Drive Preparatory School

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Drive Preparatory School 101 The Drive, Hove, East Sussex BN3 6GE

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraphs 2 to 2(1)(b)  Since the last inspection, the school has reviewed the curriculum and introduced some changes to plans and schemes of work. It has improved its approach to reading in key stage 2 and refined mathematics and English in key stage 4. However, these changes have not been extensive enough. The curriculum still lacks coherence and schemes of work in some subjects do not identify and order the important knowledge that pupils need to learn sufficiently well.  The school has developed a regularly reviewed policy that sets out the principles underpinning the curriculum. It has worked with an external consultant on reviewing plans and schemes of work in each subject. This work is only partially completed. In several subjects, such as music and science, teachers determine curriculum content, rather than implementing appropriately selected and sequenced knowledge. As was

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Main inspection findings

found in the previous inspection, teachers still determine what they will teach and when, independent of any overall curriculum oversight by the school.  The school’s action plan is suitably detailed and identifies the important actions that need to be completed. However, the work to review the curriculum has not ensured that there is a sufficient level of detail in the school’s schemes of work and related planning. Consequently, lessons do not take enough account of pupils’ different aptitudes and needs.  The independent school standards (the standards) checked in this part are not met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraphs 7 to 7(b), 9 to 9(c), 12, 14, 16 to 16(b)  At the last inspection, safeguarding was judged not to be effective. The school has implemented substantial improvements in this area, introducing and embedding a new electronic reporting system that allows leaders to monitor pupils’ safety and welfare closely. Staff receive regular and appropriate safeguarding training. Consequently, they are aware of the potential safeguarding risks pupils may face. Staff are now particularly clear about how safeguarding arrangements need to reflect the specific needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The safeguarding policy complies with part 6 of the standards. The proprietor ensures that the safeguarding policy is reviewed annually and published on the school’s website. The school undertakes appropriate checks on the suitability of staff before appointment.

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Main inspection findings

These checks are kept diligently on the school’s single central record.  Pupils feel safe in school. They can identify a trusted adult they can report their worries to if needed. During social times, pupils are supervised sufficiently well by staff. They are aware of pupils’ specific needs and how to support them during the parts of the day when pupils are not in lessons.  The behaviour policy outlines the sanctions for poor behaviour clearly and details the procedures for nurturing positive behaviour. Pupils’ positive and negative behaviours are recorded on the school’s system so that the school can analyse trends in behaviour effectively.  In the previous inspection, the school did not comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. There is now a rigorous and appropriate fire risk assessment in place and actions from the risk assessment have been completed. The school now complies with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

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Main inspection findings

 The school has developed their risk assessment processes. The school now uses a range of appropriately detailed risk assessments to assess how to ensure pupils are safe on school trips, visits or during activities. Staff understand the importance of the risk assessment processes and use them appropriately when they are needed.  The previously unmet standards in this part are now met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraphs 34 to 34(1)(b)  The school has made progress in implementing its action plan. A coherent personal, social, health and economic education programme and the school’s ethos is evident in pupils’ positive attitudes towards learning. However, several of the key areas involving the school’s curriculum have not been implemented with enough precision. The school has not demonstrated the skills and knowledge needed to ensure that all the standards are met because of the weaknesses that remain in leadership oversight of the curriculum.  The school’s oversight and quality assurance of the curriculum is not firmly established. The school is not clear on how to ensure that important knowledge is identified and ordered sufficiently well so that teachers understand what to teach and when to teach it. Although work is underway to improve the curriculum, current curriculum documentation

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Main inspection findings

is not organised well enough. In some subjects, such as religious education and design and technology, schemes of work are incomplete. Leaders’ quality assurance of the curriculum has not identified these weaknesses.  The proprietor is in the process of establishing a governing body. In September 2024, a governor was appointed and recruitment for further members is underway. The appointed governor has relevant experience and has received appropriate training. Governor oversight is currently limited to monitoring safeguarding arrangements. There is more work to do before this oversight monitors the full scope of school business sufficiently.  These standards are not met. Paragraph 34(1)(c)  The proprietor has made significant improvements in safeguarding and in actively promoting pupils’ welfare. At the last inspection, the proprietor did not perform their strategic leadership responsibility in relation to the school’s safeguarding arrangements

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Main inspection findings

effectively. Subsequently, the school’s work on improving safeguarding has been strong. The system implemented to record safeguarding incidents is robust. The school is now able to identify when pupils need help and take timely action when needed.  Pupils feel safe and cared for in the school. The school has ensured that robust safeguarding policies and procedures and risk assessments have been embedded. Staff understand these policies and now receive regular training in these areas.  This standard is now met.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school does not meet the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection. This included the standards and requirements that the school was judged to not comply with at the previous inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which 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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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £6,885 to £8,997

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 14 to 16 November 2023

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Information about this school

 The Drive Preparatory School is not a designated special school. However, a significant proportion of pupils on roll have an education, health and care plan.  A governor was appointed in September 2024, and the school is currently in the process of increasing the number on the governing body.  The school is not using any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  This was the first progress monitoring inspection since the last standard inspection. It was carried out with no notice.  The Department for Education (DfE) required the school to prepare an action plan because of noncompliance with the standards identified at the time of the last standard inspection. Ofsted evaluated this action plan in October 2023. This was evaluated and accepted by the DfE in November 2023.  A range of documents and policies linked to the DfE’s request were scrutinised before and during the inspection. This included the school’s curriculum policy, schemes of work and behaviour and safeguarding policies. The inspector also checked the single central

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Information about this inspection

record.  The inspector met with the headteacher to review the curriculum. He also carried out lesson visits with the headteacher and met with pupils to gather their views of the school and discuss their work. The inspector held a discussion with a group of staff.  The inspector met with the representative of the proprietor body and had a telephone conversation with the chair of the governing body.  To evaluative the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and children; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.

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Inspection team

Harry Ingham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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The school does not meet the following independent school standards

Standards that were not met at the previous inspection and remain un-met at this inspection

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if- – 2(1)(a) the proprietor ensures that a written policy on the curriculum, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work, which provides for the matters specified in sub- paragraph (2) is drawn up and implemented effectively; and – 2(1)(b) the written policy, plans and schemes of work- – 2(1)(b)(i) take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan; and

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school- – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and

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standards

 7 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that- – 7(a) arrangements are made to safeguard and promote the welfare of pupils at the school; and – 7(b)such arrangements have regard to any guidance issued by the Secretary of State.

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standards

 9 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor promotes good behaviour amongst pupils by ensuring that- – 9(a) a written behaviour policy is drawn up that, amongst other matters, sets out the sanctions to be adopted in the event of pupil misbehaviour; – 9(b) the policy is implemented effectively; and – 9(c) a record is kept of the sanctions imposed upon pupils for serious misbehaviour.

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standards

 12 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

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standards

 14 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that pupils are properly supervised through the appropriate deployment of school staff.  16 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that- – 16(a) the welfare of pupils at the school is safeguarded and promoted by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written risk assessment policy; and – 16(b) appropriate action is taken to reduce risks that are identified.

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standards

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school- – 34(1)(c) actively promote the well-being of pupils. guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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standards

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standards

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standards

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standards

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standards

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standards

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