Prospect School

Prospect School is a community special school for boys aged 11 to 16, most of whom have social, emotional and mental health needs. Inspectors found a school that knows its pupils well and creates a calm, welcoming and ambitious environment. Pupils receive strong welfare support, relationships with staff are extremely positive, and behaviour is generally good. The curriculum is broad and balanced, reading is prioritised, and pupils are well prepared for the next stages of education, employment or training. Safeguarding is effective. The main areas for improvement are in curriculum implementation and the use of wider activities. Most subject curriculums are detailed, but some foundation subjects are less precise, so pupils do not always build knowledge and skills deeply over time. School trips and activities are valued and well received, but they are not consistently linked to classroom learning, and leaders do not yet monitor their impact well enough. Attendance is improving through a rigorous approach, although some pupils still do not attend as regularly as they should. This was a graded inspection under section 5, and the school was judged good in each key judgement. The report notes that schools inspected from September 2024 are not given an overall effectiveness grade. The school uses a number of alternative providers and has recently reviewed its curriculum design, with a clear ambition that pupils should achieve as highly as possible.

Strengths

• Staff provide a warm welcome and prioritise pupils’ welfare and feelings.
• The school is ambitious and offers a broad and balanced curriculum.
• Relationships between adults and pupils are extremely positive, helping the school remain calm and orderly.
• Pupils are polite, courteous and generally behave well in lessons and social times.
• Pupils learn to recognise and accept differences between people.
• Reading is an important part of the curriculum, with sensible strategies to support pupils who find reading difficult.
• The school fosters a positive love of books, including daily ‘drop everything and read’ time.
• The school identifies pupils’ additional needs well and uses agreed strategies to help them manage behaviour.
• Leaders analyse behaviour data meticulously to make adjustments for pupils’ specific needs.
• Personal development and careers education are central to the curriculum.
• Individual learning plans and EHC plans are reviewed thoroughly in pupils’ best interests.
• Pupils are well prepared for the challenges and options they may face as adults.
• The school has improved attendance considerably over time through its rigorous approach.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In some foundation subjects, curriculum implementation is not fully secure, so pupils’ knowledge and skills do not always develop deeply over time.
• Leaders should ensure all teachers can deliver the ambitious curriculum precisely.
• School trips and activities are organised as opportunities arise and are not always related to lessons.
• The school needs to plan additional trips and activities more thoughtfully so they reinforce and consolidate curriculum learning rather than being ad hoc.
• Monitoring and analysis of the impact of trips and activities is not yet established.
• Some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should, although attendance is improving.

In 2024–25 pupils at Prospect School attended 69.5% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 66.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 35.3%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 47.1% of pupils at Prospect School were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Prospect School had 5.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.5%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26 Prospect School had 87 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: social, emotional and mental health.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded special school schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Prospect School received £35,882 and spent £36,590 for each of its 87 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £654,000 (£7,513 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is Prospect School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Prospect School is Good, from an inspection in October 2024.

When was Prospect School last inspected by Ofsted?

Prospect School was last inspected in October 2024.

How many pupils does Prospect School have?

Prospect School has 87 pupils on roll.

What age range does Prospect School cover?

Prospect School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

Where is Prospect School?

Prospect School is at Freeley Road, Havant, Hampshire, PO9 4AQ.