Pioneer TEC

Inspection of Pioneer TEC Phoenix Park, Wallend Road, Ashton on Ribble, Preston PR2 2HW

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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?

This school has a caring and compassionate culture, which helps pupils to feel safe and happy. Pupils have had negative and disrupted experiences of education in the past. They also face challenges in their lives. The school successfully prioritises developing pupils’ self-esteem, resilience and confidence so that they are ready to re-engage with their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Taking their cue from the staff around them, pupils learn to be highly respectful and polite. When pupils struggle with their behaviour, staff encourage them to understand the impact of their choices on others and to make amends. Pupils’ social, emotional and personal development is woven through everything that they do, both inside and outside of the classroom.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the exciting array of outdoor pursuits available on the school grounds. They are encouraged to step out of their comfort zones by participating in activities such as go-karting or kayaking. Pupils learn how to manage risk. They take seriously their responsibility to keep themselves and others safe. Pupils learn new skills and often gain accreditation linked to these skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is determined that pupils will leave with the qualifications, skills and self- belief that they need to be confident and successful. From their starting points, pupils achieve well.

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better?

Since the last inspection, the school has undergone much change. For a time, there were no pupils attending the school. In the last year, a new proprietor has taken over. The proprietor is committed to continuing to improve the quality of education that the school provides. It is gradually increasing the number of pupils who attend, while ensuring that staff have the expertise needed to support pupils well.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is broad and ambitious. In the main, the important knowledge that pupils should know and remember is clearly identified. The school is in the process of further refining this information in some subjects, particularly for older pupils. However, in a small number of subjects, the school has not clearly defined the order in which pupils learn new knowledge. This makes it harder for pupils to connect new information to what they already know. At times, this hampers how securely pupils’ learning builds over time, particularly for those pupils who stay at the school for longer periods.

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better?

Staff are knowledgeable about the subjects that they teach. They value the training that they receive, which helps them to deliver the curriculum effectively. When pupils first join the school, their needs and starting points are identified swiftly. This includes any previously undiagnosed special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and any deficits in their reading knowledge. Staff carefully tailor their delivery of the curriculum to take account of these needs and starting points. This 1 and 2 April 2025 includes providing appropriate support for pupils who struggle to read. Staff expertly incorporate pupils’ interests into learning activities to help to engage them. Staff frequently check that pupils know and understand what they are taught. This informs the next learning activity. Pupils learn well and achieve nationally accredited qualifications across a very wide range of subject areas.

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better?

Warm and trusting relationships with staff help pupils to enjoy school. These relationships mean that staff are acutely aware of pupils’ individual vulnerabilities. In addition, the school communicates frequently with parents and carers so that, when needed, additional support can be provided for pupils during the school day. Pupils are keen to attend every day and typically do.

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better?

The school is responsive to pupils’ individual needs and circumstances and adapts its personal development programme accordingly. The school places a firm emphasis on equipping pupils to be independent, healthy and responsible citizens. Pupils learn life skills, such as how to look after their physical and mental health and how to cook nutritious meals. They learn about the importance of respecting differences between people and of the harm that can be caused when this does not happen.

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better?

The school provides personalised careers guidance and information for pupils. A focus on employability threads through all activities. This helps pupils to value the knowledge and experiences that they have. Pupils are supported well to access suitably ambitious next steps in education, employment or training.

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better?

The proprietor has appropriate arrangements in place to ensure that the independent school standards (the standards) are met consistently. This includes compliance with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The school buildings are very well maintained. Pupils have access to high-quality equipment and resources to support their learning across a wide range of subjects and activities. They appreciate these resources, which help them to feel enthused about their learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In some subjects, the school has not considered carefully enough the order in which some pupils learn the curriculum. This hinders teachers in linking pupils’ learning to what they already know. The school should ensure that the curriculum is logically organised to enable pupils to build knowledge cumulatively over time.

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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 1 and 2 April 2025 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. 1 and 2 April 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 148056 DfE registration number 888/6123

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School details

Inspection number 10299261 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £48,750 to £72,150

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School details

Email address education@pioneertec.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 to 10 March 2022 1 and 2 April 2025

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Information about this school

 The school is located at Phoenix Park, Wallend Road, Ashton on Ribble, Preston PR2 2HW.  The school buildings are situated in the centre of extensive open grounds that have been landscaped to accommodate tracks for activities such as off-road motorcycling and go-karting.  The school caters for pupils with SEND. It aims to re-engage pupils who are not able to attend mainstream schools. Most pupils have social, emotional and mental health needs. Most pupils at the school have an education, health and care plan.  The school is registered to admit up to 12 pupils. At the time of the inspection, there was a very small number of pupils in the school.  The school is registered to take pupils between the ages of 11 and 18. At the time of the inspection, there were no post-16 students in the school.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  The school has been taken over by a new proprietor since the last inspection.

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher has been in place since January 2025.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the proprietor, other leaders and staff.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, they discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at curriculum documentation and samples of pupils’ work in other subjects.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including those relating to the standards and the curriculum. 1 and 2 April 2025

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Information about this 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.  Inspectors considered the free-text comments shared through Ofsted Parent View and the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s survey for pupils.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime, in lessons and around the school. Inspectors spoke to pupils about their experience of school.  The lead inspector conducted a tour of the school site to check the suitability of the premises and accommodation against the relevant standards.

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Inspection team

Sally Rix, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gil Bourgade Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 April 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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