Educare Small School

Inspection of Educare Small School 12 Cowleaze Road, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, KT2 6DZ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision 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?

This small supportive school prides itself on the individualised learning and care that it offers. Pupils are helped to become confident and respectful through the school’s nurturing environment. They are happy here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders maintain high expectations and ambitions for pupils’ academic achievement. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders’ goals for pupils’ learning are, in most curriculum areas, fully realised. In these areas, pupils are skilfully supported to learn the full school curriculum and achieve well overall.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has adopted a range of suitable behavioural techniques and principles to support positive behaviour. Staff model and promote these principles and give pupils lots of encouragement and guidance. Pupils are also given time for reflection and to refocus when they need it. As a result, pupils are helped to consider the impact of their own behaviour on their own emotions and on others. In most cases, this results in generally positive behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are encouraged to make positive contributions to the school and the wider community. They take on responsibilities and think about ways to keep the school safe for all. Visits to the local community garden help pupils to become aware of the benefits of volunteering and also boost their social skills. Pupils enjoy school life and they are kept safe.

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better?

The school has developed its curriculum by using the national curriculum as a starting point. Pupils’ learning is broad, in line with the requirements for independent schools. This includes a suitable curriculum in the early years foundation stage. What pupils learn in each curriculum area helps them to be ready for the next stages of their education. The school is flexible in its approach to the implementation of the curriculum. They make sure that the curriculum is designed around pupils and their individual needs. Pupils achieve well overall, but in a few aspects, the curriculum does not rigorously promote depth in pupils’ understanding.

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better?

Overall, teaching techniques are effective in supporting pupils to learn the curriculum. Activities are chosen with care to successfully help pupils to grow their knowledge. Over the long-term, pupils are able to remember and recall this knowledge well. Staff understand what pupils should be learning. Their strong subject knowledge allows them to deliver the intended learning effectively. Assessments are used well, both to check on pupils’ progress and to ensure that appropriate extra help with learning is put in place when pupils need it.

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better?

The school’s early reading curriculum, including its approach to phonics, is successful in supporting pupils to learn to read. This begins in early years. Teachers know how well pupils are getting better at reading. They make sure that where 18 to 20 June 2024 there are gaps in pupils’ knowledge, pupils are supported to catch up. Pupils experience a range of appropriate texts through the school’s curriculum. Pupils enjoy reading and the experience of being read to.

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better?

Pupils with SEND receive very bespoke care to allow them to access and learn the full curriculum. When it is necessary, activities and resources are adapted for their individual needs. This too is effective in enabling pupils with SEND to be successful in their learning. Teachers receive regular training to ensure that they have the skills and expertise needed to support pupils well. Leaders, teachers and parents and carers work as an effective team to support pupils with additional needs. Pupils’ progress is carefully monitored and, when necessary, support plans are adapted.

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better?

The school has recently been working on refining its behaviour policy. Leaders want pupils to be responsible for their own actions and to be able to work together to solve problems. Pupils are very familiar with some aspects of the school’s expectations. For example, the ‘ready list’ helps pupils to know how to settle quickly into learning before entering classrooms. However, at times, the implementation of some aspects of the behaviour policy is not consistent, leaving some pupils unclear about what is expected of them. This can lead to disagreements between pupils and minor disruptions to learning.

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better?

Leaders work together with pupils and parents to support high attendance. The school emphasises the message that being in school will help pupils to master the curriculum. Attendance registers show that pupils generally attend well.

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better?

The school sees the personal development curriculum as a thread that runs through all that happens here. Events and celebrations are used to build a sense of community at the school. Pupils enjoy taking part in these. Educational visits are carefully planned to ensure that pupils experience the community beyond their immediate neighbourhood. These include visits to various places of worship and a wide range of museums. In a few areas, the taught programme for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is not helping pupils to grow their knowledge and awareness as effectively as it could. For example, what pupils are taught does not help them to fully secure their appreciation of how values such as democracy and respect help to shape modern society.

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better?

Leaders support pupils when they are preparing to take their next steps in education. In particular, they work closely with pupils and their parents to prepare them for moving to secondary school.

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better?

Trustees help the school to improve the education offered to pupils. They know the school well and are both challenging and supportive. The proprietor is actively involved in the day-to-day work of the school in the role of headteacher. Consistent actions are taken to ensure the school continues to provide a good standard of education to pupils. 18 to 20 June 2024 Leadership has worked hard to ensure that the school meets all of the independent school standards and the statutory welfare requirements of the early years foundation stage.

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better?

The relevant requirements of the Equality Act 2010 are met.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In some instances, the school’s expectations for behaviour are not implemented consistently well. This means that, at times, there are interruptions to pupils’ learning. The school should strengthen professional development for staff so that they can consistently teach and implement the school behaviour systems to ensure that all learning time is made the most of.  A few aspects of the curriculum, including PSHE, are not as effective as others in expanding pupils' knowledge. For instance, pupils' awareness of fundamental British values and how these relate to the society that they are living in is not as well developed as the school intends. The school should review how these aspects of the curriculum are planned and delivered to enable pupils to develop suitably deep and detailed knowledge.

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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 June 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 131351 DfE registration number 314/6070

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School details

Inspection number 10322577 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Email address hello@educaresmallschool.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 to 13 February 2020 18 to 20 June 2024

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Information about this school

 Educare Small School is a non-selective independent primary school for boys and girls aged between three and 11. The school aims to provide ‘a safe, balanced and nurturing education for children to develop their potential as individuals in their own right’.  The school is registered to admit up to 50 pupils. There are currently 34 pupils on roll, none attend part time.  The proprietor is also the headteacher. The school also has a board of trustees, which scrutinises the work of leaders.  The school uses no alternative provision.  The school has an exemption from the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage.

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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 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. ◼ 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. ◼ The inspectors met with the proprietor who is also the headteacher, members of the board of trustees and the rest of the school senior leadership team. ◼ Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, PSHE, and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, 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. ◼ Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects. ◼ To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

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. 18 to 20 June 2024 ◼ The inspectors reviewed a wide range of policies and other evidence to evaluate compliance with the standards. ◼ Inspectors considered the responses to pupil, staff and parent surveys.

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Inspection team

Luke Stubbles, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Amanda Fraser His Majesty's Inspector 18 to 20 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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