JP Alternative Education

Overview: JP Alternative Education is a highly successful independent school that provides a supportive and engaging environment for pupils with social, emotional, and mental health needs. The school has a broad and ambitious curriculum, with a strong focus on English and mathematics, and offers vocational opportunities such as motor mechanics and hair and beauty. Pupils feel safe and valued, and behaviour is calm in school.

Strengths:

• The school has a highly successful approach to working with pupils who have struggled in previous schools.
• Strong relationships between pupils, families, and staff are at the heart of everything the school does.
• The school prioritises English and mathematics, and provides vocational opportunities that pupils enjoy.
• Pupils feel listened to, valued, and safe, and behaviour is calm in school.
• The school provides a wide range of exciting opportunities that help pupils understand who they are and inspire them to think positively about their future.

Areas to improve:

• A small number of subjects are not coherently planned and well sequenced, which can make it difficult for pupils to build on prior learning.
• Pupils who have progressed beyond the phonics programme do not receive sufficient support to develop their reading skills further.
• The proprietor body and school leaders are in the early stages of making checks on the quality of some subject curriculum areas, which can lead to weaknesses in the curriculum not being identified and addressed in a timely manner.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.