Ofsted: Good

INSPIRE Free Special School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Mark Burgiss

corporate_farePARALLEL LEARNING TRUST

location_onChatham, ME5 0LB

language Visit Website phone 1634827372

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2018

groups

Students

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Attainment 8

2.9

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GCSE Rank

#20 in Medway

#4,387 of 4,663 nationally

summarize

INSPIRE Free Special School is a Free schools special school in Chatham, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

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School Summary

INSPIRE Free Special School is a free schools special in Chatham, Medway, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It is part of PARALLEL LEARNING TRUST. The school has approximately 90 pupils on roll, of whom 70% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 2.9, placing the school #20 in Medway and #4,387 of 4,663 nationally. 0.00% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2018. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 11.1:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there was 1 permanent exclusion. The average suspension rate was 32.6 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

2.9

Grade 5+ E&M

0.00%

Entering EBacc0.00%

EBacc APS0.17

2024

Progress 8 Score

-1.96

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

2.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0.00%

EBacc APS0.15

2023

Progress 8 Score

-2.97

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

3.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS0.18

2022

Progress 8 Score

-3.48

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

3.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS0.21

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-2.84

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

0.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS0.05

2018

Progress 8 Score

-2.71

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

1.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc0%

EBacc APS0.13

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

55%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)45%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment9%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)18%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

55%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)27%

Apprenticeships9%

Employment18%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)27%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

33%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)22%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment11%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)44%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

89%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)11%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

70%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)50%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment20%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)30%

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

01 April 2025

Inspection Report

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13 December 2023

Inspection Report

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05 June 2018

Inspection Report

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19 September 2017

Inspection Report

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26 January 2017

Inspection Report

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11 October 2016

Inspection Report

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27 January 2016

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

5 Evaluations

2018-06-05

Schools into Special Measures Visit 4 Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2017-09-19

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2017-01-26

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2016-10-11

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2016-01-27

None Legacy

Inadequate

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Inadequate

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

21.1%per term

warning Above Average

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

14.4%(13 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

1pupils

gavel Exclusion recorded

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 90 pupils. During this period, there were 19 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 21.1%, which is above the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	90	19	21.1%	7.3%	1
2024/25 (Autumn term)	86	38	44.2%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	72	36	50.0%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	68	47	69.1%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	70	33	47.1%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	62	14	22.6%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	61	24	39.3%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	62	17	27.4%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	61	20	32.8%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	54	24	44.4%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	54	34	63.0%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	52	34	65.4%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	46	15	32.6%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	44	33	75.0%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	49	1	2.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	49	31	63.3%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	49	41	83.7%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	50	31	62.0%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	49	39	79.6%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	45	31	68.9%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	37	9	24.3%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	37	3	8.1%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	30	23	76.7%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	23	17	73.9%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	23	17	73.9%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	16	13	81.2%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 80 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 3 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 2 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 2 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 1 pupils

Severe Learning Difficulty 1 pupils

Hearing Impairment 1 pupils

INSPIRE Free Special School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

Staffing

Teacher Turnover