Releasing Potential School

Inspection of Releasing Potential School 7 Kingscroft Court, Ridgway, Havant PO9 1LS

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Inadequate Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this school and feel motivated to work hard. They grow in confidence because their teachers give them opportunities to build on their strengths. Pupils feel proud of their work and were keen to share this with inspectors. They enjoy building their competence in a range of outdoor activities that form a core part of their curriculum. These include bushcraft, climbing and sailing.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The majority of pupils learn to manage their behaviour effectively. They respond positively to rewards as well as conversations when they do not get it right. They build strong relationships with their teachers, who know them well. Bullying is rare because pupils learn about the importance of making sure everyone feels safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are appreciative of the work the school does. One parent told us, ‘Releasing Potential has helped my child succeed for the first time in his education.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have not ensured that there is a strong safeguarding culture. This may be putting pupils at risk of harm. Policies, procedures and training are out of date and sometimes unclear. The gaps are substantial and have not been noticed due to a lack of oversight from leaders and trustees.

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better?

The majority of pupils at this school arrive with negative experiences of education in previous settings. Most have been excluded from mainstream schools or pupil referral units. Leaders have successfully created a curriculum with the aim of ensuring that pupils experience success. They have broken subjects down into small steps so that pupils can see their accomplishments. Many pupils here experienced a transformation in their attitudes towards school because lessons are linked to their interests and build on what they can already do. Teachers make the most of opportunities to reinforce classroom learning by linking it to pupils’ outdoor education. For example, they use their knowledge in mathematics to estimate distances on maps when orienteering. All pupils at the school have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. Leaders use these plans well by breaking down targets into much more detail and reviewing them regularly with all stakeholders. Teachers

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better?

keep a close eye on what pupils know and can do and then adapt their teaching accordingly.

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better?

Leaders recognise that many pupils join the school having missed some of the basics in English and mathematics. When pupils arrive, leaders find out what they already know and then work with teachers to match the curriculum to each individual pupil. Pupils learn well in these core subjects, and the vast majority leave school with an appropriately ambitious qualification in each. Teachers make sure that the reading materials they give to pupils are chosen well to match their abilities and interests. As a result, pupils engage positively with reading in the classroom and they advance to increasingly challenging texts. Leaders recognise that reading remains a significant 18 to 20 October 2022 barrier for some pupils. The curriculum is not adapted as effectively as it could be to help struggling readers to catch up with their peers. Teachers are not trained to identify the precise sounds that pupils are finding difficult so that they can focus on

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better?

Pupils benefit from a range of off-site activities that are planned into each week. These form part of the school’s outdoor education offer. For example, pupils visit a local climbing wall or the school’s sailing centre. Pupils become more skilled in these activities by working towards nationally recognised certification. The school also provides its own work-experience opportunities by running a print shop and a café. Older pupils benefit from these facilities, and this helps them to prepare well for the world of work. Leaders make sure that every pupil has an identified next step when they leave. They ensure that pupils receive the right level of advice and guidance. This includes opportunities to visit local colleges and apprenticeship providers to ease the transition to post-16 education.

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better?

Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development. They have put in place a suitably broad curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education. Through this programme, pupils learn about the world around them, healthy relationships, equalities and diversity. Pupils’ learning, however, is not limited to these sessions. For example, they learn about different cultures and religions in food studies. They develop their social skills as well as an appreciation of nature while learning outdoors. Pupils learn about making moral decisions because this is explicit in the school’s behaviour system and the conversations they have with their teachers.

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better?

Leaders have created a warm and open culture in the school where staff feel supported. Staff appreciate that leaders are approachable and willing to offer flexibility when needed to help manage their workload.

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better?

Despite their positive impact in other areas, leaders have not ensured that the arrangements for safeguarding are effective. They have not kept important policy documents updated or ensured that these are sufficiently clear. They have not ensured that their own training on safeguarding is current.

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better?

The proprietor body and its trustees have not been effective in their oversight of the school. Trustees lack the educational expertise required to challenge leaders effectively. They have not complied with statutory duties in relation to safeguarding or identified where there are weaknesses in systems at a school level. Trustees have relied too much on the ability of school leaders to ensure that things run well. They have not provided sufficient challenge or support. They have failed to ensure that the school continues to meet the independent school standards, and that its policies and practices are kept up to date.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. 18 to 20 October 2022 The culture of safeguarding is weak. There is not enough oversight or expertise among leaders and trustees to ensure that safeguarding is effective. Although they show an awareness of recent guidance, leaders have not ensured that their safeguarding training is current. Leaders have not ensured that sensitive safeguarding information is confidential to only those who need it.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have not made sure that the school’s safeguarding policy is updated. The version published on the school’s website does not match the one used in school. Neither of the versions used is sufficiently clear, and nor are they compliant with the most recent statutory guidance. Although staff understand how to report safeguarding concerns, some of the guidance provided by leaders is confusing and contradictory. This could put pupils at risk of harm.

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Safeguarding

Some aspects of safeguarding are more secure. When leaders receive concerns about individual pupils’ welfare, they act on these appropriately. This includes forwarding concerns to external agencies where necessary. They also make sure that they perform the required pre-employment checks on new staff.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and trustees recognise that they have not given enough priority to addressing weaknesses in safeguarding. During the inspection, they began to rectify the issues that were identified.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school’s arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. Leaders and trustees have not identified significant and longstanding failures in the school’s policy and practice. Leaders must ensure that weaknesses in safeguarding identified during the inspection are rectified swiftly. Trustees must ensure that there is proper oversight of safeguarding policy and practice, and that the arrangements in place are robust.  Reading remains a barrier for some older pupils. This hinders their learning in the rest of the curriculum. Leaders should make sure that teachers have the training they need to identify and fill gaps in pupils’ knowledge of reading. This will help to ensure that these pupils become more fluent and confident readers.  Those responsible for governance lack the knowledge needed to hold leaders to account effectively. They do not seek sufficient assurances about the effectiveness of leaders’ actions. Trustees should review their own processes and

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

seek to expand the expertise of their members, either through training or recruitment. This will ensure that they are better placed to hold leaders to account. 18 to 20 October 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 18 to 20 October 2022

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School details

Website www.releasingpotential.com/school

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School details

Email address mikeking@releasingpotential.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 to 17 May 2018 18 to 20 October 2022

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Information about this school

 Releasing Potential School forms part of the Releasing Potential charity.  The school makes use of local leisure and wildlife facilities to educate pupils off site. In addition, the school owns and operates several other premises, including six acres of farmland, a sailing centre and an outboard motor workshop. The school is currently installing a climbing wall as part of ongoing renovations to the Havant site.  The school offers provision for pupils aged between 11 and 18 years. Leaders’ intention is that the majority leave at 16, providing they are ready for post-16 education or an apprenticeship.  Pupils are placed in the school by either Hampshire or West Sussex local authority because they have additional social, emotional and mental health needs. The majority of pupils have been excluded from mainstream settings or pupil referral units. All have an EHC plan.  Since the previous inspection, the headteacher has left the school and the

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Information about this school

charity’s chief executive officer (CEO) is currently acting as headteacher.  The school is located on two sites, one in Havant and the other in Chichester: – Unit 7, Kingscroft Court, Ridgway, Havant PO9 1LS – 4 St James’ Works, St Pancras, Chichester PO19 7NN

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors 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 has failed to meet the independent school standards. These are the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with a range of leaders, including the headteacher (who is also the CEO) and the senior leadership team, as well as those responsible for subject areas. The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body and the board of trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics, personal development and outdoor education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 18 to 20 October 2022  Inspectors judged the effectiveness of safeguarding by meeting with the designated safeguarding lead and other leaders, scrutinising policies, discussing records of concerns and speaking with pupils and staff about this aspect of the school’s work.  Inspectors considered responses to the staff and pupil surveys, as well as

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Inspection team

Chris Ellison, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Shaun Jarvis His Majesty’s Inspector 18 to 20 October 2022

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 7 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that– – 7(a) arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school; and – 7(b) such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State.

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Part 6. Provision of information

 32(1) The standard about the provision of information by the school is met if the proprietor ensures that– – 32(1)(c) particulars of the arrangements for meeting the standard contained in paragraph 7 are published on the school’s internet website or, where no such website exists, are provided to parents on request;

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school– – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; 18 to 20 October 2022 regulates and inspects 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

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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