Lift Columbus

Lift Columbus Oliver Way, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 4ZB

p.1

inspection report:

At the most recent graded inspection, the following areas were identified as needing to improve:

p.1

inspection report:

The school has not ensured that staff know the specific safeguarding risks pupils are vulnerable to. Inappropriate behaviours are not always identified as safeguarding concerns and reported as such. The school must ensure that staff know how to identify and report concerns, including for harmful sexual behaviours. The school must ensure that all concerns are accurately identified and addressed.

p.1

inspection report:

Temporary support staff are not sufficiently informed about pupils’ needs, their communication tools or specific safeguarding risks. This means that these staff do not always provide pupils with the support they need. They do not know how to recognise and report some safeguarding concerns. The school must ensure that agency and temporary staff have the information and knowledge they need to identify and report safeguarding concerns and support the pupils they work with effectively.

p.1

inspection report:

The school does not use patterns and trends from safeguarding concerns or staff views to prioritise whole-school safeguarding actions. This limits how well the school mitigates risks repeating. The school needs to ensure that the strategic oversight of safeguarding is in place so that risks are effectively and sustainably addressed.

p.1

inspection report:

Students in the sixth form follow a narrow curriculum with low ambition. They are not suitably prepared for adulthood and/or are limited in the qualification routes they can follow. The school needs to ensure that the curriculum in the sixth form is ambitious and tailored to providing the life skills and/or qualifications students need for their next stage in education and life beyond school.

p.1

inspection report:

The school does not ensure that all pupils study all the required age-appropriate relationships and sex education curriculum. This means pupils do not learn all that they need to know to stay safe and be prepared for adulthood. The school must ensure pupils receive this important knowledge for their safety. The school must ensure parents are consulted about this curriculum content. Monitoring Inspection report: Lift Columbus 24 February 2026

p.1

2

In some subjects, including reading, the curriculum is not consistently taught as the school intends. This results in some pupils not achieving as well as they should. The school should ensure that the agreed curriculum is implemented consistently well in all subjects.

p.2

2

The trust and school have not acted effectively to maintain the quality of provision or ensure that arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Some actions are very recent. This means that some parents and staff lack confidence in the work of the school, particularly its work to keep pupils safe. Some parents do not engage with the school. The trust and school must act with urgency to secure the improvements needed and regain the confidence of stakeholders in the work of the school.

p.2

continued work is needed to remove the requires significant improvement

During the monitoring inspection, inspectors focused on the following evaluation areas:  Leadership and governance  Safeguarding  Inclusion  Curriculum and teaching  Post-16 provision

p.2

Leadership and governance

Since the previous inspection, leaders, including trustees, have carried out detailed and further analysis of the school’s provision. They have used this information to identify precisely the appropriate actions that are needed to improve the school. This work has been supported well by the trust, the local authority and other professionals. Leaders have made progress in all the areas for improvement that were identified at the previous inspection.

p.2

Leadership and governance

Safeguarding has been prioritised. Improvements to the processes for recording safeguarding concerns are embedded and effective. Leaders check safeguarding arrangements daily to ensure that the culture of safeguarding is robust. Leaders have developed the curriculum. They have created pathways for pupils to study towards accreditations, such as entry-level or functional skills qualifications, where appropriate. Leaders have successfully introduced an appropriate programme for teaching phonics. This ensures that pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read now receive the support they need.

p.2

Leadership and governance

The improvements leaders have made are recent. Leaders must continue to check, refine and embed these developments to secure sustained improvement. This includes ensuring consistency in the teaching of early reading and communication, therefore supporting pupils to make the progress of which they are capable. They should also embed the new practices relating to safeguarding and health and safety so that the culture of safeguarding is consistently effective across the school. Monitoring Inspection report: Lift Columbus 24 February 2026

p.2

Safeguarding

At the previous graded inspection, safeguarding was evaluated as being not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders have improved the culture and arrangements for safeguarding. Structured leadership and oversight of safeguarding are now firmly in place. Internal communication of safeguarding issues is improved. For example, daily ‘check ‑ in and check ‑ out’ discussions between safeguarding leads and trust leaders now take place. These ensure that daily checks and actions are carried out in line with appropriate and up-to-date policies. Leaders now identify patterns and trends in safeguarding concerns. These inform the necessary and timely actions they take. Regular oversight of safeguarding from the interim standards board (ISB) and the board of trustees is robust.

p.3

Safeguarding

There are improved processes in place for recording safeguarding concerns. Safeguarding records are clear and consistent. They show the timely and appropriate actions taken by leaders. Records also reflect a stronger culture of professional curiosity and tenacity among staff when responding to safeguarding concerns.

p.3

Safeguarding

A robust and effective programme of safeguarding training is well embedded for all staff. Layered approaches to training agency staff, including those on short ‑ term placements, ensure that they have the knowledge they need to raise concerns about pupils.

p.3

Safeguarding

The personal, social, health and economic education programme includes appropriate safeguarding education for pupils. This includes a well-considered approach to teaching pupils about consent, healthy relationships and online and community safety. However, implementation of this is still at an early stage. It is not always taught consistently well.

p.3

Safeguarding

The school has refined its processes for intimate care and for supporting pupils with complex medical needs. This includes new documentation for care plans and improved medical administration forms. These changes are positive and effective. However, they are also recent and still being embedded across the school.

p.3

Inclusion

Pupils’ needs are well understood when they arrive at the school. Leaders have developed clear systems to ensure pupils’ needs are identified. As part of this, they agree short ‑ term targets that help to support pupils to achieve the outcomes in their education, health and care plans. This forms the basis of the checks leaders make to ensure pupils get the right support at the right time.

p.3

Inclusion

Pupils’ independent use of different communication methods remains a key area of focus. In recent months, leaders have broadened the communication approaches pupils use. These developments are appropriate and effective. For example, they include the introduction of body signing and a speech and language assessment tool. However, these approaches are not yet used by pupils or taught consistently by staff. As a result, some pupils are not as independent in their communication as they could be. Leaders recognise this and have planned further training. Monitoring Inspection report: Lift Columbus 24 February 2026

p.3

4

The school has some access to speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists. This generally meets pupils’ specific needs well. However, the school would benefit from increased time from these professionals to support staff training and development and to meet specialist needs of pupils. Most importantly, this would strengthen pupils’ use of communication strategies, including technological systems.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching

Leaders have recently introduced an appropriate programme for the teaching of phonics. Pupils benefit from dedicated, daily time to learn phonics. Staff have been well trained, and lessons are well resourced. There is further work to do to ensure that phonics is taught consistently well throughout the school. This includes adapting teaching so that it meets pupils’ individual needs.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching

Some aspects of the curriculum were reviewed during the inspection. While the knowledge that pupils will learn is ordered appropriately, it is often aligned to specific ages and year groups. This does not always match the needs or stages at which pupils are working. The curriculum design needs to be reconfigured so that it aligns with pupils’ stages rather than their ages. This will ensure that learning remains ambitious and appropriately matched to pupils’ needs and levels of learning.

p.4

Post-16 provision

Leaders have worked extensively to develop the post ‑ 16 provision. For example, they have raised aspirations for students as they now study towards Award Scheme Development and Accreditation Network qualifications that meet students’ needs and aspirations. Leaders have also devised a programme of checks that will spot when pupils are able to access functional skills accreditation. This will benefit the small group of pupils who are able to work at this higher level of learning.

p.4

Post-16 provision

Leaders provide students with a wide offer to support their personal development. However, this work does not consistently meet students’ needs. In places, it is not ambitious enough to support pupils to achieve their intended outcomes or be as prepared as possible for the next stage. Some recent changes, such as the reintroduction of the ‘life skills flat’, give students opportunities to develop important independence skills, such as cleaning, cooking and washing. More is needed to ensure that every opportunity is used to provide students with the specific support they need to be ready for their next stage of employment, training or education. Leaders have not yet identified ambitious aims and outcomes for pupils’ personal development. Leaders should precisely identify the life, social and independence skills that pupils need so that a purposeful, ambitious and appropriate programme meets pupils’ needs.

p.4

About this inspection

The inspectors carried out this monitoring inspection under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005, and it was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require significant improvement following the graded inspection that took place in May 2025. Monitoring Inspection report: Lift Columbus 24 February 2026

p.4

5

The school’s previous inspection was carried out under the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) at that time. The renewed EIF took effect from 10 November 2025. The areas for improvement identified at the school’s graded inspection have been cross- referenced to the relevant evaluation areas in the inspection toolkit for consideration on this monitoring inspection.

p.5

5

The purpose of this monitoring inspection was not to determine grades for any of the evaluation areas set out in the school inspection toolkit. The purpose was to identify and report on the school’s progress in addressing priorities for improvement since the school’s previous inspection.

p.5

5

The headteacher who was in place during the last inspection has now left. There is a new associate principal in place, supported by an executive headteacher from the trust.

p.5

5

Following the previous inspection, an ISB was put in place to have regular oversight of the improvements being made in the school.

p.5

5

During this inspection, meetings were held with the executive headteacher, vice principal, members of the ISB, representatives from the local authority and representatives from the board of trustees to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection.

p.5

Team inspector

Lynne Williams His Majesty’s Inspector Monitoring Inspection report: Lift Columbus 24 February 2026

p.5

applicable)

PMLD and SLD Monitoring Inspection report: Lift Columbus 24 February 2026

p.6

7

and inspects 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 looked- after-children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

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

p.7