New Focus Education

New Focus Education

Address: Cottam Centre, Cottam Lane, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 1AF Unique reference number (URN): 151120

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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

Most pupils have only joined the school very recently, having been out of education for some time. Pupils improve their attendance from extremely low starting points, including the few pupils who remain persistently absent. The school works well with parents and carers to follow up any absence quickly. Leaders analyse information about attendance and behaviour carefully. They identify emerging concerns and tackle these successfully.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour. Rules and routines are straightforward and pupils understand them. Pupils generally behave well, both in school and in the local community. They are polite and courteous. Pupils are mostly happy to speak to new adults. The environment is usually calm and respectful. Staff take pupils' social, emotional and mental health needs into account sensitively when pupils are upset or angry. Sometimes, teams of staff and pupils work together to come up with solutions when things go wrong. Any rare instances of bullying or unkind behaviour are dealt with promptly by staff. Staff are positive role models. Pupils develop positive attitudes to learning and learn to get on well with each other.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils' progress through the curriculum is too variable. This impacts the quality of their work and means that they do not learn all that they should.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils join the school with differing starting points. The school does not consistently address gaps in pupils' knowledge and skills with regard to language, spelling, reading and early mathematics. This means that gaps in pupils' knowledge remain and pupils do not make enough progress in these key areas of learning. In addition, sometimes pupils do not get the opportunity to learn enough new knowledge. This all hinders pupils' achievement.

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Achievement Needs attention

The school ensures that pupils have access to a range of qualifications and certifications. However, some of these qualifications and certifications are not ambitious enough for pupils. More positively, pupils make considerable gains in their attendance, engagement with learning and relationships with others. This provides pupils with some of the foundations they need for the next stage of their education.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The school does not adapt the curriculum well enough to meet pupils' needs or to address gaps in their learning. This is particularly the case with gaps in pupils' basic knowledge of reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers do not check pupils' understanding well enough. The learning activities they provide sometimes do not extend pupils’ knowledge or skills. This means that some of the requirements of the independent school standards related to the curriculum and teaching are not met.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The current curriculum is coherent and covers the required areas of learning. Leaders have started to revise it as a first step towards improving the quality of education at the school. They have an accurate view of what changes would help to secure improvements, however, these are largely new or not yet in place.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Sometimes, teachers do not tailor classroom activities well enough to pupils' learning needs. Often, teaching does not result in pupils gaining new knowledge because there is a reliance on the use of tests and assessments as teaching activities. Pupils do not make the gains in the basic skills of reading and spelling that they should.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Teachers have suitable subject expertise. They skilfully manage pupils’ social and emotional needs. The school takes these needs into account when selecting activities so that pupils engage with their learning.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The school's systems and processes to identify and meet pupils’ needs precisely are not secure. The school relies too much on reports from pupils' previous settings, and the content of their education, health and care plans. The school's processes to check on the impact of support for pupils' needs are not rigorous enough. This means the school does not know how effectively it is removing barriers to pupils' learning.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The school's curriculum is based on a mainstream school model. While this curriculum is generally suitable, it does not consistently take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of pupils. Consequently, academic expectations are sometimes not as high as they should be. Also, staff knowledge about how to identify, meet and review pupils' needs is variable. Sometimes, this means that the design of academic programmes for pupils does not sufficiently take into account their needs.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders and staff recognise and have some understanding of pupils’ needs. The school welcomes pupils who have complex educational backgrounds and who have often been out of school for long periods. Day to day, staff meet pupils’ emotional needs. Staff value pupils' views. This helps pupils to engage in learning. The school works effectively with partners from social care, including the virtual school, to support its provision for pupils.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The proprietor has not established rigorous enough systems of oversight and quality assurance of school provision. The school does not meet some of the independent school standards. These standards relate to leadership, pupils' achievement and the curriculum and teaching, including relationships and sex education. The proprietor has not established systems for checking that the independent school standards are met consistently over time. Checks on the quality of education that the school provides have not been regular enough.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The proprietor and leaders do not help staff to meet pupils' diverse needs well enough. The school has set out professional development pathways for staff. Staff are able to extend their skills through training opportunities. However, training is currently too generic and broad. It involves staff reading documentation and completing online modules. This limits the impact training has on the quality of provision for the school's vulnerable pupils.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The proprietor and leaders have a clear ambition to cater for pupils who have had a disrupted experience of education. Most pupils have joined the school very recently. Leaders know that the school has strengths in re-engaging pupils with learning and supporting pupils' social and emotional needs. Staff feel valued and appreciate that the school takes staff workload and wellbeing seriously.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders are building effective relationships with parents and carers, including through the newly introduced communications log. The proprietor is also developing greater leadership capacity through recruitment. The proprietor and leaders are identifying appropriate actions for improvement. However, most of these actions have not yet taken place.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

The school's relationships and sex education (RSE) and health education policy does not have sufficient regard to statutory guidance. The RSE policy does not accurately reflect the school's provision. This is because it is written for a different type of school. There is insufficient information contained within the RSE policy about the curriculum for secondary- age pupils. This means that some of the requirements of the independent school standards are not met.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

The school has a suitable programme in place for teaching personal, social and health education (PSHE). The programme allows for appropriate topics to be taught as pupils move through the school. The programme also revisits topics over time to ensure that pupils secure key knowledge. Teaching of PSHE and RSE varies in quality. Teachers do not sufficiently adapt their teaching to meet pupils' individual needs. Also, some staff have not received the training they need to pick up on concerns and misconceptions that arise in pupils' work.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

The PSHE programme includes frequent opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding of fundamental British values and cultural diversity. Some pupils have learned about cultural events, such as Chinese New Year and St Patrick's Day. However, the school has rightly focused on topics linked to safety and relationships as pupils have only recently joined the school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

Pastoral support is a strength of the school. Pupils develop warm and trusting relationships with adults. Staff work skilfully with pupils to help them build friendships and develop social skills. Pupils develop a strong sense of right and wrong. Pupils' self-esteem and confidence build steadily as they are well supported by adults.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

Although pupils are new to the school, leaders are already working with them to identify their future ambitions. Trips to local employers to find out about different jobs helps pupils to think about their options carefully. Pupils benefit from independent careers advice. Pupils also have opportunities to access local areas of interest, community facilities and sports activities, such as snowboarding.

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

Pupils come to this school following previous disruption to their education. The school's systems for identifying and meeting pupils' needs lack precision. The school does not adapt the curriculum well enough to meet pupils' needs and address gaps in their basic knowledge and skills. The school's relationships and sex education policy does not have sufficient regard to statutory guidance. Staff do not receive the depth of training they need to meet pupils' diverse needs.

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

Teaching is not consistent or rigorous enough in checking pupils' understanding and extending pupils' learning. Pupils' progress through the curriculum is too variable, as is the quality of their work. The school does not evaluate the quality of its provision well enough.

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

The school welcomes pupils so that they settle quickly in their new environment. Pupils feel safe at school and start to make friends, some for the first time. Their attendance improves considerably. Pupils are generally polite and respectful. Pupils and staff develop warm working relationships. On the whole, pupils’ behaviour is appropriate. Staff deal with any lapses in behaviour calmly and effectively. Instances of bullying and discriminatory language are rare. When they do occur, staff generally take a positive approach, teaching pupils about appropriate behaviour and language. Pupils' self-esteem and confidence grow.

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

Although pupils have only been at the school for a short time, the school is already supporting them to think about their futures as members of the local community. Pupils learn about potential careers through visits to local employers. A few pupils have opportunities for work experience, tailored to their individual aspirations.

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

Pupils benefit from the wide range of experiences the school provides, such as trips to the gym and the local shops. Pupils enjoy skiing and rock climbing, with opportunities to gain certification in these activities if they pursue their interest and participation.

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Next steps

The school should ensure that it identifies pupils' needs, including any special educational needs and/or disabilities, with greater precision. It should ensure that it implements appropriate support to meet pupils' needs and reviews the impact of such support systematically. The school should ensure that the curriculum is adapted to meet pupils' needs and to address gaps in pupils' learning, particularly with regard to gaps in pupils' basic knowledge of reading, writing and mathematics. The school should ensure that teaching is rigorous in checking for pupils' understanding and in providing pupils with activities that extend their knowledge and skills. This is so pupils consistently make appropriate progress through the curriculum and produce work of a high quality. The school should ensure that it provides secondary age pupils with relationships and sex education that has appropriate regard to statutory guidance.

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Independent school standards

Independent school standards are either met or not met for each category. The school should enhance the professional development programme for staff to ensure that it gives staff the knowledge and skills they need to meet the full range of pupils' diverse needs. The proprietor must establish more rigorous systems of oversight and quality assurance and ensure that these systems are implemented effectively so that all the independent school standards are consistently met.

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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 proprietor, the director of education and the deputy headteacher. They also met with members of staff and some pupils.

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About this inspection

The name of the proprietor is New Focus Education Limited.

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About this inspection

The school's email address is katie.stephens@newfocuseducation.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 special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils typically have social, emotional and mental health needs. The school uses no alternative provision. The school operates from Cottam Business Centre, Cottam Lane, Preston PR2 1AF.

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About this inspection

The proprietor is New Focus Education Ltd. The sole director is Katie Stephens.

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About this inspection

The school was registered by the Department for Education on 12 February 2025. This is the school's first standard inspection.

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About this inspection

Headteacher: Anita Cameron 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

For the purposes of paragraph (2)(1)(a), the matters are–

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About this inspection

(h) that all pupils have the opportunity to learn and make progress; and

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About this inspection

The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor–

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About this inspection

(d) in making arrangements for the purposes of paragraphs (a), (b) or (c), has regard to any guidance under section 80A of the Education Act 2002 that applies in relation to the provision of education by maintained schools, (e) makes and keeps up to date a separate written statement of its policy with regard to the provision of education as required by each of paragraphs (a) and (b),

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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; (f) utilises effectively classroom resources of a good quality, quantity and range; (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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About this inspection

6. Provision of information Standards met

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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:

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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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0

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– (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.

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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

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

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

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