Dudley Port School

Dudley Port School Dudley Port School, Station Drive, Tipton, Dudley Port, West Midlands DY4 7QR

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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 not to 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 consistently. 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

At the time of the school’s last standard inspection and two previous progress monitoring inspections, inspectors found that those responsible for governance and leaders did not work effectively to ensure that all the standards were securely and consistently met.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Since the last progress monitoring inspection in September 2025, there have been 3 headteachers in place. This includes the current headteacher, who is in post on a temporary basis and is also employed as the company’s regional director. Other senior leaders, such as a deputy headteacher from another school within the company has been deployed to support the school. This is because several of the school’s senior leaders have left. The proprietor has attempted to maintain leadership capacity through a combination of substantive and interim arrangements. However, the school has faced challenges in recruiting and retaining a substantive headteacher. This is having a negative impact on pupils and places pressures on staff.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Leaders and those responsible for governance have taken action to fill the vacant leadership post. This was not successful. For example, at the time of the inspection, there was no substantive headteacher in post. This means that the independent school standards continue not to be met and pupils are still not receiving an acceptable standard of education. This hinders their academic progress.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Following the previous inspection, the school has drawn up an acceptable action plan highlighting what actions leaders intend to take to improve the quality of education at the school. While the plan is appropriate, it has not been implemented effectively. This is due to the lack of oversight and leadership of the school. As a result, the standards identified as unmet previously remain unmet. This negatively impacts on the academic experiences pupils have in lessons.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

The proprietor has not ensured that all of the standards checked at this inspection are met.

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Curriculum

The previous standard inspection in October 2024 and progress monitoring inspections in April and September 2025 identified that the curriculum in some subjects lacked clarity. Pupils also did not have opportunities to learn across a broad range of subjects. The school had not identified the precise knowledge and skills that pupils needed to learn and in what order.

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Curriculum

The school’s action plan highlights what actions leaders intend to take to improve the quality of education at the school. However, this plan has not been implemented. Currently, pupils continue not to learn across the full range of subjects. Additionally, schemes of work across all subjects have still not been redesigned to set out what knowledge pupils should learn and in what order. As a result, staff are not clear what to teach and when. This slows pupils’ learning.

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Curriculum

The school knows that many pupils join the school with low literacy levels. The programme in place to support pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read is not effectively implemented to ensure that pupils become confident and fluent readers. Inconsistencies in the help pupils receive mean that they are not gaining the skills they need to read well. Additionally, pupils are not routinely supported to develop their handwriting. This means that some pupils’ writing does not improve and continues to be of low quality.

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Teaching

At the time of the previous inspections, the curriculum was not effectively implemented. Some staff lacked subject-specific knowledge to teach well. The school did not take pupils’ aptitudes and individual needs into account when planning and teaching lessons.

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Teaching

In their action plan, leaders laid out that staff will receive appropriate professional learning to be able to teach the intended curriculum well. While some training has happened, it is not sufficiently targeted to ensure staff have the required subject knowledge to teach some subjects well enough. This means that in some lessons the content taught is not accurate and leads to pupils acquiring the incorrect knowledge.

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Teaching

Leaders have not ensured that all teachers receive helpful information about pupils, including any barriers to learning they may face, especially any special educational needs and/or disabilities. This means that staff do not always know how best to support pupils in lessons. Too often, pupils do not access their learning because it is ill-matched to their needs. For example, sometimes work is too challenging for pupils because they have not secured the prior knowledge needed.

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Teaching

Leaders have invested in classroom resources to aid learning. These resources include stage-appropriate reading books and learning materials. These are used well by staff and pupils.

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Assessment

During the previous inspection, the use of assessment was inconsistent. Systems in place did not ensure that staff checked effectively on what pupils know and can do.

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Assessment

The school continues not to have a system in place to effectively check on what pupils have learned. Many pupils have gaps in their learning that go unidentified. Staff cannot use information gathered through assessment in their planning and teaching. Consequently, adaptations to teaching in order to meet pupils’ needs in lessons are rare. As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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Assessment

The proprietor has not ensured that all of the standards checked at this inspection are met.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding practices and procedures are effective in ensuring that pupils are adequately safeguarded. Staff have been trained to recognise signs that a young person may need help. Leaders keep accurate records of any incidents in school and make referrals to outside agencies when appropriate. The school engages well with external agencies to seek support for pupils and their families. Leaders complete the required checks on all adults to make sure they are safe to work with their pupils. Leaders have devised and effectively implemented their safeguarding policy.

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Safeguarding

The proprietor has ensured that the school continues to meet the standards that were checked in this part.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under sections 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

This inspection was conducted without notice. This was the school’s third progress monitoring inspection. Following the previous progress monitoring inspection in September 2025, the Department for Education (DfE) required the school to prepare an action plan. This action plan was reviewed by Ofsted in December 2025 and evaluated as acceptable. The DfE subsequently accepted the action plan in January 2026.

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About this inspection

The school’s last standard inspection took place in October 2024, when it was judged as requires improvement.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, interim deputy headteacher and other leaders during the inspection, including the new special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator. The lead inspector met virtually with representatives from the proprietor body, including the company’s chief operating officer, managing director for education and director of governance. Inspectors visited lessons, sampled pupils’ work and spoke to pupils about their experiences at the school. Inspectors toured the school and observed pupils at breaktimes.

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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 caters for up to 30 pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The main areas of need include social, emotional and mental health needs and autism. All pupils have an education, health and care plan. A range of local authorities commission places for pupils in the school. There have been some significant staff changes since the last progress monitoring inspection in September 2025. This includes changes at headteacher and senior leader level.

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About this inspection

The school currently uses one registered and two unregistered providers of alternative provision for a small number of its pupils.

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About this inspection

The school operates from the following address: Dudley Port School, Station Drive, Tipton, Dudley Port, West Midlands DY4 7QR.

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About this school

Proprietor Chair of the proprietor body Horizon Care and Education Group Amanda Cunningham Headteacher Lisa Lyon Type of school Other Independent Special School Capacity 30 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 11 to 16 Gender of pupils Mixed Annual fees for day pupils £66,441 to £110,000 Email address lisa.lyon@horizoncare.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;  2(2) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(1)(a), the matters are- – 2(2)(a) full-time supervised education for pupils of compulsory school age (construed in accordance with section 8 of the Education Act 1996), which gives pupils experience in linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human and social, physical and aesthetic and creative education – 2(2)(h) that all pupils have the opportunity to learn and make progress.  3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

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; – 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

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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.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school-

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

– 3(f) utilises effectively classroom resources of a good quality, quantity and range. 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 1. Quality of education provided

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

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