Tipton Green College, Tipton

What it's like to be a pupil at Tipton Green College

Pupils come to this school because of difficulties coping in other settings. Many are disadvantaged. All have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They often arrive with negative feelings about education and believe school is not for them. Before pupils start, leaders check carefully that this school is the right place for them. They talk to parents, carers and outside services to understand pupils' needs. This helps staff plan how to support each pupil well. Staff are positive role models. They work hard to build caring relationships with pupils. They spend time getting to know the pupils, earning their trust and giving them a sense of belonging. Staff listen to pupils and ask for their views. For instance, pupils helped to design the school uniform. They like wearing it because they had a say in its creation. Small things like this help pupils to gain a sense of belonging and feel happier at school. For some pupils, building trust takes longer, especially where poor attendance disrupts their experience of school. However, all pupils know that staff care about them and want them to do well. This helps pupils feel safe and supported. Most pupils join the school with large gaps in their learning. Staff tailor teaching to help them to plug these gaps, particularly in English and mathematics, and to gain important skills that will help them get jobs. They also support pupils to manage their emotions and work better with others. For many pupils, progress in these areas helps them take part in learning again and begin to make progress through the curriculum. Pupils' behaviour can be challenging. Some pupils struggle to control their feelings and refuse to cooperate at times. Bullying and aggressive behaviour happens but staff deal with any incidents quickly and calmly, and help pupils to learn from them. The school is a supportive environment, where pupils can gain new interests and feelings of success. However, too many pupils miss too much school. Persistent absence limits how consistently pupils can benefit from learning and wider activities.

What Ofsted says the school should do next

• Leaders should reduce persistent absence, including for pupils who typically refuse to attend or are educated through outreach, so that all pupils can access learning and therapeutic support more consistently.
• Leaders should strengthen the ambition, resourcing and implementation of the academic curriculum, particularly in subjects such as science, so that pupils can work towards more demanding and appropriate qualifications.
• Leaders should further strengthen staff expertise in responding to pupils' behaviour, so that pupils remain engaged in learning and staff time is used more effectively to support learning and therapy.
• Leaders should continue to strengthen the vocational offer by establishing links with a wider range of workplaces and employers.

Staff create a caring, inclusive environment where pupils who have had negative school experiences learn to trust adults and feel they belong. The school provides tailored teaching and practical learning that helps pupils catch up while also supporting their emotional development through therapeutic services and PSHE. Beyond the classroom, pupils access meaningful enrichment activities and careers support that motivate them and help them see a positive future.

Safeguarding standards are met with an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified and managed, keeping pupils safer and helping them feel safe.

Boxing, cycling, climbing at local specialist centres, school trips to museums, places of worship, school council charity fundraisers, community events, work placements with local employers

Train Stations

Bus Stops