Tadley Court School

Inspection of Tadley Court School Tadley Common Road, Tadley, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG26 3TB

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Inspection dates: 16 to 18 September 2025

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision 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?

Tadley Court School has high expectations for pupils’ academic and personal development. Most pupils have found their previous experiences of education challenging. Staff take time to get to know pupils extremely well and help them to thrive. Pupils enjoy very positive relationships with staff based on mutual respect and trust. This helps pupils to re-engage with learning quickly. Once settled in, pupils enjoy coming to school and their attendance is high or improves rapidly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s curriculum is broad and ambitious for all. In addition to English and mathematics, pupils take a range of national curriculum subjects and other courses linked to their interests and aspirations. As pupils move through the school, they achieve increasingly well and gain meaningful qualifications. Consequently, they are very well prepared for the future.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons and social time. Staff skilfully and calmly support pupils when they find things more difficult. Consequently, pupils get back on track quickly. Sixth-form students are effective role models for younger ones. Lunchtime is a particularly happy time in school with staff and pupils enjoying each other’s company.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Happy faces abound here, and parents and carers appreciate greatly the positive transformation they see in their children.

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better?

Staff have carefully ensured that essential knowledge and skills build logically from key stage 1 onwards. Pupils are placed on one of three pathways for each subject, based on a detailed understanding of their starting points. This enables staff to introduce learning in appropriate steps which help pupils to fill any gaps in their knowledge.

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better?

Staff select activities and approaches which help pupils remember what they have been taught. They provide opportunities for pupils to revisit and practise applying their learning. Most pupils make tangible progress through the curriculum over time. This includes in English and mathematics. However, the checks that staff make on pupils’ learning are sometimes not as effective as they could be. They do not pre- empt misconceptions or check understanding with sufficient precision before moving on.

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better?

The school’s education and therapy staff work very closely together. They use a variety of information to identify pupils’ needs and how to help them. This ensures that specialist therapeutic approaches are used consistently throughout the school day to support pupils’ learning. For example, staff very effectively support pupils who are non-verbal to develop their communication skills. 16 to 18 September 2025 The school prioritises reading. Staff ensure pupils read varied texts across the curriculum and for pleasure. Pupils enjoy library visits in school and in the community. For those in the early stages of reading, the school has implemented a new phonics programme. Trained staff have already identified pupils’ gaps in reading clearly. They are implementing the programme and pupils are responding well. However, the programme’s roll out is in its infancy. Consequently, it is not yet helping all pupils who need this support as effectively as it could.

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better?

Personal, social and health education (PSHE) is rigorously planned. Staff address themes age-appropriately and are sensitive to their needs. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in relationships and online. They learn about life in modern Britain and particularly enjoy celebrating different cultures. Pupils discuss scenarios to understand right and wrong. Older pupils, particularly in the sixth form, have opportunities to discuss issues arising from what they have seen on social media or in the news. The school also provides an impressive range of clubs, trips and pupil leadership activities. Through the school council, pupils contribute to school life. They also work together to raise money for local charities. Activities in the community, such as going shopping or using public transport, help pupils put into practice their social skills. These opportunities significantly help develop pupils’ confidence and independence. They enhance pupils’ understanding of the wider

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better?

world and help prepare them for adulthood.

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better?

Careers education is particularly effective in the sixth form where students are prepared well for the future. The school benefits from its work with an independent careers advisor. It partners with local colleges and employers to provide information about the workplace and education or training. Pupils have work experience opportunities, including in the school’s café.

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better?

Expert staff provide excellent pastoral and therapeutic care. They work closely with parents as well as external agencies to help pupils overcome any barriers to attending school regularly or behaving well. Staff use this knowledge to prioritise preventing and de-escalating issues. They do so consistently and sensitively. This contributes significantly to the school’s extremely positive and respectful ethos. Pupils behave exceptionally well throughout the school, including in lessons. It is striking how pupils’ motivation to learn and resilience with more challenging tasks improves once they are settled at the school. This is particularly evident in the sixth form.

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better?

The proprietor and governing body have an accurate understanding of the impact of the school’s work. They fully support strategic developments at the school. Staff feel well supported. Procedures to promote staff well-being and reduce workload are valued. The proprietor oversees the school’s work robustly and it ensures that the independent school standards (the standards) are met consistently and securely. This includes schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 16 to 18 September 2025

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school’s approach to the teaching of phonics is in its infancy. As a result, some pupils who need help with reading do not catch up with their peers as quickly as they could. The school should continue its work to embed the phonics programme so that pupils develop the skills they need to become confident and fluent readers.  Occasionally, the checks that some staff make of what pupils have learned are not as effective as they could be. Consequently, some pupils struggle to remember key knowledge and skills they have learned. The school should ensure that all staff check pupils’ understanding and retention of key knowledge and language so that pupils can apply it to future 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. 16 to 18 September 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 131531 DfE registration number 850/6085

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School details

Inspection number 10391727 Type of school Other Independent Special School

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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sixth form

Proprietor Aspris Children’s Services Ltd

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sixth form

Annual fees (day pupils) £103,190.00 to £131,923.00

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sixth form

Website www.aspriscs.co.uk/find-a-location/tadley- court-school-hampshire Email address tadleycourtreception@aspriscs.co.uk

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sixth form

Date of previous inspection 22 to 24 November 2022 16 to 18 September 2025

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Information about this school

 Tadley Court School is an independent special day school for pupils with autism and associated needs such as speech, language and communication difficulties. All pupils have an education, health and care plan and are referred from a range of local authorities.  The school operates from one site located at: Tadley Common Road, Tadley, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG26 3TB.  Ofsted conducted an additional inspection of the school in September 2023 to consider the school’s request to change the registration from 65 to 89 pupils. This material change was granted by the Department for Education (DfE) in September 2023.  The school is currently registered to admit up to 89 pupils between the ages of 4 and 19. It currently has 71 pupils aged 5 to 18.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The proprietor body is Aspris Children's Services Ltd. It runs this school and 18 other independent schools.

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Information about this school

 There is a governing body which is responsible for monitoring the performance of the school.  The headteacher joined the school in January 2025.

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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 held meetings with representatives of the proprietor body, the headteacher, staff, and a representative from a local authority that commission places at the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, art and design and PSHE. Inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, considered curriculum information, visited lessons, reviewed evidence of work and spoke with pupils. 16 to 18 September 2025  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans, reviewed evidence of work and spoke with leaders and pupils about some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  To check compliance with the standards, inspectors spoke to leaders, staff and pupils. They visited classrooms, toured the school site, reviewed pupil information, school policies and records relating to a range of aspects of the school such as behaviour and health and safety.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View questionnaire. An inspector also spoke to a parent.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for school staff.  Inspectors also met with staff and pupils throughout the inspection to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Mary Davies, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Alan Johnson Ofsted Inspector 16 to 18 September 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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