Ofsted rates £6k-a-year Hull private Froebel House School as inadequate

A private school in Hull which charges just under £6,000 a year in fees has been rated as inadequate by Ofsted.

Inspectors said Froebel House School, on Marlborough Avenue, "failed to meet the independent school standards".

During an inspection in November, Ofsted found issues in the quality of education provided, welfare, health and safety of pupils and school leadership.

The school said children were safe and the "high academic achievements proved Froebel House is a good school".

The independent school, which educates 110 children aged between three and 11 years old with annual fees costing up to £5,960, was previously rated good.

However the latest inspection raised concerns of ineffective safeguarding processes and pupils experiencing "a jumbled, disconnected series" of maths lessons.

Inspectors also criticised a "distinct lack of professional development for staff".

The report said: "The proprietor has not ensured that all the independent school standards are met.

Pupils 'not taught internet safety'

"Several unmet standards were addressed during the inspection. Nevertheless, there remain several standards that are not met. This is particularly the case with standards linked to safeguarding.

"Elsewhere, there is a limited understanding and shared vision across the school of how pupils' subject knowledge builds progressively. The school does not have an accurate self-evaluation of its curriculum."

Ofsted flagged how some pupils were "not taught about internet safety" with younger ones potentially exposed to dangers such as online bullying.

But inspectors accepted pupils "feel safe" at the fee-paying school, even though it did not have an "open and positive culture of safeguarding".

"The school should ensure that the practice for reporting and recording safeguarding concerns is robust and that the leaders, including the proprietor, act on all concerns in a timely manner," the report said.

Inspectors suggested the school "should ensure that the curriculum is coherent and well sequenced in order to build progressively from Reception to Year 6".

In a statement, head teacher Lilian Roberts said: "Froebel House is a good school - its high academic achievements prove this.

"The children are safe, feel safe and have high aspirations for their future."

Ms Roberts added that children were "well looked after and 98% of parents" believed their child was happy at the school.

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