Caelum House School

Inspection of Caelum House School Kent House, Rutland Gardens, Knightsbridge, London SW7 1BX

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Inspection dates: 25 to 27 February 2025

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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 Not previously inspected

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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?

Caelum House is a small, happy school, where pupils feel welcome and attend regularly. They make good progress towards their personal targets, supported by staff who have high expectations for their achievements.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils receive the help they need to engage in learning and behave well. Staff guide them in understanding themselves and others, helping them develop their communication and to learn to manage their emotions. Pupils’ interactions are kind and thoughtful. They trust staff to support them whenever needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school enriches pupils’ understanding of the local area through experiences, like trips to Hyde Park and visits from the police and their dogs. It continues to expand these opportunities, working with families during both term time and in the holidays.

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better?

The school ensures that pupils are placed on the most appropriate curriculum to support their development. The curriculum sets out how staff should help pupils to develop their communication skills. Pupils are increasingly able to let adults know their preferences and what they understand.

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better?

Staff understand the specific needs of pupils. They make use of the information to support pupils. This includes details of their academic and behaviour information. The school keeps parents and carers well informed about their child’s progress thoroughly, including through bespoke monthly reports.

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better?

Teachers integrate learning opportunities throughout the school day. For example, each morning is used to help pupils get off to a great start. Pupils come together to build relationships and routines, practise fine motor skills or develop their vocabulary. They learn phonics and can recognise sounds in the environment and match to pictures or other resources. The school’s offer to broaden pupils’ enrichment opportunities beyond the school are not fully developed. This limits pupils’ experiences beyond the school site.

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better?

Staff carefully adapt their approach to build on the specific steps that pupils require. They help pupils engage with the wide curriculum on offer. The proprietor has prioritised the development of communication and uses all subject areas to build in language development opportunities. Pupils are also supported through specific therapies and given plenty of practise to help them secure their learning in a variety of contexts.

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better?

Adults understand what can unsettle pupils and notice the early signs that they may be struggling. Staff act swiftly, using their expertise to help pupils make the right choices. Pupils learn strategies to become independent learners over time. Pupils sustain their engagement with learning around the school well. 25 to 27 February 2025 Staff value the professional way that leaders interact with them. They agree that the school supports them to have a healthy work-life balance. Parents speak positively about their experiences of the school. They especially value the care and strong partnership working.

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better?

The proprietor makes sure that the school meets the independent school standards. They maintain premises to a high standard. Their accessibility plan complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The school’s safeguarding policy, which is published on its website, complies with the latest statutory guidance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school does not provide pupils with as wide an offer of additional activities as it could. This means that pupils do not secure the skills they need to manage in the wider community quite as well as they might. The proprietor needs to ensure that the school broadens the range of activities that pupils can engage with beyond the school site.

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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. 25 to 27 February 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 150305 DfE registration number 213/6015

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School details

Inspection number 10361097 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £13,500 to £18,000

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected 25 to 27 February 2025

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Information about this school

 Caelum House School is a small independent day school in the London Borough of Westminster with less than five pupils on roll.  The school opened in September 2024.  The school provides for pupils with severe and complex learning difficulties.  All pupils have an education, health and care plan.  Besides this school, the proprietor runs two day nursery schools. These are Play2Talk Pimlico, 55 Moreton Street, London SW1V 2NY (URN 2740300) and Play2Talk Kent House, Westminster Synagogue, Rutland Gardens, London SW7 1BX (URN 2749082).  Leaders do not make any use of alternative provision.

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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 evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection of the school since it opened in September 2024.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders and staff; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Meetings were held with the headteacher. The inspector also met with therapists and other staff.  The inspector met with three governors, including the chair.  To check the school’s compliance with the independent school standards, the inspector carried out a range of activities, including meeting with leaders, a site walk to check the premises on both sites, looking at the content on the school’s

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Information about this inspection

website and scrutinising the school’s records and documentation  The inspector considered responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey, including parents’ written comments. 25 to 27 February 2025  The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Karen Matthews, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 25 to 27 February 2025 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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