Educate U

Inspection of Educate U Unit 2, 58c Chapel Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN12 6JT

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection

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Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school is hugely transformative for pupils’ experience of education and their self-confidence. Most start here after long periods out of education and with very low self-esteem. Staff work tirelessly to build extremely positive relationships, and to build trust with both pupils and parents and carers. Once settled, pupils enjoy learning, make positive memories with new friends and are very happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils’ academic achievements. Staff have undertaken a thorough review of the curriculum and its delivery. They are embedding thoughtful developments across all subjects. Pupils make demonstrable progress in all years, particularly in reading and in key stage 4.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s high-quality therapeutic provision supports pupils with their well-being and social skills. Overall, pupils behave extremely well. In addition, they demonstrate very positive attitudes to their learning in lessons. Where necessary, staff use trauma-informed approaches skilfully and consistently to support individuals when they struggle to regulate their emotions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The proprietors are currently managing some significant challenges. As a result, their oversight of the independent school standards (the standards) in a few areas has not been as consistent or rigorous as they would have hoped. They have taken decisive action to address the issues raised during this inspection.

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better?

All pupils at the school have education, health and care (ECH) plans. The trauma- informed ethos ensures that pupils are at the centre of the school’s work. Staff are rightly proud of how the school helps pupils and their families. Staff feel valued and supported in their work. The school’s ethos is especially seen in its extremely high- quality pastoral care and therapeutic support. On entry to the school, staff carefully identify pupils’ academic gaps and emotional needs. They establish bespoke teaching and learning, and therapeutic strategies for each individual. Initially, staff prioritise attendance and building confidence. Most pupils’ attendance improves significantly as a result. Once attending regularly, pupils thrive and make strong progress towards their EHC plan targets. Most parents are highly supportive of the school. They are often effusive about how the school has transformed their child’s

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better?

experience and given them hope for the future.

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better?

The school’s curriculum offer is clearly structured from Year 1 onwards. In key stage 4, pupils can study for a variety of qualifications, including GCSEs where appropriate. For each subject, staff have identified the essential knowledge that pupils need at each point. Knowledge and skills are taught through topics up to the end of Year 9. The curriculum is delivered though the school’s ‘semi-formal’ and ‘formal’ pathways, based on the degree of emotional and catch-up support needed by individual pupils. This means that all pupils can follow the same curriculum but in a way that is adapted for them. Reading is prioritised and pupils benefit from a 11 to 13 March 2025 range of reading opportunities, including at the local library. The school accurately identifies any gaps pupils have in their reading knowledge and provides very effective support. Most pupils become confident and fluent readers rapidly.

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better?

To help all pupils learn, staff establish positive classroom environments and use the detailed information they receive to adjust how they work with pupils. In addition, staff have an increasingly precise understanding of pupils’ starting points. Consequently, they carefully select activities and approaches which help pupils remember and use their learning. Staff also regularly check that pupils can remember what they have learned before moving on. Consequently, pupils make demonstrable progress through the curriculum at a pace appropriate for them. However, especially lower down the school, some of the curriculum is not yet embedded securely and consistently. The school is, rightly, adapting the delivery so that pupils are prepared as well as possible for what they might achieve by the end of Year 11 and beyond.

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better?

The school aims to ‘empower’ pupils and ‘create possibilities’ for them. Consequently, the school’s academic curriculum is enriched by many additional activities. These are well considered and bring learning to life and help pupils to put social and life skills into practice. For example, pupils go to the theatre or the beach and visit public and cultural buildings. The local leisure centre is used for physical education and swimming. Staff ensure that all pupils can take part in these activities. The school also provides exceptional outdoor education experiences. Staff skilfully use outdoor activities to reinforce classroom learning by putting design, enquiry and creative skills into practice. Pupils take on responsibilities proudly. School council members are excellent role models. For example, they prepare social events for staff and peers and have helped design a healthy eating policy. They also

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better?

The personal development programme is thoughtfully organised. Staff deliver it in emotionally and age-appropriate ways. Pupils learn how to stay safe and foster positive relationships, including online. They also find out about different cultures and learn the difference between right and wrong. The careers programme provides pupils with important information about next steps. Pupils receive impartial advice and guidance and meet a range of representatives from education, employment and training. Through a range of clubs, staff also encourage essential social skills. Consequently, pupils are extremely well prepared for the future and to be positive citizens in modern Britain.

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better?

The proprietor has ensured that the school meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The school’s different settings provide high-quality teaching and therapeutic spaces. Classrooms and corridors are bright, clean and well resourced. At the main site, there is a small and safe outdoor area. The school’s policies, including for safeguarding, meet the current statutory requirements. They are available to parents on the school’s website. However, some systems for ensuring consistent compliance with the standards have not been as effective as they should have been recently. Some policies were updated during the course of the inspection. Inspectors also identified that some routine maintenance issues had 11 to 13 March 2025 not been addressed in a timely way. Added to this, the proprietor did not respond to fire and water safety reports swiftly enough. The proprietor is acting robustly to

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better?

address this, and inspectors did not consider pupils to be at risk of harm.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The schools’ curriculum and assessment developments are not fully embedded in some areas. Consequently, some pupils are not stretched are far as they could be, especially in the lower years. The school should continue to support staff to refine its curriculum and assessment work.  The school’s processes for holding leaders to account for their delegated responsibilities have not been fully effective over time. Consequently, the proprietor has not ensured that the standards have been consistently met over time. The proprietors must ensure that there are effective systems in place so that all standards are consistently and fully met.

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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. 11 to 13 March 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 147546 DfE registration number 938/6004

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School details

Inspection number 10342152 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 30 November to 2 December 2021 11 to 13 March 2025

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Information about this school

 The school was registered by the Department for Education on 2 December 2019.  This is the school’s second standard inspection.  The headteacher has been in post since September 2023 having been employed at the school since September 2021.  The school has two additional premises: Station House, 2 Railway Approach, Worthing Central BN11 1UR and their outdoor provision at Reef Wood, Binstead Lane, Arundel, Sussex BN18 0UX.  All pupils attending the school have EHC plans. Pupils have social, emotional and mental health needs. Many pupils have missed a significant amount of time in school previously.  The school uses five alternative providers, all of which are unregistered.  The school is registered to accept 40 pupils between the ages of 5 and 16. The school has admitted one pupil above the registered age range.

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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.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and the proprietor.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics and geography. 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 met with leaders with responsibility for attendance and behaviour. They reviewed a range of documents including risk assessments and case studies.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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Information about this inspection

considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. 11 to 13 March 2025  Inspectors considered a range of evidence to evaluate compliance with the standards.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils. They also gathered the views of pupils and staff through interviews and discussions throughout the inspection.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The lead inspector also spoke to several parents on the telephone.

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Inspection team

Mary Davies, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Andy Johnson Ofsted Inspector 11 to 13 March 2025

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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; 11 to 13 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

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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