Hopespring Newcastle

Inspection of Hopespring Newcastle Chesters Avenue (on corner of Aydon Gardens), Longbenton, Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 8UZ

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Inspection dates: 23 to 25 September 2025

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school which transforms pupils’ futures. The skilfully developed, ambitious curriculum carefully combines therapeutic support with a broad educational offer. This helps pupils to understand themselves and others as they reengage with learning, often after extended periods not in education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive here. They feel safe. The positive, supportive staff help pupils to express themselves and share their thoughts and ideas. Pupils enjoy the personalised learning opportunities that they are given. Pupils say: ‘It is different here’. They value that staff are therapeutically trained to listen carefully to them and teach them how to manage anxieties and emotions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are highly committed. They take time to get to know and support the pupils. Prior to pupils starting at the school, staff seek to work with them, and their parents and carers, to understand pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils’ interests and any barriers to learning are swiftly identified. Learning opportunities are then planned to interest and engage pupils. Pupils are given continuous opportunities to build self-confidence and experience success.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are positive about the school. They focus on their learning. Staff effectively model positive behaviour towards everyone. Pupils learn about respect and tolerance for difference. The therapeutic support enables pupils to learn how to regulate their emotions. This ensures a calm, supportive atmosphere prevails in the school.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is highly ambitious and prepares pupils well for life after Hopespring. The school has worked with experts in education and therapeutic approaches to learning to create an exceptionally well-designed curriculum in all areas. The detailed knowledge the school wants pupils to know and remember is explicitly identified. It is arranged to ensure that there is progression in learning, regardless of pupils’ starting points. This is extremely effective, as pupils join the school at different points in their learning journey.

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better?

Pupils are given opportunities to experience learning in a wide range of different subjects through ‘society’ lessons. Social, geographical, historical, scientific and technological learning is encompassed within three themes: the society we live in’, ‘the society we have made’ and ‘the society we can create’. These themes are used effectively to challenge pupils’ mindset and engage them in purposeful debate. Through this, pupils successfully discover interest in the different disciplines and some go on to further study at GCSE level in key stage 4.

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better?

Research into the impact of trauma on pupils’ social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs, underpins the school’s approach to learning. This approach is embedded throughout the curriculum. Highly skilled staff use the approaches with great success to teach pupils to identify and understand their feelings. Pupils 23 to 25 September 2025 successfully learn to recognise how emotions impact on their behaviours and their view of themselves. Personalised learning opportunities link therapy carefully to individuals’ education, health and care (EHC) plans. Pupils develop healthier thought processes, resilience and become successful learners through greater understanding of themselves.

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better?

Learning is planned to build upon pupils’ wider interests. Staff take time to listen to pupils’ ideas and identify any barriers to learning. Pupils benefit from revisiting prior learning in meaningful activities. For example, pupils may learn to sequence instructions through reading and writing recipes. Subsequent cookery lessons will utilise mathematical learning to develop further understanding of weights and measures or temperatures. This personalised approach to learning, alongside the effective support the school provides for pupils SEMH needs, helps pupils’ attendance to improve over time.

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better?

Staff promote reading and utilise books, across the curriculum, which interest and engage pupils. For example, pupils interested in technology will have computer magazines to read. The school swiftly identifies pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge. They find creative ways to help them to develop reading skills through age-appropriate challenges. For example, encouraging them to read challenging words, such as optician or ophthalmology, using phonics skills. The development of vocabulary and language is seen as paramount to securing pupils’ success in the future. Staff seize every opportunity to promote talk. They are accomplished in asking open-ended questions. This successfully promotes discussion and ideas. Staff listen to pupils with interest and enjoyment. Pupils feel valued here.

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better?

The school’s determination to prepare pupils effectively for the future is evident in the careful planning for personal development. There is a clear focus on developing pupils’ wider interests and future aspirations. Pupils are given broad and varied opportunities, which are adapted to meet individual pupils’ needs. For example, some pupils are supported to use public transport or make meals independently. Others are encouraged to publicly display artwork at local museums or perform at celebration evenings. The personal, social and health education (PSHE) and relationships and sex education is well considered and taught with due regard for pupils’ adverse childhood experiences. One parent described the impact of the school as ‘transformational’. Others comment enthusiastically about how the school inspires pupils to identify future careers. Pupils receive highly effective careers education, which supports them to access college or find employment when they

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better?

The proprietary body are enthusiastic. They are committed to the school. They ensure that the vision for interwoven education and therapy is clearly understood by all adults who work in this setting. Their expertise in safeguarding and therapeutic approaches supports them to provide comprehensive training for staff. Staff feel valued. They are empowered to ensure that they meet the needs of the pupils in their care. The Hopespring vision of care, guidance, education and belonging is well understood and realised. 23 to 25 September 2025 The school has secure systems in place to ensure that the independent school standards (the standards) are met. This ensures that the school’s statutory duties are carried out fully, including compliance with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 23 to 25 September 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 143049 DfE registration number 392/6005

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School details

Inspection number 10342117 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Email address peter.wyatt@hopespringcharity.org

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 to18 November 2021 23 to 25 September 2025

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Information about this school

 This inspection is the third standard inspection of the school since the school was registered by the Department for Education in 2017.  Since the previous standard inspection, in November 2021, the school has also had a material change inspection. This took place in July 2024, where it was found likely to meet all the independent school standards. The school is now registered to take up to 15 pupils, most of whom have an EHC plan. At the time of the inspection, there were 11 pupils on roll.  The school is part of Hopespring charity and aims to meet the needs of pupils aged 11 to 16 years, all of whom have SEMH needs. Most of the pupils are at risk of or have been permanently excluded from their mainstream schools.  The school offers access to therapeutic support from trained teaching staff, who are trained as therapists. The school offers access to learning through an outdoor curriculum, as well as more formal academic learning.

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Information about this school

 The school uses no alternative provision.  The school admits pupils from a range of local authorities.  Pupils join the schools at different times of the year.

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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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: English and early reading, mathematics and personal, social and health education. 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.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, other leaders staff, pupils and with the chair of the proprietary body. The lead inspector also held telephone 23 to 25 September 2025 discussions with trustees, representatives from two commissioning local

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Information about this inspection

authorities and some parents and carers of pupils at the school.  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.  To ascertain the effectiveness of other aspects of the school’s work, inspectors evaluated a wide range of evidence, including attendance and behaviour records, safeguarding files and recruitment checks.  The lead inspector toured the premises and looked at a range of documentation to check the school’s compliance with the independent school standards.

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Inspection team

Andrea Batley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Dan McKeating His Majesty’s Inspector 23 to 25 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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