Cambian Dunbroch School

Strengths

• Leaders have created a calm and nurturing environment where pupils are treated with respect.
• Staff demonstrate kindness, patience and understanding of pupils’ needs.
• Staff receive regular and appropriate safeguarding training, checked by the proprietor.
• Pupils who attend regularly build trusting relationships and engage with the educational and pastoral offer.
• The safeguarding policy reflects current statutory guidance.
• Staff are knowledgeable about contextual vulnerabilities and understand how to report concerns.
• The single central record meets the associated part 4 standards, and recruitment checks are thorough and well organised.
• The behaviour policy aligns with legislation and guidance and suits the school’s context and pupils’ needs.
• Staff consistently apply behaviour procedures using calm, supportive strategies.
• High staff-to-pupil ratios allow close supervision throughout the day.
• Bullying is very rare, and the anti-bullying policy is appropriate and well considered.
• Staff quickly notice and address emerging difficulties between pupils.
• The health and safety policy is appropriate, with regular proprietor checks on premises and equipment.
• The admissions register is accurate, and attendance is monitored closely with appropriate follow-up.
• Staff work with other professionals and visit homes where possible to support pupils’ engagement with education.

Areas for Improvement

• Leaders have not developed sufficiently robust systems to ensure safeguarding arrangements remain consistently effective.
• The school’s information management systems do not always reflect the full picture of pupils’ needs.
• Risk assessments and support planning are generic and lack the detail needed to help professionals support pupils effectively.
• Essential safeguarding and welfare information is not always received, recorded and acted on.
• Leaders’ concerns about pupils’ care and health support are not communicated with other professionals, including local authority commissioners, as required.
• Safeguarding concerns are not always escalated within the company or to the local authority.
• Incidents outside school affecting pupils’ safety, wellbeing or engagement are not consistently raised with statutory partners or promptly reflected in risk assessments.
• Information such as reports of self-harm is not fed through to pupils’ risk assessments and provision.
• Pupils do not consistently get the help needed to overcome barriers to safety and wellbeing, leading to repeated risky behaviours or withdrawal from learning.
• Part 3 of the independent school standards is not met in relation to safeguarding, health and safety, and risk assessment.
• Part 8 on the quality of leadership and management is not met.
• The proprietor cannot demonstrate that the school consistently meets the independent school standards.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools