Enterprise Learning Alliance, Margate

What is it like to attend this school?

This school is a lifeline for its pupils. Before joining, many have not attended school regularly or engaged in any learning for a long period of time. Some have significant social, emotional and mental health needs. Staff understand these challenges. They take time to get to know each pupil, their interests and their aspirations. As a result, relationships are strong. Staff know their pupils well and pupils feel valued as individuals.

Staff share a clear vision for getting pupils back on track with their learning. The school offers an adaptable curriculum that enables pupils to experience success. Staff work determinedly to identify and remove barriers to pupils' learning, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils benefit from an extensive support programme that helps them develop resilience and small classes that help them regain confidence in their learning. As a result, many reintegrate quickly into mainstream schools, and older pupils are supported to gain the qualifications they need.

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

Effective leadership has supported the school to reorganise the curriculum into three carefully curated pathways. This enables the school to offer different programmes of learning for pupils with different starting points. For some pupils, this enables them to study an academically ambitious range of subjects broadly aligned with the national curriculum. It equips them to transition successfully back into mainstream schools. For older pupils, a range of vocational qualifications are on offer which have been chosen carefully to meet the needs of local employers. This enables pupils to develop the skills needed for their next steps. For pupils with more significant barriers to learning, the school has created a highly supportive, bespoke curriculum. This ensures that these pupils get the support they need to develop the confidence, trust and resilience to re-engage with learning.

Outcomes are positive. A significant proportion of pupils rejoin a mainstream school successfully. Some transition to specialist settings. Pupils who remain in school achieve well, often from very low starting points. An effective reading curriculum supports pupils to become confident and fluent readers. They go on to obtain GCSEs and a range of vocational qualifications, allowing them to move on to further education, employment or training.

Leadership & management.

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