A private school has been criticised for its curriculum and “weak” safeguarding of pupils by the school watchdog.

Drive Preparatory School in Hove was downgraded from good to inadequate by Ofsted following an inspection in November.

The school, in The Drive, educates children between the ages of seven and 16, some of whom have struggled in other schools.

Fees range from £6,885 to £8,997.

“Pupils often join the school after struggling in their previous schools or having not attended school for a significant period of time,” the report said.

Inspectors said the curriculum “lacked clarity” and raised concerns about how pupils were progressing with their reading.

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However, teachers were praised for planning lessons in a way that “engage and enthuse pupils” and for their subject knowledge and staff were commended for the “positive” relationships they form with children.

“The school relies too heavily on the expertise of individual teachers to ensure that pupils receive a good quality of education,” the report said.

“The school has not considered carefully enough what pupils need to learn at each stage to be ready to begin their GCSE programme in Year 10.

“In subjects such as mathematics and English, there is a lack of joined-up thinking about the curriculum.

“Pupils often join the school after struggling in their previous schools or having not attended school for a significant period of time. Some pupils join as fluent readers, others do not.

“Pupils who join the school’s primary phase are often at a very early point in learning to read. Though pupils’ starting points in reading are assessed upon entry, the school’s approach to teaching reading is not clear or coherent.

“Teachers frequently have strong subject knowledge and ensure that pupils remember and deepen their learning, but those teachers often operate in isolation.

“Teachers frequently have to fully reassess pupils’ understanding at the start of each key stage, as reliable information about what pupils know and remember is not being systematically gathered and passed on. This is time consuming and detracts from time that could be spent teaching.”

There were also serious concerns about how the school safeguard students.

The report said: “The school’s procedures concerning identifying pupils in need of help; staff training in safeguarding; and leadership oversight of safeguarding are weak. The school does not identify effectively pupils who need help or complete appropriate actions to safeguard these pupils. This puts pupils at risk of harm.”

Inspectors also criticised the school’s proprietor Nicholas Faulkner and headteacher Sue Parkinson.

“The school has no clear priorities at present,” the report said.

“Staff training and development opportunities are very limited. Neither the headteacher, nor the proprietor demonstrate the knowledge and understanding necessary to carry out their roles effectively.”

The school has been approached for comment.