Witham Prospect School

Inspection of Witham Prospect School Old Harbour Farm, Newark Road, Norton Disney, Lincolnshire LN6 9JR

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and kept safe at this recently opened school. The dedicated staff are expert in caring for pupils’ complex needs. Staff have high expectations of pupils. They expect pupils to succeed and behave well. Staff are skilful in managing pupils’ sometimes challenging behaviour. Instances of bullying are extremely rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience a good range of well-planned, appropriate activities. The classrooms, kitchens, dining area and buildings are all modern and welcoming. Pupils enjoy swimming, horse riding, visiting the local community and walking in the countryside. They also enjoy visiting local towns and cafes. These visits help to develop their communication and social skills. Pupils develop physically by using the extensive outdoor adventure equipment. Pupils’ sensory needs are met through the well-resourced soft play and sensory rooms. They particularly enjoy taking care of Dave, the school rabbit.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers have very positive views. A typical comment was, ‘This school is absolutely amazing! Our son finally has people who understand his needs.’

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better?

Leaders have ensured that there is an ambitious, well-planned and sequenced curriculum. It caters well for pupils’ individual needs. For example, some pupils learn to recognise and use different coins. Next, they visit a local garden centre and use this knowledge to buy seeds. They grow the seeds as part of a science project. Other pupils learn to recognise different colours in art. They enjoy mixing red and yellow paint to make orange.

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better?

Reading and picture books are prioritised across the school. Pupils enjoy looking at books and listening to stories and poems. Recently, ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ helped pupils to count and learn the names of different fruits.

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better?

The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum is well planned. Pupils learn about Diwali and Chinese New Year. They eat traditional foods, make clay divas and draw Rangoli patterns. The curriculum allows pupils to contribute to national charities through bake sales. They learn about people who help us, for example, the police, doctors and dentists. However, the aspect around pupils’ careers advice and guidance is not as well thought through as it could be. Pupils do not receive all the necessary and appropriate information regarding their next steps.

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better?

Pupils are well prepared for their future supported or semi-supported living. The curriculum allows pupils to visit local shops and cafes, to develop their social skills and to learn how to shop. Pupils learn to take turns and share when eating healthy snacks and lunches at social times. Cooking is particularly popular. This helps pupils to improve their cutting and measuring skills. 25–26 February 2020

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Pupils have a good attitude to learning. The bespoke curriculum enables teachers to plan activities that are at the correct level of challenge. Pupils are resilient and try their best to complete these activities. Pupils attend frequently. Those who have had poor attendance at their previous school attend more regularly while at Witham Prospect.

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Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and respectful. Staff know pupils and their individual needs very well. Staff are skilled in adapting lessons should the need arise. The one-to-one attention and support pupils receive is good.

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All pupils have an education, health and care plan. Teachers ensure that targets from these plans are consistently planned into lessons. These include visual timetables, physical breaks and extended walks, for example.

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The proprietor has ensured that all the independent school standards are met. Policies contain up-to-date statutory guidance. The premises are maintained to a very good standard. Pupils are kept safe. Records of fire safety and risk assessments are detailed and thorough. The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The proprietor has a good, day-to-day knowledge of the school. The proprietor is, therefore, able to hold leaders rigorously to account.

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The vast majority of staff have positive views about the school. They told us leaders are sensitive to their workload. Staff appreciate the wide variety of training on offer. One staff member told us, ‘Everything that is done and every decision that is made are for the best outcome for every child here.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff have received appropriate safeguarding training and have read the statutory guidance. They are well aware of the procedures to follow should they be concerned about the welfare of a pupil. Staff know the signs to look for of potential neglect and abuse. Daily meetings between residential and school staff are thorough. The meetings allow for the sharing of relevant and important information.

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Safeguarding

All relevant checks are carried out on adults before they are allowed to work at the school. The school’s safeguarding policy is available for parents on the school’s website.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The careers advice and guidance curriculum is not as well planned and sequenced as it could be. Pupils do not receive appropriate information about their potential next steps. The proprietor should ensure that there is a coherent careers advice and guidance curriculum which prepares pupils fully for their next steps. 25–26 February 2020

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the provider and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 25–26 February 2020

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School details

Unique reference number 146971 DfE registration number 925/6011

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School details

Inspection number 10116637 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

School category Independent residential special school

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School details

Proprietor Longboat Special Education Limited

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £83,950 to £93,100

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Information about this school

 The school underwent a pre-registration inspection on 3 April 2019. The Department for Education registered the school on 30 May 2019. The school opened on 1 September 2019.  This is the school’s first standard inspection.  The school does not use the services of any alternative providers.  The school is an independent special school for pupils with severe learning difficulties, limited verbal communication and associated challenging behaviour. 25–26 February 2020

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this 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.

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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 We held various meetings with the headteacher, lead teacher, other staff and a member of the proprietorial body.  We examined the bespoke curriculum being offered to the pupils. We did this by meeting with the headteacher and teachers, visiting lessons and examining curriculum documents.  I met with the headteacher to discuss safeguarding. We met with staff to discuss their safeguarding training and their understanding of the school’s procedures to keep pupils safe. I checked the school’s single central register and staff recruitment files.  I toured the school buildings to check the school’s compliance with Part 5 of the independent school standards.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. There were 15 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and two responses to Ofsted’s parent survey taken into consideration. I held telephone conversations with two parents.

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Inspection team

Peter Stonier, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Joanna Hall Ofsted Inspector 25–26 February 2020

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to 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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