The Promise School in Okehampton has been issued with a termination warning with some pupils not feeling “safe”.

The special educational needs school, run by The Dartmoor Academy Trust, was inspected by Ofsted on 17 and 18 of June 2025 and scored inadequate in quality of education, inadequate in behaviour and attitudes, inadequate in leadership and management and requires improvement in personal development.

If the school does not see rapid and significant improvement, it was confirmed on September 8 2025 that funding may be terminated and the school may be transferred to alternative academy trust.

The Ofsted report states that: “Some pupils do not trust or have confidence in the school’s current provision for their education. Consequently, they say that, at times, they do not feel safe because of the conduct of their peers.”

It goes on to explain that for many pupils, their educational experience at The Promise School has been hindered by “poor behaviour and weak attitudes to learning”.

“The school’s expectations of pupils’ conduct and achievement are low, pupils regularly opt out of learning and lessons are frequently disrupted.

“The approaches that staff use to help pupils manage their behaviour lack consistency. This has a negative impact on pupils’ learning and their ability to make progress against the targets in their education, health and care (EHC) plans.”

As a result of the school not “equipping staff well enough to manage pupils’ poor conduct and weak attitudes to learning”, some staff said they feel “disempowered as a result”

“Many pupils show a lack of respect towards each other and staff. This includes the use of derogatory and misogynistic language.”

The report highlights that the staff are dedicated to their work at the school and a number of parents and carers are positive about the support from the Promise School and the difference that this has made to family life.

The Promise School opened in September 2022 and currently has 79 pupils aged four to 16.

A Spokesperson for The Promise School, said: “We are confident that the current improvement plans in place will drive continuous improvements towards the delivery of a supportive and positive educational environment for all our students.

"The issuing of a Termination Warning Notice letter from the Department for Education (DfE) is standard practice for any school receiving a special measures judgment from Ofsted and reflects the position of the school back in June. The purpose of the letter is to seek an update on improvement plans so the DfE can consider what, if any, further action is required.

“We know that the Trust is fully committed to continuing to support the school’s improvement journey and we are working closely with the DfE and local educational partners to ensure the school is on a positive trajectory. We are certain that the measures we have already introduced to improve behaviour, routines and the curriculum will ensure we can best accommodate our students' wellbeing and educational needs so they can thrive."