Progress Schools - Thrapston

Progress Schools – Thrapston Cedar Drive, Thrapston, Northampton NN14 4LZ

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inspection report:

Overall outcome The school meets 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.

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inspection report:

The purpose of this inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school 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 independent school standards first. Under part 8, the proprietor is required to ensure that the school meets all of the independent school 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

The previous inspection found that the proprietor had not ensured that the school consistently met all the independent school standards (‘the standards’). Inconsistencies in how staff managed pupils’ behaviour meant that those standards related to the implementation of the school’s behaviour policy, including in lessons, were not met. Consequently, inspectors judged as unmet the leadership and management standards that relate to leaders’ knowledge and successful implementation of the standards.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

The proprietor has ensured that the school is now meeting the standards that were judged as being unmet at the previous inspection.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

The proprietor has increased the capacity for leaders to support staff in managing pupils’ behaviour. They have also ensured that the expectations that staff should have of pupils’ behaviour are clear. The proprietor has made sure that staff, including supply staff, receive training in how best to apply the school’s behaviour policy. This work has ensured that staff have better knowledge and more capacity to respond to incidents of poor behaviour and to support pupils to manage their behaviour.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

The proprietor has also acted effectively to address the qualitative issues identified at the previous inspection. These issues related to the school’s expectations regarding the work pupils complete, pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values and protected characteristics, how pupils develop their talents and interests, and how staff receive the information and guidance they need to enable them to fulfil their roles effectively.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Staff have received training in how best to teach, including in relation to adaptations to learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Weekly curriculum meetings provide opportunities for staff to seek advice as to how best to teach a lesson, a topic or a subject. Staff have access to centralised lesson plans which they can adapt to meet their pupils’ additional needs. Leaders have ensured that the work pupils complete better matches their starting points.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Leaders have ensured that there is now provision in the timetable to teach religious education and citizenship. Personal, social and health education has also been given more teaching time each week. Consequently, teachers now have regular, dedicated time to teach pupils the wider curriculum. This includes teaching pupils about fundamental British values and the importance of respecting those who are different to them. Leaders have also broadened the range of opportunities that promote pupils’ personal development. Leaders review these opportunities to ensure that they meet pupils’ needs and support pupils’ interests.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Leaders have ensured that staff receive regular updates to support them in how they teach pupils and manage pupils’ behaviour. One-page pupil profiles provide staff with helpful insight into each pupil, including the best ways to engage with them. Pupils’ individual academic target sheets provide information to support staff in planning pupils’ learning across the different subjects. Staff report that this information helps them to teach and provide more effective support to pupils.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Promoting pupils’ welfare sits at the very heart of all that leaders and staff do. They achieve this through their safeguarding processes as well as through the pastoral support pupils receive and the curriculum they are taught.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

The proprietor regularly monitors the quality of the provision to check that the school consistently meets all the standards. Leaders employed directly by the proprietor regularly visit the school to assess the quality of provision that pertains to their given responsibility. Members of the proprietor body also visit the school to assess for themselves the quality of the provision, including by speaking with staff.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

The proprietor has ensured that these standards are met, including those judged as unmet at the previous inspection.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that there is a culture of vigilance among staff in relation to keeping pupils safe. Staff receive regular training so that they understand their safeguarding responsibilities. Regular briefings enable staff to discuss safeguarding issues and develop further their knowledge of how best to keep pupils safe. Staff know the signs to look for that may indicate a welfare concern for their pupils. They know to pass any concerns on to senior leaders. This includes any concerns about the actions of adults towards pupils.

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Safeguarding

Leaders act promptly on receiving any safeguarding concerns. They provide the necessary support for the pupils, including through engaging with agencies external to the school. This ensures that pupils receive the right support at the right time.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know the key safeguarding risks that their pupils face. They help pupils to understand how best to manage these risks. This support includes engagement with external agencies, including through the provision of counselling and workshops.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep safe, including when online and when out in the community. They learn about how to be healthy, including through healthy eating and exercise. Pupils learn about the negative impact of smoking, vaping and taking drugs.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe at the school. Each pupil has a key worker who supports them. Pupils know that they can talk with these workers, as well as any other member of staff, if they have a worry or a concern. Staff spend breakfast, breaktime and lunchtime talking to, and eating with, pupils. This provides multiple opportunities for staff to discuss pupils’ welfare with them, and for pupils to share any concerns that they may have.

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Safeguarding

Leaders undertake appropriate recruitment checks before any new staff commence working at the school. They record these checks on the school’s single central record.

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Safeguarding

The school’s safeguarding policy is on the school’s website.

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Safeguarding

The proprietor has ensured that these standards are met.

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Behaviour and supervision of pupils

The previous inspection found that leaders had not ensured that staff implemented the school’s behaviour policy consistently. Staff did not feel that leaders supported them well enough when helping pupils to behave well. Leaders had also failed to promote a culture in which pupils used respectful language and demonstrated good manners. Consequently, pupils did not behave as well as they should. Pupils found it difficult to make good choices about how they behaved. As a result, pupils’ learning was disrupted, while their opportunities to prepare well for life beyond school were undermined. The school’s action plan proposed to increase the behaviour leadership capacity. Leaders intended to raise expectations regarding behaviour, provide training to staff to help them manage behaviour, and offer pupils more opportunities to take on leadership responsibilities to create a culture of respect. The proprietor intended for leaders to

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Behaviour and supervision of pupils

provide additional support for staff when they needed it. Leaders would also check more regularly how well staff were implementing the school’s behaviour policy.

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Behaviour and supervision of pupils

Leaders have raised the school’s expectations regarding behaviour. They have made changes to how pupils arrive at the school each morning so that they start the day with a positive attitude and feel welcomed by staff. There are new routines to the start of lessons to ensure that pupils understand that they are there to learn. Pupils report that behaviour has improved since the previous inspection.

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Behaviour and supervision of pupils

Leaders have ensured that staff have received training in how to support pupils to manage their behaviour. Daily debriefs and weekly meetings provide staff with the opportunity to discuss how best they can manage individual pupils’ behaviour. Successful strategies are recorded on pupils’ individual pupil profiles so that all staff know how best to identify for each pupil the signs that they may be struggling with their behaviour, and how best to respond in these circumstances. Senior leaders visit lessons and are present during social times to support staff in managing pupils’ behaviour. Staff report that these support strategies have helped them implement the school’s behaviour policy consistently. They report that classrooms are now much calmer, which enables them to be able to teach. The school’s records corroborate this. They show that incidents of poor behaviour have reduced both in number and in type.

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Behaviour and supervision of pupils

Leaders have introduced ‘reset’ rooms. These provide opportunities for pupils who are struggling to engage with learning to have time away from the classroom to reflect on their behaviour with a member of staff. Staff value this strategy as a means to help pupils to reengage with their learning. Pupils see this as a positive strategy to support them.

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Behaviour and supervision of pupils

Pupils have more opportunities to take on responsibilities around the school. They are invited to show visitors around the school, and to be involved in the recruitment process for new staff. The creation of the student council has provided pupils with a way to communicate their wishes to leaders. For example, a recent broadening of the curriculum to include history and geography is the consequence of the student council’s request for this development. These opportunities to assume positions of responsibility help pupils to understand the responsibility of modelling positive behaviour.

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Behaviour and supervision of pupils

Pupils enjoy receiving rewards points, which they can use to purchase food and drink at the fortnightly Friday café experience. They enjoy this experience. They recognise how, by behaving well, they earn more points, which allows them to access more positive opportunities. This helps them to recognise the value of education.

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Behaviour and supervision of pupils

There are sufficient staff present to ensure appropriate supervision of pupils, in lessons and during social times. Currently, no pupils require adult support in making their journeys to and from school. However, when this would be required, leaders would provide the appropriate supervision.

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Behaviour and supervision of pupils

The proprietor has ensured that these standards are met, including those judged as unmet at the previous inspection and the previously unmet relevant standard in part 1.

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Health and safety

The school has an appropriate health and safety policy in place. Leaders undertake the necessary health and safety checks, in line with the time frames as set out in the policy. These checks include those undertaken by professionals external to the school and to the proprietor body when this is necessary and/or appropriate.

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Health and safety

The proprietor has ensured that this standard is met.

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Risk assessment

The school has an appropriate risk assessment policy in place. Risk assessments identify pertinent risks and appropriate mitigations to reduce them. Risk assessments are regularly reviewed. Those for individual pupils are reviewed earlier than the given time frame on any occasion when a new risk is identified as a result of pupils’ behaviour.

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Risk assessment

The proprietor has ensured that these standards are met.

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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

The inspection was conducted without notice.

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About this inspection

The inspector spoke with the executive headteacher, the head of school, other school leaders, the chair of the proprietor body, staff and pupils. He visited lessons, looked at pupils’ books, and observed pupils’ behaviour at the breakfast club, and during breaktime and lunchtime. The inspector considered documentation regarding safeguarding; recruitment; behaviour; health and safety; and risk assessment. The school’s previous standard inspection took place on 15 to 17 July 2025. At this inspection, the school was judged to not comply with the independent school standards related to behaviour management and leadership and management.

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About this inspection

The Department for Education (DfE) required the school to prepare an action plan. Ofsted evaluated this action plan on 16 January. The DfE accepted this action plan on 2 February 2026.

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Lead inspector

Simon Hollingsworth His Majesty’s Inspector

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About this school

Proprietor Progress Schools limited Chair Charlotte Barton Headteacher Jason Lewis Type of school Other Independent School Capacity 60 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 £19,400 to £51,000 Email address thrapstonPS@progress-schools.co.uk 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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About this school

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About this school

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About this school

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

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