Darwin School

Inspection of Darwin School C/O Cambian Education, 33-37 Darkes Lane, Leighton House, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 1BB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Sixth-form provision Insufficient evidence Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Darwin School is a warm, welcoming place where staff and pupils build strong and positive relationships. Most pupils are new to the school. Staff care for pupils well, getting to know their needs quickly. Staff are highly vigilant, so when pupils have moments of deeper need, they are helped quickly and effectively. This means pupils settle well into school life, having not attended school for some time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school develops pupils’ social skills well. Pupils quickly build the resilience to try new things and do work in lessons. The school has high aspirations for what pupils can achieve while in school, and pupils achieve well in their subjects. Pupils who have been at the school for a longer time take qualifications and succeed in them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Over a short period of time in school, pupils’ behaviour improves. They learn to be kind and considerate towards one another. They cook together and enjoy each other’s company. Pupils are clear that bullying is not tolerated in school. They feel that they can share any concerns. They feel cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The proprietor has not ensured that the independent school standards are met consistently. It has not had appropriate oversight of the school. Some systems and processes are not as effective as they need to be.

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better?

All pupils who attend Darwin School have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school gets to know pupils and their needs swiftly. It uses various social and academic assessments to understand pupils’ starting points. Following this, the school enables pupils to spend time in formal lessons effectively, which they have not done before. They learn to get on well with their peers and adults in school. Pupils learn to self-regulate, noticing their own behaviour patterns and taking time to be calm when they need to. This means that pupils achieve more than they have in the past in school.

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better?

In reading, the school supports pupils to read better and read more. This is because the school precisely identifies the reading barriers for each pupil. They then build an individual reading curriculum for each pupil with precise steps to make sure they improve. When pupils are at the early stages of reading, they learn phonics. Over time, pupils gain more love for reading. They develop confidence to read in class and quietly to themselves.

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better?

Leaders prioritise English and mathematics because pupils have been out of school for some time before coming to Darwin School. Pupils study a wide range of subjects alongside these. The school teaches the basics of English and mathematics well. Teachers break the curriculum down into small steps to make sure that pupils master these basics and feel confident to improve. This means that all pupils build a strong foundation to succeed in these crucial subjects. Having these strong 8 to 10 July 2025 OFSTED USE ONLY

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better?

foundations means that pupils develop the confidence to try new tasks and problems.

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better?

In lessons, teachers make in-the-moment adaptations to make sure that pupils can be successful. They capitalise on pupils’ past successes and interests where possible. This captures pupils’ attention and interest, especially where their knowledge has gaps as a result of weak attendance in school in the past. However, sometimes, pupils are not challenged as well as they might be. This is because the school has not clearly planned for the longer-term ambition in some subjects.

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better?

Pupils behave well in school. The school supports pupils to be calm and respectful. School staff are experts in de-escalation. This supports good behaviour across the school. The school uses communication with home effectively, so it understands any emergent issues that could arise and helps pupils defuse them.

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better?

Pupils’ attendance rises the longer they have been in the school. The school prioritises attendance and does not see the poor attendance pupils had in the past as a barrier. It understands the reasons for any absence and works flexibly with pupils to minimise time off school. This limits any disruption to pupils’ education.

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better?

Pupils are well prepared for their next steps. Even when pupils attend the school for a short time, they have appropriate, independent careers advice. They learn to write a CV and have purposeful discussions on their future.

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better?

Pupils learn an appropriate personal development curriculum. For example, they learn about a wide range of religious festivals. Pupils contribute to the community. They tend to the delightful school grounds, planting trees and vegetables. The school helps pupils develop life skills linked to preparation for adulthood. For example, pupils enjoy cooking for one another. The curriculum for personal development is thoughtfully adapted to reflect pupils’ lived experiences and emotional readiness.

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better?

In the recent past, the proprietor has not maintained sufficient oversight of the school. There have been weaknesses in monitoring the curriculum, meaning that the ambition of the curriculum in some subjects is not as clear as it could be. Some school systems have not been implemented effectively enough such as the behaviour monitoring system. This means staff sometimes have to do more work than they need to log behaviour issues. Additionally, some of the independent school standards are not met. This is because the premises have no showers for pupils doing physical education, and the admissions register does not comply with the relevant regulations.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 8 to 10 July 2025 OFSTED USE ONLY

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The curriculum is not as consistently well planned as it could be. It lacks the specific content pupils need to learn to be better challenged in the longer term. This leaves teachers unclear as to how to challenge pupils further in some subjects. Leaders should make sure that the ambitious end points and the steps to secure them are more clearly planned.  Some systems and processes are not as well run as they need to be, and the proprietor has not had sufficient oversight of this. Consequently, leaders’ evaluations of the quality of what happens in the school are not as sharp or detailed as they need to be. Leaders and the proprietor should ensure that all school systems are well implemented and effective.  The proprietor has not carried out its duties as effectively as needed. As a result, some of the independent school standards are not met. The proprietor should ensure that it maintains oversight of the school so that the independent school

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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. 8 to 10 July 2025 OFSTED USE ONLY

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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

School category Independent special school

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form

Email address Darwin.school@cambiangroup.com

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form

Date of previous inspection 15 to 17 November 2022 8 to 10 July 2025 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Information about this school

 Darwin School is led by an executive headteacher who also leads another school.  It is a special school for pupils who have experienced significant trauma.  The school is a part of Cambian Education Limited.  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 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

 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 executive headteacher, deputy headteacher, teachers and other staff. They met with a representative of the proprietor body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics, art and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors met with those leading the subjects, discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  At the time of this inspection, there were no students in the sixth form. As a result, it was not possible to evaluate the quality of post-16 education and provision.  The lead inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding policy, along with a range of safeguarding information. This work included scrutiny of the school’s single central record of recruitment checks. Inspectors checked staff safeguarding

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Information about this inspection

training and spoke to staff about safeguarding procedures.  Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Dan Owen, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Ant Edkins Ofsted Inspector 8 to 10 July 2025 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 15 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that an admission and attendance register is maintained in accordance with the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006[13].

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Part 5. Premises of and accommodation at schools

 23(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2), the standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that- – 23(1)(c) suitable changing accommodation and showers are provided for pupils aged 11 years or over at the start of the school year who receive physical education.

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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; 8 to 10 July 2025 OFSTED USE ONLY

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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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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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