Springboard Education, Lancing
Springboard Education is a special school for pupils aged 5 to 18 in Lancing. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, ended in a report card: 4 strong standard and 2 expected standard. Before that it was rated Good at its last graded inspection, in June 2023.
- Ofsted report card
- 4 of 6 areas strong or better
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
Springboard Education in detail
What Ofsted's report card says
Ofsted's report card from its 30 June 2026 inspection grades Springboard Education on 6 areas: 4 strong standard and 2 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.
Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils' attendance is excellent."
Inclusion - Strong standard. "The school is deeply inclusive."
Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders have a detailed understanding of the school."
Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "The school has developed an extensive curriculum that extends beyond the classroom through a range of engaging opportunities."
Achievement - Expected standard. "Pupils arrive with typically low starting points compared to their ages."
Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have clear oversight of teaching in the school."
Safeguarding standards were met.
Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that curriculum and teaching are precise and fully effective in wider curriculum subjects to ensure that pupils deepen their understanding of the skills and knowledge they learn and achieve very well across the curriculum".
Read the full report card on Ofsted's site (school website)
Source: Ofsted report card (Open Government Licence), quoted
Springboard Education in its own words
In its own words: "We lcome to Springboard Education , where every child's educational journey is personalised, engaging, and built on trust. As a specialist school, we cater to pupils with social, emot ional, and mental health difficulties, including challenging behaviour s. We also support students with additional special educational needs, such as ASD, ADHD, and speech/language difficulties."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Springboard Education are Red Balloon Worthing Learner Centre (1.5 miles); Seadown School (1.9 miles, Good); Brighton Forward Ltd (2.3 miles); and Herons Dale School (3.5 miles, Good).
Red Balloon Worthing Learner CentreSeadown SchoolBrighton Forward LtdHerons Dale School
Who goes there
Almost every pupil at Springboard Education has an education, health and care plan (30 of 30 in 2026).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Lancing Rail Station, about 290 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ingleside Crescent (adjacent), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 178 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in West Sussex (103), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 5 months agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted's report card, in its own words
What it's like to be a pupil at Springboard Education
Pupils are very positive about the school. They typically arrive with negative prior experiences and attitudes to education. The school breaks these down swiftly and develops pupils' passion for learning. Pupils forge warm relationships with staff. Staff help them to manage their emotions effectively. This helps pupils to engage with learning and to work hard in lessons. Staff care deeply about the pupils. This is evident in the positive way pupils interact with staff throughout the school. Pupils trust staff implicitly. This helps them to feel safe and happy in school. For many pupils, this is their first positive experience of school. Pupils behave very well and show high levels of respect. The school rings with laughter and warm conversation. This creates a sense of calm that permeates the school. Pupils' positive behaviour continues in the classroom. They concentrate well and respond positively to the help that staff provide in class. This helps pupils to learn a range of skills and knowledge they need. Pupils are well prepared for their next steps. All pupils earn crucial qualifications in English and Mathematics. This helps them to move on to higher study with confidence. Pupils have a clear voice in the school. Staff value their views. This helps pupils to make an active contribution to the school community. Pupils are keen to participate in the vibrant school council. They have meaningful discussions with leaders and this helps them to shape their experiences in school. For example, pupils contribute to school policies such as anti-bullying or create rules for their individual classes. Pupils feel a deep sense of belonging and are rightly proud of their school. Older pupils act as excellent role models for new starters. This helps them to settle quickly into school.
What Ofsted says the school should do next
- Leaders should ensure that curriculum and teaching are precise and fully effective in wider curriculum subjects to ensure that pupils deepen their understanding of the skills and knowledge they learn and achieve very well across the curriculum.
From Ofsted's report card (inspection 30 June 2026). Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Springboard Education excels at turning around pupils' negative attitudes to learning through caring staff who build meaningful relationships and high expectations. The school is deeply inclusive, using personalised programmes and skilled teaching to help pupils with low starting points make sustained progress. Pupils develop essential life skills, achieve qualifications in English and Mathematics, and leave well prepared for their next steps with confidence.
Key Strengths
- Excellent attendance rates - pupils arriving with historically low attendance improve rapidly through careful tracking and tailored support
- Highly inclusive approach with personalised programmes that skilfully adapt to individual pupil needs
- Strong safeguarding culture where pupils feel safe and trusted relationships with staff are central
- Excellent behaviour management with sharply reduced suspensions and rare repeat incidents
- Comprehensive personal development programme including travel training, disability week and visits to places of worship
Areas for Improvement
- In a small number of subjects, the sequence of learning is not precisely identified, limiting opportunities for pupils to deepen their learning
- Recall skills in a small number of subjects could be more precise
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and pupils feel safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Assemblies, trips and visits, school council, disability week, visits to places of worship, travel training, careers education and visits to local colleges
Springboard Education is a specialist school that successfully transforms pupils' attitudes to learning and achievement. The school demonstrates exceptional strength in attendance, behaviour, inclusion and personal development.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Springboard Education
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to Springboard Education, with their latest published grades:
- Penhill Playgroup - Pre-school, under 0.1 milesOfsted, 17 July 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- The Beachside Montessori Nursery - Day nursery, under 0.1 milesOfsted, 23 September 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Lancing Day Nursery & Pre-School - Day nursery, 0.2 milesOfsted, 17 January 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Little Acorns Pre-School - Pre-school, 0.6 milesOfsted, 9 May 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Boundstone Nursery School - Day nursery, 0.8 milesOfsted, 2 November 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 33
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 10
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 33 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 23 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
83%
Available places
30 pupils
36 places
6 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Across West Sussex council
Places available
9,806
Applications
8,765
Got 1st preference
87.5%
Got preferred school
97.6%
All secondary applications across West Sussex council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(10)
Independent School standard inspection
Met all the independent school standards.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
30
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Springboard Education is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
30
Total Pupils
26
Boys
4
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Springboard Education
What is Springboard Education's Ofsted rating?
Springboard Education's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, was a report card with no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2023, it was rated Good.
Does Springboard Education meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in June 2023, Springboard Education met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Springboard Education?
Springboard Education has around 30 pupils on roll.
Does Springboard Education have specialist SEN provision?
Springboard Education is not approved under Section 41 of the Children and Families Act 2014.
How many road collisions happen near Springboard Education?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 33 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 10 serious and 23 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Springboard Education?
Springboard Education is at 55 South Street, Lancing, Lancing, West Sussex, BN15 8AN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)