Brompton Hall School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Many pupils and staff do not feel safe. The school is not calm and orderly.

Too often, serious behaviour incidents lead to disrupted learning for pupils. The school's behaviour policy is not effective in supporting pupils to behave well.

Most pupils feel that they have a trusted adult to talk to if they have any concerns.

However, some pupils and staff do not feel that bullying is dealt with well. Pupils and staff shared with inspectors that racist and homophobic language and name-calling are common.

There is not a strong culture of safeguarding in the school.

Leaders do not take prompt action where pupils may be vulnerable or at risk.
<...br/>The range of extra-curricular activities that pupils have been able to attend has been affected by the pandemic. Because of some staff's concerns about managing pupils' challenging behaviour, the range of trips and visits has been reduced.

The curriculum is not ambitious and does not support pupils to achieve well. Some staff who support pupils to read are not trained in the school's phonics programme. This means that pupils who struggle to read are not supported well.

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

Leaders have not ensured that the school's curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. Some pupils sit their examinations in Years 9 and 10. Leaders took this decision because many pupils have weak attendance by the time they reach Year 11.

Rather than taking suitable action to improve pupils' attendance, leaders have made the decision to enter pupils for examinations early. This is not in pupils' best interests because they have not studied their subjects in sufficient depth to be ready to undertake the examinations.

Leaders have developed the 'pathways programme'.

This aims to offer an individual curriculum for pupils who are struggling to learn in groups. The programme does not take account of pupils' needs, as set out in their education, health and care (EHC) plans. The special educational needs and/or disability (SEND) coordinator does not have input into the programme.

As a result, pupils' needs are not well met.

The curriculum has not been thought through with sufficient care. Staff are not clear about the crucial knowledge and skills that pupils need to know in each subject.

Primary pupils do not learn a language until Year 6. This is not in line with the national curriculum. Curriculum planning in Years 9, 10 and 11 focuses too much on preparing pupils for examinations rather than helping pupils to acquire important knowledge.

Some staff's subject knowledge is not strong. This is because they have not received subject-specific training. The curriculum is not planned well to enable pupils to revisit important subject knowledge.

As a result, pupils find it difficult to remember what they have been taught previously. Leaders do not check that the curriculum is meeting the needs of all pupils.

The support for pupils to become confident readers is variable.

There are limited opportunities for pupils to develop their reading skills across some areas of the curriculum. For instance, in history, pupils do not have access to extended texts. Some staff have not been trained in the school's phonics programme.

Pupils who struggle to read are not helped to catch up quickly.

Some pupils who join Brompton Hall School have been out of school for some time. When pupils join the school, leaders do not ensure suitable induction arrangements.

Systems to assess their needs are not robust. Appropriate learning plans and risk assessments are not in place for all pupils.

There are a significant number of serious incidents of poor behaviour.

Physical restraint is used regularly on pupils. Staff feel that they have been 'firefighting' some pupils' disruptive behaviour for some time. Some staff lack confidence in using techniques to de-escalate unacceptable behaviour because they have not had sufficient training.

Rewards and sanctions are not applied consistently. When pupils reach crisis point, it can lead to increasingly dangerous behaviour that puts them and staff at risk.

Pupils' attendance is low and has worsened over time.

Leaders do not do enough to get pupils back into school when they do not attend well.

Pupils told inspectors that they know how to keep safe online. However, the school's own records show that there are a number of internet searches made by pupils that are inappropriate, and these are a cause for concern.

The school's records do not show that these incidents are dealt with consistently well. There are few opportunities for pupils to develop their spiritual knowledge and understanding. Pupils do not have a good knowledge of different faiths and cultures.

The school has written a relationships and sex education (RSE) policy, but leaders have not asked parents and carers for their views about this.

Governance is weak. Governors have not challenged leaders to improve the school.

They have not checked to ensure that pupils and staff feel safe, and are safe. Governors failed to act on the recommendations from the local authority's recent safeguarding review. Staff morale has been low for some time.

Many staff feel that there is a blame culture and that they are not treated fairly. Governors have not taken action to address this.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

There is not a strong culture of safeguarding. Safer recruitment checks on staff are not robust. Necessary checks are not carried out on work-experience and alternative education providers to ensure that pupils are safe.

Some pupils have not attended school for some time and it has been agreed that these pupils can stay at home. Leaders do not assure themselves that these pupils are safe. Referrals were made to the local authority during the inspection for pupils who had not been in school for some time.

Safeguarding records are weak. They do not reflect when actions are taken or fully detail follow-up action by staff.

Some staff and pupils do not feel safe because of other pupils' unsafe behaviour.

Some pupils abscond from school. Others have been found on the school roof. Leaders have failed to put suitable arrangements in place to minimise these risks.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Pupils are at risk because leaders have not ensured a strong culture of safeguarding in school. Necessary safeguarding checks are not made on staff before their appointment. Suitable checks are not made on work-experience and alternative provision placements.

Safeguarding records do not detail the actions taken to protect pupils who are at risk of harm. Leaders must ensure that all statutory checks are made on staff before their appointment to ensure that they are safe to work with children. Leaders, including governors, should take urgent action to ensure that the arrangements to safeguard pupils are effective.

• Governors have not challenged leaders to tackle the significant weaknesses in the school. Governors have not ensured that they fulfil their statutory duties. They have not ensured that safeguarding arrangements are effective or that serious behaviour incidents reduce.

Governors should ensure that they receive the training they need so that they can hold leaders to account effectively in order to rapidly improve the school. ? Serious behaviour incidents are common. Staff use physical restraint too often.

Pupils are not well supported to improve their behaviour. Leaders need to ensure that staff are trained and feel confident in using techniques to de-escalate serious behaviour. Leaders should also ensure that the curriculum supports pupils to develop strategies to regulate their behaviour.

• Pupils are not prepared well for life in modern Britain. Racist, homophobic and other inappropriate language is commonplace. Leaders need to ensure that pupils are taught to understand more about racism and homophobia so that inappropriate language is eliminated.

• Leaders have not planned a curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils. The scope of the curriculum does not meet pupils' needs well. The curriculum does not set out the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn.

Some pupils sit their GCSE examinations before they have studied the subject well enough.Primary-age pupils do not access a languages curriculum when they should. Leaders should ensure that a well-planned curriculum is in place that provides pupils with sufficient time to study subjects in depth and ensures that they are not entered for examinations early when they are not ready.

• Leaders have not ensured that staff have the subject knowledge to teach the curriculum well. Sequences of lessons are not well planned to help pupils to revisit and remember key knowledge. Leaders should ensure that staff receive the necessary subject-specific training so that they can deliver the curriculum effectively.

• Some staff are not trained in the school's phonics programme. As a result, some pupils who struggle to read are not well supported to catch up quickly. Leaders should ensure that staff are trained so that they can deliver the school's phonics programme effectively.