Bishopton PRU placed into special measures by Ofsted

Bishopton PRU, which looks after 67 children between 11 and 16 at risk of exclusion, was failing to provide an acceptable standard of education during an Ofsted inspection in January. 

Students at the Billingham school were found to experience “significant disruption to their learning” with a “narrow” curriculum leaving them “ill-prepared” for later life. 

Leaders also raised concerns about “insufficient support” from the Atomix Educational Trust, which runs the site, amid serious issues with attendance. 

Dr Sharon Dobson Waters, director of quality and curriculum at Atomix, said it welcomes the external support and said a number of improvements have been made over recent months. 

‘Urgent improvement’

While relationships between staff and pupils were positive, inconsistencies in management meant some students did not feel safe because of their peers’ behaviour. 

Some students were reluctant to come to school over fears of being bullied – and pupils do not get the support they need to boost attendance, despite staff working hard to try and help. 

Bishopton PRU does not have an “effective or rigorous approach” to overseeing pupils’ whereabouts and being assured of their safety.

Some pupils and parents have little confidence in the site’s ability to keep them safe, and the trust has not acted on requests from school leaders to make sure that the site is secure. 

Pupils do not achieve well, including the high proportion of pupils who have special educational needs (SEND) and/or disabilities. 

Many pupils have gaps in their prior learning when they join the school and are not supported well enough to catch up, meaning these gaps are widened. 

Systems to monitor and record what pupils know as they progress are weak. 

While leaders express “high ambition” for the curriculum, current staffing arrangements do not support the full delivery of it. 

Staff do not get the training they need to develop their subject knowledge and curriculum guidance for teachers is inconsistent. 

Despite this, when serious concerns are raised about a pupil, leaders “take appropriate action to check on their welfare” and record a “clear picture of actions to safeguard pupils”. 

‘Frequent absences’

Bishopton PRU has low rates of attendance, with strategies to improve this “not effective”.

In the 2024/25 year, the school had an overall absence percentage of 61.7 per cent – although this was up from 2023/24’s figure of 51.5 per cent.

Behaviour at the site has improved since the previous inspection, but inconsistencies in management remain. 

Rates of suspensions increased during the autumn term this year because leaders enforced tighter rules – but the reintegration process after doesn’t offer pupils “sufficient support to change their behaviour”. 

The Ofsted report also found the trust, formerly the Tees Valley Collaborative Trust,  was not meeting its statutory responsibilities for educating or safeguarding SEND pupils. 

Leaders do not ensure that learning is adapted well enough to support SEND pupils and there are significant weaknesses in the school’s approach with supporting them. 

Staff do not get the training they require so that they know how to adapt support when necessary and the overside of SEND pupils who attend education off site is poor. 

School and trust leaders were found to lack the strategic direction, capacity and oversight needed to secure rapid and necessary improvement. 

Leaders have raised concerns about insufficient support from the trust, while trustees and governors appear to be unaware of the scale of support that the school needs. 

Leaders assert that the school is improving but “overestimate” the success of their work to improve attendance. 

However, the school has a “coherent” PSHE curriculum that is approached by staff with sensitivity and care. It also is developing an appropriate careers provision. 

‘Continuing challenge’

Atomix Trust said pupils remain at the “very heart” of the school’s commitment to education, safeguarding, and care. 

Dr Waters said the trust welcomes external support and will “continue to work openly and collaboratively”. 

She said: “Bishopton is one of the largest pupil referral units in the region and it serves some of the most vulnerable children and families in our community, including many pupils who have experienced exclusion, trauma and disrupted education. 

“Supporting these young people back into learning is complex work that takes time, partnership and sustained effort.

“The recent inspection recognised improvements in staffing, curriculum and behaviour, but also highlighted the continuing challenge of attendance and school refusal. 

“These are not issues any school can solve in isolation. They require close working between schools, families and the local wider system that supports children. 

“There have been many new updates at Bishopton to meet the new Ofsted inspection framework and we continue to work closely with the Local Authority.

“Over recent months Bishopton has introduced new leadership structures, curriculum changes and community-based outreach, to re-engage pupils who are struggling to attend. 

“This work is still at an early stage, but the direction is clear: the focus is on keeping children safe, supporting families and helping pupils back into education.

“We encourage the community to support the school and its leadership through our open-door approach, and we want to reassure our pupils, families, staff and community that we will continue to take decisive, detailed action as part of our ongoing commitment to our number one priority – putting young people first.”