Advance Education

Inspection of Advance Education Unit 5, Unimix House, Abbey Road, Park Royal, London NW10 7TR

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and they are keen to learn. They behave well and follow school routines. Classrooms provide a calm atmosphere, which enable pupils to focus on learning and listening to adults. However, this comes at a cost due to the school’s ineffective approach to discipline. The strategies that the school uses to manage behaviour risk causing serious emotional and physical harm to pupils. These strategies are embedded. They have become normalised and pupils accept them without question. As a result, pupils in this school are not safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for its pupils and aims to prepare them well for the next stage of their education and beyond. Pupils study a broad range of subjects, including the seven areas of learning and development in the early years. However, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. This is because some teachers do not deliver the subject content as intended by the school. As a result, pupils develop gaps in their knowledge which are not identified and corrected.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school does not make appropriate checks when it recruits staff. There are staff working in the school, either as teachers or breaktime and lunchtime supervisors, who have a prohibition from teaching order. Despite the prohibition orders, these staff have unsupervised access to pupils for prolonged periods of time. The proprietor was not able to demonstrate an understanding of the implications of the prohibition status of these members of staff in order to determine their suitability to carry out work in the school.

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better?

Pupils study a range of subjects in line with the national curriculum. This is broader than the subjects defined in the independent school standards. In some subjects, for example mathematics and history, the school has made sure that the subject content is suitably ordered, so that pupils build on their knowledge step by step over time. The school has built in time to revisit and practise previous knowledge and skills before introducing new learning. For example, pupils in Year 3 were learning what fractions are and how to express them. Pupils in Year 4 were building on this knowledge when calculating fractions of quantities. However, the school has not thought about all subjects in this way. Therefore, in some subjects, pupils do not have the knowledge that they require to secure new learning.

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better?

The school has not made sure that all teachers are following the curriculum as it intends. The curriculum documentation, from the early years through to Year 6, differs from the resources that teachers use in the classroom. There are insufficient systems in place to check what resources class teachers use, and that pupils are learning the subject content in the correct order. This prevents pupils achieving as well as they could, as they miss vital steps in their learning.

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better?

The school has systems in place to check what pupils know and remember in their lessons. However, these systems are not well established. This means that pupils’ 8 to 10 October 2024 mistakes are missed and not corrected. In the early years, for example, the school does not provide clear guidance to support the development of children’s communication and language knowledge. This means children are not fully prepared to start their learning in Year 1.

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better?

The school checks if pupils are able to access the curriculum effectively, including understanding if they have any additional needs or barriers that need to be considered. This extends to those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, when additional needs are identified, the school’s approaches are, at times, not effective in giving pupils the support that they need.

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better?

The school values reading and understands the importance of pupils learning to read accurately and fluently from the start of Reception Year. Starting in the early years, children learn the letters and their sounds daily. Older pupils also read every day. However, the school has not committed to using one programme to teach children how to read. This means that some pupils do not take books home to read with their parents and carers that match the sounds that pupils know. Consequently, pupils do not develop their reading knowledge as quickly as they could.

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better?

The school has very high attendance rates. Children in the early years are keen to come to school and they settle into class routines quickly. Pupils throughout the school are eager to learn and they are motivated to attend and earn class rewards. Pupils are proud of their prefect-led conflict resolution system, where they help each other solve problems that arise between themselves. However, the school’s practice and policies for behaviour management cause, or are at risk of causing, significant harm to pupils. For example, some pupils spoke about having to hold stress positions for a period of time set by an adult. These measures are damaging to pupils’ physical health and emotional well-being. Pupils described some of these measures as being painful.

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better?

Pupils have a good understanding of fundamental British values. They can explain the meaning of terms, such as democracy, and relate it to their own school council. The school makes sure that pupils learn about the major religions followed in Britain. It provides opportunities for pupils to visit different places of worship. Pupils have also visited the Science and the Natural History Museums as part of their science curriculum. Pupils learn about healthy relationships and what it means to live a healthy lifestyle. However, the school has not given enough thought to how this knowledge should build over time in a way that is appropriate to pupils’ ages . There are limited opportunities for pupils to attend clubs that help nurture their talents and interests. The school does not record what activities pupils take part in and does not ensure that all pupils have access to them. As a result, some pupils miss these

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better?

Staff enjoy working at the school and they feel well supported by leaders. Staff manage their workload well, which enables them to focus on their teaching. Parents are also supportive of the work of the school. 8 to 10 October 2024 The school has not made sure that all the independent school standards (‘the standards’) have been met, this includes the statutory requirements for the early years. The school does not have an accurate record of the pupils who are registered at the school or, if they arrived at the school after Reception Year, what their previous school was. The school does not have the number of staff required to safely manage the well-being of children in the early years. This means that children are at risk of harm.

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better?

The proprietor body has not established suitable and effective approaches to checking the school’s work. Its oversight of different aspects of the school’s work is poor. The proprietor body’s lack of understanding of the school’s work, together with its limited understanding of the requirements of the standards, including safer recruitment, demonstrate a lack of capacity to improve.

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better?

The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

The school’s systems for managing behaviour cause, or are at risk of causing, pupils to suffer significant harm. Pupils are made to maintain physical positions that are painful. This is used as a method of punishment to correct poor behaviour. This method of punishment has become normalised in the school and pupils do not consider it unusual.

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Safeguarding

The school’s systems for recording pupil disclosures and reporting them to outside agencies are not robust. Disclosures are not recorded consistently by staff and not all staff follow the school’s own policy for reporting their concerns. The school’s records of concerns are incomplete and incoherent. There is no clear record of which pupils have support from external agencies.

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Safeguarding

The school was unable to provide a register of admissions that was complete and that included the number of pupils the school said were on roll. This places pupils at risk of harm as there is no accurate record of which pupils are expected at the school each day.

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Safeguarding

There is a safeguarding policy but, despite this, the school does not follow robust measures to ensure that all checks are made on staff working here. This means that unsuitable staff may be recruited to work in the school. This places pupils at risk.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school’s approach to managing poor behaviour causes, or risks causing, significant physical and emotional harm to pupils. Pupils are not safe. The school 8 to 10 October 2024 must change its approach to managing poor behaviour immediately in order to keep pupils in the school safe.  The school does not complete all appropriate checks on staff who work in the school. Furthermore, it does not record, maintain and report safeguarding concerns in a robust manner. Pupils are, therefore, not safe in this school. The school must ensure that it improves its recruitment processes to include all relevant checks as required by the Department for Education’s statutory guidance: Keeping Children Safe in Education 2024. The school must also improve the way it records, maintains and reports safeguarding concerns.  Some areas of the curriculum are less well developed than others. Teachers are also not given the right information about what topic to teach and when this

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

should happen. This leads to knowledge being taught out of the agreed sequence. As a result, pupils do not have the prior knowledge to attempt new learning. The school should develop all curriculum areas, including in the early years, to ensure that the knowledge and skills the school wants pupils to know and remember are clearly defined and sequenced in all subjects. Teachers must also have clear information about what they should teach and when they teach it.  The school has not committed to one specific systematic synthetic phonics programme. This leads to a lack of precision when teaching pupils to read. Pupils cannot practise the sounds they know because the books they take home do not match these sounds. As a result, pupils are not becoming accurate and fluent readers quickly enough. The school should commit to one programme for teaching pupils to read and ensure that pupils read books that match the sounds

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

that they know.  The assessment of pupils’ understanding in lessons and in books is not precise or effective enough. As a result, some pupils do not learn the knowledge the school intends. The school should ensure that secure systems are in place to check what pupils are learning in class and for any gaps or misconceptions in pupils’ learning to be corrected.  The school does not maintain a correct and up-to-date admissions register of all pupils at the school. This poses a risk to pupils’ welfare, as the school does not know which pupils should be in school. The school must ensure that the admissions register is accurate and completed in line with statutory guidance, including the name of pupils’ previous schools.  The school has not ensured that they meet the safeguarding and welfare requirements of the early years foundation stage statutory framework. There are not sufficient staff working in the early years and this places children at risk of

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

harm. The school must ensure that the early years foundation stage has the correct number of staff to safely support the children in the class.  The proprietor body and the school have not ensured that all the independent school standards have been met. As a result, pupils are at risk of significant physical and emotional harm, and they are not safe. The proprietor must ensure that all the independent school standards are consistently met. 8 to 10 October 2024

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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 143640 DfE registration number 304/6004

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School details

Inspection number 10342119 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Website www.advanceeducationcentre- London.co.uk Email address admin@advanceeducationschool.org

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 to 3 November 2022 8 to 10 October 2024

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Information about this school

 This is an independent day school with a Muslim ethos. It is located in a self- contained unit on the ground floor of a large, multi-storey commercial office block. The school address is Unit 5, Unimix House, Abbey Road, Park Royal, London NW10 7TR.  The school is registered to admit 125 pupils.  The school’s previous standard inspection took place in November 2022. A progress monitoring inspection, commissioned by the DfE, was on 30 November 2023.  The school currently has not identified any pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

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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 has failed to meet the independent school standards. These are the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  During the course of this inspection, inspectors identified serious concerns about the school’s use of behaviour sanctions meaning pupils had suffered or were likely to suffer serious harm. Ofsted does not have the power to investigate incidents of this kind. However, during the inspection, Ofsted referred its concerns to the appropriate authorities for investigation.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the chair of trustees and a member of the board of trustees. Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation provided by the school to check compliance with the independent school standards. They also toured the school’s premises.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, geography,

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Information about this inspection

mathematics and history. 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 for some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single 8 to 10 October 2024 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 groups of pupils. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes was observed.  Inspectors spoke to a range of staff about safeguarding, pupils’ behaviour and staff workload. Inspectors looked at parent, pupil and staff responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Mark Smith, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Wright His Majesty’s Inspector 8 to 10 October 2024

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school- – 3(h) utilises effective strategies for managing behaviour and encouraging pupils to act responsibly.

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 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.  9 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor promotes good behaviour amongst pupils by ensuring that- – 9(b) the policy is implemented effectively; and  15 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that an admission and attendance register is maintained in accordance with the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006[13].

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Part 4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors

 18(2) The standard in this paragraph is met if- – 18(2)(b) no such person carries out work, or intends to carry out work, at the school in contravention of a prohibition order, an interim prohibition order, or any direction made under section 128 of the 2008 Act or section 142 of the 2002 Act, or any disqualification, prohibition or restriction which takes effect as if contained in either such direction;  21(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor keeps a register which shows such of the information referred to in sub-paragraphs (3) to (7) as is applicable to the school in question.  21(3) The information referred to in this sub-paragraph is- – 21(3)(b) in relation to each member of staff ("S"), whether a check was made to establish whether S is subject to a prohibition order or an interim prohibition order, including the date on which such check was completed.

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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; 8 to 10 October 2024 – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and – 34(1)(c) actively promote the well-being of pupils.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

– 3.7. If providers have concerns about children’s safety or welfare, they must immediately notify their local authority children’s social care team, in line with local reporting procedures, and, in emergencies, the police. Providers must also take into account the government’s statutory guidance ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ and ‘Prevent duty guidance for England and Wales’. All schools are required to have regard to the government’s statutory guidance ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’, and other childcare providers may also find it helpful to read this guidance.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

– 3.9. Providers must ensure that people looking after children are suitable; they must have the relevant qualifications, training and have passed any required checks to fulfil their roles. Providers must take appropriate steps to verify qualifications, including in cases where physical evidence cannot be produced. Providers must also ensure that any person who may have regular contact with children (for example, someone living or working on the same premises the early years provision is provided), is suitable.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

– 3.45. For children aged three and over in independent schools (including in nursery classes in academies), where there is no person with Qualified Teacher Status, Early Years Professional Status, Early Years Teacher Status or another approved level 6 qualification, no instructor, and no suitably qualified overseas trained teacher, working directly with the children: • there must be at least one member of staff for every eight children • at least one member of staff must hold an approved level 3 qualification. 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

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Early Years Foundation Stage

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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Early Years Foundation Stage

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Early Years Foundation Stage

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Early Years Foundation Stage

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Early Years Foundation Stage

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