Progress Schools - Wirral

Inspection of Progress Schools - Wirral The Hive, Bright Street, Wirral CH41 4EA

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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 Good

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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 often arrive at this school with various emotional needs and negative prior experiences of education. The school puts into place highly personalised support for these pupils as soon as they arrive. Staff form trusting, mutually respectful relationships with pupils. Pupils are safe and feel cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for what pupils should learn. It has introduced additional curriculum subjects to broaden pupils’ education and widen their opportunities to achieve, which, in many cases, they do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school upholds high standards for behaviour. Pupils appreciate and rise to these expectations. Classrooms are calm and purposeful learning environments. The school deals swiftly with any forms of bullying or discrimination. As a result, pupils report that incidents of bullying are rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from different, relevant enrichment opportunities. There are regular trips offered each term such as to nearby nature spots and local museums. This offer is enhanced by motivational reward trips on a half-termly basis. During break- and lunchtimes, pupils play table tennis and chess with their teachers or classmates. At certain points in the year, pupils also engage in charitable initiatives, for example to support food banks.

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better?

The school provides short-term education for key stage 3 pupils who have either struggled to engage with or have been permanently excluded from mainstream settings. It has designed a broad and balanced curriculum that reengages these pupils in their schooling effectively and prepares them well for a return to mainstream or specialist settings on a permanent basis. Most pupils reintegrate successfully into new schools in the intended timeframe due to Progress Schools – Wirral’s positive actions and support.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is generally well designed. It has identified the knowledge and skills that it intends pupils to learn. Overall, the curriculum is delivered effectively. However, there are instances when the school does not adapt learning activities and resources well enough to cater for its pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). At times, this hampers these pupils from learning as effectively as they otherwise might.

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better?

The school regularly carries out useful checks to establish what pupils know and remember. For example, when pupils first join the school, it uses a range of strategies to identify where pupils might have knowledge gaps or lack confidence. However, some of the school’s other checks are not used consistently well. This sometimes means that pupils’ errors go unchecked, and some knowledge gaps are not addressed quickly. 3 to 5 June 2025 The school promotes a love of reading. It has adopted a new English curriculum that prioritises the development of pupils’ reading skills. The school routinely provides pupils with appropriate additional support when they are struggling with certain aspects of reading. This helps pupils to become more fluent readers.

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better?

When pupils first arrive at the school, leaders and staff work quickly to identify pupils’ individual needs, including if they have SEND. The school swiftly engages external agencies, where required, to help cater for these pupils’ additional learning and emotional needs. The school provides a range of effective support for pupils such as counselling which helps pupils better manage their feelings. However, there are occasions when staff do not use the information about pupils with SEND as well as they could. This can mean that staff do not adapt the delivery of the curriculum to meet pupils’ individual needs precisely enough.

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better?

The school provides well for many aspects of pupils’ personal development. It promotes diversity and fundamental British values through different curriculum subjects. The school ensures that pupils are taught about various risks to their safety and what to do in response to them. It provides pupils with sufficient careers information, advice and guidance. For example, the school partners with local businesses and organisations to help pupils consider their future aspirations.

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better?

Pupils are respectful of their teachers. They typically behave well. Staff manage occasional disruptions to learning effectively. Pupils develop increasingly positive attitudes to their education during their time at this school. They engage well during their lessons and attend school far more often than before. The school utilises a range of effective strategies to remove many of the barriers that prevent pupils from attending school regularly.

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better?

The proprietor has effective systems and processes in place to ensure that the independent school standards (the standards) are securely and consistently met. For example, it carries out effective checks on the suitability of staff to work with young people and ensures that the premises are maintained to a high standard. The proprietor has also ensured that the school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. Staff appreciate the school’s support for their workload and well- being.

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better?

The school, including the proprietor, periodically reviews how well the curriculum is delivered. In some cases, this leads to actions that address any deficiencies in the implementation of the curriculum that hinder pupils from achieving as well as they could. However, in some other cases, the school’s oversight of the quality of education that pupils receive is not as robust as it could be. As a result, there are times when the school does not act as swiftly as it can to address some weaknesses in the implementation of the intended curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 3 to 5 June 2025

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 At times, staff do not adapt learning activities and resources as well as they could for some pupils, including those with SEND. This sometimes hinders these pupils’ ability to learn the most important knowledge and skills. The school should ensure that staff have the guidance and expertise needed to adapt the delivery of the curriculum consistently well.  The school’s checks on pupils’ learning are not consistently effective. This means that, in some cases, pupils repeat errors over time and some gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not addressed as swiftly as they could be. The school should ensure that it uses assessment strategies consistently well to help pupils address their errors and close the gaps in their knowledge.  The school’s oversight of how well some subject curriculums are implemented is not as robust as it could be. In these subjects, some deficiencies in the delivery of the curriculum are not picked up and addressed as quickly as possible. This can

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

hinder pupils’ learning in these subjects. The school should develop its insight into the implementation of these curriculums so it can address any issues with the timely delivery of the curriculum.

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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. 3 to 5 June 2025

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School details

Chair Charlotte Charnley (known as Charlotte Barton) Headteacher Megan Fowler

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School details

Email address birkenhead@progress-schools.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 to 20 October 2022 3 to 5 June 2025

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Information about this school

 The previous standard inspection took place from 18 to 20 October 2022.  The school is located at The Hive, Bright Street, Wirral, CH41 4EA. These are multi-use premises shared with other local organisations throughout the day.  Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed. This person is now serving as executive headteacher across this school and two others in the company. The school was in the process of recruiting a new headteacher during the inspection. There have also been several other changes in school staff.  The school is registered to admit up to 35 pupils aged from 11 to 16. However, currently, the school only admits pupils up to the age of 14 as part of the proprietor’s current arrangements with the local authority.  The school caters for pupils who have typically been permanently excluded from other settings or have had a history of low school attendance. The school

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Information about this school

provides short-term education for these pupils and supports their reintegration into mainstream settings.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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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

 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 headteacher, the chair of the proprietor body, other leaders in the company, including the director of education, and members of staff. The lead inspector also spoke to a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, science and the school’s personal development curriculum. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, considered the curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to staff, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also talked to leaders, staff and pupils about some other subjects.  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

3 to 5 June 2025 considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  During the inspection, inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including those relating to safeguarding and the standards. They also looked at records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  As part of their checks on the standards, the lead inspector made a tour of the school premises.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils and Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors spoke to pupils about their experiences of school and made telephone contact with available parents and carers to gather their views.

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Inspection team

David Spruce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gil Bourgade Ofsted Inspector 3 to 5 June 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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