The View School

The View School

Address: Church Street, Edenbridge, TN8 5BD Unique reference number (URN): 147034

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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 Strong standard

Most pupils attend school regularly, with attendance levels that exceed national figures for special schools. Pupils show strong motivation to attend, recognising that absence leads to missed learning and reduced access to the school’s curriculum offer.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

The school provides swift, well-coordinated support for pupils with significant barriers to their attendance. As a result, these pupils soon start to attend school much more regularly than they have previously. The school collaborates with alternative education providers and specialist services to ensure that pupils with significant needs receive bespoke provision that maintains educational continuity. As a result, pupils who cannot attend regularly still engage in meaningful learning while accessing the specialist interventions they require.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders set clear and consistent expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Staff apply these expectations well and establish clear routines that pupils know and follow confidently. Staff demonstrate strong expertise in helping pupils regulate their emotions. Staff preserve pupils' dignity when helping them to understand how to overcome overwhelming feelings. Over time, pupils require less adult support to manage their behaviour because they develop the independence to do this themselves.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders use suspensions judiciously and only after they consider all possible alternative options. Leaders analyse behaviour information thoroughly to identify trends and inform further interventions when required.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Staff recognise that many pupils have not had positive educational experiences in the past, which has resulted in gaps in learning and disengagement from school. Leaders act with ambition and purpose to meet a wide range of needs and remove barriers that might limit pupils’ participation or progress.

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Inclusion Strong standard

When pupils join the school, leaders work closely with parents, carers and professionals, including social care and education authorities, to secure the right support. Many pupils have additional barriers beyond their special educational needs and/or disabilities, for example being known to children’s social care. Leaders listen to the views of relevant stakeholders, including parents and carers, to identify these barriers and design provision that aligns with pupils’ personal aspirations and needs. This ensures that pupils succeed and flourish.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders maintain strong partnerships with families so that support at home and school uses consistent, predictable routines. This reinforces pupils’ positive attitudes and behaviours. Leaders adapt provision carefully so that pupils work successfully towards the agreed aims set out in their education, health and care plans. This coordinated support is highly effective and enables pupils to make positive progress from their different starting points.

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Expected standard

When appropriate, the school uses alternative provision well, working with professionals to identify the right placements that help pupils to succeed.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development and wellbeing is a strength of the school’s offer. The school provides all pupils with a wide range of experiences. Pupils take part in exciting activities as part of their curriculum, for example learning outdoors in the forest, residential trips and swimming. Leaders' decisions on the activities which pupils participate in are shaped by pupils' views through the school council.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Character development forms a fundamental part of the school’s offer. Staff routinely celebrate pupils for their plentiful achievements, including trying their best. Pupils learn to understand compassion for others. Adults carefully help pupils to overcome their differences and view situations from another pupil's perspective.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The personal, social, health and economic education curriculum is broad and highly engaging. The school ensures that pupils learn about relationships and sex, as well as how to keep safe online and in the community. The curriculum is designed so that pupils revisit important messages and remember them securely. The curriculum remains dynamic and responsive to safeguarding concerns or issues that pupils want to explore further. This approach ensures that pupils feel confident when making responsible decisions in their own lives. The curriculum leads to accreditation in key stage 4. Most pupils achieve well, adding to the qualifications that support their entry into further education, training and employment.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils learn about current affairs and the importance of respectful debate. They enthusiastically discuss topical issues, such as how food in different countries affects the health of the population. Pupils gain an appropriate understanding of the role of parliament and the function of law in British society. This helps their understanding of citizenship.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils receive a well ‑ rounded careers education, with all pupils taking part in work experience. This raises their aspirations for what they could do in the future and how they could contribute meaningfully to the world of work.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils make clear and sustained progress through the curriculum from their typically lower starting points. Staff identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge systematically and address them effectively. As a result, pupils usually produce high ‑ quality work that reflects the school’s ambitious expectations.

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Achievement Expected standard

Targeted support for pupils at the early stages of reading is effective. Pupils increasingly use subject ‑ specific vocabulary accurately, reflecting the school’s committed focus on developing pupils’ oracy. However, literacy support for writing is not fully consistent. This means that some pupils cannot write as fluently as they could. Leaders make sure that pupils achieve useful qualifications that demonstrate their developing knowledge and skills across a range of subjects. Most pupils leave school with a broad and appropriate suite of qualifications that supports their next steps. The majority progress successfully into education, employment or training. This reflects the effectiveness of the school’s careers guidance and transition support.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Pupils follow a broad, ambitious curriculum. It is well sequenced and coherent. Staff adapt the curriculum appropriately to match pupils’ developmental stages. The curriculum emphasises pupils’ acquisition of essential literacy and numeracy knowledge and skills. Pupils at the early stages of reading receive systematic, targeted phonics support that enables them to read new and unfamiliar words successfully. Teachers deepen pupils’ learning by emphasising how new knowledge links to prior learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers generally give clear, precise explanations using subject ‑ specific vocabulary. They help pupils to use ambitious vocabulary during learning discussions. Teachers use a range of approaches, including visual representations and careful questioning, to support pupils’ learning. In some lessons, teachers do not support pupils to use their phonics knowledge to spell new words accurately when writing. Teachers do not consistently address errors in spelling and handwriting promptly enough, which limits pupils’ literacy fluency over time.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers use routine checks of pupils’ prior learning to revisit essential content before introducing more-complex ideas. Assessment information has impressive rigour, with staff using moderated frameworks to ensure that they hold accurate information about how well pupils are learning. As a result, leaders and staff have a secure understanding of what pupils know and what they need to learn next.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have established detailed systems that allow them to measure the impact of their work on pupils’ progress and holistic development. The school uses this information to develop strategic plans and priorities that improve pupils’ outcomes and experiences.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The proprietor ensures that leaders make decisions in the best interests of pupils using his own extensive knowledge of special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school’s advisory board ensures impartiality and strengthens leadership and proprietorial accountability. Members of the advisory board bring appropriate educational expertise, which ensures that feedback and challenge link precisely to school improvement, particularly in relation to the school’s work to support pupils who are especially vulnerable. This support also ensures that the school meets the independent school standards consistently.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The proprietor ensures that the school uses resources well, including those allocated to meeting the accessibility plan. Leaders report transparently on the school’s progress against strategic aims. They ensure that resources such as funding and staffing improve pupils’ experiences in school. Staff benefit from an open culture of supportive ambition for all, including their own professional development. Leaders ensure that the professional development programme draws on current educational research, particularly in relation to SEND. Leaders aim to extend this further by seeking opportunities to work with other special schools and strengthen staff's subject leadership capacity. Staff recognise that although workload can be high, leaders support them well.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders work closely with parents, local authorities and professionals to refine and improve the school’s offer. Leaders take an outward-facing approach, working with other independent school associations to strengthen their understanding of national inclusion priorities.

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

The View School is a place where staff help pupils to make choices about the things that matter most to them. Staff know pupils and their needs very well and take effective action to remove the barriers pupils face. Pupils and staff forge positive relationships built on mutual respect and care for one another. Bullying is very rare because staff address any unkindness quickly and effectively. Staff understand how pupils communicate their needs and feelings. This means pupils feel safe because they know staff will help them understand confusing emotions. This approach creates a culture of resilience and ambition that permeates the school and helps pupils plan confidently for their futures.

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

The school reduces barriers to pupils’ participation successfully, particularly those linked to pupils’ social, emotional and mental health needs. Pupils value the high ‑ quality care they receive. As a result, pupils’ attendance improves rapidly when they join the school. Pupils learn an exciting curriculum designed to prepare them for adulthood. Staff know that many pupils have significant gaps in their learning, often as a result of previous disruptions to their education. Teachers are typically skilful in adapting the curriculum to close fundamental gaps in learning and help pupils catch up quickly. However, some inconsistencies remain, which limit some pupils’ ability to apply literacy skills when writing across the curriculum. Pupils generally progress well through the curriculum and achieve a broad range of suitable qualifications in preparation for post ‑ 16 and post ‑ 18 destinations.

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

Pupils are routinely celebrated for their excellent participation and the committed effort they put into their education. Pupils develop cooperation skills by negotiating ‘marble party’ rewards with their peers, such as going swimming or enjoying a film with classmates. Staff communicate regularly with parents and carers so that pupils' routines between home and school remain consistent.

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Next steps

Leaders should embed consistent use of agreed essential literacy strategies among teachers and ensure that learning tasks are adapted well to support pupils’ reading and writing development across the curriculum.

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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

The name of the proprieter is The View School Limited. The chair of the proprietor body is Julian Roberts.

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About this inspection

The fees currently charged are £58,000 to £100,000

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About this inspection

The school email address is info@theviewschool.org.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other leaders, representatives of the advisory board and the proprietor, representatives of Bromley local authority, members of staff and pupils. They visited lessons in different subjects, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with pupils about their learning and school life.

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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 aged 11 to 19 with social, emotional and mental health needs. Some pupils also have autism. All pupils attending the school have an education, health and care plan.

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About this inspection

At the time of this inspection, there were 3 students in the sixth form.

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About this inspection

The school has exceeded the maximum number of pupils on roll that they are registered to admit. At the time of inspection, there were 27 pupils on roll. The school's registration agreement with the Department for Education (DfE) is for 26 pupils. The school had not informed the DfE of this.

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About this inspection

The school uses one unregistered alternative provision.

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About this inspection

This was the school's first standard inspection. The school was registered by the Department for Education on 23 September 2024.

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About this inspection

Headteacher: Louise Bourne 1. Quality of education provided Standards met

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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 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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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. All standards have been met.

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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

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

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