Schools & FE · Report card

Progress Schools - Stockport

Inspected 12 May 2026 · published 29 Jun 2026 · URN 147235

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Claire Cropper (lead), Helen Friend

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

Achievement verified
Urgent improvement
Attendance and behaviour verified
Needs attention
Curriculum and teaching verified
Urgent improvement
Inclusion verified
Needs attention
Leadership and governance verified
Urgent improvement
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Needs attention
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
12 May 2026
Inspectors verified
Claire Cropper, Helen Friend
Postcode verified
SK3 0AN
Name on report verified
Progress Schools - Stockport
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
147235

Page 1 of 12

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementUrgent improvement
Attendance and behaviourNeeds attention
Curriculum and teachingUrgent improvement
InclusionNeeds attention
Leadership and governanceUrgent improvement
Personal development and wellbeingNeeds attention

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

−11Mixedmore positive than 7% of reports of this type

Reads more critically than most reports of this type.

Praiseeffectivelystrengthspoliteenjoysuccessfullyhigh-qualityfeel safeimproving

Criticismweaknessesunacceptablepoorunclearweakgapsstruggleineffective

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings757w−1
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve888w−21

Strengths

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They are typically polite and respectful in their interactions with staff and each other. p.5

Concerns

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Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 12
Words of findings: 1,696; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Fairly hard; Flesch 51, typical 43
Average sentence: 14 words
Next steps: 8; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 16%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 22%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 26%About the inspection 50%

Full report text

Progress Schools - Stockport

Address: Belgrave House, 211 Chestergate, Stockport, SK3 0AN Unique reference number (URN): 147235

p.1

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.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

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.

p.1

Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Attendance rates at the school are low. All pupils have struggled to access education at times before joining the school. Some pupils have had prolonged periods when they have received little or no formal teaching. Leaders have mixed success in improving pupils' rates of attendance. Some pupils have made marked improvements in how well they attend school. For these pupils, this has led to increased self-esteem and improved attitudes to learning. For other pupils, who are often the most vulnerable, their attendance remains poor. Some pupils’ attendance or punctuality have declined over time. A small number of pupils rarely come to school. They avoid school, or certain lessons, as they feel their learning is irrelevant. For these pupils, leaders’ additional support has not brought about the improvement that is needed.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Most pupils are polite and cooperative. They typically interact well with staff and each other. Pupils respond well when staff help them to reset or regulate their emotions. Staff understand the challenges that pupils face. They manage pupils’ behaviour calmly and effectively. Leaders take appropriate action when pupils use unacceptable language or upset others through their comments or actions. For example, incidents of bullying or racism are dealt with swiftly and well.

p.2

Inclusion Needs attention

All pupils at the school face considerable challenges in their lives. Many have struggled to access education prior to joining the school. Leaders strive to help pupils to overcome these considerable barriers.

p.2

Inclusion Needs attention

Pupils feel welcome at school. Generally, staff understand pupils' particular barriers to wellbeing. Leaders ensure that staff are well trained in appreciating the social, emotional and mental health needs that pupils may have. They provide calm and consistent support when pupils feel overwhelmed or anxious. However, leaders do not support pupils in their academic development sufficiently well. Leaders do not ensure that staff have the necessary knowledge or expertise that they need to remove barriers to pupils' academic achievement.

p.2

Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders liaise with other agencies, such as virtual schools, and parents and carers. However, they do not use the information that they receive about pupils well enough. Activities and resources that leaders provide do not consistently help some pupils to make sense of their learning. This is because these are not well aligned to pupils’ interests, previous experiences or strengths. Teachers are unclear about how to meet the differing needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They are not clear what individual pupils most need to learn as a result. Consequently, pupils do not receive the support that they need to experience success.

p.2

Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

The school’s personal development programme is not as effective as it could be. However, leaders have made some improvements to this recently. Pupils are beginning to explore

p.2

Urgent improvement

what the school’s local and wider community has to offer. This helps them to build their confidence and resilience in interacting with others, beyond the safety of the school gates. However, there is more to do to make sure that pupils are prepared as well as they can be for making a positive contribution to society. In particular, some pupils need more effective preparation for their next stages of education, training or employment and for adulthood.

p.3

Urgent improvement

Careers information, advice and guidance are underdeveloped. Similarly, pupils’ opportunities to develop their independence skills are sporadic and infrequent. Pupils visit some local colleges and learn how to apply for places at these. However, they do not typically have real-life experiences of different types of employment. Their understanding of the skills and knowledge that may be required for these is limited as a result. Pupils are unsure how to make effective use of their own strengths and interests. They are not well placed to make an informed decision about a suitable career pathway as a result.

p.3

Urgent improvement

Some pupils are not prepared as well as they could be for living in a modern and diverse society. They do not learn all that they need to get along with others successfully and to abide by British laws and social conventions. Recent learning about citizenship is not having the desired impact on some pupils’ behaviour or attitudes. In contrast, pupils have a secure understanding of their learning about relationships and sex education. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in relationships, whether this is online or in person. They know whom to speak to at school if they have any worries or if they need to report a concern.

p.3

Achievement Urgent improvement

Pupils do not achieve as well as they should. They are not adequately prepared for their next stages of education, training or employment. Some of the most vulnerable pupils at the school make little or no progress from their starting points. Pupils’ recall of their learning is typically weak and often superficial. They do not build up their knowledge well enough across the curriculum. Many pupils are ill-prepared for the qualifications that they are entered for.

p.3

Achievement Urgent improvement

Some pupils have unaddressed weaknesses in their reading, writing and mathematics knowledge. This impedes their learning across the curriculum. It also impacts on these pupils' chances of success in examinations or coping with greater independence in adulthood. In addition, leaders do not ensure that pupils achieve qualifications of which they are capable. This includes when pupils have particular strengths in subjects beyond English and mathematics.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Leaders do not have sufficient understanding of the quality or effectiveness of the curriculum. They have not noted that the curriculum does not cover all of the aspects that it should, nor does it meet pupils’ needs well enough. For example, opportunities for pupils to develop their technical and scientific skills and knowledge are ad hoc and limited. Leaders do not make sure that teachers have the knowledge and expertise that they need to support pupils’ learning effectively.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Teachers lack the expertise that they need to accurately meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They do not have the confidence that they need to adapt the curriculum to meet pupils' differing needs. When pupils have gaps in their knowledge, leaders do not ensure that staff address these sufficiently well. Some pupils struggle to access the curriculum as a result. This is often because they have not developed sufficient fluency in reading. At times, pupils struggle in mathematics, science or other subjects because they do not have the required prior knowledge. Pupils are often overwhelmed by the demands of the curriculum. They are not adequately prepared for their next stages of education. This is also true for their preparation for training or employment.

p.4

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

The proprietor does not ensure that the independent school standards (ISS) are met. They do not check that leaders fully uphold their statutory duties. Leaders at all levels do not make sure that pupils receive their full educational entitlement. In addition, they do not provide staff with the professional development and support that they need to carry out their respective role efficiently and effectively.

p.4

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

The proprietor does not make sure that leaders are supported and challenged adequately. They do not ensure that pupils receive all the support that they need. For example, teaching staff are unclear about how to identify and meet pupils’ differing needs. Leaders do not ensure that some of the procedures needed to ensure pupils’ welfare are routinely checked. They do not keep contemporaneous records of behaviour incidents. Leaders do not check that chemicals on site are kept safely. Pupils cannot access a shower after physical activity, which is a requirement for the ISS.

p.4

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

The school has experienced considerable turbulence in staffing and leadership in recent months. Despite this, staff morale is high. New leadership is providing greater stability. Staff feel that leaders understand the challenges that they face. Leaders are starting to help them to manage their workload better. However, most changes are very new. The proprietor has recently commissioned external support to increase the rate of improvement at the school. However, the action that they took prior to this is ineffective.

p.4

Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders’ efforts to help staff to understand the challenges that pupils at the school face are paying dividends. Relationships at the school are improving. Parents, carers and other agencies who know pupils well at the school feel more involved in their education. Their suggestions for what pupils most need to learn are beginning to be considered by leaders.

p.4