A special school near Boston has made “significant progress” following previous concerns raised by Ofsted – but inspectors say it is still not meeting all of the required independent school standards.
Aspiration House School, based on Church Road in Freiston, underwent a progress monitoring inspection on 8 July 2026. The school is an independent special school for pupils aged between seven and 18.
The latest inspection was carried out to assess progress following earlier inspections which found the school was failing to meet a number of required standards.
Ofsted said actions taken by leaders since the previous inspection had had a “positive impact”, with improvements identified in staff training, morale, the curriculum and health and safety.
However, inspectors concluded that the school still does not meet all of the independent school standards which were checked.
The report states: “While significant progress has been made, this lack of oversight continues to present a risk to the standards being met securely and over time.”
Inspectors found staff are now benefiting from training alongside what Ofsted described as a “more supportive and ambitious culture”, which has improved staff morale and the quality of the curriculum and teaching.
There were also positive findings around safeguarding.
Ofsted said the school continues to have an “open culture of safeguarding”, with staff receiving comprehensive training and knowing how to identify, record and report concerns. Leaders were also found to be working constructively with outside agencies to ensure pupils receive the help they need and are kept safe.
Health and safety was another area where inspectors found improvements.
Previous concerns had included the school’s former Inspire House site near Market Rasen, where inspectors had identified issues including insufficient safety checks and COSHH-related materials which had not been stored in a locked cupboard.
The school has since stopped using Inspire House, with no pupils placed there since before February. At its Freiston site, inspectors found regular premises checks are now taking place and issues are being recorded and addressed.
Ofsted concluded that pupils are learning in a safe environment and the previously unmet health and safety standard is now being met.
Progress has also been made with the curriculum.
Inspectors said leaders and staff had “worked hard” to improve its sequencing and ambition, introducing curriculum pathways designed around the needs of pupils attending the school.
However, Ofsted found there was still not enough precision around how pupils’ individual needs and starting points were taken into account when designing the curriculum.
Teaching was also found to be inconsistent.
While pupils typically develop knowledge from their starting points and staff have received additional training – including in phonics – inspectors found teaching strategies were not always sufficiently aligned with pupils’ needs or the school’s curriculum.
The report states that pupils “make some progress through the curriculum, but they do not learn as well as they should.”
The inspection follows a standard inspection in September 2025 and a previous progress monitoring inspection in January this year. Following the January inspection, the school’s proprietor was required to submit an action plan, which was evaluated by Ofsted in June and rejected by the Department for Education.
The latest report confirms that standards relating to health and safety and premises which had previously been unmet are now being met, alongside a number of requirements relating to education.
However, requirements remain unmet in relation to elements of the quality of education and the quality of leadership and management.
Aspiration House School currently has capacity for 24 pupils. At the time of the inspection, two full-time pupils of compulsory school age were on roll. All pupils attending the school have a diagnosis of autism and an Education, Health and Care Plan.
The inspection was led by His Majesty’s Inspector Matthew Fearns-Davies alongside His Majesty’s Inspector Hazel Henson.
