Core Training and Development limited

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 February 2025

Pupils attend Core Development and Training as an alternative provision. All pupils remain dual registered with their home school. The school provides bespoke support to pupils, helping them to learn how to manage their emotions and behaviour effectively. The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour. These are shared clearly with pupils when they join the school. Pupils trust the adults who support them. They form positive relationships with staff at the school. Staff care about pupils and support them well. They help pupils to improve their attitudes towards their education. These relationships contribute to many pupils significantly improving both their behaviour and attendance. Pupils are very positive about their time at the school. Many enjoy the smaller class sizes and other changes to the learning environment compared to their home school. The school has significantly improved the design of the curriculum since its previous inspection. Pupils now study a curriculum that is more ambitious and better structured. However, there remain limitations in how effectively it is taught. As a result, gaps in pupils' knowledge are not consistently well addressed. Pupils' knowledge of the curriculum is inconsistent.

What the school should improve

• Sometimes, staff do not adapt their teaching effectively to respond to the differing prior knowledge or misconceptions of pupils. When this happens, gaps in pupils' knowledge go unaddressed and they struggle to understand increasingly complex ideas. The school should ensure that staff know and use effective strategies to address gaps and misconceptions in pupils' knowledge so that they build their learning securely over time.
• The way that the school provides wider opportunities to pupils is not as well considered as it should be. Some pupils do not consistently benefit from experiences to enrich their education, limiting their ability to develop their talents and interests. The school should consider how it can overcome barriers, such as transport, to provide all pupils with high-quality experiences that enhance the curriculum.
• Some staff lack specific knowledge that would support them in their role, such as about certain types of SEND. Sometimes, this limits the effectiveness of the support that staff provide to pupils. The school should ensure that staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills they require to support all pupils effectively across the subjects that they teach.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)