Hunter Hall prides itself on the strength of the relationships between the staff and children, and it is obviously pleasing that this is acknowledged in the report, which notes that ‘Teachers know their pupils well and readily adapt their lessons to meet pupils’ needs.’ Furthermore, the report recognises the attention that is given to tracking individual pupil progress and acknowledges the systems that the school has in place to support or challenge pupils as appropriate to ensure all children make good progress.
The report also highlights the emphasis the school gives to social development in parallel with academic development, with the inspection team recognising that ‘respect is at the core of interactions between members of the school community’ and identifying that ‘Pupils are encouraged to discuss their actions and feelings with one another as part of a system that seeks to strengthen interpersonal relationships.’
Focusing specifically on safeguarding, the report identifies that ‘Leaders place great emphasis on creating a culture where pupils are encouraged to speak to trusted adults should they have any worries or concerns. Pupils do so, knowing their concerns will be acted on swiftly.’
The school values are very much at the heart of daily life of Hunter Hall, and so it is very pleasing that this is recognised in the report, which states that ‘Pupils respond positively to the school’s reward system and appreciate the importance of receiving commendations linked to the school’s values’. For the teachers, it is wonderful to see the children taking ownership of their learning and their personal development through the school values, so it is fantastic that this has been recognised.
For those who are part of the school community, it goes without saying that the children always come first at Hunter Hall, but it is very pleasing to read that in a very short space of time it was clear to the inspection team that ‘Pupils feel valued and included as unique individuals.’ Nothing is more important to the staff at Hunter Hall than ensuring that every single child feels safe, happy and valued, and recognised for their individual strengths and talents.
Areas for action
The inspection report also identifies some areas for action. The areas for action were very swiftly addressed, with required changes to systems and procedures immediately implemented.
The inspection team identified that prohibition from teaching checks were not completed for two visiting sports coaches. The two coaches did have an Enhanced DBS check– a comprehensive background check which shows unspent convictions and conditional cautions as well as if an individual is barred from working with children. The prohibition from teaching check is an additional check that identifies if an individual has been prohibited from teaching by the Teaching Regulation Agency due to professional misconduct. The prohibition from teaching checks were immediately completed for the two sports coaches with no cause for concern found. Systems have also been introduced so that all pre-recruitment checks are now countersigned by a member of the senior leadership team and checked termly by the safeguarding governor.
The inspection team also identified that there was not a comprehensive record of the safeguarding training that had been completed by visiting staff and contractors. It is important to emphasise that the appropriate safeguarding checks (the Enhanced DBS check) had been completed for all staff, including visiting staff and contractors. However, the inspection team were concerned that there was not a record of the training that visiting staff and contractors had received that would mean they knew how best to respond if a child made a disclosure to them. It is not the case that visiting staff and contractors had not received this training, but there was not a rigorous system in place for recording such training. A rigorous system has now been put in place, in addition to which the following procedures were already established: all staff, including visiting staff, contractors and governors, complete safeguarding training through Cumbria Safeguarding Children Partnership on an annual basis; all staff, including visiting staff, contractors and governors, receive annual training from the Designated Safeguarding Lead on school processes and procedures regarding what to do if a child makes a disclosure. The school has also appointed a new safeguarding governor, Dr Jenny Burns. Dr Burns is Senior Deputy Head (Pastoral) and Designated Safeguarding Lead at Sedbergh School, in addition to which she is a Team Inspector for ISI.
The report also recommends that the school regularly reviews bullying and behaviour logs. The Senior Leadership Team meet every week and discuss any children of concern, and the staff teaching team also meet every week so that any concerns or strategies can be shared amongst teaching staff. In January, the school moved to a single central system for recording any concerns, whether they relate to safeguarding, bullying, friendship issues or any other pastoral or welfare concern. Having all such records in one place will better enable the school to identify any patterns or trends in behaviours moving forwards.