Blackwater Academy Stourbridge

Overview

This is a pre-registration inspection for a proposed independent school, Blackwater Academy Stourbridge, which is not yet open to pupils. The report concludes that the school is "likely to meet all the independent school standards when it opens" and advises the Secretary of State for Education accordingly. Inspectors found that leaders have a "clear vision" and have put robust plans in place to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• Leaders have a "shared commitment to providing highly personalised education" for pupils who may have experienced significant disruption.
• The curriculum is designed to align with pupils' previous studies and includes a "comprehensive personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) curriculum".
• There are "appropriate intervention programmes in place to close these gaps" in literacy and mathematical knowledge.
• The building has been "carefully repurposed and refurbished" to provide an appropriate learning environment, including wheelchair-accessible spaces.
• Recruitment processes are "robust" with an "appropriate electronic record kept of all recruitment checks".

Areas to improve

• Leaders are "currently refining the curriculum documentation to help staff have a clearer understanding of the key knowledge pupils should be learning".
• The outdoor space "will not be large enough to accommodate all pupils at the same time" at capacity, requiring staggered social times.

Safeguarding

The report states that the "safeguarding policy meets all necessary requirements" and leaders are "knowledgeable about the safeguarding needs and vulnerabilities that may be faced by their proposed intake".