Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk

Red Balloon Educational Trust-Norfolk is facing significant challenges in providing quality education and safeguarding for its pupils. The school has seen a decline in the quality of provision, particularly for students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), due to high staff turnover and inadequate assessment practices. Although there are efforts from the proprietor to improve the situation, these have not yet led to meaningful changes. The school fails to meet several independent school standards checked during this inspection, particularly in areas of leadership, curriculum support, and safeguarding protocols. Concerns have been raised about safeguarding practices, with inadequate training for staff on critical matters and a lack of effective action taken against reported incidents. Despite pupils indicating that they feel safe, the overall oversight is lacking, placing students at risk. The inspection highlighted issues with the single central record and recruitment processes, further compounding the difficulties faced by the institution. The school requires urgent attention to address these deficiencies to ensure the safety and educational advancement of its pupils.