Prism Independent School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 5 March 2024

Prism is a school where pupils learn well as they are supported to grow into assertive young people. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils are keen to share their opinions. They are confident that their voice is important. The school council enables pupils to share views in a structured forum. The pupils like being part of the school's decisions. For example, pupils enjoyed being part of a process that allowed them to choose which activities are on offer at lunch and break times. The staff and pupils work closely together. Pupils feel supported and able to share any worries they may have. The school offers a diverse curriculum. It has a site called 'the farm' which enables the pupils to apply practical skills. Pupils use what they learn in construction lessons to build facilities for the animals. Pupils and staff work together to care for a range of small and large animals at the farm. The interaction with animals is something the pupils talk about with enthusiasm and confidence. The school has high ambition for all pupils. Teaching is flexible and involves a learning offer that is available on site, as outreach learning, and online learning. When pupils are struggling to attend school in person, the school personalises its learning offer to enable pupils to continue to learn in a range of environments. This helps pupils to find a pathway back into the school environment. It helps leaders ensure that pupils access learning whenever possible. At times, pupils struggle to behave appropriately. Staff are quick to support and help pupils to 'reset' their behaviour so they can continue to connect with learning. The school rewards pupils for positive behaviours. Pupils respond well to this approach. They enjoy 'banking' rewards and saving up to select a more highly prized reward. Attendance is a consistent focus for the school. Improvements in attendance for individual pupils are noteworthy. School leaders can demonstrate the significant improvements in the attendance of pupils. However, attendance still remains lower than leaders would like it to be and there is room for further improvement.

What the school should improve

• Subject-specific vocabulary is not identified in curriculum documents and therefore not consistently taught. This means that the pupils are limited in their ability to discuss, debate and understand the curriculum in depth. The school should identify the important vocabulary that each subject requires pupils to know and build this into the school's curriculum.
• While attendance improves on arrival at Prism, whole school attendance continues to fluctuate. Some pupils have higher absence rates and miss too much learning. The school should move with pace to employ the strategies that it knows are successful, employing these consistently with all pupils and families as soon as they join the school.
• Improvements to the curriculum that support high ambition are new and still being embedded. This means that while the initial impact has been seen, this is not yet sustained. The school should continue to support the positive steps taken, so that these become well embedded allowing pupils to recall what they have learned over time.

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