Progress Schools - Tees Valley

Overview

The report states that the school is "Good" across all inspection categories, marking significant improvement from a previous "Inadequate" rating. It describes an environment where pupils are "safe, happy and can flourish," benefiting from staff who "know and understand every pupil’s needs." The school successfully supports pupils with complex histories, helping them achieve qualifications and improve attendance.

Strengths

• The curriculum is "broad and well-ordered," with a strong focus on numeracy, literacy, and addressing knowledge gaps for pupils with special educational needs.
• Staff demonstrate "secure subject knowledge" and teach in a "structured and consistent way," fostering a "calm and orderly" atmosphere.
• The school works with "rigour and intelligence" to improve attendance, resulting in "significant improvement" through individual induction programmes.
• Pupils develop "trusting relationships with staff" and show "increasing levels of resilience" in a positive, respectful environment.
• Effective career guidance helps pupils secure "appropriate post-16 college courses and apprenticeships."

Areas to improve

• Teachers must select activities that allow pupils to "secure their foundational knowledge" and apply it independently, as some currently lack sufficient practice time.
• The school must ensure pupils gain an "age-appropriate knowledge of the protected characteristics and of fundamental British values" to better prepare them for life in modern Britain.

Safeguarding

The report confirms that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."