NEWCASTLE BRIDGES SCHOOLSUMMARY SEF 2015-16
KEY ISSUES RELATING TO CONTEXTNewcastle Bridges is a multi-site (4 main educational sites) Foundation Special School (formerly a Community Special School incorporating hospital education) for 170 pupils. The school is part of the Compass Trust, made up of four of the city’s special schools.
Our "catchment" is generally regional and in some units national/international. The vast majority of pupils are dual registered with the mainstream school retaining responsibility for the pupil and NBS being the subsidiary school. Most pupils have significant or substantial mental health/medical issues which impacts significantly upon their capacity to learn and progress.
Departments of Newcastle Bridges School:
NBS at the Alnwood Unit - A national medium secure unit for adolescents who have mental health issues, Learning Disabilities and have been detained under the Mental Health Act and many through courts of law. Most pupils have not attended school during the statutory period and have consequently under achieved significantly. This is a 22 bedded unit.
NBS at the Great North Children’s Hospital (and Freeman Hospital’s Heart and Lung Ward) - Hospital ward teaching for all statutory school aged pupils. Pupils attending are mostly tertiary referrals for specialist Health departments, e.g. Burns, Oncology, Renal Dialysis and Acquired Brain Injury. Some pupils e.g. those with acquired brain injuries, face a future very different from their previous life. For such pupils prior attainment may no longer be useful and due to the nature of the condition fluctuations in ability may occur for a considerable period of time before stabilisation. Referrals are regional, national and occasionally international.
NBS at Ferndene - Psychiatric Unit teaching on two sites, these units are at Ferndene which is the main site and the Complex Neuro-Developmental Service (CNDS) at Walkergate Hospital. Pupils attending Children and Young Peoples Service (CYPS) facilities are Tier 4 mental health referrals and have significant problems requiring specialised input, e.g. learning disabilities and difficulties, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Psychosis, self-harming behaviours. Ferndene has 40 beds (one ward is low secure) and Walkergate takes up to 8 children at any one time for initial assessment with respect to Pervasive Developmental Delay. Referrals to Ferndene are national. The complexity of patients on different wards gives rise to different challenges in respect to educational engagement and priorities.
NBS at Benfield- this is a unit for anxious and vulnerable pupils, pregnant school girls and school-aged mothers with a nursery for the school-aged mothers’ babies. Most typically these pupils have prior histories of very poor school attendance, most having CYPS involvement. This unit takes ~ 82 pupils from the LA and has places for ~20 babies in the nursery. Referrals to the unit are mostly from Newcastle schools. Community Teaching which is based at this siteand caters for those pupils unable to attend their mainstream school because of illness; they all have medical/psychiatric referrals. Pupils are taught in their homes, community centres or in small groups at our Benfield site.
- The school has a nominal role of 170 pupils ~63% are KS3 and above
- ~94% are dual registered
- On average there are ~660 different individuals per year
- ~32% have an SEN
- Mobility is significant ~75% ranging from 53-100%
- 92% of pupils are White British
- The majority of Benfield pupils are either PP, involved with CSC or CYPPS
- ~70% of the pupils at Benfield are known to the Newcastle Troubled Families Programme
- The pupil population has a very high level of deprivation 48% of pupils come from the 30% most deprived post code addresses
- Attainment at entry is very low ~ 94% pupils are below national averages for their age
HOW WELL DO PUPILS ACHIEVE? / Outstanding / 1
There is outstanding achievement across the school with regard to both academic and personal development. On average 90% of pupils surveyed believe they have/will have achieved qualifications/targets in the school. Pupils work hard towards their individual targets and are enthusiastic to achieve rewards. In lessons pupils show this in a number of ways, they co-operate, take an active part, support each other, share, value and are respectful towards each other.
Pupils make excellent progress towards their targets:
- At Benfield over 80% consistently make progress and over45% make all set targets
- In the hospitals over 90% consistently make progress towards their targets and over 60% consistently achieve them
- Over 70% of end of KS4 leavers have made progress in core subject areas against National expectations
There are consistent significant gains in respect to the Every Child Matters outcomes with at least 27% improvement from starting points.
Pupil profile measures show significant improvements from start to finish , increasing pupils’ ability to access education and function better socially
The vast majority of pupils at NBS are disadvantaged either socially, emotionally or medically. The school only receives Pupil Premium for pupils at Benfield therefore these are the group we consider “disadvantaged”. Although it is difficult to show trends due to the nature of the school annual cohort changes, evidence shows that we are beginning to narrow the gap for these pupils.
Efforts to raise the profile of reading across the school mean that we are improving the reading age of many pupils. Over 81% of literacy and 84% of numeracy targets are met.
Children in the nursery make outstanding progress towards their EYFS milestones in the on-site nursery.
Pupils with SEN make excellent progress in respect to their specific targets, over 90% achieving some or all of them.
Statistically GCSE results are consistently lower than those recorded nationally. The numbers of pupils taking GCSEs are very low, so again overall results are very cohort related.
We have very high success in terms of % exams that are passed A*-G~100% and A*-E~80%. The number of pupils achieving their expected GCSE outcome varies but averages at ~70%.
Girls achieve more A*-C whereas the boys achieve higher A*-G.
SEN pupils achieve lower in respect to A*-C, PP premium show a narrowing of the gap.
Alternative accreditation is good. Pupil destinations varybut are generally very positive
HOW EFFECTIVE IS OUR TEACHING? / Outstanding / 1
Evidence from lesson observations show that overwhelmingly teaching is outstanding or good.
Teaching % / 12-13 / 13-14 / 14-15
At Least Good / 89 / 81 / 99
Outstanding / 48 / 41 / 61
Any incidents of underperformance are dealt with promptly by senior leadership. Individual support programmes are implemented in the first instance, where improvements have not been made to an agreed level more formal processes have been undertaken.
Average grades for all lesson observations provide SLT with a good overview of the quality of teaching over time.
2012-13 / 2013-14 / 2014-15
English / 1.5 / 2.1 / 1.85
ICT / 2.6 / 3 / 1.3
Maths / 1.8 / 1.7 / 1.5
Science / 2.1 / 2.3 / 1.25
SEN / 1.1 / 1 / 1.5
New coordinators are in place for English and ICT, and there has been significant changes to the staff teaching ICT, Science and English.
Both pupil and parental views of the teaching at the school are extremely positive, both average at 90% or above.
Standardisation of observation by the different members of the SLT ensures consistency of judgements.
Planning is very bespoke to the needs of individuals across the school. Individual Learning Plans are used in hospital settings, where lessons are planned on a sessional basis and reflect progress likewise. At Benfield planning is for ability groups.
The curriculum delivered is appropriate to pupils’ needs and the resources of the school.
Baselines are established for long term pupils using home school information and NBS testing (especially after long periods of absence).
Additional support is provided where identified, in the hospitals much of the teaching is 1:1 due to physical constraints and issues of risk, so the curriculum is tailored to the individual.
1:1 support in literacy and numeracy has been provided for PP pupils identified as needing extra support.
Liaison between NBS and home schools facilitates the continuum of provision for those pupils dual rolled.
NBS has a skilled workforce, with many more specialist teachers than ever before and an excellent team of learning support staff that are skilled at engaging and motivating pupils.
The SENCo works across all sites supporting those pupils identified as having additional learning needs.
Staff are trained in many areas of difficulty faced by the pupils that affect their learning, e.g. ASD, ADHD, Makaton, Acquired Brain Injury.
HOW GOOD IS ATTENDANCE, BEHAVIOUR AND PUPIL SAFETY? / Outstanding / 1
Pupils’ behaviour is excellent and creates a supportive and positive school ethos.
When considering behaviour for NBS it must be understood that many pupils have been referred to the school because of their mental health which has a direct impact on their behaviour. Some of these behaviours have been extreme or violent. Other pupils have significant anxieties that have manifested themselves with accompanying behavioural problems. One of the principle aims of admission for many patients in the psychiatric units is to modify behaviour.
Lesson observations show that overwhelmingly the quality of learning encourages pupils to participate and make at least good progress and very often outstanding progress in lessons. Observations show that pupils are interested and engaged, that they are happy to work independently as well as together and that confidence, resilience and persistence are always encouraged.
Behaviour % / 12-13 / 13-14 / 14-15
At Least Good / 86 / 90 / 99
Outstanding / 58 / 51 / 84
Pupil and parental questionnaires evidence that the pupils enjoy school
The school documents significant amounts of information regarding a pupil in our Pupil e-files, including Case Studies and Behaviour and Safeguarding logs.
Attendance is scrutinised but has several external factors affecting it depending on the site to which it pertains. It ranges from 65-89% generally. GNCH being the lowest naturally.
Benfield attendance averages at ~70% but that said 60% of the students show increased attendance from referral. Many pupils have excellent attendance even though in the past they were unable to attend their mainstream school.
Lesson observations consistently show very positive attitudes towards learning. This is enabled through the excellent relationships between adults and pupils.
Behaviour to support learning is also evidenced in the ECM and Pupil Profile data that we collect where the vast majority of pupils make significant improvements during their time at NBS.
Willingness to be involved in school and Trust life such as School Council activities Service User and Carer Engagement shows the pupils taking responsibility and thinking about their futures.
The use of an inclusion room at Benfield has improved the management of behaviours whether defiant or emotionally motivated. This has led to a reduction in the number of sessions lost through fixed term exclusions.
Pupils are well prepared for adult life through CEAIG, the curriculum and work experience.
Pupils are considerate of others and their needs. Pupils feel safe from bullying and racist incidents.We teach pupils about e-safety and have the BIG Award and the LA Anti-Bullying Award.
Many staff have the NPSLBA (Newcastle Programme for School Leaders in Behaviour and Attendance) accreditation many more undertook the training but not the full course.
Multi-disciplinary working means that staff know the pupils extremely well and the risks they pose to themselves and others. Risk assessments for pupils are in place where required.
Senior school staff work closely with Childrens Social Care. Many of our pupils are involved with this agency, and a large number of Newcastle pupils at Benfield are part of the Newcastle Families Project ~64%.
HOW EFFECTIVE IS LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT? / Outstanding / 1
The management structure of the school has changed significantly in response to organisational needs. A reorganisation has also allowed a redefining and clarity to roles and responsibilities.
The staffing structure provides good distributive leadership; opportunities for career progression within the school; reflects the needs of the pupil profile accurately, and is cost effective. The SLT, SMT and middle managers contribute to the School Development Planning process and submit plans for their areas of responsibility.
On the hospital sites staff are key members of the multi-disciplinary teams, involved in many of the decision making process surrounding patients and their futures. in response to changing patient populations and changing structures in partner Health establishments, the school has worked in partnership with Health to develop improved systems for the delivery of education.
Members of the SLT have worked in partnership with colleagues in other “hospital schools”, “Forensic units”, with the EFA and DFE to ensure quality outcomes for not only the pupils of NBS, but at a regional and national level.
The Headteacher represents special schools on the Schools Forum and is a member of a steering group with DFE investigating National Funding formulae for the education of pupils with medical needs.
The Headteacher is regularly approached to offer advice to “hospital” schools and services, both regionally and nationally.
The Deputy Head is the chair of the National Forensic Adolescent Forensic Service education leaders group. He is currently seconded as Acting Headteacher at a local Independent Charitable Trust school.This has allowed NBS to bring in a member of staff from a partner mainstream secondary school, to gain an understanding of our school, offer their experience and expertise and strengthen links between NBS and mainstream colleagues.
The school has been awarded the Inclusion Quality Framework award (IQF) at gold level (this was audited in summer 2013). As a school we are currently working towards accreditation from The National Autistic Trust.
The school has been successful for many years in achieving Investors in Children status.
Performance management is robust with team leaders working closely with their staff teams.
Governors are actively involved in the decision making processes of the school by their involvement in committees and their responsibility to act as critical friend by taking the role of Link Governor for specified departments of the school discussing issues, progress and posing challenge to key members of staff.
All sub-committees meet at least twice a term in order to fulfil their statutory duties. The committees follow agreed remits in accordance with LA guidance and review the relevant statutory policies.
Governors have welcomed the chance to formally evaluate their governance using the Self Evaluation Form/Skills Audit for Governors.
Many of the governors have a wealth of experience in relevant areas and use this to the best advantage of our staff and pupils. E.g. Clinical Psychology, Social Work, Initial Teacher Training, Human Resources, Health & Safety and Mainstream Secondary Schooling.
Parent Governors are hard to recruit to the school but those we have are very committed.
All Governors have access to the school’s data regarding performance and are happy to challenge and identify any issues they feel should be addressed.
In order to improve communication and efficiency the school uses a easily accessible virtual office, GVOffice, to make all policies and documents available to Governors and the school’s Governor Services representative. It also facilitates opportunities for improved communication between meetings.
The Governing Body are proactive in seeking training to enhance their skills and a table of training is kept to monitor this.
A major development in the governance of the school was the decision to become a Foundation School with Trust status alongside three of the other special schools in the city. The Compass Trust was founded in September 2013, “Setting the direction for specialist education” in Newcastle. The Trust is in its infancy but hopes to encourage collaboration for the benefit of staff and pupils in our schools, then for the benefit of SEN pupils across the city and has the potential to take responsibility for some SEN functions from the LA.
The curriculum in the school is broad and balanced which is bespoke to the needs of individuals as much as is possible. In all the hospital units there is a predominance of 1:1 teaching or very small groups so individualised planning takes place. In the Benfield unit pupils are taught in far larger groups and so differentiated class planning is required. Flexibility is a key to success, with staff being able to adapt teaching to suit the physical or mental needs of our pupils. Vocational courses offered by the school include I-media, Child development, Health and Social Care, BTEC First Science, Food Hygiene/Technology, First aid at Work, Design and Technology, Horticulture, Preparation for Working Life, ASDAN, Functional Skills, Duke of Edinburgh Awards, John Muir Award, the One Award, Leisure and Tourism.
One of the key features of our school is the excellent multi-disciplinary working that takes place on all sites identifying pupils at risk on many levels in the different contexts.
NBS forms excellent relationships with parents reporting to them depends on the site, parents are key to the success of placements at Benfield and are often present during teaching in the GNCH. Parental involvement in the psychiatric units is much less due to the national referral process. The nursery is highly regarded and has excellent partnerships with parents.
The school has a surplus this year after a reorganisation due to a predicted overspend in two years’ time. We need to keep a healthy underspend due to the ever changing needs of the pupil population.
We have changed the balance of staff so that we can employ more education staff due to the high levels of 1:1 teaching. We have also employed Transition workers to focus on pupils moving from our school into another establishment or post-16 services.
Community teaching has expanded and we now teach a small group of pupils able to access fulltime teaching as well as those who can only manage 1:1 in the community.
HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE SCHOOL OVERALL? / Outstanding / 1
- NBS has introduced a wider range of vocational opportunities across the school
- There are improved opportunities for pupils to experience the world of work
- Transition workers help the pupils move on to their next educational/residential establishments to prevent NEET
- The school works exceptionally well with partner organisations
- Teaching models demonstrate collaborative working
- The breadth of the curriculum has been increased with the introduction of more qualification pathways. This is tailored to the identified needs of the pupils, as every pupil has a bespoke curriculum package that is reviewed on a regular basis
- Pupils’ achievements are outstanding bearing in mind starting points and barriers
- There has been extensive restructuring of the management within school following a review of responsibilities. There are strong department and subject leaders
- The Performance Management system is robust, with a drive for continuous improvement
- Teaching is consistently good or outstanding
- Two community teaching classes have been established, allowing pupils much greater access to education and social situations
- As part of the Literacy development programme Accelerated Reading was introduced and its principles of shared reading continue
- The school has been awarded the Art mark
- All sites now have My Maths and Maths Watch available for pupils
- We are increasingly working with more outside agencies and providers. This has also involved more collaborative working with mainstream schools in a variety of ways, for example secondments and appointments on to the Governing Body.
- “Pupil e records” provide a centralised information sharing area to ensure appropriate planning for pupils by all staff.
- The School website has been improved to increase ease and accessibility for all users.
- The introduction of GV office has improved communication and information sharing with the Governing Body.
KEY PRIORITIES TO MOVE FORWARD
- Consolidate benefits of new leadership structure and impact of new members to it
- Improved flow of information between NBS and mainstream schools
- Embedding new assessment tools (Alfie Soft and WRAT)
- Opportunities for exchange between staff at NBS and other Trust and mainstream schools
- Opportunities for pupils to work alongside and support pupils in other schools in the Trust
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