Tle Independent School

Tle Independent School

Address: Grange Farm Hobbies Centre, Wesley Road, Scunthorpe, DN16 1SA Unique reference number (URN): 151502

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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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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school has a coherent programme to support pupils’ personal development. It is woven throughout the curriculum and wider enrichment opportunities. This supports pupils' social, emotional and mental health needs. The personal, social and health education curriculum is well designed. It ensures that age-appropriate relationships and sex education content is taught in a logical way to build pupils’ knowledge over time.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils develop an increasing awareness of and respect for the characteristics protected by law. They learn about British values and the cultural diversity of modern Britain. Visitors to the school and work with external agencies, such as the police and local businesses, help with this. Agencies provide pupils with personalised information and support to cope with life outside school. This includes risks related to substance misuse, criminal exploitation and online safety. Pupils know where to access help when needed. The school provides opportunities to extend pupils' experiences and develop their individual talents and interests. Examples of this include areas such as sports, creative arts, motor mechanics and hairdressing. Pupils receive relevant and impartial careers education. This helps them to make informed choices about their options when they leave.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils receive effective pastoral support. Leaders understand that pupils often have mental health needs and previous negative experiences of school. Leaders ensure that pupils have trusted adults to turn to. 'Key workers' take time to support pupils on an individual basis. The school provides counselling and therapeutic support for pupils. Pupils are confident to access this as needed.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders make sure that disadvantaged pupils benefit equally from the school’s personal development offer. Leaders make reasonable adjustments to help participation. They take account of pupils’ interests and aspirations. Pupils are helpfully supported in their applications to colleges and experience different work environments to prepare them for their possible post-16 destinations.

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Achievement Needs attention

Some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not achieve as well as they could. Staff are not consistently adept at using their checks on learning to fill gaps in pupils' knowledge effectively. This hinders how well pupils build up what they know. Where teaching is more secure in subjects such as English and mathematics, pupils learn more effectively. However, in other wider curriculum subjects, their learning is less secure.

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Achievement Needs attention

Leaders establish what pupils know and can do when they join the school. Teachers use this information to tailor work for pupils across different subjects. This helps some pupils make progress in learning from their starting points. Pupils study relevant qualifications. When appropriate, they study GCSE mathematics, English and science alongside functional skills qualifications. These help to prepare pupils for their next steps in further education, employment or training.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Overall attendance is low. Leaders' actions to improve attendance are reducing rates of absence for some pupils. However, some of their approaches are recent. Leaders track pupils’ attendance closely, carefully considering the reasons for absences. The school has begun to address pupil absence with more precision. This includes work with families and external agencies to support pupils to attend more regularly. Leaders highlight to parents and pupils the impact of absence on pupils’ achievement and personal development. It is too soon to tell if improvements in attendance will be sustained over time.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

The school has recently implemented changes to procedures to support pupils’ behaviour and promote positive and respectful attitudes. Pupils understand the ‘matrix’ to follow to meet leaders’ high expectations. Incidents of poor behaviour are reducing. Pupils build positive relationships with staff. Staff typically manage pupils’ behaviour well. They sort out incidents of poor behaviour and bullying in a consistent way. Pupils typically demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning. However, some pupils lose concentration in lessons and become frustrated when learning is not matched to their needs effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Teaching in some wider curriculum subjects is not secure. Leaders have not provided staff with suitable training to ensure that the curriculum is delivered consistently well. Some staff do not have the knowledge and skills they need to meet pupils' individual learning needs with the necessary precision. As a result, some pupils struggle to access learning in some subjects.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders mostly have a realistic evaluation of the quality of the curriculum and teaching. They recognise that there are weaknesses in the way the curriculum is taught which lead to inconsistencies in the way pupils learn. Improvements to the mathematics, science and English curriculums and to teaching have led to pupils learning these subjects more consistently and building their knowledge coherently.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have prioritised support for pupils' early reading needs. When needed, staff provide personalised phonics teaching and support. However, on occasion, teachers do not support pupils to practise and apply their reading skills effectively in other subjects. This is because some staff have not received relevant training in the school's chosen phonics programme.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The curriculum is broad and ambitious. The school focuses on ensuring that pupils can experience a range of subjects related to their personal interests and future aspirations. Pupils' education, health and care plans and personal education plans sit at the heart of their individual curriculum pathways.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders do not check closely enough whether staff use the best strategies to support pupils. Leaders do not routinely gather assurance that support improves pupils’ learning. Staff have not received relevant training to support pupils' learning needs in the best possible way. As a result, learning support for some pupils is inconsistent and lacks the precision needed.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Pupils who have previously missed significant periods of education get the help they need to re-engage. Leaders work closely with external professionals and with parents and carers and know pupils well. Leaders accurately identify pupils' needs and the barriers they face. This includes disadvantaged pupils, those known or previously known to social care and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, leaders do not ensure that staff consistently address these barriers through precise, high-quality teaching.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Staff provide highly effective support for pupils' social, emotional and mental health needs. This support reduces pupils’ anxieties about school and gives them strategies to manage their emotions, sensory needs and behaviour. All pupils have equal access to enrichment opportunities and value the proprietor's gift of a laptop to support them in their learning and in their next steps when they leave the school.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have not ensured that the independent school standards (the standards) are met consistently. They have not prioritised training that strengthens teaching quality or supports all pupils to learn well. The lack of precise, strategic professional development limits progress toward the school's vision. This has led to unmet standards and inconsistent learning experiences for pupils. Leaders' improvement priorities are appropriate but still at an early stage. Recent actions need time to embed before they show sustained impact.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Systems to check the impact of the school's curriculum and teaching lack rigour. The proprietor is taking appropriate steps to strengthen strategic oversight of the school, including the monitoring and evaluation of curriculum and teaching. These actions have yet to demonstrate impact.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Staff appreciate leaders’ support and consideration of their workload and wellbeing. They enjoy working at the school. Everyone is committed to improving the school. The change from operating as an alternative provision to a special school has encountered challenges. While this is the case, leaders and staff are ambitious for pupils, understand what needs to improve and are determined to make decisions in pupils’ best interests.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders are proactive in their work with external professionals. They work with local businesses and engage with local services to support pupils’ wellbeing. Leaders and those responsible for governance understand their statutory responsibilities. Suitable arrangements are in place to ensure the school meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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

Pupils do not learn or achieve as well as they should. The quality of the curriculum and teaching they receive varies across subjects. Teachers do not consistently use their checks on learning to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. As a result, the school does not meet some of the independent school standards (the standards). Although pupils’ attendance has improved compared with their time in their previous schools, it remains low. Leaders have identified appropriate actions to bring about improvements to the school and meet the standards, but they have only recently begun to implement them.

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

The school offers a friendly, welcoming environment and gives pupils a fresh start after long periods out of education. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, benefit from one-to-one and small-group teaching. This support helps them re- engage with education, access a broader curriculum and develop social skills.

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

Staff treat pupils with respect. Pupils learn to understand and manage their emotions, which has reduced the number of negative behaviour incidents. They benefit from highly effective nurture and support. Pupils feel valued as part of the school community. They develop trusting relationships with staff. The school is calm and conducive to learning, and pupils feel safe. Staff do not tolerate bullying or discrimination. Pupils enjoy earning ‘TLE points’ for positive behaviour and exchanging them for money to spend in their favourite shops. Most pupils develop positive attitudes to learning. When disruption occurs, it is usually because teachers have not matched work well to pupils’ abilities, leading to frustration or disengagement.

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

Pupils enjoy joined-up support that identifies their barriers to learning and attendance. They receive high-quality support for their social, emotional and mental health needs. Pupils engage with the school’s off-site activities, which broaden their interests and help them consider future career options.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that staff receive appropriate training and support to gain the necessary expertise to teach the curriculum consistently well across all subjects. Leaders should ensure that staff use assessment information to address gaps in pupils’ learning effectively and to help pupils learn and achieve well. Leaders should ensure that all staff know and use effective strategies to adapt their teaching to meet pupils' individual learning needs. Leaders should continue to embed their actions to address absence so that attendance for all pupils shows an improving trend over time. The proprietor should ensure that all the independent school standards are met and that their actions identified to improve the school are implemented quickly and with rigour. The proprietor should ensure that systems to monitor and evaluate the impact of the school’s work are strengthened so that they can provide more effective challenge and

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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 interim headteacher, the acting deputy headteacher, the chair of the proprietor body, the chair of the local governing body, a school improvement partner brokered by the local authority and with a coordinator for pupils who have an education, health and care plan from the local authority.

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About this inspection

The name of the proprietor is Teach Lincs Education Ltd. The chair of the proprietor body is Tracey Moyse-Mitchell. The school has a local governing body. The chair of the governing body is Samantha Jeffrey.

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About this inspection

The email address of the school is tracey@tleindependentschool.co.uk

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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 pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs and pupils with autism.

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About this inspection

The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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About this inspection

The school is located in a local authority owned community centre, Grange Farm, Hobbies Centre, Wesley Road, Scunthorpe DN16 1SA.

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About this inspection

The school was registered by the Department for Education in March 2025.

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About this inspection

This was the first standard inspection of the school.

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About this inspection

The interim headteacher was appointed in January 2026.

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About this inspection

The school is registered to admit up to 20 pupils.

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About this inspection

Interim Headteacher: Philippa Nelson 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–

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About this inspection

(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

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About this inspection

(b) the written policy, plans and schemes of work– (i) take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan; and

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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; (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

All standards have been met. 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 not met

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About this inspection

The following standards have not been met: Paragraph 32(1)

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About this inspection

The standard about the provision of information by the school is met if the proprietor ensures that–

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About this inspection

(f) an annual written report of each registered pupil's progress and attainment in the main subject areas taught is provided to the parents of that registered pupil except that no report need be provided where the parent has agreed otherwise;

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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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About this inspection

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

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About this inspection

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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About this inspection

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

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Lead inspector:

Stephanie Innes-Taylor, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspector:

Matthew Vellensworth, His Majesty's Inspector

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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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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it. (b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently; and

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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.

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Insufficient evidence

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

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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