Birmingham Independent College

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Birmingham Independent College Albert Hall, Witton Road, Aston, Birmingham, West Midlands B6 5NU

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Main inspection findings

Part 1. Quality of education provided Paragraphs 2(1) to 2(1)(b)(i), 3, 3(a), 3(d), 3(e) and 3(g)  The previous progress monitoring inspection in March 2025 found that work to strengthen the curriculum and learning experiences was in in its infancy and incomplete.  The school has a renewed curriculum policy. This is accompanied by clear schemes of work and lesson plans. Leaders have paid particular attention to the curriculum for students with complex special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).  The school has carefully considered curriculum plans and constructed them with pupils’ particular needs in mind. The content of the curriculum is appropriate for the range of needs of the pupils in the school, all of whom have an education, health and care plan.  Leaders have an effective programme of staff development and monitoring. This means that the teaching of the curriculum has improved and pupils’ needs are being met.

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Main inspection findings

Students’ learning is built upon over time and checked regularly.  The school has an appropriate and effective assessment framework in place. This framework enables teachers to evaluate students’ progress and make adaptations to teaching when this is necessary. Teachers understand how to use the framework and leaders check on its implementation.  The independent school standards (the standards) in this part are met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Part 6. Provision of information Part 3 paragraphs 7(a) and 7(b)  The school has a safeguarding and child protection policy. The policy has been recently reviewed and reflects the guidance issued by the Secretary of State.  The proprietor has ensured that staff are well trained and understand their safeguarding responsibilities. All staff understand and work appropriately in line with the intimate care policy. Leaders liaise openly and positively with external services when necessary. Record-keeping is detailed and helpful in tracking actions in response to safeguarding concerns.  The school implements this policy effectively. Part 6 paragraph 32(1)(c)  The school’s safeguarding policy is available to parents on the school’s website.  The standards in these parts are met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraphs 34(1) to 34(1)(b)  At the last progress monitoring inspection in March 2025, leaders were not consistently effective in carrying out their roles. More work was needed to develop the school’s curriculum and the quality of its implementation for the students with the most complex needs.  The proprietor has secured the services of a skilled and experienced external consultant with suitable knowledge about the curriculum and teaching. As a result, leaders in the school have the skills and knowledge needed to sustain and embed improvements to the curriculum and teaching. The standards are now being consistently met.  The standards in this part are met.

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Main inspection findings

Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010  The school has an appropriate accessibility plan in place.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection. This included the standards and requirements that the school was judged to not comply with at the previous inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if- – 2(1)(a) the proprietor ensures that a written policy on the curriculum, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work, which provides for the matters specified in sub-paragraph (2) is drawn up and implemented effectively; and – 2(1)(b) the written policy, plans and schemes of work- – 2(1)(b)(i) take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan; and  3. The standard in this paragraph is met if the school- – 3(a) enables pupils to acquire new knowledge and make good progress according to their ability so that they increase their understanding and develop their skills in the subjects taught; – 3(d) shows a good understanding of the aptitudes, needs and prior attainments of the pupils, and ensures that these are taken into account in the planning of lessons; – 3(e) demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

taught; – 3(g) demonstrates that a framework is in place to assess pupils’ work regularly and thoroughly and use information from that assessment to plan teaching so that pupils can progress;

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Part 8. Quality of leadership 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;

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which 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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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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School details

Of which, number on roll in sixth form 11

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £20,718 to £94,199

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School details

Dates of previous standard inspection 15 to 17 October 2024

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Information about this school

 Birmingham Independent College is an independent school for pupils and students aged 14 and 25. It is located on Witton Road, Aston, Birmingham, B6 5NU.  The school caters for pupils who have SEND. Pupils and students have a range of needs, including autism, and speech, language and communication needs.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school’s most recent standard inspection took place in October 2024. This was followed by an additional monitoring inspection, which took place in March 2025.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  This was the school’s second progress monitoring visit since its standard inspection in October 2024. The inspection was carried out with no notice.  Following the standard inspection, the Department for Education (DfE) required the school to prepare an action plan. This plan was statutory. Ofsted evaluated the plan on 3 January 2025. The DfE rejected this action plan. The school submitted a second action plan. Ofsted evaluated the plan on 7 February 2025, and this was also rejected by the DfE.  Inspectors held discussions with leaders about leadership and management of the school, the school’s curriculum, teaching and staff professional development. They

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Information about this inspection

visited lessons, spoke with students and considered their work.  The inspection also considered the school’s safeguarding arrangements. Inspectors evaluated the school’s single central record, pre-employment checks, the system for logging safeguarding concerns and arrangements for students’ personal care. They also held discussions with the local authority.

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Inspection team

Dan Owen, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stuart Clarkson His Majesty’s Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Parent View You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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