Witham Prospect School

Inspection of Witham Prospect School Old Harbour Farm, Newark Road, Norton Disney, Lincolnshire LN6 9JR

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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 come first at Witham Prospect School. Every pupil is known as an individual. Staff greet them warmly as they arrive at school each morning. Pupils are happy because they know the adults in school take good care of them. They follow the school’s well-established routines. They are familiar with the school building and site. They enjoy taking a walk in the extensive school grounds or saying hello to the pigs and donkeys that live in the school fields. The school is a safe and nurturing environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils. The school’s bespoke curriculum and personal development offer is designed to prepare pupils for adulthood. The school ensures that every pupil can communicate their thoughts and feelings using gestures, pictures, symbols and/or technology. Pupils become increasingly confident and independent during their time at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has adopted a range of suitable techniques to support positive behaviour. Staff are well trained to help pupils when they struggle to manage their emotions. This work has resulted in a marked reduction in the number of behaviour incidents that occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is valued by parents and carers. They are deeply appreciative of the individual support their children receive.

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better?

Since the last standard inspection, the school has worked with drive and determination to improve the curriculum. In a short space of time, leaders have created an ambitious curriculum that is appropriate for the needs of all pupils. The introduction of this curriculum is recent.

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better?

Across the school learning is purposeful. Pupils at an earlier developmental stage learn to listen, recognise patterns and sustain concentration in their play. Pupils who are further on in their learning use their understanding of money and their reading skills to go shopping. They learn to communicate their needs, for example by ordering a drink in a café. They learn about the world of work and how to make healthy choices about the food they eat. All pupils are encouraged to keep active. Pupils enjoy playing in the large outdoor play area. They are offered regular swimming lessons, trampolining sessions, and horse-riding.

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better?

Staff benefit from a wide range of training opportunities to support their delivery of the curriculum. They understand that pupils must repeat key knowledge many times before they can secure this learning in their long-term memory. Teachers check that pupils have understood the intended learning and identify what pupils need to learn next. Most staff are skilled at doing this. However, a small number of staff do not take every opportunity to support pupils to learn as well as they can. 8 to 10 October 2024 The school has introduced an early reading programme. Staff are trained to deliver phonics lessons. These lessons are a key part of every school day for all pupils. When pupils are ready, they learn the sounds that make up words. Some pupils learn to blend these sounds successfully to read simple texts. Staff read to pupils from a range of carefully selected books.

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better?

The school has established a calm and positive learning environment. As a result, pupils attend well and arrive at school with smiles on their faces. The school is committed to understanding the reasons why pupils present with challenging behaviour. They examine the records they keep forensically. Every pupil has a behaviour plan that identifies the support and action that staff should take when a pupil’s behaviour escalates. Occasionally staff accept behaviour that could lead to a member of staff being injured or disrupts other pupils from their learning.

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better?

Pupils’ personal development is woven through the school’s work. This has been planned deliberately to give pupils a wide range of relevant experiences and opportunities. The school does not shy away from taking pupils outside of their comfort zone with careful planning and support. For example, pupils visited the theatre to watch a performance of ‘Zog’.

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better?

The curriculum in personal, social, and health education (PSHE) teaches pupils important life skills. Pupils learn about behaviour that should be private and the importance of being kind to everyone. All pupils participate in ‘travel training’. Pupils learn how to identify a police officer or a fire-fighter and when they might need their help. Pupils who are leaving the school are well-prepared as they prepare to move to the next stage of their lives.

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better?

Members of the proprietor board are active in the life of the school. They share leaders’ high aspirations for what pupils can achieve. They have oversight over the work of the school and have a clear understanding of the progress the school has made, and future priorities. They have ensured that all the independent school standards are consistently met and that the school is compliant with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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better?

Staff enjoy working at the school. They describe the school as, ‘a team’. They say they feel valued and trusted to do a good job. They appreciate the support they receive from leaders and agree that their well-being is also a priority for the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

8 to 10 October 2024  A few members of staff do not provide pupils with effective support when they are learning new knowledge or when they are practising what they have already learned. As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that all staff have the skills they need to support pupils to reach their full potential.  Occasionally pupils’ inappropriate behaviour is not addressed. When this happens, other pupils are not able to learn as well as they can and staff are at risk of being hurt. The school should ensure that pupils understand that their actions have consequences and that their behaviour can have a negative impact on the largely positive learning environment the school has established.  The school’s curriculum has recently been introduced. It is not fully clear how pupils are benefitting from the improvements that have been made to the curriculum. The school should monitor the impact the new curriculum and make

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

further adaptations where identified in order to accelerate the progress that pupils make.

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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. 8 to 10 October 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 146971 DfE registration number 925/6011

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School details

Inspection number 10323201 Type of school Other Independent Special School

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School details

School category Independent Special School

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School details

Proprietor Longboat Special Education Limited

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £160,006 - £195,183

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School details

Email address c.roberts@withamprospect.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 to 9 February 2023 8 to 10 October 2024

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Information about this school

 The school is an independent special school for pupils between the ages of 11 and 19 years.  The school specialises in providing education for pupils with autism and associated needs. Pupils have significant communication needs.  The school’s last standard inspection was 7 to 9 February 2023 when it was judged to require improvement. The school had an additional inspection on 6 July 2023.  All pupils have an education, health and care plan. They are placed at the school by 11 different local authorities.  The headteacher and senior teacher have been appointed since the previous inspection.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  Pupils who are above compulsory school age study a curriculum that is appropriate to their stage of education.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and senior teacher who is also the member of staff with responsibility for SEND. The lead inspector met with four members of the proprietor body, including the chair.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and PSHE. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, and looked at evidence of pupils’ learning. The lead inspector watched a recording of three pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The lead inspector considered relevant documentation and reviewed the school’s facilities to check the school’s compliance with the independent school standards.

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Information about this inspection

 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and 8 to 10 October 2024 considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour on arrival at school, in classrooms and at lunchtime. An inspector spoke with four pupils about their experiences in school. A member of the school’s therapy team was present to support the inspector’s use of communication cards.  Inspectors took account of parents’ responses to Ofsted’s free-text messaging service.

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Inspection team

Caroline Poole, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie McBrearty Ofsted Inspector 8 to 10 October 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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