Progress Schools Wigan

Progress Schools Wigan

Address: Wigan Youth Zone, Parsons Walk, Wigan, WN1 1RU Unique reference number (URN): 145187

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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

Prior to joining this school, pupils have had disrupted and often negative experiences of education. Leaders prioritise helping pupils to feel safe and settled in school. Great emphasis is placed on getting to know pupils and building positive relationships with them and their families. In addition, leaders take a rigorous approach to identifying and reducing barriers to pupils' wellbeing. This is effective in encouraging pupils to re-engage with their education. Over time, most pupils' attendance improves markedly from their starting points. That said, increasing pupils' rates of attendance remains an ongoing priority for leaders.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Well-established routines and clear expectations of pupils' conduct help to create a calm and orderly environment. Pupils are respectful to staff and, in the main, they engage well in learning activities. Staff use the school's agreed strategies for managing behaviour well. These are carefully tailored to the needs of individual pupils. Staff help pupils to develop an awareness and understanding of their own emotions and behaviour. Most pupils develop methods that they use independently to manage their own behaviour so that they can engage well in lessons alongside their peers.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils typically get along well with each other. Bullying is rare and dealt with swiftly if it occurs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school caters for pupils, who have struggled to access a mainstream education. As such, when pupils join this school, they typically have many barriers to their learning. Beginning during the induction process, leaders take a thorough approach to identifying these barriers. This includes any previously unrecognised special educational needs and/or disabilities. Concurrently, staff invest time in establishing positive relationships with pupils. As pupils begin to feel safe and settled in school, they develop a sense of belonging.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Working closely with pupils, parents and carers and external professionals when appropriate, leaders design personalised programmes of support to help each pupil to re- engage in their education. Leaders frequently review the impact of this support to ensure that it is having the intended effect. Pupils' improved attendance and their willingness to engage in lessons is testament to the effectiveness of this approach.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff benefit from regular training that develops their expertise in understanding and reducing barriers to pupils' learning. Typically, pupils receive the support that they need to access the curriculum successfully.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders use alternative provision thoughtfully to enable some pupils to pursue their interests in a particular career. This gives pupils valuable experience of the workplace and the opportunity to achieve professional qualifications.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders focus sharply on preparing pupils for their lives beyond school. As such, pupils benefit from a comprehensive personal development programme that equips them with the knowledge and skills that they need to be independent, responsible and healthy citizens. This includes learning key life skills, such as managing personal finances and cooking nutritious meals.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school's curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education is responsive to pupils' needs and the local context. For instance, pupils learn about the dangers of gang culture and knife crime. This helps them to understand and avoid such risks in the local area. Typically, pupils develop an age-appropriate understanding of important information, such as healthy relationships and how democracy works. Pupils are encouraged to engage in debate and to respect the viewpoints of others. The importance of being respectful and tolerant of others is continually reinforced by staff through their interactions with pupils.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders provide some enrichment opportunities, which enable pupils to explore new interests. For instance, pupils participate in a range of different sports, including boxing. However, opportunities for pupils to develop new talents and interests, or to engage in trips and outdoor activities, are limited. This hinders pupils from broadening their experiences beyond the curriculum as much as they could.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils benefit from personalised careers guidance and information. Leaders work closely with pupils to ensure that they understand the employment, education and training opportunities that are available to them after school, taking their needs and interests into account. This work begins as soon as pupils join the school, which helps them to feel motivated and engaged in their education. Pupils successfully progress to next steps in education, employment or training.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils' learning across the curriculum is uneven. In some subjects, pupils make steady progress from their starting points and build their knowledge well over time. In other subjects, pupils' learning is limited due to inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. Furthermore, some areas of the curriculum are not taught as intended. That said, suitable support helps most pupils to address gaps in their reading, writing and numeracy knowledge.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils in key stage 4 complete GCSEs in English, mathematics and science. There is variability in how well pupils achieve from their starting points in these examinations. Leaders have recently expanded the range of nationally accredited qualifications that pupils can complete in different subjects.

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Achievement Needs attention

Leaders prioritise helping pupils to secure a place in further education, employment or training, when they leave school. This is a strength. Pupils are supported well to understand the available options and the actions that they should take to achieve their aims.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The curriculum is suitably broad, ambitious and logically ordered. However, in a few subjects, the curriculum is not taught as intended. Staff do not ensure that pupils have the opportunity to learn all that they should.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Teaching is not consistently effective across different subjects. Consequently, some of the independent school standards about the curriculum and teaching are not met. Leaders' actions to address this deficit have not had sufficient impact. Staff teach a narrower range of subjects than they did previously. In some subjects, staff have appropriate subject-specific expertise. However, in other subjects, staff do not have sufficient depth of knowledge to explain difficult concepts to pupils clearly or to identify and address any misconceptions.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have a thorough approach to identifying any gaps in pupils' knowledge when they join the school. This includes gaps in their reading, writing and mathematics knowledge. Pupils benefit from suitable support to help them to develop this important learning. Over time, staff check how well pupils are building their knowledge of different subjects. However, staff do not use the information that they glean from these checks to inform their teaching. This means that some learning activities are not well matched to what pupils already know and can do.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Recently, the proprietor has identified weaknesses in the quality of education that the school provides. It has increased leadership capacity in the school to make the improvements that are needed. However, actions to improve are in the early stages and it is too soon to see positive impact. In addition, although staff have access to the proprietor's professional learning programme, this is not sufficiently tailored to staff's individual needs.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Driven by a moral imperative to re-engage vulnerable pupils in their education, the proprietor and school leaders place the best interests of these pupils at the heart of all that they do. Leaders are rightly proud of their success in helping most pupils to attend school regularly and to behave well. In the main, the proprietor has suitable systems in place to ensure that the independent school standards (the standards) are met. For instance, the premises are safe and well kept and the school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. However, the proprietor has not held leaders to account for weaknesses in teaching as effectively as it should. As such, the proprietor has not ensured that all of the the standards are met consistently over time.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Staff share leaders' determination to improve pupils' life chances. Staff feel valued. Although their workload has increased due to fluctuating staff numbers, in the main, they appreciate the consideration that leaders give to keeping their workload manageable.

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

When pupils join this school, they typically do not appreciate or value education. Most have had negative or disrupted experiences of school previously. In addition, pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff prioritise identifying and reducing the barriers that have prevented pupils from engaging in education in the past. Pupils learn to trust staff, which helps them to feel confident, settled and safe in school. Over time, most pupils increase their rates of attendance and engage in all that the school offers. However, pupils' experience of the curriculum and teaching is not consistently positive. In some subjects, leaders do not ensure that pupils have the opportunity to learn all that the curriculum intends. In addition, weaknesses in the quality of teaching hinder how well pupils learn and achieve.

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

Each day, staff welcome pupils into the building with the offer of a cup of tea and a catch up. Staff take this opportunity to understand how pupils are feeling so that any additional support can be put into place swiftly if needed. Positive relationships between staff and pupils are evident through their interactions. Pupils are respectful, well mannered and attentive. In the main, pupils settle readily to their learning during lessons. They come to value and, at times, enjoy their education.

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

Pupils typically get along well with each other. They do not worry about bullying, which rarely happens. Pupils appreciate that any concerns or worries that they might have are usually spotted and resolved quickly by staff.

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

Pupils benefit from opportunities to engage with the local community. For example, each week pupils contribute to a community event that supports elderly people. Pupils are encouraged to make tea, join in with activities, such as dancing and singing, and engage in conversation with people from the local area. This helps to develop pupils' confidence and improve their social skills.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that staff deliver the curriculum as intended in each subject, so that pupils have the opportunity to learn all that they should. Leaders should ensure that staff have the subject-specific expertise that they need to teach each subject well. Leaders should ensure that staff use assessment information to inform their teaching, so that learning activities are appropriately matched to pupils' starting points. Leaders should widen the school's enrichment offer so that pupils benefit from a broader range of high-quality experiences that build their confidence, character and cultural awareness. The proprietor should ensure that leaders have the support and expertise that they need to drive improvements in the quality of teaching, so that pupils benefit from high-quality teaching across all subjects and all the independent school standards are met.

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Independent school standards

Independent school standards are either met or not met for each category.

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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, and 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 renewed 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

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and executive headteacher, the chair of the proprietor body, other leaders and staff.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school is part of the Progress Schools group of schools.

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About this inspection

All places at this school are commissioned by the local authority. All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities and the majority have an education, health and care plan. Most pupils have social, emotional and mental health needs.

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About this inspection

The school offers short- and long-term alternative provision placements.

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About this inspection

The school currently uses 2 unregistered alternative provisions.

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About this inspection

Since the last inspection, the proprietor has appointed an executive headteacher, who is responsible for this school and 3 others.

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About this inspection

The chair of the proprietor body is Charlotte Charnley, who is known as Charlotte Barton.

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About this inspection

The fees currently charged are £19,294 to £59,535.

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About this inspection

The school's email address is info@progress-schools.co.uk

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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: Paragraph 2(1)

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About this inspection

The standard in this paragraph is met if– (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 Paragraph 3

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About this inspection

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

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About this inspection

(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; (c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time; (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; (e) demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being taught; (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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Facts and figures used on inspection

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

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Total pupils

6. Provision of information Standards met

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Total pupils

7. Manner in which complaints are handled Standards met

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Total pupils

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

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Total pupils

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

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Total pupils

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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Total pupils

(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

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