LPW Independent School

Inspection of LPW Independent School LPW House, Princess Street, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 4AG

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils excel at LPW Independent School. The school’s ambitious vision and dedication to prepare pupils successfully for their next stage in education is fully realised. Staff believe in pupils and are very well equipped to address the adverse experiences that pupils have had. Staff make a significant impact on pupils’ confidence and view of the world around them. Pupils say they feel safe when they are at school. Pupils develop committed and motivated attitudes to their education. This is a considerable positive shift from their previous experiences of a school setting.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are driven by the strong, trusted relationships that staff build with them. The school works skilfully to overcome pupils’ feelings of distrust and sense of injustice in the education system, and in authority more generally. As a result, by the end of their time at the school, pupils gain a range of qualifications that set them up very well for their next step.

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What is it like to attend this school?

However, there is so much more to LPW than this. The exceptionally well-designed personal development offer is carefully considered. It is highly effective and supports pupils to move from significant disengagement through to experiencing repeated success. Pupils develop resilience and are inspired to be aspirational about their future lives. Pupils make impressive progress, academically, socially and emotionally, from their starting points.

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better?

The school has designed the curriculum for each pupil based on their academic and emotional development. The curriculum also fosters pupils’ talents and interests. Pupils start at the school with substantial gaps in their learning having had a disrupted experience of education. The school places no limit on what pupils can achieve.

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better?

A strength of the school is how it keeps pupils front and centre of its decision making and actions. This requires innovative leadership at all levels in order for actions and impact to be successful. There is exceptionally powerful collaborative work between school staff and external experts. Staff working in roles such as key workers and learning mentors work alongside, or as part of, the teaching team. This ensures that learning is precisely matched to pupils’ needs and readiness for learning. Focused training and sharing of good practice hones and develops staff strengths and expertise. Staff are dedicated and motivated by highly inspirational leadership at all levels. This ensures that staff, whatever role they are in, make the best possible impact on pupils’ education.

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better?

The core curriculum identifies the important knowledge that pupils need to know to support them towards ambitious end goals. Pupils revisit and practise important subject knowledge. The school ensures that pupils build the foundations of knowledge that they need, such as in reading and number fluency. Part of this work 13 to 15 May 2025 involves the school strengthening its reading offer and improving pupils’ perception of reading. The English curriculum includes a range of diverse, high-quality texts to promote pupils’ reading engagement. Leaders explore innovative ways to embed reading, in different ways, into pupils’ timetables. An example of this is a group of pupils supporting phonics teaching at a local primary school.

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better?

The, often extensive, gaps in pupils’ learning are quickly identified and effectively addressed by the school. It achieves this through the skilled way in which it brings together staff expertise in the academic, pastoral and therapeutic aspects of its work. As a result, pupils increasingly achieve more ambitious qualifications and learn to feel proud of their achievements.

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better?

The school is equally as effective in how it supports pupils with their behaviour. The system underpinning this is widely understood and felt to be clear and fair. The school is considerate of pupils’ needs while still holding them to account for their actions and choices. The school closely monitors pupils’ attendance. It puts bespoke support in place for pupils where low attendance is a barrier to their education. Pupils’ attendance increases as a result. Where this is more challenging and pupils struggle to be in the school building, the school ensures that pupils are not disadvantaged in their learning and development through its highly successful team approach. Staff’s in-depth knowledge of pupils ensures that they can deliver the same ambitious, individualised academic and pastoral offer on and off the school site.

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better?

The school’s excellent careers provision ensures pupils receive helpful advice and guidance about their future pathways. The school offers a range of opportunities, including work experience, to help prepare pupils for the world beyond school. The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum helps pupils to learn about important issues. This includes what constitutes a healthy relationship and raising awareness of the risks associated with gang affiliation, knife crime, exploitation and drugs and alcohol. The safe and trusting relationships in school provide a setting where pupils can speak up about their experiences and understanding. They get the support that they need to safeguard themselves.

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better?

The proprietor body has effective systems in place to ensure that the school meets the independent school standards (the standards) consistently. It fulfils its statutory duties to safeguard its pupils. The close work with the LPW organisation as a whole ensures that the school’s work with its pupils is highly effective and firmly embedded in a culture and ethos which is worthy of sharing with others. The school is compliant with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 13 to 15 May 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. 13 to 15 May 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 137583 DfE registration number 801/6029

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School details

Inspection number 10374876 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Proprietor Learning Partnership West CIC

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 to 14 July 2022 13 to 15 May 2025

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Information about this school

 LPW Independent School is located in the centre of the city of Bristol. It operates from LPW House, Princess Street, Bedminster, BS3 4AG.  The school caters for pupils aged between 14 and 16 years of age who have a range of special educational needs and/or disabilities, most typically social, emotional and mental health difficulties.  Since the school’s previous standard inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed.  The number of pupils attending the school with an education, health and care (EHC) plan has increased since the last inspection. All pupils who attend the school are entitled to free school meals.  The school’s previous standard inspection was in July 2022. Inspectors judged the school as good.  The school uses six unregistered alternative provisions.

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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 held meetings with the headteacher, other members of the leadership team and a range of staff.  Inspectors met with the chief executive officer from the proprietor body. The lead inspector held a telephone conversation with the chair of the proprietor body. The lead inspector secured the local authority view of the school from a representative who works closely with the school.  Inspectors visited and held telephone conversations with four of the alternative provisions currently in use.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics and personal, social and health education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of

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Information about this inspection

lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and 13 to 15 May 2025 considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts children’s interests first.  The lead inspector made a tour of the school and reviewed a range of documents, including those relating to health and safety, in order to check the school’s compliance with the standards.  Inspectors considered responses to the survey, Ofsted Parent View, and responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil survey. Inspectors met with staff and pupils to consider their views of the school. Staff were present for the majority of meetings with pupils.

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Inspection team

Leanne Thirlby, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Richard Vaughan Ofsted Inspector 13 to 15 May 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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