Independent school looking to future under new leadership after being rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted

Invested Education in Marske
-Credit: (Image: Google)


An independent special school has been rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted but says it is now looking to the future under new leadership.

Invested Education, in Marske, was visited by Ofsted inspectors on May 14 who found high expectations for behaviour are not commonly understood or implemented consistently across the school and some aspects of the curriculum are not sufficiently developed.

In a new report published last week, inspectors noted pupils have positive relationships with their key staff and the school focuses on understanding pupils’ individual needs. However, they said the proprietor body has not ensured ongoing and effective compliance with the independent school standards.

The school - which has mixed pupils from 11 to 16 - was given the following ratings by inspectors:

  • Overall effectiveness - Inadequate

  • The quality of education - Requires improvement

  • Behaviour and attitudes - Inadequate

  • Personal development - Requires improvement

  • Leadership and management - Inadequate

  • Overall effectiveness at previous inspection - Inadequate

  • Does the school meet the independent school standards? No

The report reads: "Pupils’ behaviour is not consistently well supported across the school. There are differences in how behaviour is managed and in the types of behaviour expected from pupils. Pupils know that in some classes, and areas within school, the expectations of their behaviour are much lower. This impacts upon how pupils choose to behave and, consequently, upon how well they learn. The school’s work to develop the approach to behaviour and improve consistency in expectations is at the earliest stages of implementation.

"The proprietor body does not ensure that it consistently meets the independent school standards. As well as the impact on behaviour in school, this impacts on some aspects of welfare for pupils. Several independent school standards are unmet."

The report also said pupils who are still at the earliest stages of reading do not receive the support needed to develop their reading skills promptly. Despite the rating, head teacher Stephen Morrison, said the school is under new leadership and staff are "excited" about the future.

He said: "Invested Education is now under new leadership and has added capacity in terms of investing significantly in the premises and staffing to ensure we are able to offer high quality education both academically and pastorally to our students and we are very excited about the journey ahead."

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