Moon Hall School, Reigate

Inspection of Moon Hall School, Reigate Flanchford Road, Leigh, Reigate, Surrey RH2 8RE

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where staff really do make a difference and pupils happily acknowledge this is the case. Pupils say that they are looked after well, even when they make mistakes. They feel that the school has improved ‘drastically’ in recent times, that the headteacher has brought a ‘new dimension to the school’, and that they appreciate that they have a voice in what goes on.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish the ‘small school – big family’ ethos here. They say that staff have high expectations, both in and outside of the classroom. Older pupils, in particular, are expected to set an example to their younger peers and enjoy their additional responsibilities as mentors or as representatives on the school council.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well most of the time. They talked happily and confidently about relationships and their understanding of what it means to be ‘different’. Pupils report that minor issues regarding bullying are dealt with quickly and that kindness and tolerance are expected at all times. Pupils are proud of the school. They are supported well to become independent learners, to understand that hard work brings results, and to succeed despite the barriers they face.

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better?

Leaders, staff and governors have all worked hard to improve the school in the last two years. Despite disruption caused by COVID-19 (coronavirus), their collective efforts to move the school forward have been positive. A solid foundation is now in place. Aspirations to improve the school further are high. Consequently, this is a good school, which meets all the independent school standards.

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better?

Pupils’ personal development is supported well. Positive attitudes to learning were evident throughout the inspection. Staff have accessed specialist training to help them support pupils’ mental health. Classroom visits showed staff actively developing pupils’ social and communication skills, leading to a calm environment and respectful relationships.

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better?

Pupils have a growing understanding of different cultures and different lifestyles as they move through the school. Promoting equality and addressing discrimination feature high on the list of priorities for older pupils. Pupils in the secondary phase are supported well to decide next steps in education and potential career pathways.

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better?

The school’s environment impacts positively on pupils’ physical development and well-being. Staff ensure that the school is a safe place to be, and that aspects such as fire risk assessments and other statutory checks are all in place.

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better?

The school is about to change its management information system. Procedures and systems to record incidents or to monitor pupils’ behaviour are being reviewed. This work needs to be completed as a priority so that leaders and staff have access to high-quality and more detailed information sooner rather than later. 15–17 June 2021 The school’s curriculum is constantly evolving to meet the needs of its pupils, all of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders have successfully addressed the many challenges of providing an effective curriculum for pupils with dyslexia in a small all-through school. As a result, the curriculum is fit for purpose and the large majority of pupils who attend the school enjoy success here.

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better?

Teaching pupils to read confidently is at the heart of the school’s work. Assessment of pupils’ needs on entry is a strength. Interventions for pupils who need additional support with reading are of a high quality. Most support staff are particularly skilled at providing pupils with the ‘nurturing’ challenge required to build pupils’ confidence in reading. Teachers use a range of resources to develop pupils’ enjoyment of reading. Pupils were keen to tell an inspector about the books they love, including books by authors who are themselves dyslexic.

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better?

Most staff are skilled at teaching phonics and in supporting pupils to develop their reading skills. However, some key staff have not yet completed the specialist training required to support them in delivering the school’s phonics programme. Leaders have plans in place to address this but should act more urgently to carry them out.

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better?

The wider English curriculum is well planned. It is carefully linked to the national curriculum, which is helpful for pupils who join the school from mainstream schools across different year groups. Links between the ‘junior’ and ‘senior’ phase of the school are also well planned for, meaning that pupils experience a continuation in provision, building on what they have learned in the past.

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better?

The mathematics curriculum has been revised and strengthened recently. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. This enables them to identify and intervene effectively to correct pupils’ misconceptions when they surface. Pupils are positive about the changes they have experienced in their mathematics lessons. Classroom visits confirmed pupils’ enjoyment and enthusiasm for mathematics.

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better?

Pupils are enthusiastic about the creative aspect of the school’s curriculum. Art and design technology are popular subjects throughout the school. Pupils benefit from a curriculum that is sequenced well. Specialist staff are skilled at adopting the curriculum to take into account the specific needs of pupils. Staff are also successful in promoting both enjoyment and appreciation of art, while maintaining the rigour required for pupils to achieve well at the end of key stage 4 in this subject.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The very large majority of staff, pupils and parents who replied to Ofsted’s surveys indicated that pupils feel safe in school. Pupils themselves told inspectors this during the inspection.

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Safeguarding

Policies and procedures to promote the welfare, health and safety of pupils, staff and visitors to the school are sound. Leaders have ensured that staff training, including for promoting mental health and working with national charities on 15–17 June 2021 equalities and respect, has been proactive, not reactive in nature. This includes in relation to high profile national issues such as sexual harassment and online bullying.

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What does the school need to do to improve?

 The school has a well-established phonics programme in place. Many staff have completed the training required to deliver this. However, not all key staff are scheduled to complete the required training in the near future. This should be addressed with immediate effect, so that staff who are required to teach phonics, support reading or teach English attend appropriate training before doing so. This will enable pupils to be supported more effectively with the reading-related issues that most pupils have when they join either phase of the school.  The school is in a period of transition in the way it records, stores and interprets pupil management information. This includes for such aspects as behaviour- related incidents. Some records reviewed by inspectors were not as clearly documented as they might be. Consequently, it was difficult to see what support the school was offering pupils, or whether leaders were actively reviewing and

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What does the school need to do to improve?

responding to single incidents or trends in behaviour over time. Leaders should take immediate action to ensure that all records are fit for purpose. This will ensure that leaders can access accurate information in a timely manner, and that pupils in need of support receive it in a timely way.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the provider and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 15–17 June 2021

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School details

Unique reference number 125385 DfE registration number 936/6251

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School details

Inspection number 10193095 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Proprietor Moon Hall Schools Educational Trust

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £19,218 to £24,420

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School details

Email address schooloffice@moonhall.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 March 2009 15–17 June 2021

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Information about this school

 Moon Hall School Reigate is a co-educational school registered for pupils aged seven to 16.  The school is owned and governed by the Moon Hall Schools Educational Trust. The trustees of the school also serve as governors on the school’s governing body.  All pupils require support associated with dyslexia. Nearly half of pupils have education, health and care plans.  About one third of pupils have places at the school funded by their local authorities. The remaining pupils are privately funded.  Moon Hall School Reigate was previously known as Moon Hall College. The last standard inspection of the school was completed by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) in October 2012. The school was subject to an unannounced emergency inspection conducted by ISI in October 2016 and a further regulatory compliance inspection by ISI in June 2017. ISI also conducted an additional inspection in December 2018, by which time the school had changed its name to

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Information about this school

Moon Hall School.  Ofsted conducted a progress monitoring inspection in September 2019, by which time the school was named Moon Hall School, Reigate. A material change inspection was conducted by Ofsted in September 2020, when all the independent school standards looked at were found to be met. Not all the independent school standards were assessed at that inspection.  The school does not currently use alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 We held a wide range of meetings during the inspection. These included meetings with the chair of the governing body and three other governors, school leaders, teachers and support staff, and a representative group of pupils.  The lead inspector held individual telephone conversations with two parents and a pupil caseworker from West Sussex local authority.  When considering the quality of education, we did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, English and art and design technology. Deep dives included visiting lessons, looking at pupils’ work, and talking to leaders, teachers 15–17 June 2021 and pupils about how teaching in these subjects builds on pupils’ knowledge over time. The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a member of staff.  We reviewed the 57 responses to Ofsted’s online parents’ survey and accompanying free-text messages. We also considered the staff’s and pupils’

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Information about this inspection

surveys.  We observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms and as they moved around the school, including during breaktimes and at the start and finish of the school day.  We assessed the school’s culture to keep pupils safe throughout the inspection. A wide range of documentation was considered, including policies and documents associated with the school meeting all aspects of the independent school standards. The single central register of checks on the suitability of adults to work with children at the school was also scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Clive Close, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Metcalf Ofsted Inspector 15–17 June 2021 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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