Spark Vale Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 June 2025

There are currently no pupils on roll at this school, but the Department for Education (DfE), which is the registration authority for independent schools, asked Ofsted to inspect it. The school has not enrolled any pupils since its pre-registration inspection in September 2024. It plans to admit pupils from September 2025. The school's ambition for pupils to 'belong, grow and thrive' is not fully realised. This is because its curriculum does not adequately consider the specific needs and aptitudes of the pupils who are likely to attend. The school intends to collaborate with local artists to broaden its curriculum offer. It will also access nearby recreational facilities to provide sports and outdoor learning opportunities. It plans to work with community organisations to enable pupils to explore how nature, conservation and horticulture can improve the locality. The school's behaviour policy sets out rewards for positive behaviour. However, the school's wider strategies for managing inappropriate behaviour are unclear. For example, there are no clear procedures for searching pupils or confiscating items. This leaves staff and pupils without the necessary guidance that they need to establish and maintain consistent routines for pupils' behaviour and safety. The arrangements for pupils' welfare and safety, including first-aid provision and emergency exit arrangements, are not sufficiently well considered. They do not meet the requirements of the independent school standards (the standards).

What the school should improve

• The proprietor has not ensured that the school's premises meet the requirements of the standards. Appropriate and safe fire exits are not in place. Pupils can leave the site unnoticed. This places pupils and staff at risk of harm. The proprietor must ensure that the school meets all the standards consistently and securely.
• The school does not meet the health and safety requirements of the standards. Systems for recording and reporting first-aid incidents are not fully established. The proprietor must ensure the requirements of the standards linked to pupils' welfare, health and safety are consistently met.
• The school, including governors, do not have a secure understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They have not undertaken the necessary action to ensure that the standards are met consistently. This means that support and accountability structures are unclear. This has the potential for the school to be unaware of weaknesses and failings. The proprietor should ensure that there are clear lines of support and accountability to ensure that the standards are met securely over time.
• The curriculum does not sufficiently consider the needs and aptitudes of prospective pupils and students in the sixth form, especially those pupils with SEND. This will make it difficult for pupils to learn well and achieve all that they could. The school should ensure that its curriculum takes into account the additional needs and any barriers to learning likely to be experienced by its pupils.
• The school's reading curriculum lacks cohesion and does not enable pupils to acquire the necessary literacy skills. Specialist reading programmes and the school's phonics curriculum do not align to support pupils at the early stages of learning to read. The proprietor should ensure that the reading provision is cohesive and well sequenced so that it will enable all pupils to develop increasing fluency, accuracy and independence in reading.
• The behaviour policy does not set out clear systems and processes for the management of behaviour such as defining procedures for conducting searches or confiscating items. This absence increases the risk of inconsistent implementation of the school's routines and expectations. The proprietor must ensure that all policies, particularly those related to behaviour, are clearly articulated and understood by all staff.
• The school has not ensured that its post-16 provision meets the requirements of the standards. It does not currently have a well-considered curriculum for students in the sixth form. Opportunities for work experience and preparation for adulthood are not in place. This will not enable students to achieve well or be fully prepared for their next stages in education, training or employment. The proprietor must ensure that it meets the requirements of the standards for students above compulsory school age.

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