OMG Education

Inspection of OMG Education 85 Commercial Street, London E1 6BG

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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?

Pupils at this school receive strong individualised support for their personal development. They know about fundamental British values and they learn to become productive citizens through activities such as local litter picking. This helps to prepare them for life in modern Britain and the wider world. They feel safe at school and they are kept safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has put in place an ambitious curriculum that builds upon pupils’ interests and helps to make them ready for the next stages of their education. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, learn this curriculum well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has clear expectations for behaviour. Pupils follow these appropriately. Bullying is never tolerated. The strong relationships between pupils and staff lead to learning at this school being a shared and collaborative experience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and working in the creative and friendly environment. They particularly value the opportunities to work in the recording studio and to perform both to each other and to members of their community. The school has created an environment to inspire pupils to come to school and learn. It ensures that pupils are well supported to benefit from their education.

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better?

High-quality opportunities to promote personal development are threaded through the whole curriculum. Alongside this, pupils also learn a separate personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme. The school has made sure that this curriculum is carefully tailored to both meet all statutory requirements and to support pupils to develop positive life skills and character traits.

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better?

The academic curriculum helps pupils to develop strong foundations in English and mathematics. It also supports pupils to build upon their creativity through music and performance, for example. Pupils generally learn this curriculum effectively and achieve well. This is demonstrated by the quality of the work that they produce. However, in subjects where the curriculum is less developed, learning is not as well sequenced or teachers’ understanding of how to best deliver the learning is more limited. Due to this, pupils sometimes do not learn as well as they could in these subjects.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported to learn the curriculum. Their needs are well understood by staff at the school. The support that pupils receive is regularly reviewed and adapted to ensure that it continues to be effective in helping pupils to develop their learning. The school works with parents and carers and external agencies diligently to provide bespoke, effective provision for pupils with SEND. 20 to 22 May 2025 The school’s checks on pupils’ understanding typically make sure that pupils are learning the intended curriculum effectively. When gaps in pupils’ knowledge are identified, including in reading, staff fill them quickly by making useful adaptations to the teaching of the curriculum. Sometimes, when the school’s teaching expertise is less developed, it means that teaching is less able to address these gaps effectively.

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better?

The school has high expectations for behaviour. Pupils are taught how they are expected to behave. They understand the non-negotiables the school has in place to promote positive behaviours. The school prioritises understanding and treating pupils as individuals, ensuring that personalised strategies and targets are used for each pupil. This work helps pupils to behave well.

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better?

Pupils often join the school having had negative experiences of previous schooling and poor patterns of attendance. The school works with pupils, parents and other agencies to help pupils to improve their attendance. This is having some positive impact, but improvements remain inconsistent. Consequently, absence from school is still impacting on pupils’ learning of the curriculum because it leads to gaps in their knowledge

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better?

The school’s wider curriculum offer supports pupils’ mental and physical health positively. The school teaches pupils how to keep themselves safe, including when online or in the wider world. Strong joint working with other agencies also supports pupils and their families effectively. This support is valued deeply. The school makes sure that pupils are prepared for the next stage of their education prudently and are supported holistically to make this next step successfully. This includes through providing pupils with relevant independent careers advice.

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better?

The proprietor’s oversight is effective. It has ensured that all of the independent school standards are met. The school ensures that staff workload and well-being are carefully considered, which staff appreciate greatly. The school makes sure that staff receive appropriate and timely training and development. The governors know the school well. They make sure that they carry out their statutory duties, including those relating to the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 At times, the curriculum is not sequenced as coherently or delivered as expertly as it could be in some subjects. This means that, occasionally, pupils do not learn as much as they could. The school should ensure that the curriculum is 20 to 22 May 2025 sequenced and taught consistently well across subjects so that pupils know more and remember more.  The school’s work to improve pupils’ attendance has had varied impact. As a result, some pupils continue to miss out on learning the intended curriculum. The school should continue to develop and improve its approaches to increasing attendance further, and in turn, ensure that pupils are not missing learning.

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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. 20 to 22 May 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 150750 DfE registration number 211/6013

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School details

Inspection number 10375122 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £24 500 - £42 500

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected 20 to 22 May 2025

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Information about this school

 OMG Education is an independent day school in Tower Hamlets. It offers a creative education for pupils who have previously been excluded from another school.  The school is registered to cater for up to 30 pupils aged 14 to 16.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school has recently moved to a new site at 85 Commercial Street, London, E1 6BG. It only operates from this address.

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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 the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the proprietor, headteacher, and leaders responsible for safeguarding and behaviour. Inspectors met with a group of governors, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, music technology and PSHE. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum documentation, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at the curriculum, including samples of pupils’ work, in other subjects.

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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 observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during social times. Inspectors held meetings with groups of pupils and spoke with pupils informally during lessons and breaktimes.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. 20 to 22 May 2025  Inspectors had tours of the premises and reviewed a range of school documents in order to check the school’s compliance with the standards.

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The school’s proposed changes to its premises and the age range of pupils

The school has applied to the Department for Education (DfE) to make a ‘material change’ to its registration. At the DfE’s request, we checked whether the school is likely to meet the relevant independent school standards if the DfE decides to approve the change. This part of the inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002.

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The school’s proposed changes to its premises and the age range of pupils

 The outcome of this part of the inspection is: the school is likely to meet the

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relevant independent school standards if the material change relating

to the age range of pupils at the school provision is implemented.  The outcome of this part of the inspection is: the school meets the

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independent school standards relevant to the material change to its

premises. This material change has already been implemented.  The school is currently registered for up to 30 pupils aged between 14 to 16 years old. The proprietor wishes to change the age range to admit pupils between 11 and 18 years old. The school has also moved to new accommodation due to a lease not being renewed at the previous premises.  The current accommodation and provision are suitable to accommodate the material changes, should the proprietor’s application be approved.

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Information about the material change inspection

 This part of the inspection was commissioned by the DfE in response to the proprietor’s request to change the age range of pupils to 11 to 18 years and to move to a new premises.  This is the first time the school has applied for this particular material change.  Inspectors gathered evidence to assess whether the school is likely to meet the independent school standards. Inspectors gathered this information as part of the standard inspection activities.

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Inspection team

Luke Stubbles, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jennifer Bax Ofsted Inspector 20 to 22 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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