Impact Independent School

Impact Independent School

Address: 240 Halesowen Road, Cradley Heath, West Midlands, B64 6JA Unique reference number (URN): 141560

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met. Insufficient evidence: Inspectors were unable to gather sufficient evidence to judge whether safeguarding standards are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Attendance remains a challenge for some pupils. This is often due to complex external factors, but leaders make it a priority. They monitor attendance closely. Staff carry out home visits and complete welfare checks. Through these systems, staff maintain regular contact with families and referring schools. External partners value the school’s collaboration and timely sharing of information. Some pupils make notable improvements from very low starting points. This happens because leaders remove barriers and provide personalised support. Although persistent absence remains an issue for a few pupils, leaders’ actions are helping many re-engage. Attendance is improving over time.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders and staff create a calm and supportive environment in which pupils can learn. The start and end of the day run smoothly, with well-established routines. Staff understand behaviour policies well and apply them consistently. They help pupils know what is expected of them. Structured lunchtime activities help pupils feel secure. Relationships between staff and pupils are a strength. Pupils are confident that staff respond fairly, when issues arise. Incidents of bullying or discrimination are dealt with promptly. Leaders act firmly and help pupils understand why such behaviour is unacceptable. Behaviour in lessons is positive. Staff deal with low-level disruption quickly. Suspensions are used appropriately. Leaders analyse patterns closely to provide targeted support and prevent issues from recurring.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders identify pupils’ needs quickly and accurately. Many pupils face big challenges. These include trauma, disrupted education, special educational needs and/or disabilities and involvement with social care. Leaders work closely with several local authorities to gather information before pupils start. This helps staff to put the right support in place. Staff understand pupils’ barriers well and make appropriate adaptations so that pupils feel safe and able to learn.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff have high expectations for every pupil. Inclusive practice is based on trusting relationships that help pupils feel secure. Pupils begin to manage their emotions and re- engage positively with learning. Leaders follow a clear cycle of assessing pupils’ needs and planning support. They check how well this support is working and make changes when needed. Regular staff training, including trauma-informed approaches and safeguarding updates, helps staff use appropriate strategies. These strategies reduce barriers to learning and support pupils’ wellbeing.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders work closely with parents and carers as well as other professionals. Referring schools and local authorities comment positively on the school’s communication. They also appreciate the school's flexibility and multi-agency work. Pupils benefit from mentoring, pastoral support, targeted interventions and carefully planned transitions. This includes pupils who are dual registered or returning to mainstream education. These approaches usually help pupils take a more active part in school life.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders meet pupils’ wider needs well. However, systems for identifying and addressing academic gaps are not applied consistently. Leaders are beginning to strengthen their

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Needs attention

approach, but the changes are not embedded.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have established a coherent personal development programme. It effectively supports pupils’ wider development, wellbeing and readiness for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about healthy and unhealthy relationships with confidence and respect. The programme helps pupils to reflect on their values, choices and safety. All pupils in key stage 4 complete a GCSE in citizenship. This deepens their understanding of democratic processes and social responsibility. Pupils develop a growing appreciation of cultural diversity. They learn to value the different backgrounds, beliefs and traditions within their school and wider community.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils experience a wide range of opportunities. These help pupils build important life skills that prepare them well for adulthood. The school’s allotment is widely appreciated. It provides a calm and purposeful space. Pupils learn about sustainability, responsibility and teamwork. They care for animals and maintain garden areas. This environment supports pupils, who benefit from time outdoors. Pupils learn to regulate their emotions and re- engage with learning. Pupils also take part in vocational sessions. These include cooking, sport and creative activities. Such opportunities broaden their interests and build character and resilience. Careers education is improving. Older pupils talk with increasing confidence about their next steps. They are supported by guidance that reflects their aspirations and starting points.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils receive high-quality pastoral support. Staff know pupils well, including their challenges and strengths. Staff respond with sensitivity, when difficulties arise. They listen to pupils, treat them fairly and help them make positive choices. Families and external partners commend staff for working together to prioritise pupils’ wellbeing. Mentoring, therapeutic elements within the curriculum and trusted relationships help pupils feel safe, valued and understood. Some pupils miss parts of the programme due to attendance issues. However, leaders work closely with families and agencies. This ongoing effort helps ensure all pupils benefit from the school’s wider offer over time.

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Achievement Needs attention

The achievement of many pupils is inconsistent. Too many pupils do not secure the knowledge they need to make steady progress. Gaps caused by disrupted education, irregular attendance or missed lessons are not addressed well enough. There is no whole- school approach to help pupils catch up. As a result, many pupils do not always remember important knowledge and fall further behind with learning. Pupils are not as well prepared for their next stage of learning as they should be.

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Achievement Needs attention

Although some pupils learn well when teaching is consistent, this is not the experience for all. Leaders recognise these weaknesses. They have begun work to improve reading, refine targeted support for individual pupils and strengthen oversight. However, these actions are still at an early stage and have not yet led to sustained improvement.

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Achievement Needs attention

When pupils attend regularly and engage fully, they achieve more securely and are better prepared for their next steps.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Too many pupils do not secure essential knowledge well enough. Reading provision remains underdeveloped. Leaders have introduced daily reading sessions. However, these are not used consistently across the school. New systems for checking pupils’ reading and planning the right support are in place, but they are not used as well as they should be. As a result, many pupils struggle to read confidently and find it difficult to understand subject content. This restricts pupils’ access to the wider curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

There is also no whole-school approach to help pupils catch up on learning missed because of absence or disrupted prior education. This means that gaps in pupils’ knowledge widen in some subjects, especially where basic knowledge has not been secured.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have taken early steps to strengthen oversight. They have introduced new systems to support reading. However, this work is still at an early stage and has not led to consistent practice. Leaders do not have a reliable way to ensure that staff address pupils' gaps in learning effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Despite these weaknesses, leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. It offers pupils access to a broad range of qualifications. The curriculum is planned so that knowledge builds over time and, in many subjects, it is taught as intended.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders’ self-evaluation is not sufficiently precise. This is particularly in relation to the curriculum and teaching. They have not fully addressed weaknesses in assessment. Work to improve reading provision remains at a very early stage. This lack of detailed evaluation has slowed leaders’ ability to identify and tackle key weaknesses. In turn, this means that essential gaps in learning have not been addressed systematically. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress they should.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The proprietor provides effective oversight of safeguarding, statutory responsibilities and financial management. However, oversight around curriculum and teaching lacks the depth needed to secure improvements. This has contributed to some independent school standards not being met. Leaders’ capacity to ensure all pupils receive a high-quality education is not secure.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders, including the proprietor, show a strong commitment to pupils' welfare. They have set clearer roles and daily checks on safeguarding, attendance and broader support. When allocating resources and adjusting provision, leaders also consider the needs of disadvantaged pupils, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those involved with social care. Staff express high confidence in leaders. They value the supportive communication and manageable workload arrangements. They report that leaders give thoughtful consideration of staff wellbeing. Staff also appreciate the professional development available to them. External partners value their collaboration with the school. These relationships benefit from reliable information-sharing. This reflects leaders’ integrity and commitment to partnership working.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils at Impact School are welcomed each morning by staff, who know them well and help them feel safe, calm and ready for learning. Staff greet pupils warmly and help them settle quickly, which builds trust and creates a positive start to the day. Pupils know who they can talk to. They know that adults respond with patience and clarity, when they raise concerns. When bullying occurs, it is reported, and leaders take prompt action to ensure it stops.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Relationships between pupils and staff are consistently positive. Classrooms are calm and routines are well established, helping pupils to understand what is expected of them. Most pupils show positive attitudes to learning and take part confidently in activities that feel purposeful. Some pupils still need support to sustain their focus. Leaders’ continued emphasis on consistent expectations is helping to support pupils’ engagement.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Many pupils join the school with significant gaps in learning, caused by disrupted education or absence. When they attend regularly, typically the well-designed curriculum helps them build knowledge over time. Staff work with determination to rebuild secure foundations. This is particularly the case in reading. However, approaches to closing gaps and checking what pupils have missed are not consistently embedded. As a result, some pupils do not yet make the progress they should.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Beyond lessons, pupils take part in experiences that help them understand themselves and the world around them. These opportunities build confidence, resilience and a growing sense of belonging. Pupils learn about life in modern Britain. This includes how to respect difference and contribute positively to their communities.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Attendance remains a challenge for some pupils. Even so, pupils benefit from the persistence of staff, who pupils say ‘do not give up on you’. This helps many to re ‑ engage, feel hopeful about their future and begin to see success as something within their reach.

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Next steps

Leaders should establish a clear and consistent approach to reading, including accurate assessment of pupils’ needs and well planned support to improve fluency, comprehension and confidence. Leaders should secure a reliable system for checking, recording and revisiting gaps in pupils’ knowledge, including those caused by absence, so that pupils can keep pace with the intended curriculum.

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Independent school standards

Independent school standards are either met or not met for each category. Leaders should further strengthen monitoring and evaluation processes so that strengths and weaknesses are identified precisely and used to inform focused, effective improvement work.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this standard inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. They checked the school’s compliance with the independent school standards, which are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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About this inspection

Following Ofsted’s renewed inspection framework, this inspection was led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs).

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About this inspection

Inspection activities: Inspectors spoke with a range of school leaders, including the proprietor and the headteacher. They also spoke with referring local authorities during the inspection.

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About this inspection

Inspectors confirmed the following information about the school: The school's email address is: enquiries@impacteducation.org.uk

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About this inspection

The proprietor of the school is Terry Breen.

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About this inspection

The fees currently charged are £14,625 - £17,550.

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About this inspection

The headteacher took up their role in September 2025, having previously worked at the school in another post.

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About this inspection

The school does not use alternative provision.

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About this inspection

1. Quality of education provided Standards not met

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About this inspection

The following standards have not been met:

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About this inspection

The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school– (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; (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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About this inspection

2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils Standards met

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About this inspection

3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Standards met

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About this inspection

4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors Standards met

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About this inspection

5. Premises of and accommodation at schools Standards met

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About this inspection

6. Provision of information Standards met

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About this inspection

7. Manner in which complaints are handled Standards met

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About this inspection

8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Standards not met

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Pupils with special educational needs (SEN) support

The following standards have not been met: Paragraph 34(1)

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Pupils with special educational needs (SEN) support

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–

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Pupils with special educational needs (SEN) support

(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; (b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Insufficient evidence

Inspectors were unable to gather reliable enough evidence to grade an evaluation area. This is rare and normally only happens if there are no pupils on roll at the school. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

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

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