VTC Independent School

Overview: The school does not meet all of the independent school standards that were checked during this inspection, with significant turbulence in leadership and management over the past few years.

Strengths:

• Pupils benefit from mentoring and support to develop their character and navigate the world.
• The personal, social, health and economic education is appropriate and helps pupils to develop respect for others.
• Pupils are supported well, and many have made progress from their starting points and made up gaps in their learning.
• The behaviour policy is used effectively, and pupils respond well to the thoughtful and caring interactions with staff.
• The school premises are maintained to a suitable standard, and the sixth-form facility is of high quality.
• The school has a suitable, short-term workaround in place for safeguarding.

Areas to improve:

• The school does not meet the standards in part 8, with leaders not demonstrating a secure understanding of the requirements of the standards or the knowledge to ensure that they are met.
• The curriculum is narrow and pupils do not learn about aspects such as physical and creative education.
• The school's work to help pupils to develop an understanding of cultures other than those they are familiar with is not deliberately planned.
• The school's safeguarding is not yet effective, with leaders lacking ambition for pupils who do not attend school to return to school swiftly and attend regularly.
• The school does not have an admissions register, and leaders do not know the legal requirements around recording and presenting this information.
• The school's health and safety policy does not reflect the set-up of the school, and the first-aid policy is not followed on a day-to-day basis.
• The school does not have a risk assessment policy, and leaders do not understand their duties in relation to the use of force and seclusion.
• The school does not use safer recruitment processes, and references have not been taken up for all staff.
• The school's accessibility plan is not in place, and leaders are unsure what this is or why it is a requirement.

Safeguarding: The school's safeguarding is not yet effective, with leaders lacking ambition for pupils who do not attend school to return to school swiftly and attend regularly.