Aspiration House School

Aspiration House School, 8 July 2026 1 Aspiration House School Aspiration House, Church Road, Freiston, Boston, Lincolnshire PE22 0NX

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report:

Overall outcome The school does not meet all of the independent school standards that were checked during this inspection

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report:

At its most recent inspection, the school was judged to not meet all of the independent school standards.

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report:

The purpose of this inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards 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

At the time of the previous inspection, the proprietor had not ensured that they and other leaders had the necessary knowledge and skills to enable the school to meet all the independent school standards (the standards). At that time, the school did not meet standards across parts 1, 3, 5 and 8. Leaders had introduced a range of changes, but it was too early for those measures to have had an impact. The proprietor was in the process of appointing a new headteacher.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Leaders’ actions have had a positive impact since the previous inspection, but there is more to do for all the standards to be met. Leaders prioritise the welfare of pupils. They have ensured that, at the Aspiration House site, health and safety practices continue to operate effectively to keep pupils safe. Leaders took action regarding health and safety concerns at Inspire House so that pupils are not at risk. No pupils have been placed at the Aspiration House School, 8 July 2026 2 site since shortly after the previous inspection. The school no longer uses this site, and has informed the Department for Education (DfE) of this change to the school’s premises.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

Staff now benefit from training and a more supportive and ambitious culture. This has improved staff morale and the quality of curriculum and teaching at the school. Some staff have completed training specific to their roles, and there are plans in place for others to do so. Leaders have robust plans in place to ensure that there is a direct link between their evaluation of strengths and areas for development at the school, and the staff training offer. These actions and plans demonstrate that leaders have improved their understanding of their roles and how to bring about improvement. This work is still in its early stages and the impact is not fully apparent.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

It remains the case that leaders do not evaluate robustly enough whether each part of the standards is met. They have not ensured that they have a rigorous process or secure enough understanding of the standards to assure themselves that all the standards are met or to take decisive action should this not be the case. While significant progress has been made, this lack of oversight continues to present a risk to the standards being met securely and over time.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

The proprietor has not ensured that all the requirements of the standard in this part are met.

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Curriculum

At the time of the previous inspection, leaders had not ensured that the curriculum was well designed. Pupils’ needs had not been considered well enough in relation to the construction of the curriculum. Leaders had not ensured that staff had the knowledge they needed to teach well, including in mathematics and phonics. They had not supported staff so that they consistently taught lessons that helped pupils to build their knowledge.

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Curriculum

Leaders and staff have worked hard to improve the sequencing and ambition of the curriculum and have brought about positive changes. They have put in place curriculum pathways which have been designed to meet the needs of the pupils who attend the school. Staff understand the curriculum intentions and how to design lessons which will fit into the overall learning journey that pupils will undertake.

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Curriculum

There remains a lack of precision around how well the pupils’ needs and their starting points have been considered when designing the curriculum. Should a pupil require teaching that would enable them to work towards accessing the school’s phonics scheme, for example, staff have not been supported with how to identify this need or provide this teaching. Pupils may not be able to access some of the knowledge that the curriculum outlines when they join the school, and leaders have not ensured that adaptations in these instances have been thought through sufficiently well. Aspiration House School, 8 July 2026 3

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Teaching

The curriculum is new and staff training and practice at applying what they have learned during training is in its infancy. Teaching is inconsistent in how well it helps pupils to develop their knowledge. Leaders have ensured that staff have received training about teaching phonics. Staff use their increased knowledge and expertise and help pupils develop their ability to identify letters and the sounds they make. In some cases, pupils can blend those sounds to read words. At times, staff do not adhere as well as they could to the approaches of the school’s adopted phonics scheme, which hinders the progress that pupils make.

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Teaching

Leaders have ensured that staff have information about pupils’ needs. Staff consider this when designing learning opportunities. However, sometimes the teaching strategies that they select are not well aligned with the school’s adopted curriculum schemes or with pupils’ starting points and needs. The most relevant and valuable learning is not consistently put in place so that pupils build their knowledge securely.

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Teaching

Staff design lessons that have a clear focus on the important knowledge that they want pupils to learn, for example about 4-sided shapes in mathematics. Pupils typically develop their knowledge from their starting points. However, the decisions that staff make about how to move pupils’ learning on during teaching are not consistently effective. They do not identify as well as they could what it is that pupils have not understood to then be able to provide purposeful support to address that misunderstanding. Pupils make some progress through the curriculum, but they do not learn as well as they should.

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Assessment

Staff check pupils’ progress over time, both through the curriculum and against their individual targets. They identify when pupils need more support and when pupils are ready to build on their understanding in the long term. This informs the focus on particular key knowledge that staff intend pupils to learn in lessons.

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Assessment

The proprietor has not ensured that all of the previously unmet requirements of the standards in this part are met.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have continued to ensure that there is an open culture of safeguarding. They are reflective and review their practice to bring about further improvements, for instance in the precision of recording keeping. Leaders work constructively with wider agencies to ensure that pupils receive any help that they need and are kept safe. Aspiration House School, 8 July 2026 4 Leaders have ensured that staff complete comprehensive training in relation to safeguarding. Staff are knowledgeable about how to identify concerns, including in relation to the needs of the pupils with whom they work. They know how to share and record any issues that they identify, including in relation to low-level concerns.

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Safeguarding

Leaders share the safeguarding policy with parents and carers and relevant wider agencies when pupils start at the school.

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Health and safety

During the previous inspection, inspectors found that leaders were not implementing the school’s health and safety policy consistently and effectively. This was particularly the case at the school’s Inspire House site and included a lack of robust checks of the safety of particular rooms, such as the kitchen, and instances of unnecessary risks including COSHH-related materials not placed in a locked cupboard.

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Health and safety

Leaders have ensured that staff have received training so that they can contribute to ensuring that the school site remains safe for pupils. Staff and leaders complete regular checks of the premises. They identify any issues and share these with the proprietor’s premises team so that the issues are promptly addressed. Leaders have established systems that enable the recording and communication of any issues. These systems are effective and pupils learn in a safe environment.

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Health and safety

The proprietor has ensured that the previously unmet standard in this part is now met.

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showers

At the time of the previous inspection, leaders had not ensured that there was heating and hot water sufficient for the environment to be conducive to learning. Leaders have addressed this by suspending their use of Inspire House. They have continued to ensure that there is adequate heating and water supplies at the Aspiration House site.

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Ensuring the health, safety and welfare of pupils

At the time of the previous inspection, inspectors found concerns related to the state of the school’s Inspire House site. Leaders have addressed these health and safety issues by suspending their use of this site. They informed the DfE that the Inspire House site would not be used from 9 February 2026 and no pupils were on the site from prior to this date. No pupils access the site currently. While Aspiration House continues to meet the standards in this part, Inspire House does not. Leaders’ appropriate and timely actions have ensured that pupils learn in a safe environment. The DfE is aware of the current circumstances in which only one of the school’s 2 sites is operating. Aspiration House School, 8 July 2026 5 The proprietor has ensured that the previously unmet requirements of the standards in this part 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

This was the school’s second progress monitoring inspection since the previous standard inspection at which it was judged to not be meeting all the standards. The school’s previous standard inspection took place in September 2025.

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About this inspection

The school’s previous progress monitoring inspection took place on 21 January 2026. At this inspection, the school was judged as continuing to not meet some of the standards that had been judged as being unmet at the previous standard inspection. In addition, the school was judged as not meeting standards related to part 5, the school’s premises.

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About this inspection

Subsequent to the first progress monitoring inspection, the proprietor was required to submit an action plan. Ofsted evaluated this action plan on 5 June 2026. The DfE rejected the action plan.

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About this inspection

The chair of the proprietorial body is Pervaz Iqbal.

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About this inspection

The proprietor owns 2 sites that the school has used until recently. One site, which the school continues to use, is based at Aspiration House, Church Road, Freiston, Boston, Lincolnshire PE22 0NX. The other site, which the school has stopped using, is located at Inspire House, Lincoln Road, Holton cum Beckering, Market Rasen LN8 5NG.

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About this inspection

All pupils who attend the school have a diagnosis of autism and have an education, health and care plan.

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About this inspection

The school does not currently make use of alternative provision.

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Lead inspector

Matthew Fearns-Davies His Majesty’s Inspector

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About this school

Proprietor Aspiration House Limited Aspiration House School, 8 July 2026 6 Headteacher Laura Hilliam (Interim Headteacher) Type of school Other independent special school Capacity 24

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compulsory school age on roll

Age range of pupils 7 to 18 Gender of pupils Mixed Annual fees for day pupils £85,000 to £108,300 Email address laura.hilliam@aspirationhouse.co.uk

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if- – 2(1)(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 – 2(1)(b) the written policy, plans and schemes of work- – 2(1)(b)(i) take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan.  3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school- – 3(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; – 3(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.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) 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- – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; Aspiration House School, 8 July 2026 7 – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(2) For the purposes of paragraph (2)(1)(a), the matters are- – 2(2)(b) that pupils acquire speaking, listening, literacy and numeracy skills; – 2(2)(h) that all pupils have the opportunity to learn and make progress; and – 3(b) fosters in pupils self-motivation, the application of intellectual, physical and creative effort, interest in their work and the ability to think and learn for themselves; – 3(c) involves well planned lessons and effective teaching methods, activities and management of class time; – 3(e) demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being taught; – 3(f) utilises effectively classroom resources of a good quality, quantity and range; – 3(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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Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils

 11 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that relevant health and safety laws are complied with by the drawing up and effective implementation of a written health and safety policy.

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Part 5. Premises of and accommodation at schools

 25 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the school premises and the accommodation and facilities provided therein are maintained to a standard such that, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of pupils are ensured.  28(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that- – 28(1)(b) toilets and urinals have an adequate supply of cold water and washing facilities have an adequate supply of hot and cold water.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

– 34(1)(c) actively promote the well-being of pupils. Aspiration House School, 8 July 2026 8 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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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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