Progress Schools - Northamptonshire

Progress Schools - Northamptonshire 8 Notre Dame Mew, Northampton NN1 2BG

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inspection report:

Overall outcome The school does not meet all of the independent school standards that were checked during this inspection

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inspection report:

At its most recent inspection, the school was judged to not meet all of the independent school standards (the standards) and associated requirements.

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inspection report:

The purpose of this inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

When we carry out progress monitoring inspections of independent schools, we report on the school’s likely compliance with part 8 of the standards first. Under part 8, the proprietor is required to ensure that the school meets all of the standards. The standard in part 8 is intended to ensure that the quality of leadership and management at the school is sufficient for that purpose.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

The previous inspection found that not all requirements of the standard related to leadership and management were met. This was because leaders had not ensured that the school consistently met all the standards. Leaders had taken some action to improve the curriculum, but it was too early to see the impact of this work. Not all staff had the skills to meet pupils’ needs consistently well. The school’s work to improve the quality of education provided was hampered by the poor attendance of too many pupils.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Leaders have not taken urgent or effective action to address the unmet standards related to the curriculum and the quality of teaching. The requirements in part 1 that have been unmet for a significant period of time remain unmet. In addition, this inspection has found that there are further unmet standards in this part. The proprietor has not ensured that the teaching at the school meets all of the requirements in paragraph 3.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Leaders have not demonstrated good skills and knowledge appropriate to their roles so as to ensure that the standards are met consistently. The school is currently being overseen by an executive headteacher due to the recent departure of the school’s senior leadership. The support from the proprietor’s central team has not addressed the ongoing weakness at the school. The proprietor has not shown good knowledge of the standards in part 6 related to the publication of the restriction imposed by the secretary of state. This has led to the requirements of these standards being unmet.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

The proprietor has not ensured that standards are met.

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Curriculum

The previous inspection found that curriculum plans and schemes of work were well sequenced and clearly identified key knowledge. The school had provided training for staff to deliver the curriculum and introduced new assessment systems. However, staff were not consistently able to adapt the curriculum to ensure that it was sufficiently well matched to the needs of each pupil. Pupils’ individual education plans varied in quality. They did not fully identify all the individual needs of the pupils or consistently address the barriers that prevented pupils from learning well. Few pupils had their reading ability assessed and, as a result, were not getting the help they needed to become confident readers. Too many pupils were missing significant learning because they were not attending school regularly.

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Curriculum

Many of the issues identified at the previous inspection remain. The school has introduced three curriculum pathways, ‘build, grow and launch’. The purpose of the pathways is to ensure that the curriculum is suitably adapted to the needs of the pupils. The curriculum plans within these pathways remain well sequenced. However, the depth of knowledge pupils are required to learn on each pathway is not clearly defined. For example, there was little difference seen between the work given to pupils on the ‘grow pathway’ compared to the ‘launch pathway’. The curriculum is not sufficiently well matched to the needs of each pupil.

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Curriculum

Pupils’ individual education and development plans vary in quality. The targets in these plans do not set out what pupils need to achieve consistently and precisely. Some of the plans do not reflect the requirements of pupils’ education, health and care plans. The support the school provides still does not address the barriers that prevent pupils from learning well.

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Curriculum

There is currently no one who has oversight of reading across the school. Leaders new to the school do not have the assurances that all pupils have been assessed for their reading ability. There are very limited numbers of staff who have been trained to use the school’s reading scheme, and they are not currently able to deliver any reading interventions. For some pupils this limits their ability to access the curriculum.

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Curriculum

The curriculum does not take into account the needs of all pupils. Leaders have no oversight of the quality of the curriculum delivered to the small number of pupils who receive tutoring at home or who attend alternative provision.

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Teaching

Teaching does not consistently help pupils acquire new knowledge and make good progress through the curriculum. Too often in lessons, pupils lose interest in their work and opt out of thinking and learning for themselves. Effective teaching methods are not consistently employed across classes. Some instructions given by teachers are unclear. This leaves pupils confused about what they are learning. A significant number of teachers are supply staff. This has limited the school’s ability to provide a sustained professional learning programme for all staff. As a result, teachers do not always have a secure understanding of the subject matter being taught.

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Assessment

Assessment is not well used. For example, the assessments the school uses when pupils first start do not align with the content of the English and mathematics courses they study. As a result, teachers do not have accurate information about any potential knowledge gaps pupils may have in these subjects. The end of unit tests pupils take each term do not accurately reflect the content of what had been taught. There is no evidence that the results of these tests alter what teachers choose to teach next. As a result, pupils’ knowledge gaps remain. Some teachers check pupils’ understanding of prior learning at the start of lessons. However, these checks do not change what teachers go on to teach. Pupils are moved on to new learning before they have secured the important knowledge they need to be successful.

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Assessment

The proprietor has not ensured that standards are met.

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Safeguarding

There is a clear, open and transparent culture of safeguarding at the school. Staff know to be vigilant and pass on any concerns that they may have about pupils. Leaders responsible for safeguarding are knowledgeable and have ensured that all staff complete mandatory safeguarding training. They also provide staff with regular safeguarding updates. Staff know how to pass on any concerns they may have about other members of staff. The designated safeguarding lead knows to pass on any serious concerns about staff to the local authority designated officer and appreciates their responsibilities to inform the disclosure and barring service when thresholds are met. Safeguarding records are thorough and show that leaders follow up any concerns with the appropriate agencies in a timely and robust way. There are appropriate checks made on the safety and welfare of pupils who receive tutoring away from the school and those who attend alternative

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Safeguarding

provision. The pastoral and welfare staff make home visits to check on pupils who do not attend school regularly. The school’s safeguarding policy is published on the school website.

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Admissions and attendance

The school maintains an admissions and attendance register in accordance with the School Attendance Regulations 2024. There have been no pupils join the school since the Secretary of State imposed the restriction for no new pupils to be admitted in August 2025.

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Admissions and attendance

The proprietor has ensured that standards are met.

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The recruitment checks made on staff, supply staff and the proprietor

Leaders ensure that all the required checks on adults working in the school are completed in line with the latest statutory guidance. These checks are carried out by appropriately trained staff in the central team and are conducted before the adult takes up their role at the school. Medical fitness to work is checked before a position is offered. The school has secure systems in place to ensure that they receive information about the checks completed on supply staff before they start at the school. The required checks on the members of the proprietor body, including those related to section 128, have been completed.

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The single central record of these recruitment checks

The single central record is compliant and contains no gaps in information. All the required checks are listed. The record shows who completed the entry and the date of each check. The record also shows the checks made on contractors, volunteers, supply staff and the members of the central team who work for the proprietor.

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The single central record of these recruitment checks

The proprietor has ensured that standards are met.

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Part 6. Provision of information

The details of the Secretary of State’s restriction imposed on the school in August 2025 have not been published on the school’s website.

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Part 6. Provision of information

The proprietor has not ensured that standards are met.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. Inspectors checked the school’s compliance with 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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About this inspection

Following our updated inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

The Department for Education commissioned the inspector to check that the school was operating in line with the restriction placed on it not to admit any new pupils from August 2025. The inspection was conducted without notice.

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About this inspection

During the inspection, the inspector spoke with the executive headteacher, representatives from the proprietor’s central team and school staff with safeguarding, attendance and pastoral responsibilities.

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About this inspection

This is the school’s second progress monitoring inspection since the school was judged to not comply with the independent school standards at the standard inspection in March 2024. The first progress monitoring inspection of the school took place on 6 November 2024.

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About this school

Proprietor Progress Schools limited Headteacher Jason Lewis Type of school Other Independent Special School Capacity 50 Number of full-time pupils of compulsory school age on roll Number of part-time pupils of compulsory school age on roll Age range of pupils 13 to 16 Gender of pupils Mixed Annual fees for day pupils £19,294 to £59,535 Email address info@progress-schools.co.uk

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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 proprietor ensures that the teaching at 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(b) fosters in pupils self-motivation, the application of intellectual, physical and creative effort, interest in their work and the ability to think and learn for themselves;

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time; – 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 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 6. Provision of information

 32(1) The standard about the provision of information by the school is met if the proprietor ensures that- – 32(1)(j) particulars of any action specified in sub-paragraph (4) are published and maintained on the school’s website or, where no such website exists, are provided to parents.  32(4) The action specified in this sub-paragraph is- – 32(4)(b) any decision of the Secretary of State to impose a relevant restriction on the proprietor under section 116 of the 2008 Act.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in 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. 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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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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