Bexhill school told by Ofsted to keep improving to no longer be deemed to have 'serious weaknesses'

The Workplace, based in Down Road, has 94 students and describes itself as 'delivering high quality education for students who benefit from alternative education outside of mainstream settings' for 'vocationally minded' students in years 9 to 11.

In February, Ofsted inspectors visited the school to assess its quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and personal development.

These were all rated as 'requires improvement'.

The leadership and management were rated as 'inadequate'.

A follow-up visit took place in October to monitor the school's progress, with another report published by Ofsted on November 20.

In their latest report Ofsted inspectors said: “Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is necessary for the school to no longer be judged as having serious weaknesses.

“Since the previous inspection, the trust has ensured that those responsible for governance have the necessary skills and knowledge to challenge weaknesses in the school’s provision. There have been changes to the leadership structure to improve expertise and capacity. Notably, the team responsible for the management of safeguarding has been widened to improve the timeliness and rigour of addressing safeguarding concerns.

“The school has taken some positive steps to improve the curriculum. Leaders have rightly prioritised the reading curriculum to ensure that pupils have the necessary literacy skills that allow them access to wider learning opportunities.

“The school has systems in place to identify and support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

“Staff across the school show genuine care and concern for pupils. Relationships are positive, with staff generally understanding how best to support pupils’ pastoral needs.”

Ofsted said the school, which is part of the Sabden Multi Academy Trust, had seen improvements in its board of trustees.

The inspectors' report said: “New trustees ensure they have the tools to challenge the school and hold leaders to account. The realigned trust board has the knowledge and expertise to fulfil its function more effectively.

“Leaders have responded to weaknesses identified in the last inspection report. This has led to a degree of improvement, notably around the daily management of safeguarding concerns.

“However, there is more work to do. The school has made demonstrable progress in addressing areas of weakness in safeguarding practice. However, safeguarding remains ineffective.

“Leaders have ensured that safeguarding concerns are recorded clearly, with detailed actions and timely referrals to agencies where required. While these necessary improvements are beginning to have impact, they are not yet fully embedded to a point where there is a secure culture of safeguarding.

“Leaders have been receptive to external support and guidance. They have worked effectively with the local authority to support the process of improving safeguarding practice. However, the process of continuous review in the school is not yet sufficiently embedded or consistently well informed. As such, it is too early to determine how effectively the school can continue to embed a robust culture of safeguarding in the absence of external support and oversight.”

The school has been approached for a comment.