The Sallygate School

Inspection of The Sallygate School Channels & Choices, Kearsney Manor, Alkham Road, Temple Ewell, Kent CT16 3EQ

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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?

Staff work to build positive, trusting relationships with pupils so they feel safe and secure at school. Pupils often arrive at the school with large gaps in their knowledge and understanding. Many have struggled to attend school regularly prior to joining. The school has developed its education offer to ensure pupils acquire essential knowledge and skills, such as learning to read. In addition, the school provides enriching and engaging activities that encourage pupils to attend school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school works successfully to raise pupils’ expectations of themselves. Pupils learn to work hard in order to achieve qualifications that provide a stepping stone to further education and training pathways. The school provides pupils with a high level of support to manage their behaviour. As a result, classrooms are generally settled and calm. Over time, staff work to support pupils to become increasingly able to manage their own emotions and behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Within each school day, pupils benefit from regular and purposeful outdoor learning in the school’s woodland areas. Pupils particularly enjoy ‘life skills’ sessions. Within these sessions, they learn to cook a range of dishes and begin to prepare for independent living in the future. Through the school’s enrichment programme, pupils have opportunities to explore and experience a range of leisure activities, such as fishing and golf. As well enjoying these activities, pupils benefit from opportunities to socialise and spend time with one another outside of school.

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better?

The school ensures that pupils follow a broad and enriching curriculum that gives them experience across a wide range of subjects. Within this, however, the school prioritises carefully the core subjects, as pupils arrive working below age-related expectations. Most pupils who arrive at the school, for example, are not yet reading fluently. Staff check how well pupils read. Some pupils receive one-to-one tutoring in reading so that they catch up quickly. Younger pupils follow a phonics programme in class. As a result of the support provided, pupils learn the phonics knowledge they need to help them read.

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better?

The school has begun work to develop a stronger culture of reading across the school. Some pupils are keen to read aloud, for example, and to discuss their reading preferences with familiar adults. The school has plans to continue and strengthen this work.

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better?

Across the curriculum, there are clear and well-organised curriculums in place. In key stage 4, pupils work towards a range of appropriate qualifications. Most teachers in the school teach a wide range of subjects. Generally, teachers have strong subject knowledge across the subjects. However, this is not yet consistent. Consequently, in some subjects, teachers’ explanations and instructions are less clear. Pupils do not always attain as well as they might in these subjects. 1 to 3 July 2025 The school’s work to improve how teachers adapt the curriculum is bearing fruit. Most of the time, teachers take account of what pupils know and can do. They use effectively the information from pupils’ individual support plans. When this does not happen, pupils can require a high level of adult support to successfully access the learning. This impacts the attainment and engagement of some pupils in some lessons.

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better?

The systems and procedures for checking how well pupils have learned the curriculum work effectively in the core subjects. This is also the case for when staff review how well pupils achieve their targets on their education, health and care plans. However, the checks staff make for subjects in the wider curriculum are not as well established.

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better?

The school has ensured that staff have a strong understanding of pupils’ social, emotional and mental health needs. Teaching staff and the school’s therapy team work together to ensure that pupils are well supported. The learning environment has been carefully adapted with pupils’ needs in mind. Pupils with higher levels of anxiety, for example, have a newly developed classroom space in a quieter area of the school. Most pupils want to come to school. This is reflected in their improved attendance.

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better?

In developing the school’s programme for personal development, staff have carefully considered the needs of pupils. The school’s personal, social and health education (PSHE) has been adapted, for example, to ensure a strong focus on developing healthy and positive relationships. Pupils’ individual experiences and needs are consistently considered and responded to. There is ongoing work to support pupils’ developing understanding of other people and their differences so that pupils are well prepared to live in modern Britain. The school provides pupils with effective and independent careers guidance.

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better?

The school has experienced a number of leadership changes in recent years. The proprietor has taken effective action to mitigate the impact of these changes on pupils and staff. With a new leadership team now in post, the school is stabilising and there is a clear, shared understanding of the school’s priorities. Staff feel well supported in their roles.

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better?

Together with the proprietor, leaders at all levels ensure that the independent school standards remain consistently met. Pupils’ welfare, health and safety is a top priority. Risk assessment is carefully considered. For example, as there is a shallow lake within the school grounds, all staff, including administrative staff, are trained in water safety. The school is compliant with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 1 to 3 July 2025

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school has not ensured that teachers’ subject knowledge, and knowledge of how to teach each subject effectively, is consistent across the curriculum. Consequently, in some subjects, some teachers explain learning less effectively and some pupils do not achieve as well as they might. The school should ensure that, over time, teachers are supported to become increasingly expert across the subjects they teach.  The school has not ensured that teachers know how to adapt the curriculum to align with pupils’ starting points. As a result, sometimes, some pupils find learning too easy, while others need high levels of adult support to be able to access a task. The school should ensure that teachers know how to adapt learning based on what pupils know already and need to learn next.  Occasionally, teachers’ checks on pupils’ learning are less precise and purposeful than they might be. The school should ensure that across the subjects, teachers

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

are clear about what pupils are working towards and the small steps they need to take to get there.

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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. 1 to 3 July 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 137795 DfE registration number 886/6137

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School details

Inspection number 10375002 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Email address sallygate@channelsandchoices.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 27 to 29 September 2022 1 to 3 July 2025

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up post in June 2025, 17 days before this inspection took place.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  Almost all pupils at the school have an education, health and care plan. The school specialises in supporting pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. Many pupils have co-occurring needs and diagnoses. For example, a proportion of pupils also have a diagnosis of autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Around half of all pupils on roll are in the care of the local authority.  The school is registered for pupils up to the age of 17. There were no post-16 students on roll at the time of this inspection. Therefore, inspectors did not give a grade for the sixth form.

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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 headteacher and deputy headteacher. The lead inspector met with the chair of the proprietor body and the chair of the management committee.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, art and design and PSHE. 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 also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders 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

considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first. 1 to 3 July 2025  To check compliance with the independent school standards, inspectors reviewed school documents and records, including behaviour and attendance records and analysis. Inspectors spoke to staff about their views of the school, including their views of behaviour.  The inspectors considered the views of parents and carers who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View survey.  The inspectors only inspected the education provision at this school.

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Inspection team

Alice Roberts, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Caroline Clarke Ofsted Inspector 1 to 3 July 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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