The Orchard School

Inspection of The Orchard School Metropolitan House, 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, EN6 1AG

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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?

For many pupils, Orchard School is their first successful experience of education. Pupils who attend the school have typically experienced significant disruption to their education. Pupils flourish because leaders have high expectations and respond well to their individual needs. Leaders carefully consider how to support pupils to manage their behaviour and re-engage with education. Consequently, incidents are quickly resolved, and bullying is rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They know that staff are there to care for them. Strong relationships are at the heart of the school’s work. Most pupils enjoy coming to school and attend well. Leaders expect pupils to give their best effort. Over time, pupils develop positive attitudes to learning. They try hard to meet leaders’ ambitious expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders support pupils to identify their long-term goals. They enable pupils to gain the experience they need to access further learning and to be successful. Pupils enjoy finding out about different career pathways and make realistic plans for the next stage of their education. Those pupils have spent longer at the school develop the self-belief that they can reach their goals. Pupils speak about their aims for the future with confidence.

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better?

Leaders design the curriculum for each pupil with consideration for their needs and interests. Pupils join the school throughout the year. For this reason, leaders implement a flexible approach which starts with the accurate identification of pupils’ individual needs. Leaders think carefully about the most important knowledge pupils need to know. Teachers break learning down effectively into small steps to help pupils build their knowledge over time.

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better?

Leaders ensure that teachers are able to implement the intended curriculum well. Pupils access a broad range of subjects. Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They identify where pupils will revisit important learning. Consequently, pupils remember their learning over time. Teachers provide clear explanations that help pupils to deepen their understanding. Pupils talk with confidence about new knowledge they have gained. They enjoy learning.

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better?

Pupils often have significant gaps in their knowledge when they join the school. Teachers assess pupils effectively. Pupils have regular opportunities to demonstrate their new knowledge. They successfully complete qualifications before they leave the school. If pupils leave before this, leaders help them to continue their learning, or access training, in other settings and provide ongoing support.

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better?

Pupils develop a love of reading. Teachers choose books to share with pupils that enhance their understanding of the world around them. Leaders establish pupils’ reading ability as soon as they join the school. Pupils receive intensive support to improve their reading. Leaders have recently trained some staff in their chosen 24 and 26 January 2023 approach to phonics. This enables them to identify pupils’ gaps in phonics knowledge. However, not all staff have received this training yet. As a result, the approach used by some staff to teach pupils to read is less effective and this slows pupils’ progress.

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better?

A key aspect of leaders’ work is to equip pupils with the skills they need to manage their emotions. The impact of this is evident. Classrooms are calm and productive most of the time. Pupils learn how to maintain and sustain an effective relationship with close support from teachers. Teachers know when to step back and let pupils make independent choices. This prepares them well for their next steps.

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better?

Leaders provide staff with the expertise, knowledge and skills they need to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They work with a range of other professionals to plan the provision for each pupil. Support is regularly reviewed to ensure that each pupil receives what they need to learn with success. Leaders celebrate the effort that each pupil puts into their learning. Pupils describe how this helps to build their confidence, self-esteem and positivity.

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better?

The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum supports pupils to learn about health and well-being. Leaders provide a range of real-life experiences to bring this alive for pupils. For example, pupils create recipes and cook healthy meals for others to enjoy. The policy for relationships and sex education follows government guidance. Pupils learn that successful relationships centre on trust. However, some of the offer for pupils’ wider development is not as well thought out. For example, there are limited opportunities to identify and develop pupils’ talents and interests.

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better?

Staff are proud to work at the school. They consider leaders to be approachable. Leaders help staff to manage their workload and support their well-being.

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better?

The proprietor understands their role well. They receive regular information about the quality of education. The proprietor holds leaders to account effectively. They check that the school meets all the independent school standards. Leaders have suitable plans in place to ensure that disabled pupils can access the school offer. This complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff know and understand the procedures for keeping pupils safe. They know the signs to look for that may indicate something is not right. Systems for recording and reporting concerns are robust. Leaders check that records of concerns are accurate and reported in a timely manner. They work with external agencies to provide the right support for pupils. 24 and 26 January 2023 The safeguarding policy is comprehensive and refers to the most recent government guidance. It is available from the school and is shared with all stakeholders.

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Safeguarding

All staff are familiar with the procedures in the whistle-blowing policy.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The new approach to teaching early reading is in the early stages of development. Not all staff have received training yet. Some staff do not yet deliver early reading well enough. This slows pupils’ progress. Leaders need to ensure that all staff have the phonics knowledge they need to support pupils to learn to read well.  The offer for pupils’ wider development is not as well thought out as it could be. There are limited opportunities to identify and develop pupils’ talents and interests. Leaders need to further develop the offer they provide so that all parts of pupils’ wider development are well supported.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 24 and 26 January 2023

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School details

Unique reference number 145293 DfE registration number 933/6008

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School details

Inspection number 10254684 Type of school Other Independent Special School

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School details

School category Independent special school

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School details

Email address diana.coulston@cambiangroup.com

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 to 11 October 2018 24 and 26 January 2023

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Information about this school

 The school’s previous standard inspection was on 9 to 11 October 2018.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision.  Pupils join and leave the school at non-standard points throughout the year.  There are currently no pupils at the school who are aged over 16.  The government’s ‘Get Information about Schools’ website does not currently show the correct proprietor. Leaders shared evidence with the lead inspector about the process to rectify this.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors 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

This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors spoke with the proprietor, their representative, the headteacher and other school leaders.  Inspectors conducted deep dives into these subjects: English, mathematics, history and PSHE. In each subject, they met with the subject leader and teachers. They visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and talked with pupils about their learning. The lead inspector listened to pupils reading to a member of staff.  Inspectors looked at the school’s safeguarding policy and the day-to-day implementation of it. They talked with staff and pupils about safeguarding, pupils’ personal development and behaviour. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  The lead inspector inspected the premises to check for compliance with the relevant independent school standards.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s staff, pupil or parent surveys.

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Inspection team

Jane Dennis, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stewart Gale Ofsted Inspector 24 and 26 January 2023 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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