School where kids 'set the culture' and 'do no work' handed worst Ofsted rating

New leadership at New Leaf Inclusion Centre said they are committed to making the changes necessary

A Willenhall pupil referral unit where children do 'little or no work' has been given the lowest rating by Government watchdogs. Ofsted inspectors downgraded the New Leaf Inclusion Centre, in Stroud Lane, from it's previous rating of 'requires improvement' to 'inadequate' following an inspection in September.

Their report said pupils 'set the culture' at New Leaf and receive an 'unacceptable standard of education'. But they added the newly appointed headteacher Sarah Gould had identified shortcomings and was setting the school on the way to improvement.

They also noted the curriculum was being redesigned while the wellbeing and safeguarding of pupils was also praised. A spokesperson for New Leaf said they recognised the findings and were committed to making the necessary changes to benefit the pupils.

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Ofsted said: "Despite recent positive changes, pupils at New Leaf Centre receive an unacceptable standard of education. Pupils have been allowed to set the culture here. They often choose to wander between lessons, disrupting the learning of others.

"Too often, when pupils do attend their lessons, they do little or no work. The school fails to challenge much of this behaviour. This is sometimes because staff do not know how best to meet pupils’ social and emotional needs. There is little improvement in pupils’ behaviour during their time here.

"The curriculum does not provide pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful. The school does not know or find out enough about pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, too often, pupils’ needs are not met well enough.

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"Consequently, pupils who have already experienced significant disruption to their learning become further disillusioned. They see little value in attending school, and many choose not to."

They added: "The recently appointed headteacher is passionate and determined. Staff here care deeply about pupils’ well-being. The new headteacher has been quick to identify the school’s shortcomings. Consequently, and very recently, leaders have begun to carve a path towards improvement.

"However, the changes that have been made are at a very early stage of development and are being hampered by a lack of capacity within the school’s leadership team."

A New Leaf spokesperson said: "We acknowledge the outcome of the Ofsted report of the New Leaf Inclusion Centre following their inspection in September 2023. While recommendations have been made for improvement, a number of strengths were identified such as pupils’ wellbeing, the appointment of the new headteacher which has consequently seen a path towards improvement, redesigning the school’s curriculum and a culture of safeguarding at the school where pupils feel safe.

"We recognise the findings and will take the next steps to address the issues raised. We are committed to improving the situation for students, their families, and school staff."

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