Anderida Learning Centre

Inspection of Anderida Learning Centre Neville Mews, 6A Neville Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN22 8HR

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Inspection dates: 27 February to 1 March 2024

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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 Good

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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?

The school is ambitious for its pupils, with a clear and unrelenting focus on making sure that pupils are as fully prepared as possible for the next stage of their education and employment. Pupils want to do well, rediscovering an interest in learning. They gradually grow in confidence and self-esteem, develop plans and aspirations for the future, and achieve success. All pupils acquire valuable qualifications by the time they leave the school, including GCSEs and A levels where appropriate. Most move on to college placements, apprenticeships or employment when they leave the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are rightly proud of the school’s strongly inclusive culture. Pupils get on well together and behave well most of the time. Warm and good-humoured relationships with staff help pupils to feel valued, comfortable and relaxed in school. They make friends and chat sociably during breaktimes and lunchtimes. Staff respond calmly, sensitively and consistently when pupils become angry, agitated or upset, so that pupils feel secure. Pupils make a positive and valued contribution to the school, as illustrated, for instance, during the recent construction of a terraced area on the farm. They enjoy helping staff to look after the farm animals and do so with care and kindness.

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better?

Leaders have developed the curriculum since the previous inspection, which is broad and balanced. Developments have included increased expectations of achievement and a clearer focus on planned endpoints for each pupil. The curriculum is adapted well to support each pupil’s interests, needs and ambitions. Improvements in the quality of education mean that every pupil leaves the school with nationally accredited qualifications. This factor, combined with the school’s effective work to promote pupils’ personal development, ensures that they are well prepared for the next stage of education or employment.

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better?

Leaders have rightly focused on ensuring that the academic curriculum is securely established since the previous inspection. A stronger focus on English and mathematics means that pupils achieve increasingly well in these subjects. However, the curriculum in vocational subjects, such as bricklaying, carpentry and animal care, is less well developed than in English and mathematics. Pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects as a result.

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better?

The school reignites pupils’ interest in books, so that they want to read and increasingly enjoy exploring books. The teaching of reading is embedded in the English curriculum and builds well on pupils’ starting points. Most have secure reading skills when they join the school. The school has a phonics programme, which is used successfully, where appropriate, to help those pupils who need extra help with their reading. 27 February to 1 March 2024 The school is justly proud of its work to promote respect and understanding for equality and diversity. Pupils learn about protected characteristics during personal, social and health education as well as through everyday discussions and school life. Pupils benefit from a developing range of carefully planned visits and activities to enrich learning, such as the recent successful trip to Rudyard Kipling’s house. The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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better?

The school’s careers programme is currently being developed to improve the quality of advice about potential next steps. Leaders have made positive steps to secure improvements. For example, the careers programme has been reviewed against the Gatsby Benchmarks and suitable priorities for development have been identified. The school works constructively with local businesses to support work experience for its pupils, as well as providing opportunities in school.

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better?

Well-established procedures are in place to assess pupils’ needs when they join the school. Assessments have been introduced since the previous inspection to evaluate pupils’ needs and the school liaises closely with parents, carers and agencies. A system for monitoring pupils’ progress through the curriculum has been introduced, which provides staff with a clear view of how well pupils are learning and what they need to learn next. Pupils’ education, health and care (EHC) plan targets provide the starting points for providing support and adapting the curriculum. Staff assess pupils’ progress against their individual targets regularly. Parents and carers are positive about the school and appreciate the strength of communication between school and home.

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better?

The proprietor has ensured that the independent school standards are met. Both sites used by the school are tidy, well resourced, suitably lit and secure. Robust fire safety procedures are maintained and well-established visitor arrangements are followed. Leaders’ reports to the proprietor ensure that he is knowledgeable about the school’s performance. Developments in the past six months have strengthened governance arrangements and oversight of the school’s work. The recently appointed chair of governors has a background in special needs education and is keen to bring a fresh pair of eyes to quality assurance procedures.

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better?

Staff morale is high and there is a strong sense of teamwork in the school. Staff feel well supported by leaders and value developments since the previous inspection to support career progression, including improvements in the quality and range of staff training to strengthen aspects of their knowledge and practice.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

27 February to 1 March 2024  The vocational curriculum is less well developed than the academic curriculum. As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects. Leaders should continue with work to develop these aspects of the curriculum.  The careers programme is not as fully developed as it could be. This means that pupils are not as well informed about future education and employment options as they could be. Leaders should implement existing plans to develop the careers programme.

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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. 27 February to 1 March 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 139657 DfE registration number 845/6019

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School details

Inspection number 10267665 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Website www.anderidalearningcentre.co.uk

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School details

Email address school.comms@anderidalearningcentre.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 to 14 February 2019 27 February to 1 March 2024

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Information about this school

 Anderida Learning Centre is a small independent day school located in a residential area of Eastbourne, East Sussex. It opened in 2013. It is registered to take up to eight pupils.  The school also uses a second site, which is a small operational farm. The second site is located at Oliver’s Hill Farm, Oliver’s Hill, Lakehurst Lane, Ashburnham, Battle, East Sussex TN33 9PE. Pupils attend both sites at different times during the week.  The school makes provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, and other associated conditions. Most have an EHC plan. All pupils have experienced significant disruption to their education before attending the school.  The school is part of a wider company, Anderida Care, a company that runs a number of care homes. All pupils are placed in the school by local authorities.  The school has exceeded the maximum number of pupils on roll that they are

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Information about this school

registered to admit. The school has notified the Department of Education (DfE) that it is operating beyond its registration agreement.  There were no key stage 3 pupils in the school at the time of the inspection.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provider.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  An application for a material change was considered at the same time as this inspection. The proprietor wishes to increase the maximum number of pupils on roll from eight to 32. This was the school’s second material change inspection.  Inspectors held a wide range of meetings during the inspection. These included discussions with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, education administration manager and director of education. They also spoke with a range of staff at different times during the inspection. 27 February to 1 March 2024  The views of pupils, parents and staff were gathered through a range of sources, including Ofsted’s surveys and discussions. Inspectors spoke with pupils in lessons

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Information about this inspection

and at other times of the school day.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors 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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and personal, social and health education. Deep dives included visiting lessons, looking at pupils’ work and talking with subject leaders, teachers and pupils.  Compliance with the independent school standards was checked throughout the inspection, including tours of both school sites, discussions with leaders and a review of relevant documentation.

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The school’s proposed change to a maximum of 32 pupils

The school has applied to the DfE to make a ‘material change’ to its registration. At the DfE’s request, we checked whether the school is likely to meet the relevant independent school standards if the DfE decides to approve the change. This part of the inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002.

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The school’s proposed change to a maximum of 32 pupils

 The outcome of this part of the inspection is: The school is likely to meet the relevant independent school standards if the material change relating to the school provision is implemented. However, the lead inspector’s recommendation is to increase the school’s capacity to a maximum of 26 pupils, rather than 32. This is because, at the time of the inspection, the school was intending to repurpose office space on the school’s original site for classroom. While this change is likely to accommodate the requested change in full, this work had not been completed at the time of the inspection.  The school is currently operating from two sites. Pupils attend both sites at different times during the week. Accommodation across the two sites provides ample space if the proposed increase in the number on roll is approved.  The second site, Oliver’s Hill Farm, is located in a rural area near Battle. It consists of a range of farm buildings, outbuildings and farmland. The site is safe,

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The school’s proposed change to a maximum of 32 pupils

well organised and tidy with suitable external lighting.  The buildings at Oliver’s Hill Farm provide suitable accommodation for school use. Teaching and communal spaces are heated and well lit with an appropriate range of furniture and resources to support learning. The site has suitable toilet facilities and a well-equipped kitchen. There is plenty of outdoor space for physical activity. Suitable fire precautions are in place. Current staffing arrangements are appropriate for the current number of pupils on roll. The proprietor intends recruiting further staff should the proposed material change be approved.

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Inspection team

27 February to 1 March 2024 Julie Sackett, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

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 looked after children, 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

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