We are delighted to announce that MacIntyre School had its OfSTEd Education inspection 13-15 June 2017 and was judged to be Good in all areas except Personal Development, Behaviour and Welfare which was judged to be Outstanding, meaning that the overall judgement was Good.
This inspection was aligned with the inspection of the on-site children’s home, which has also received a provisional judgement of Good; we await the final report.
Hillside, our children’s home in Leighton Buzzard, was inspected 1-2 June 2017and was also judged to be Good in all areas.
Fiona Veitch, Principal of MacIntyre School said:
“There has been an immense amount of hard work across the school and children’s homes to raise standards in all areas. Inspectors commented on the significant progress we have made and complemented us on our vision for the future. We have the most amazing and dedicated team. Together, the staff and our wonderful students demonstrated to the inspectors what a calm, engaging, learning environment the school is. We all feel very proud.”
High praise within the report includes:
“The school’s approach to managing pupils’ challenging behaviour is highly effective. Over time, pupils’ behaviour improves significantly.”
“Staff build warm relationships with pupils and develop a deep knowledge of each individual. This leads to rapid gains in pupils’ personal development.”
“Leaders develop the skills of staff effectively and share leadership responsibilities widely. This has ensured that teaching meets pupils’ needs well.”
Update – July 26th, 2017
The OfSTED report for our on-site children’s home has now been published. Here are some of the quotes from the report:
Strong leadership, and how this informs good care planning, results in young people making very good progress, especially when bearing in mind their starting points. Some of this progress has been life changing, even life-saving, in respect of one young person who, prior to admission, was failing to thrive.
Obtaining young people’s wishes and feelings is central to the practice of the home. Staff continually promote communication, provide choices and facilitate young people’s contribution to plans.
When particular difficulties arise, or progress stalls, managers pull together professionals working across the provision, including a behavioural support team and, when necessary, people with additional expertise from outside the school. This has been highly effective in improving matters for young people.
Safeguarding is a particularly strong area of work, with clear lines of reporting and monitoring concerns, whether about childcare practice, health or injuries. This leads to prompt and robust action taken by managers, which ensures that young people are safe.