Inspectors: Shifnal school room like jail cell

The report said that pupils at the independent Hillcrest Shifnal School were sent to the room too readily and said that the practice was unlawful as it restricted pupils’ liberty.

An Ofsted inspection was particularly critical of the school’s provision for secondary school pupils.

Outcomes for pupils’ learning in the secondary school phase of the school at the independent school in Lamlege Lane, Shifnal, were “exceptionally weak” according to inspectors, who visited in September.

In particular, during examination of the welfare, health and safety of pupils, a room available for secondary school pupils to calm down after difficult moments is,described as “akin to an unfurnished prison cell”.

The report says: “Pupils treat it with utter contempt. Teachers send pupils to this room too readily. Once in the room, pupils are not allowed to leave until staff make it possible. This practice is unlawful as it restricts pupils’ liberty.” In comparison, the provision for primary pupils was described as “furnished comfortably with therapeutic features, such as secluded areas and low lighting.”

The report adds: “It is used well by staff and pupils as it enables pupils to return to lessons in a calmer state after a period of agitation."

The room has since been refurbished.

The school has been judged as not meeting all of the independent school standards that were checked during this inspection. The last full inspection of the school took place in July 2015 when it was judged to be good and September’s visit was the third time that Ofsted had been since then.

Following the visit in September, the report says: “The organisation’s internal monitoring revealed concerns about the leadership and management of the school, and also the behaviour management of pupils.

“The proprietors took decisive action to address their concerns. This resulted in the former headteacher leaving her post at the end of the academic year. A new appointment has been secured for January 2018. An education consultant was commissioned to work with the school. He is now retained as the interim headteacher.”

The school is part of the larger Hillcrest Children’s Services, which provides therapeutic schools and services across the country.

The school is organised into a primary section and a secondary section. The majority of pupils have complex and severe social, emotional and mental health needs, often involving challenging behaviour.

The report states that while the curriculum in the primary phase was well prepared, outcomes were not the same for children in the secondary sectionIt adds: “Curriculum planning in the secondary phase is much weaker than in the primary phase.

“It is notable very few schemes of work for secondary pupils were available during the inspection. In contrast, planning for the primary phase was readily available. The primary phase scheme of work is detailed, organised and thorough.

“This supports the teaching team to plan lessons effectively.

“The primary phase manager has a good grasp of what is being taught and the progress each pupil is making.

“In the secondary phase, outcomes are exceptionally weak. Examination results are poor.

“This is because teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve.

“Teachers do not make learning interesting or challenging. They do not take account of the individual needs of pupils, their interests or their prior attainment.

It added: “Staff in the secondary phase do not apply the school’s marking policy consistently. This means that teachers are not tracking and monitoring pupils’ progress over time. As a result, teachers are ill informed about what pupils can do and what they need to learn next.

It also says the behaviour policy is “not working for secondary-age pupils”.

A spokeswoman for the school said Hillcrest was pleased to see numerous positive aspects had been recognised in the report.

She said: "This room was in operation when the school was rated ‘Good’. This is the current rating. This room was used to allow children time away from other children to help them to settle. Children were not locked in this room they were supported by staff during this period.

"Recent review of the service decoded that the room needs uplifting to make it more comfortable. Ofsted was made aware of this plan during their last inspection. The room has now been renovated and redecorated and used as a room for upset pupils to relax and reflect before resuming lessons.

"The organisation has reviewed the service and planned for improvements. The interim head teacher and the team have identified what improvements needed to be made to the curriculum to the secondary part of the school. A new curriculum is being introduced into the secondary part of the school which better reflects the specific needs of the pupils at the school. DfE were made aware of this plan during their last inspection.

"The interim headteacher and the staff had already identified that planning was not in place in some areas of the curriculum. This was remedied within a week of the start of the Autumn Term and all planning is now in place. DfE were made aware of the improvement plan during the inspection.

“In particular, inspectors noted that overall outcomes in the primary phase are improving and that last year, almost every pupil made good progress from their starting points,” she said.

“Inspectors also noted positive attributes in the secondary phase, pointing to students’ enjoyment of the outdoor learning spaces and the workshop which helps students to learn useful workplace skills.

“The school is continuing to implement its improvement plan, which has since been approved by Ofsted and is moving forward rapidly to address the key findings outlined in the report.”

“This includes the appointment of a highly experienced interim headteacher to lead the school’s newly-restructured senior leadership team., changes and restructuring of the behaviour team, re-structured compliance and curriculum; required resources made more readily available; improvements to the physical environment and improved attendance. With the support of staff, pupils and the wider school community we look forward to seeing continued improvements."

The school said a headteacher would be appointed on a permanent basis in January.