Progress Schools - Carlisle

Inspection of Progress Schools – Carlisle 7 Victoria Place, Carlisle, Cumbria CA1 1EJ

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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 are polite and make a strong contribution to the calm and respectful environment that exists at the school. They value the positive relationships that they have with staff, who they feel comfortable to speak to if they have any worries. Pupils are happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the care, support and warm welcome that they receive when they join the school. This helps them to overcome any challenges that they may face as a result of the fractured experience of education that they may have had in the past. Pupils respond well to the high expectations that the school has of their achievement and conduct. Those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in the life of the school. Pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with access to a range of activities that support their wider development effectively. Courses in cooking, woodwork and financial management help to prepare pupils for independent living well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make a positive contribution to their local community, for example when they run activities at a residential home, upcycle clothes that they have purchased from charity shops and make donations to a local food bank. This helps pupils to become confident and resilient young people.

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better?

The proprietor has established an environment where everyone is valued. It has worked effectively with the school to address the areas for improvement identified at the time of the previous inspection. The proprietor ensures that the school meets its statutory responsibilities under schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. It maintains a robust oversight of the independent school standards (the standards) to ensure that they are met consistently.

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better?

The school provides pupils with an ambitious, well-designed and broad curriculum. It has thought carefully about the important knowledge that pupils should learn. Staff appreciate the detailed curriculum information that they are given so that they know what to teach and when. This helps with their workload. Pupils are well supported to achieve a range of qualifications and awards in recognition of their academic achievements.

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better?

Typically, staff design activities that help pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding securely over time. On occasion, the activities that staff provide do not help pupils to build their depth of knowledge sufficiently well. When this happens, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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better?

In those subjects where staff have strong subject knowledge, they make effective checks on what pupils know and remember. On occasion, staff do not spot the gaps or misconceptions that pupils have in their learning. As a result, some pupils do not 4 to 6 March 2025 build on what they know and can do. When this happens, pupils move on to new learning before they are ready.

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better?

The school identifies accurately the additional needs of pupils with SEND. It provides staff with comprehensive information about pupils’ needs and how to meet them. Staff use this information well to provide these pupils with experiences that enable them to learn successfully alongside their peers.

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better?

The school identifies and addresses the reading needs of pupils. For some pupils, this includes help to close any gaps that they may have in their phonics knowledge. Pupils receive the support that they need to become confident and fluent readers. The books that pupils read make a significant contribution to their understanding of the world. For example, pupils read books that help them to learn about poverty, wealth, social class and how your own personal views can change over time.

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better?

The school provides well-considered support to pupils who need help to manage their own behaviour. Most pupils respond well to this help. Typically, pupils are well motivated and they engage positively with staff about the work that they are given. Staff address the barriers that have prevented pupils from attending school regularly in the past expertly. This has helped to increase the rate of attendance for most pupils.

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better?

The school’s programme to promote personal development is at the heart of its provision. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They know how to keep themselves safe and healthy. Pupils benefit from a strong programme of careers education. This helps them to move on to meaningful destinations that include further education, apprenticeships or employment with training.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 At times, staff design activities that do not help pupils to develop sufficient depth of knowledge in the subjects that they study. This prevents some pupils from achieving as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff design learning activities that prepare pupils well for each stage of their education.  On occasion, the school is not quick enough to rectify gaps and misconceptions in some pupils’ knowledge. This means that these pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. The school should ensure that staff address pupils’ misunderstandings in a timely manner so that pupils build their knowledge securely over time. 4 to 6 March 2025

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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. 4 to 6 March 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 135555 DfE registration number 942/6097

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School details

Inspection number 10361094 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

School category Independent special school

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School details

Chair Charlotte Charnley (known as Charlotte Barton) Headteacher Philippa Skate

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £17,500 to £54,000

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School details

Email address carlisle@progress-schools.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 to 27 April 2023 4 to 6 March 2025

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Information about this school

 The school provides short- and long-term placements for pupils who are disengaged from education, have been permanently excluded or are at risk of exclusion from education. The school is registered to admit up to 40 pupils.  Some of the pupils who attend the school have an education, health and care plan. The school caters for pupils who have a range of needs, including autism and social, emotional and mental health needs.  The school is located at 7 Victoria Place, Carlisle, Cumbria CA1 1EJ.  The school makes use of two unregistered alternative provisions.  The previous standard inspection took place on 25 to 27 April 2023. At this inspection, the school was judged not to comply with the standards that were checked during the inspection.  Following the standard inspection in April 2023, the Department for Education (DfE) required the school to prepare an action plan. This plan was statutory. Ofsted evaluated the plan on 18 August 2023. The DfE rejected this action plan.

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Information about this school

 The school received a progress monitoring inspection on 13 December 2023. At this inspection, the school was judged not to comply with the standards that were checked.  Following the progress monitoring inspection on 13 December 2023, the DfE required the school to prepare an action plan. This was statutory. Ofsted evaluated this plan on 11 April 2024. This plan was rejected by the DfE.  The school received a second progress monitoring inspection on 25 June 2024. At this inspection, the school was judged to comply with the standards that were checked during the inspection.

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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

 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.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other leaders from the proprietor body, including the chair.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: mathematics, science and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE). They discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited some lessons, reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with staff and pupils. 4 to 6 March 2025  Inspectors reviewed the curriculum plans for a range of other subjects.  Inspectors met with leaders to discuss SEND, the curriculum, assessment, pupils’ behaviour and the provision for pupils’ wider development.  There were no responses to Ofsted Parent View. The lead inspector spoke to

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Information about this inspection

some parents about their views of the school. Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. Inspectors gathered the views of staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single 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.  The lead inspector made a tour of the school premises.  Inspectors viewed a range of documentation that was provided by the school.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences of school life. They observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktime and lunchtime.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.

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Inspection team

Andy Cunningham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Hazzard Ofsted Inspector 4 to 6 March 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 looked after children, 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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