Roehampton Gate School

The Priory Lodge School Priory Lane, Roehampton, London SW15 5JJ

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraphs 7, 11, 14, 16 and 32(1)  The school’s culture of safeguarding is strong.  The new headteacher has successfully raised the profile of safeguarding in the school and refined practices to ensure that pupils are kept as safe from harm as possible. Leaders are reflective and committed to continuously developing the school’s work in this area.  Leaders frequently deal with challenging and complex incidents. They do so professionally and with rigour. Leaders work proactively and collaboratively with the local authority; this has led to improved safeguarding practice.  Staff have been suitably trained in line with the latest national and local guidance. The school now has effective processes for referring, managing and taking action following concerns.  A suitable child protection policy is published on the school’s website, and reflects the latest statutory guidance, including ‘Keeping children safe in education’ (September

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Main inspection findings

2019). However, leaders need to pay more attention to detail in ensuring that their website is up to date, as the versions available at the start of the inspection named designated safeguarding leaders who have since left the school.  The school’s health and safety and risk assessment policies are implemented well. This inspection identified no concerns about the premises, staffing, physical intervention or the management of challenging behaviour.  Leaders have worked effectively to reduce staff absence, and this remains an area of priority for the new headteacher. Although pupils told me how much absent teachers negatively affect their learning, there are no longer concerns about staff numbers, lack of supervision or staff being too ‘stretched’.  The independent school standards checked in this part continue to be met. Part 5. Premises of and accommodation at schools Paragraph 25  The school now has both a full-time business manager and a premises manager.

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Main inspection findings

Together, they share responsibility for ensuring that the premises are safe and secure.  This inspection confirms that this responsibility is being fulfilled and identified no concerns about the premises.  Where issues which potentially place pupils at risk arise, such as pupils excitedly discovering they can operate the lift with a paperclip, leaders have taken swift, effective and proportionate action.  The independent school standard checked in this part continues to be met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 7. Manner in which complaints are handled Paragraph 33  The school’s complaints policy continues to meet all the requirements. However, it is a one-size-fits-all organisational policy and is overly complex. The process could be made more accessible for parents.  The school received multiple complaints in 2019. The documentation recording these complaints and any actions taken was not as thorough as it is now. However, evidence clearly shows that leaders responded to often very complex complaints in a suitable and timely way.  The independent school standard in this part continues to be met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraph 34  This inspection fell on the new headteacher’s first day in post, after her short time as deputy and then acting headteacher. Following a period of significant turbulence, staff and pupils welcome her appointment. She, with the effective support of other senior colleagues, has already raised standards, expectations and morale. It is clear that the school is on a positive journey forward.  The inspection identified concerns that are being actively addressed by the new headteacher, but it is early days. Staff absence is still too high, and pupils’ attendance is too low. At the start of the inspection, the available policies online contradicted each other and included out-of-date information. The list of first aiders available in the school was inaccurate. The school had not ensured that information about its leaders is correct on its website, in its prospectus and on the Get information about schools

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Main inspection findings

(GIAS) website. Some documentation, such as the admission register and the single central register of vetting checks on staff, required minor amendments in order for them to be fully compliant. However, though leaders accept that they need to pay more attention to detail, they have taken effective action to resolve the areas of greatest priority. As a result, they have ensured all the independent school standards checked during this inspection – including the standard in this part – continue to be met.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

School status Independent special school

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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School details

Of which, number on roll in sixth form 18

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School details

Proprietor Priory Education Services Ltd

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £62,571 to £79,423

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School details

Website www.priorychildrensservices.co.uk

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School details

Email address thepriorylodgeschool@priorygroup.com

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 21–23 May 2019

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Information about this school

 Priory Lodge School, part of the Priory Group, caters for pupils with education, health and care plans. The vast majority of pupils have autism spectrum disorder.  The school no longer caters for inpatient pupils in the adjacent hospital. Since December 2019, The Priory Roehampton Hospital School has operated as a new, separate independent special school.  The new substantive headteacher took up her position on the day of this inspection, following a short time as deputy headteacher and then acting headteacher.  The school currently makes no use of alternative provision.  Information on the Get information about schools (GIAS) website is inaccurate and incomplete. Proprietorial information is missing, and the headteacher’s name is incorrect.  The school’s most recent inspection in May 2019 judged the school’s overall effectiveness to be good, and all the independent school standards to be met.

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Information about this school

 The school is compliant with its registration agreement with the Department for Education.

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Information about this inspection

 I carried out this emergency inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school. The inspection was commissioned by the Department for Education in response to information which raised concerns about some aspects of the school’s work.  I conducted this inspection with no notice.  I was asked to report against some of the requirements contained within Parts 3, 5, 7 and 8 of the independent school standards.  I met with the school’s new substantive headteacher, a senior representative of the proprietorial body and other senior leaders.  I met with a group of pupils, a group of staff, the school’s designated safeguarding leader and the person responsible for health and safety. I also spoke by telephone with a senior safeguarding leader in the local authority.

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Information about this inspection

 I toured the premises, observed pupils at break, and reviewed key documents and policies, including those related to safeguarding, health and safety and risk assessment.  There were no recent survey responses on Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

James Waite, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Parent View You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/ofsted .

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Inspection team

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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