Progress Schools - Tees Valley

Inspection of Progress Schools - Tees Valley 114 Fabian Road, Eston, Middlesbrough TS6 9RQ

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Inspection dates: 23 to 25 September 2025

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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 Inadequate

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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?

The school knows and understands every pupil’s needs. It listens to pupils’ views. Pupils value this. They develop trusting relationships with staff. Pupils know that staff care about them and act in their best interests. The school has created an environment in which pupils are safe, happy and can flourish.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high aspirations for what pupils can achieve. Often, pupils join the school having experienced a lot of time out of education. The school helps pupils to gain the essential knowledge and understanding they need. This enables pupils to achieve examination qualifications at the end of Year 11.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They meet the school’s high expectations of their behaviour. They treat each other with kindness and respect. In lessons, pupils display positive attitudes to their learning. This is a calm and orderly school. Pupils are polite and friendly and enjoy spending social time together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience a broad range of activities, including creative arts, sports and fundraising in the local community. They learn important life skills, including cooking and financial budgeting. They also enjoy visits to museums and a local climbing wall.

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better?

The school has developed a broad and well-ordered curriculum. The curriculum meets pupils’ needs. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school has identified the knowledge and skills it wants pupils to learn. The curriculum has a central focus on developing pupils’ numeracy and literacy. At key stage 4, pupils study for both academic and vocational qualifications. The school prepares pupils well for the next stage of their education, training or employment.

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better?

The school checks what pupils know and can do when they join the school. It adapts the curriculum to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Pupils build their knowledge and skills in a coherent way. The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND well. It provides these pupils with the additional support that they require. Pupils with SEND achieve well from their different starting points.

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better?

The school prioritises reading. It provides extra support for pupils who need it. This includes support in phonics, reading fluency and reading comprehension. This helps pupils to become confident and fluent readers. Pupils read often at school. The school has chosen texts that reflect pupils’ lives. This develops pupils’ interest in reading.

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better?

Teachers have a secure subject knowledge. They teach in a structured and consistent way. They revisit what pupils have learned before and check what pupils can remember. They present new information clearly. This helps to build pupils’ 23 to 25 September 2025 knowledge and develop their understanding. However, in some instances, pupils are not given enough time to practise and apply the knowledge that they have learned.

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better?

Staff support pupils’ social and emotional needs with skill and expertise. Teachers and learning support staff use appropriate strategies to manage pupils’ behaviour. Pupils show increasing levels of resilience. The school helps pupils to take responsibility for their own behaviour. It has created a positive and respectful environment in which pupils can learn.

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better?

Pupils join the school with previously low levels of attendance. The school works with rigour and intelligence to improve rates of attendance. It holds initial meetings with pupils, parents and carers about pupils’ needs, interests and attitudes to school. Individual induction programmes for pupils help them to make a successful start at the school. The school regularly engages with pupils and parents to remove barriers to regular attendance. This leads to significant improvement in pupils’ attendance.

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better?

The school has developed a comprehensive personal development programme. Pupils learn about relationships and physical and mental health in an age- appropriate way. They learn how to keep themselves safe, both online and in the local community. The school adapts the content of the programme and uses assemblies to address local safeguarding issues. Pupils also learn about equality and diversity. However, pupils do not gain sufficient understanding of these important issues. They do not gain an age-appropriate knowledge of the protected characteristics or of fundamental British values.

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better?

Pupils receive the information and guidance they need to make well-informed choices about their next steps and future careers. The school organises talks from local employers. Pupils benefit from work placements related to their vocational studies. They secure places on appropriate post-16 college courses and apprenticeships.

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better?

The school communicates and engages effectively with parents. It also ensures that staff workload is manageable and prioritises staff well-being. Staff value this. They enjoy working at the school. The proprietor is rigorous in exercising strategic oversight. It also holds school leaders to account. The proprietor provides essential support and professional development for staff. This contributes to the continuous improvement of the school’s provision.

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better?

The school meets all the independent school standards (‘the standards’) and fulfils the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The school took appropriate action to address the unmet standards from the previous standard inspection in June 2023. The proprietor has the capacity to meet the standards consistently over time.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 23 to 25 September 2025

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Sometimes, staff do not secure pupils’ basic knowledge effectively enough. This means that pupils do not get sufficient time to apply their knowledge independently and deepen their learning. The school should ensure that teachers select appropriate teaching activities to help pupils to secure their foundational knowledge.  Pupils do not gain an age-appropriate knowledge of the protected characteristics and of fundamental British values. This means that pupils are not fully prepared for life in modern Britain. The school should ensure that it teaches pupils about the protected characteristics and fundamental British values in ways that allow pupils to acquire a secure knowledge and understanding of these aspects of 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. 23 to 25 September 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 148804 DfE registration number 807/6006

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School details

Inspection number 10374865 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £19,294 to £59,535

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School details

Email address teesvalleyps@progress-schools.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 20 to 22 June 2023 23 to 25 September 2025

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Information about this school

 Since the previous standard inspection, the school has received two progress monitoring inspections. The first of these inspections was on 30 April 2024 and the second progress monitoring inspection was on 17 December 2024.  The school uses two unregistered providers of alternative provision.  The school operates from premises at 114 Fabian Road, Eston, Middlesbrough TS6 9RQ.  The school is registered to admit 50 pupils.  At the time of this inspection, all the pupils attending the school were in Years 10 and 11.

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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, the director of education, the director of schools and the chair of the proprietor body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, art and design, and personal, social, health and economic education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, 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 sampled work in other subjects, including science and history.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

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.  Inspectors toured the school site and scrutinised a wide range of documentary evidence to check on the statutory requirements of the standards. 23 to 25 September 2025  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils and staff. They also considered responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents.

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Inspection team

Ian Rawstorne, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Gibbins 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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