XS
Thank you for all the help you gave me when I visited your centre. I enjoyed talking to you, sitting in lessons and watching the assembly. You told me that the centre makes a great difference to your confidence and the progress you make in your learning. It is clear that you value highly the life-changing opportunities that the centre offers you. I hope that you will enjoy a more varied menu in the future.
This letter is to tell you about some of the things I found while I was with you. It is a good centre where you feel safe and secure and enjoy taking part in the wide range of interesting and meaningful activities. The staff team go to considerable lengths to work with other people to ensure that you all have every opportunity to succeed. The teaching you receive is good and the centre is well led and managed.
I have asked your headteacher and the other staff to ensure that the planning for your lessons helps to boost your progress. Also, I have asked them to consider whether more opportunities could be found for you to use computers in lessons. The large majority of you attend the centre regularly but I would like to see the attendance of a very small minority of you improve.
I wish each of you every success in the future and hope that you all attend the centre whenever you can to ensure that you are well prepared for your future education or employment.
Yours sincerely
Mr David Smith
Lead inspector
| Any complaints about the inspection or the report should be made following the procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: ofsted.gov.uk. If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 08456 404045, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. |