Sheridan House School in Northwold near Thetford is rated 'inadequate' by Ofsted

An independent special school has been judged by the education watchdog to be 'inadequate' after an inspection flagged a raft of issues including leaders not taking all reasonable action to safeguard pupils on-site.

Sheridan House School in Northwold, near Thetford, was rated 'good' by Ofsted in January 2019, but has dropped to 'inadequate' after inspectors vetted the school over three days in October.

The inspection team judged the school, in Thetford Road, to be inadequate overall and in the areas of quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development and leadership and management.

There was 'insufficient evidence' to rate the sixth-form provision and the report said that despite the school having a registration agreement to educate pupils up to the age of 19, there is not a curriculum or provision for pupils aged 16 and over.

The report said despite the well-meaning efforts of staff, too many pupils are not supported to learn effectively, regulate their behaviour or be better ready to be independent young adults.

Safeguarding was deemed ineffective, with inspectors commenting that pupils’ behaviour on-site is 'too often unsafe, poorly managed and ineffectively reported on'.

"There is a lack of risk assessment or risk management process following the most serious incidents. Leaders are not aware of the range of issues

occurring. They are not taking all reasonable action to safeguard pupils on-site," the report said.

Significant numbers of toilet doors did not have working locks on them, although this was rectified during the inspection.

The report also said there were extremely high levels of disruption to lessons, 'including swearing, racist or derogatory language, and sometimes dangerous behaviours exhibited by pupils towards one another and towards staff'.

"Staff are not well trained to manage this," the report added.

Inspectors said there has been 'significant change and turbulence' in governance, leadership and staffing arrangements since the previous inspection.

"There remain a significant number of staffing vacancies. Leaders are trying to cover these roles themselves, as well as firefighting day-to-day issues. They are not bringing about sustained, strategic improvements," the report said.

The inspection highlighted 'significant gaps' in the basic curriculum that leaders provide to pupils: in several subjects, there is an absence of planning, assessment, resources, staff training and leadership monitoring.

Pupils’ attendance is low, but the report said the new leader for attendance had recently started working closely with Norfolk County Council and had secure plans in place to address this.

The report went on: "Several pupils, a significant number of staff and some parents and carers raise concerns about the quality of provision, namely behaviour, bullying and safety.

"Several staff are concerned about workload and a lack of training to manage pupils’ needs and behaviours."

But the report added that despite 'serious weaknesses' in the school’s provision, some pupils do access better quality learning.

"These pupils have very positive relationships with staff. A number of staff, pupils and parents were complimentary about the staff," it said.

The report said some pupils are positive about school, however, some say that they feel unsafe because poor behaviour and bullying are not dealt with well.

"Pupils do access a range of visits and activities. They enjoy these opportunities. A small proportion of older pupils access alternative provision on a part-time basis.

"They are well supported by staff. Pupils told inspectors that they want more information about future careers, education and training opportunities before they reach Year 11," it said.

The school has 68 pupils on the roll aged from eight to 19. Annual fees (day pupils) range from £37,000 to £77,000.

It is run by Aspris Education, which according to its website provides expert specialist education services for children and young people aged five to 25 with a range of conditions and special education needs, including autism and social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) difficulties.

The school was approached for comment.