Egham Park School Ltd

Inspection of Egham Park School Waspe Farm, 68 Station Road, Egham, Surrey TW20 9LF

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ experiences at this inclusive, happy school give them hope for a different future. Their complex needs and challenging behaviour have previously restricted the opportunities available to them. However, from the moment they walk through the doors, pupils know that their academic journey will never be overwhelming here. Staff work sensitively with pupils and are there for them every step of the way. This makes for a calm atmosphere around school. As a result, for the first time in their lives, pupils form positive trusting relationships. They make great strides towards pursuing their aspirations, without any worries or anxiety.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop their self-confidence and resilience. A carefully considered range of experiences in and out of school provide pupils with opportunities to apply their learning in real-life situations. For instance, staff frequently get pupils ‘out and about’ to the shops, the park, The Runnymede Trust, the cinema and the farm.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers hold the school’s high expectations in great regard. A typical comment was: ‘I wish every child with autism could have a school like Egham Park School.’ Another parent commented: ‘The support received wasn’t just for our child but for our entire family which means so much.’

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better?

The school is ambitious for all pupils and staff. The proprietor has a robust oversight of the school’s work. She ensures that the necessary welfare, health and safety checks are completed effectively. Together with the skilled and knowledgeable advisory board, the proprietor ensures that the independent school standards are consistently met. Leaders have ensured that there is an accessibility plan. The school meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. Staff work very well together as a team and provide strong role models for pupils. High staff morale contributes well to the school’s upbeat, ‘can-do’ atmosphere.

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better?

Pupils arrive at the school with different starting points. Most have had negative experiences of education. The school works effectively with a range of external specialists such as multi-disciplinary professionals to ensure that pupils successfully overcome any barriers to learning. One such accomplishment includes studying nationally accredited courses, such as functional skills and GCSEs. Pupils receive well-considered independent careers advice and guidance. For instance, they visit local colleges and receive support to apply for suitable courses and prepare for interviews.

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better?

Reading is a central priority. Often, pupils have fallen behind in their reading before joining the school. Teachers make sure that the weakest readers are well supported and catch up quickly. The books these pupils read help them practise their knowledge of letters and sounds. Staff read and share stories every day. They take pupils to the local library every week. Nevertheless, some pupils do not take 10 to 12 October 2023 advantage of the diverse range of texts available in classrooms. They do not always look forward to the prospect of reading to help them develop their wider vocabulary.

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better?

The curriculum is well designed. It sets out exactly what pupils should learn and the order in which it should be taught. Staff know well pupils’ individual education, health and care plan (EHC plan) starting points and their additional needs. They use this information to adapt the curriculum and design a personalised ‘learning pathway’ for each pupil in all subjects. The school understands what is working well and what could be better in the quality of education. It acknowledges that most teaching is effective but there is occasional variability. This means that sometimes teachers do not address gaps and misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge and understanding. They do not always make sure that pupils securely learn and remember the important ideas. As a result, pupils do not consistently learn as well as they could.

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better?

Pupils behave very well. They are proud ambassadors of their school and make every effort to keep the environment neat and tidy. Pupils enjoy planning the order of the daily routines. They take short sensory breaks between activities, listen to music and practice mindfulness. This contributes towards the purposeful atmosphere and helps pupils to manage their social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs successfully. Parents value the strong partnership and support that the school provides for their child.

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better?

Pupils are encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle. For example, they participate in sports activities at the local leisure centre and enjoy cooking tasty meals which they prepare from scratch. The school’s curriculum helps pupils to develop an increasing understanding of modern Britain. Pupils learn about different religions and are respectful of the views and beliefs of others. They organise activities to mark national events such as Windrush Day and LGBTQ+ month. Pupils hold thoughtful debates on topics such as sexual orientation, disability, discrimination, immigration and the rule of law. As one Year 11 pupil shared, ‘The world is a diverse family. We do not have to always agree with each other but we should always value others.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Some pupils do not enjoy reading for pleasure. This limits their opportunity to develop their wider vocabulary from reading different genres. The school should ensure the strategies they have introduced to develop pupils’ love of reading are embedded securely and consistently.  Teachers do not always check and address gaps or misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge well enough. Consequently, pupils do not consistently learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that all staff are well trained to use 10 to 12 October 2023 assessment effectively to inform future teaching so that all pupils achieve highly across the curriculum.

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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. 10 to 12 October 2023

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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Email address office@eghamparkschool.co.uk 10 to 12 October 2023

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Information about this school

 The school was registered by the Department for Education in December 2022 and opened on 9 January 2023. It caters for up to 10 pupils aged 11 to 16 years of age. This is the school’s first standard inspection.  The principal is the sole director of the proprietor body, Egham Park School Limited. There is an advisory board providing external challenge and support to the proprietor.  Pupils have frequently been out of education for a significant period before beginning at Egham Park School. They are referred to the school by their local authority. All pupils have an EHC plan for SEMH and/or associated needs. Most pupils also have a diagnosis of autism and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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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

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held a wide range of meetings with the principal, the head of school and staff. She also spoke on the telephone with the chair of the advisory board.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and personal, social and health education. For each deep dive, she held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also considered the curriculum in history and carried out a work scrutiny in this subject.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during visits to classrooms, during breaktimes and as pupils moved around the school. She also considered

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Information about this inspection

responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  The inspector considered the views of parents expressed through Ofsted’s free- 10 to 12 October 2023 text facility. There were very few responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey. The inspector considered email correspondence submitted by parents to share their views about the school.  The inspector also considered the views of staff during meetings with them and through the staff survey.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector looked at the school’s website, toured the school premises, examined policies and associated documentation and spoke to staff to consider if the school meets the independent school standards.

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Inspection team

Shazia Akram, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 10 to 12 October 2023 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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