A private school formerly rated as outstanding has now been deemed “inadequate” following an “emergency” visit by inspectors.

Northease Manor School in Lewes, a boarding school for children with special needs, has been given the new rating by Ofsted in a report published yesterday.

The report states: “The school does not meet the national minimum standards for residential special schools.”

The inspection was an “emergency unannounced residential inspection following the receipt of serious safeguarding concerns” the report states.


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Northease Manor is a private boarding school for children with specific learning difficulties such as autism and Asperger’s – which charges £9,141 for boarders a term.

The new Ofsted report read: “The school fails to adequately safeguard residential pupils’ welfare, health and safety to ensure they are protected and kept safe. The leadership and management oversight and monitoring of the operation of the residential provision is inadequate.

“The school demonstrates insufficient knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of its boarding practice and thus, has not taken appropriate action to raise standards of practice to improve outcomes for residential pupils.

“The school’s governors do not robustly scrutinise records and provide sufficient challenge to the senior leadership team, to bring about improvements in safeguarding and the promotion of residential pupils’ welfare.”

The school’s previous report published in July 2013 stated that the school was rated outstanding or good in all areas.

This time the schoolwasdeemedinadequate in all categories bar one – the outcome of residential pupils – which was deemed as adequate.

The new report states “the quality of outcomes for residential pupils is variable”.

It adds: “Some pupils make good progress in their personal and social development; however, outcomes for other pupils have been unsatisfactory.

“The majority of parents and residential pupils have positive views about the boarding experience provided by the school. However, the provision of care for some residential pupils is weak.”