Youth Works Community College

Overview

Youth Works Community College is described as a ‘safe and welcoming environment’ where staff are ‘skilled at motivating pupils’ and fostering strong relationships. The report highlights that pupils, many of whom have struggled in previous settings, are ‘re-engaged with learning’ and show ‘marked improvements in their attendance and behaviour’. The school’s ‘person centred, responsive, nurturing and empowering’ values are evident, with pupils expressing confidence in their future prospects.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate ‘exemplary’ behaviour and ‘respectfully collaborate with staff to establish clear boundaries’.
• The curriculum is ‘well thought out’ in core subjects like English and mathematics, helping pupils ‘deepen their knowledge’.
• Staff provide effective therapeutic support, ensuring the needs of pupils with education, health and care plans are ‘taken into account’.
• The school prepares pupils well for ‘next steps’, with almost all securing appropriate education, employment, or training placements.
• Staff feel ‘valued and cared for’, contributing to a positive culture where they are ‘happy and proud to work at the school’.

Areas to improve

• Not all subject curriculums are ‘as ambitious as they should be’, with some lacking precise identification of what pupils need to know and when.
• Some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are ‘not supported as well as they could be’ due to insufficient information in support plans and imprecise targets.
• Pupils ‘do not have opportunities to gain a thorough understanding of different cultures and faiths’.

Safeguarding

The report states that ‘the arrangements for safeguarding are effective’.