The Greens ENS

Inspection of The Greens ENS 202 Droylsden Road, Manchester M40 1NZ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils receive specialist support and care at The Greens. This enables them to learn and to thrive. All pupils who join the school have experienced significant barriers to their learning in the past. Staff go to great lengths to build positive and trusting relationships with pupils. This helps pupils to feel safe and to re-engage with their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders expect the very best of every pupil. Pupils are clear about what staff expect of their behaviour. Staff reinforce these expectations using highly structured routines and rewards to celebrate pupils’ successes. Pupils appreciate how this helps them to regulate and manage their behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum is carefully designed so that all pupils can access new learning while remedying any gaps in their prior knowledge. From their starting points, pupils achieve well across a range of subjects. Pupils told inspectors that they feel proud of how much they have improved and achieved since joining the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a varied programme of activities to support their wider personal development. For example, pupils receive specific life-skills lessons. These involve community visits where pupils can apply their learning and develop their social skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are encouraged to stay physically and mentally healthy. For example, they enjoy trips to a local allotment where they plant and grow food, as well as mixed martial arts sessions and swimming.

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better?

Leaders and staff share a strong vision for the high-quality education that they provide for pupils. Leaders have thought deeply about the overall design of the curriculum to ensure that it is broad, balanced and well matched to pupils’ individual needs. Any additional needs that pupils have are quickly identified by leaders.

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better?

There is a strong focus on developing pupils’ literacy, numeracy and communication skills as the basis for their future learning. Across a range of subjects, leaders have identified clearly the important knowledge that they want pupils to know. The curriculum is broken down into small steps and ordered well so that pupils can access learning at a level that is ambitious for them.

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better?

In most subjects, staff are well supported by leaders to develop their subject-specific knowledge. Staff use their expertise to deliver the curriculum effectively. They are skilled at identifying and addressing gaps in pupils’ learning, making appropriate adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum when necessary. Well-equipped staff provide personalised support to help pupils catch up if they fall behind with their learning. This helps pupils to grow in confidence and build securely on what they already know. 11 to 13 July 2023 In a small number of subjects, some staff do not deliver the curriculum as well as they could. This is because their subject-specific knowledge is less secure. On occasion, these staff do not select the most appropriate activities to support pupils in learning the key knowledge set out in the curriculum. From time to time, this hinders some pupils’ learning in these subjects.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading and encourage all pupils to read for pleasure. For example, leaders choose, and make available, books based on pupils’ specific interests. This encourages pupils to read more widely. In addition, pupils benefit from regular visits to the local library.

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better?

Leaders have successfully introduced a phonics programme for pupils who are in the early stages of learning to read. Staff are well trained to deliver this programme effectively. The books that pupils read match the sounds that they learn each week. When needed, pupils receive appropriate support to help them catch up quickly. As a result, pupils gain the phonics knowledge that they need to become increasingly confident and fluent readers. This also helps pupils to access the wider curriculum.

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better?

Some pupils struggle to regulate their own emotions and behaviour when they join the school. Staff use fair and consistent approaches, built on strong caring relationships, to help pupils overcome barriers to their learning. This helps pupils to learn without disruption. Leaders successfully help all pupils to improve their behaviour and attendance over time.

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better?

Leaders teach pupils how to understand and value difference. This helps them to be tolerant and respectful towards others. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Some older pupils, and their parents and carers, told inspectors that the support from staff has made a transformative difference in their lives and their education.

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better?

In addition to a comprehensive programme of trips and enrichment activities, leaders support pupils’ wider development throughout the entire curriculum. For example, pupils are explicitly taught how to share and take turns. They learn about healthy and unhealthy relationships. Older pupils receive important age-appropriate information about puberty, sex and consent.

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better?

Leaders have recently devised a programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance for all pupils. However, the delivery of this programme is still in its infancy. As such, a minority of older pupils have not benefited from this programme. These pupils have not received sufficient information to support them with their next steps in education when they leave the school.

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better?

Leaders and staff work closely as a team. This creates a positive and purposeful atmosphere around the school. Staff feel highly valued and supported by leaders.

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better?

The proprietor body carries out its role effectively, regularly seeking external advice and scrutiny to continually evaluate and improve the quality of education for pupils. 11 to 13 July 2023 The proprietor body ensures that all the independent school standards are consistently met. This includes compliance with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise pupils’ safety and welfare. They understand the extra vulnerabilities that many pupils have when they arrive at the school. During the transition period into the school, leaders work closely with pupils and their families to identify pupils’ specific needs.

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Safeguarding

All staff receive regular safeguarding training. They are alert to any signs of potential harm. Staff and leaders report and record concerns rigorously. This enables them to secure swift and effective support for pupils, including support from external agencies when needed.

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Safeguarding

Through the curriculum, pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe. For example, staff skilfully support pupils to understand and manage their own emotions. This helps pupils to reduce harmful and high-risk behaviours.

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Safeguarding

The safeguarding policy is published on the website and available to parents on request.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 On occasion, in a small number of subjects, staff do not select the most appropriate activities to deliver the important knowledge identified in the curriculum. This hinders some pupils from building on their prior learning as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that in these subjects, teachers are suitably equipped to deliver the curriculum consistently well.  Leaders are in the early stages of implementing a programme of careers education, information, advice and guidance. This means that some older pupils have not received sufficient information about their next steps. As leaders roll out their careers programme, they should ensure that pupils are suitably prepared for their next steps in education.

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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. 11 to 13 July 2023 The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 11 to 13 July 2023

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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £24,000 to £79,000

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School details

Email address melanieentwistle@thegreens-ens.co.uk 11 to 13 July 2023

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Information about this school

 In August 2022, The Greens ENS was granted registration for 20 pupils aged from five to 14 years. This was the school’s first standard inspection.  All the pupils who attend the school have an education, health and care plan. The school provides specialist education for pupils who are struggling to cope with mainstream education and who are at risk of exclusion.  The school does not use any alternative providers.  The school is located at 202 Droylsden Road, Manchester, M40 1NZ.

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

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector spoke to leaders about the curriculum in other subjects.  Inspectors met with members of the proprietor body and the chair of the governing body.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text comments.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for pupils and spoke with some pupils about school life. Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and spoke to a range of staff to discuss the support that they receive from leaders.  An inspector carried out a tour of the premises.  Inspectors reviewed a range of evidence to check compliance with the

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Information about this inspection

independent school standards.  Inspectors evaluated a range of documentation about safeguarding and spoke 11 to 13 July 2023 with staff to understand how they keep pupils safe.

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Inspection team

Amanda Downing, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Ian Young Ofsted Inspector 11 to 13 July 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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