The Tutorial Foundation

Inspection of The Tutorial Foundation 76 Freelands Road, Bromley, Kent BR1 3HY

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Inspection dates: 28 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 Requires improvement

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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 speak positively about their school. Inspectors understand why. Staff do all they can to help pupils successfully re-engage with education. For some pupils, this might mean starting with off-site tuition. For others, it might be returning to full- time, on-site provision after months of being out of education. Over time, pupils’ attendance significantly improves. Pupils who stay at the school to the end of Year 11 go on to achieve well in a range of qualifications.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school gives pupils lots of one-to-one support, including mentoring, counselling and emotional literacy. This support all combines to help pupils learn how to manage their well-being and to adapt their behaviour. Leaders also work with pupils’ families, for example in signposting them to sources of help from external agencies.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff manage pupils’ behaviour well. They calmly intervene when they need to help pupils keep focused. Pupils get on well together, for example older pupils work with younger pupils at breaktimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff do all they can to keep pupils safe. The personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) curriculum is well developed. It ensures that pupils learn how to look after themselves in all sorts of different ways.

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better?

Leaders pay close attention to each pupil’s education, health and care plan (EHC plan). They use this and other information to create useful ‘pupil profiles’. These are shared with staff to give them the information that they need to understand pupils’ needs and to adapt their teaching. Staff are well supported by leaders. They enjoy working at the school. Staff retention is high.

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better?

‘Flexible’ and ‘ambitious’ describe the school’s curriculum well. Pupils are offered a personalised curriculum that meets their needs. This might include pupils attending off site to study an agreed package of subjects. Younger pupils learn a broad curriculum, including food technology and computing. Older pupils can study various entry level, functional or GCSE qualifications.

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better?

Leaders have responded successfully to the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. Across the curriculum, they have identified the knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should be taught. They have worked effectively with different local authorities and secondary schools to improve staff expertise. That said, improvements in a few subjects are still being embedded.

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better?

Leaders identify where pupils have gaps in their knowledge and use this to help build an appropriate curriculum. They give pupils who need it further support with their phonics. This helps them to catch up with their reading fluency. Speech and language therapy is used well to support pupils with their communication and language development as set out in their EHC plan. 28 February to 1 March 2024 Staff present their subjects with confidence and use resources well to engage pupils in their learning. However, there are a few inconsistencies in how well staff support pupils with their reading, writing and use of language. For example, when checking pupils’ understanding, sometimes staff do not make sure that pupils give the detailed written or spoken responses that they should. Sometimes gaps in pupils’ knowledge of accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation are not being closed. While pupils read during lessons, too few read for pleasure.

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better?

The advisory board has gone through a period of change, for example the new chair of the board started at the beginning of this school year. The board has a secure mix of knowledge and skills to support the proprietor. The chair knows that further training for the board is needed, for example in knowing the independent school standards. That said, the proprietor has made sure that as at the previous inspection, all the independent school standards are met. The premises are well managed and policies are regularly reviewed. The school’s accessibility plan complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The safeguarding policy and other information required by the independent school standards are either on the school’s website or are readily available.

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better?

Leaders have improved the provision for pupils’ personal development. They have organised for pupils to take part in different extra-curricular activities three times per week. Pupils benefit from regular visits, for example to the Royal Courts of Justice and art galleries. Each school day starts with different social activities such as current affairs, debating or assemblies. Careers support is well embedded. The independent careers adviser offers lots of personal advice and guidance. Last year, all pupils leaving the school successfully moved on to a suitable destination, including an apprenticeship.

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better?

Most pupils behave well and have positive attitudes to their learning. Pupils are taught to treat others with respect, including in PSHE and citizenship, through studying topics that relate to discrimination and the protected characteristics. Pupils say that the school is a place where it is ‘okay’ to be yourself. As a result, any incidents of bullying are rare and when it does occur, leaders are quick to act.

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better?

Local authorities speak positively about the school. They particularly praise the school’s success in working with pupils who have complex needs and are highly anxious about school. Leaders manage and improve pupils’ attendance, working with external agencies and families as best they can.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Sometimes the school’s strategies to support pupils’ reading, writing and 28 February to 1 March 2024 language skills are not as effective as they could be. Some pupils do not have a love of reading or make repeated mistakes in their spelling, grammar and punctuation. Also, sometimes staff do not consistently make sure that pupils give well-developed spoken responses. The school should review its strategies. It should ensure that all staff have the knowledge and expertise to help pupils fulfil their potential in reading, writing and use of language 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. 28 February to 1 March 2024

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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £38,084 to £55,614

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School details

Email address sen@thetutorialfoundation.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 to 28 April 2022 28 February to 1 March 2024

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Information about this school

 The school offers flexible curriculum packages. This includes full-time, on-site provision and part-time, off-site tuition.  Almost all pupils have EHC plans. Most pupils have complex social, emotional and mental health needs, alongside additional needs such as autism.  The proprietor body is supported by an advisory board. The chair of the advisory board took up their role in September 2023.  The school currently uses two unregistered alternative provisions.

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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

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors did not make a separate judgement on the sixth form. This is because there were too few pupils on roll and to avoid identifying individuals at the time of the inspection. However, inspectors included sixth-form provision when evaluating evidence for the other judgement areas.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior staff. The lead inspector also met with the chair of the advisory board.  The lead inspector held telephone meetings with several local authority leaders to discuss safeguarding and the quality of education provided to pupils. The inspector also spoke with leaders from both of the unregistered providers currently being used by the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, science, physical education and PSHE (including citizenship). For each deep dive, inspectors met

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Information about this inspection

with leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers, supporting adults and pupils about their learning. Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work in a range of other subjects. 28 February to 1 March 2024  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 met with leaders with responsibility for attendance and behaviour. They reviewed a range of safeguarding documentation, risk assessments and case studies.  Inspectors considered a range of evidence to evaluate compliance with the independent school standards.  Inspectors considered replies to Ofsted Parent View and the online surveys for

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Information about this inspection

pupils and staff. Inspectors also evaluated recent school surveys for staff and parents.

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Inspection team

Sam Hainey, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gary Rawlings His Majesty’s Inspector 28 February to 1 March 2024 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

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