Ofsted downgrades Thrapston private school from 'requires improvement' to 'inadequate'

Progress School in Thrapston, based in Cedar Drive, has annual fees ranging between £14,500 to £32,500, yet was graded ‘Inadequate’ for overall effectiveness.

Inspectors found ‘leadership and management’ and ‘behaviour and attitudes’ were inadequate. The ‘quality of education’ and ‘personal development’ were graded as requires improvement.

Up to 60 children aged between 11 and 16 can be educated at Progress School Thrapston, with 46 on its roll – a total of 41 are ‘special pupils’ not under a special educational needs (SEN) statement/education, health and care (EHC) plan.

Ofsted said: “Pupils do not benefit from a good quality of education. The school has not ensured that staff have the skills and knowledge that they need to teach the curriculum consistently well. The proprietor has not identified and addressed areas of weakness at the school well enough.

"Pupils have varied experiences of the school. They are not supported as well as they should be to manage their behaviour and to feel calm and settled.

“The school has not provided pupils with the help that they need to use respectful language and to engage positively with staff and their peers.”

Since opening in August 2020, Progress School Thrapston has been visited six times by Ofsted inspectors.

A standard inspection, published in May 2022, graded it as Inadequate. A follow-up additional inspection was made in October 2022, with another one six months later in April 2023.

Inspectors returned to the school in November 2023 up grading it to ‘requires Improvement’ in its report published in January 2024.

July 2025’s two-day inspection, close to the end of term, has seen the school reduced to an Inadequate rating – the lowest grade given.

But the report said despite issues, ‘some’ pupils felt they benefitted from attending the school.

Inspectors said: “Despite this, some pupils do report that they feel that they have benefitted during their time at the school.

"Pupils say that they have a trusted adult to whom they could turn with any worries."

The inspection team visited for two days in July with the report released on October 14, and found staff were ‘ambitious’ about what pupils could achieve.

Ofsted reported progress was being made in English and mathematics with most pupils achieving GCSE qualifications in the subjects, but were not as successful in building their knowledge across the rest of the curriculum.

Inspectors set out what the school and its and proprietor needed to do better saying there were concerns with expectations in work and behaviour.

They said: “The school has not ensured that pupils understand how to use good manners and how to communicate in formal settings. Pupils regularly use inappropriate language.”

The report added: “The school has not ensured that there are high expectations of the work that pupils will complete or that this work is matched well to pupils’ starting points.

“The proprietor has not ensured that staff feel well supported when helping pupils to behave well. As a result, there are inconsistencies in how staff apply the behaviour policies that the school has in place.

“The proprietor has not been able to establish a culture in which pupils use respectful language and demonstrate the value of good manners.

“The proprietor has not ensured that staff have the information and guidance that they need to fulfil their roles effectively.

Progress School Thrapston is one of 12 ‘Progress’ schools across England. Their facilities include a kitchen, classrooms, a recreation and reflection area for students, a music room, and a one-to-one room.

At the time of the visit the report acknowledged ‘a period of staffing turbulence’ at the school.

Inspectors said: “Pupils have not been able to build relationships with staff as well as they might have been due to the changes in adults working in the school.

"Recent changes to leadership arrangements are beginning to have a positive effect. However, these changes are too recent to have had a positive impact on the quality of education that pupils receive.”

Staff who have arrived at the school more recently are more ‘positive’ about the guidance they received when they first took up their roles.

There was some praise for the school, however.

Arrangements for safeguarding were found to be ‘effective’ and the curriculum ‘well designed’.

Inspectors added: “The school works hard to identify and remove barriers to pupils’ attendance. Many pupils have had poor attendance in their previous schools and now attend school more frequently.

“Pupils have some opportunities to develop their talents and interests. They learn about music, cooking and crochet, for example.

“Pupils receive helpful advice about careers and next steps from a range of sources."

A spokesman for proprietor Progress Schools Limited said: “We are disappointed by Ofsted’s report following their visit to our Thrapston school during the final week of the last academic year. Not only was the inspection carried out at a time when any school would not be in their usual operational rhythm, but it also coincided with the early stages of a new leadership team taking up their roles, only weeks after the departure of the previous Headteacher and several teaching staff. This was something Ofsted was aware of prior to the inspection.

“Whilst we accept that some of the observations and findings were fair, we do not believe the report provides a balanced or accurate reflection of the school at that time or over the many months since our last inspection. We therefore submitted a request to Ofsted for either a re-inspection, or at the very least, for additional context to be included in the published report. Unfortunately, this request was not granted.

“We remain committed to supporting every student to achieve their unique potential in our alternative education provision, which by its very nature is there to deliver targeted and highly supportive education to young people who often have additional needs, be that emotional, behavioural or academic.”

For the full report go to https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/27/147697