Liverpool Progressive School

Inspection of Liverpool Progressive School Rice Lane, Walton, Liverpool, Merseyside L9 1NR

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision 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 are happy and thrive in this school. Staff have high expectations for pupils and understand their complex and challenging needs. Bespoke and personal plans ensure that pupils have the opportunity to reach their potential. Pupils make strong progress from their starting points. They achieve well across a broad range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The personal development of each pupil is woven through all aspects of the curriculum. Staff ensure that pupils have experiences to support their independence. For example, a visit to a supermarket is also an opportunity for pupils to learn about road safety, to communicate with unknown adults and to handle money.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The majority of pupils have had significant difficulties in their previous school settings. The school recognises this and works with parents and carers to fully understand pupils’ needs before they join the school. Staff get to know each pupil’s behaviour traits such as facial expressions, body language and other signs that a pupil may be uncomfortable or distressed. They use this information to shape a support plan for each pupil. Over time, pupils’ behaviour significantly improves. Pupils learn how to regulate their own behaviour, such as asking for a walk outside or spending time in the sensory room.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, the school has significantly improved its curriculum. The curriculum is broad and ambitious. There are now four distinct pathways to ensure that the needs of pupils with special educational needs/and or disabilities (SEND) are met. Pupils and students in the sixth form are grouped according to their SEND needs. The school has considered the varied, complex needs of pupils carefully. It uses each pupil’s education, health and care (EHC) plan as the basis for its highly personalised approach to curriculum design. This helps to ensure that pupils’ needs are met and that they achieve well.

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better?

Curriculum plans are detailed and set out clear steps of learning. Staff know pupils extremely well. They choose activities that hold pupils’ attention and engage them in learning. Staff ensure that pupils have the time to practise new skills. Planned activities in lessons are personalised for each pupil to ensure that they can learn well.

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better?

A number of pupils are non-verbal. Specialist staff in school ensure that every pupil has a voice. A range of communication methods are used including sign language, picture and visual aids to support communication. The school uses song, rhyme, poetry, stories and dance to build the foundations for early reading. When pupils are ready, they learn the letters and sounds that they need to read with confidence.

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better?

The school has recently introduced new strategies to assess pupils’ progress. This is welcomed by staff who feel it will help reduce their workload. As these strategies are 4 to 6 June 2024 new, staff’s use of assessment information is not consistently used to inform future teaching.

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better?

Over the last few years, the behaviour of pupils has significantly improved. The proprietor body and the school have invested in a robust package of staff training and development. This has given staff the secure knowledge that they need to manage the wide range of complex needs that some pupils have. Personal support plans ensure that pupils feel safe, supported, happy and ready to learn.

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better?

A high number of pupils had poor attendance in their previous schools. Staff swiftly build rapport with new pupils. They show pupils that they care and accept them for who they are. Pupils feel welcome, valued and enjoy coming to school. For the vast majority of pupils, their attendance considerably improves once they join the school.

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better?

The school’s programme for pupils’ personal development is exceptional. The school looks to the future and ensures that pupils, and students in the sixth form, have the communication and life skills that they need to navigate adulthood. For example, pupils learn to use public transport. They also learn about healthy lifestyles. This includes enjoying a wide range of sports as well as learning to eat well, shop for food and make their own lunch.

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better?

The careers programme considers the interests and ambitions of each pupil. The school works closely with parents, the local authority and other agencies at an early stage to plan each pupil’s next stage in education or move into adult provision. Some pupils have opportunities to undertake work experience in school or in the community.

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better?

The proprietor body and the governing body have clear roles and responsibilities to support and challenge the school. There is robust oversight of the school’s work including checks on safeguarding practice and culture, behaviour, attendance and the curriculum. The proprietor body also builds in regular opportunities for staff to meet with the chief executive officer (CEO).

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better?

Staff feel valued and listened to. They appreciate the open culture where they can talk to leaders at any time, for example if they have any workload or well-being concerns. Staff also appreciate the ‘shout-out’ at the weekly staff meeting, where they can say thank you to their colleagues and share some positive feedback.

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better?

The school meets all the independent school standards. The proprietor body understands and carries out its duties effectively. It has ensured that it complies with its statutory duties, including the provision of relationships, sex and health education and compliance with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 4 to 6 June 2024

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school’s new assessment strategies are not implemented in a consistent manner across the school. This means that staff do not routinely build pupils’ learning on what they already know. The school should ensure that assessment strategies are embedded, so that pupils can build their learning securely 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. 4 to 6 June 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 133309 DfE registration number 341/6047

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School details

Inspection number 10323199 Type of school Other Independent Special School

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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sixth form

Proprietor Body Keys Group Progressive Education Ltd

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sixth form

Annual fees (day pupils) £81,588 to £108,615

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sixth form

Email address admin.lps@keys-group.co.uk

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 22 to 24 November 2022

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Information about this school

 The school received a progress monitoring inspection in November 2023.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school caters for pupils with a range of SEND. All pupils have an EHC plan. Pupils’ needs include autism, Down’s syndrome, cognitive difficulties, physical difficulties medical needs and social, emotional and mental health needs.

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Information about this inspection

4 to 6 June 2024 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 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteachers and other leaders in school. They spoke with representatives from the proprietor body, including the CEO and the chair of the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: communication and early reading, creative arts, physical development and physical 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. An inspector also listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans, pupils’ books and spoke with leaders

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Information about this inspection

about a few other subjects.  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 also reviewed information relating to the independent school standards. They looked at records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance. Inspectors toured the school’s premises.

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Inspection team

Julie Bather, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lindy Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 4 to 6 June 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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