Reddish Hall School

Inspection of Reddish Hall School Denstone Road, Reddish, Stockport, Cheshire SK5 6UY

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Inspection dates: 26 to 28 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding 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?

Pupils are happy to attend Reddish Hall School. For many pupils, this is their first successful experience of education. Pupils feel safe and secure because staff identify and meet their individual needs well. Pupils learn to face setbacks and to build their resilience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants pupils to succeed. Pupils receive appropriate support when they need it while having opportunities to develop their independence. Pupils try hard to meet the high expectations that the school has of them. When this proves challenging, pupils receive the help that they need to overcome their difficulties. Consequently, pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Strong relationships exist between staff and pupils. Pupils learn to behave well and to respect others. When pupils find this difficult, staff sensitively respond to their needs. Pupils learn to manage their emotions. This helps them to relate to others and to resolve conflict.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils leave the school with the self-confidence that they need to be successful. The school prepares pupils exceptionally well for their next steps. Pupils learn to understand themselves, others and the wider world. They set goals for their future and make realistic plans to achieve them. Pupils learn to be proud of themselves and to recognise their achievements. They have a secure understanding of how differences make people unique.

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better?

Pupils learn an ambitious curriculum. All pupils in the school have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils join the school at different times throughout the year. This often follows a period of disrupted education, including long periods of absence. These pupils settle quickly into the school routines. The school makes it possible for pupils to follow their interests while ensuring that they gain the qualifications that they need for their next steps.

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better?

The school has thought carefully about what pupils will learn. Most teachers have the subject knowledge that they need to break learning down into small steps. However, some learning activities do not help pupils to learn the intended curriculum as well as they could. At times, staff lack clarity about the purpose of the learning. When this happens, pupils do not build new knowledge securely.

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better?

The school uses a range of assessment strategies to find out pupils’ starting points. However, at times, these assessments do not give teachers the most useful information about what pupils know and remember. As a result, some learning does not build on what pupils already know and can do. This hinders how well these pupils achieve. 26 to 28 September 2023 The school prioritises reading. As a result, pupils learn to read well. Staff have a secure understanding of the school’s phonics programme. They identify pupils who find reading hard. These pupils receive the help that they need to learn to read accurately with confidence. Pupils read books that match their reading knowledge. They develop into fluent readers. Pupils have regular opportunities to listen to adults read high-quality texts aloud. This expands their knowledge of authors and genres.

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better?

The school helps pupils to identify their long-term goals. There is an impressive support package in place to help pupils plan their next steps. Pupils deepen their understanding of different careers. The school provides a range of inspiring work experience for pupils. Staff think carefully about the skills that pupils will need in readiness for adulthood. They plan opportunities for pupils to develop these skills through curriculum trips. For example, pupils learn how to plan travel, to manage money and to communicate with others. This prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

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better?

Alongside this, pupils learn about the different groups that make up their local community. For example, they know about the major world religions. Pupils learn how to keep themselves healthy, both physically and mentally. They know that healthy relationships rely on trust.

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better?

The school skilfully identifies and supports any additional needs that pupils may have. For example, they provide some pupils with well-considered therapeutic interventions, such as art therapy. Moreover, the school ensures that pupils with additional needs learn in an environment that supports their social and emotional development. This support enables these pupils to access the full curriculum offer.

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better?

Staff are proud to work at the school. They realise the importance of the positive difference that they make to pupils’ lives. There is a well-thought-out programme of staff training. Staff feel that the school provides them with the time that they need to embed new ways of working. This supports staff’s well-being and workload, while continually improving the offer for pupils.

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better?

Parents and carers value the nurture and care that their children receive. Parents appreciate how well the school resolves any issues that they raise.

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better?

The proprietor body makes regular checks on the quality of education provided by school leaders. It makes sure that the school complies with the independent school standards (the standards). The proprietor body asks incisive questions to find out how the school’s actions impact pupils’ learning. It has the knowledge that it needs to make sure that safeguarding arrangements are robust.

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better?

The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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better?

Inspectors considered the school’s request to the Department of Education (DfE) to increase the school’s registered capacity. This change has already been implemented. There is sufficient and suitable space and resources for the small number of additional pupils on roll now. The school carefully plans staff deployment 26 to 28 September 2023 to meet the needs of pupils. This deployment is regularly reviewed by the school with consideration for pupils’ safety, as well as their progress.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Learning activities do not always help pupils to learn the intended curriculum. As a result, some pupils do not learn as well as they could. These pupils develop gaps in their knowledge. The school should ensure that all staff have the subject knowledge that they need to design learning that helps pupils build knowledge well.  The school’s assessment systems do not always give teachers the most useful information about what pupils know and remember. Some teachers are unclear about gaps and misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge. This makes it tricky for some pupils to deepen their understanding. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment to gain the most useful information about pupils’ learning.

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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. 26 to 28 September 2023

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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

School category Independent special school

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £36,673 to £104,138

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School details

Email address admin@reddishhallschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 to 28 March 2019 26 to 28 September 2023

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Information about this school

 Reddish Hall School is a co-educational school catering for pupils aged five to 18 with complex educational needs, communication difficulties and social, emotional and mental health needs. All pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The school’s previous inspection was 26 to 28 March 2019.  There are a very small number of students on roll in the sixth form.  The school has almost doubled in size since the previous inspection.  The school uses no alternative provision.  The school operates on two sites. The Denstone site is located at Denstone Road, Reddish, Stockport, Cheshire, SK9 6UY. The Hive is located at 3 Raleigh Street, Stockport, SK5 7ER

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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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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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.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors spoke with the chair of the proprietor body, the executive headteacher, the head of school, other school leaders and a representative of the local authority.  The lead inspector made a tour of the school.  Inspectors checked documentation and held meetings with leaders and staff to check the school’s compliance with the standards.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-

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Information about this inspection

text comments. They also evaluated responses to the Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys. During the inspection, the lead inspector met with some parents. 26 to 28 September 2023  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and personal, social and health education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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The school’s proposed change to the maximum number of pupils

The school has applied to the Department for Education (DfE) to make a ‘material change’ to its registration. At the DfE’s request, we checked whether the school meets the relevant independent school standards if the DfE decides to approve the change. This part of the inspection was carried out under section 162(4) of the Education Act 2002.  The outcome of this part of the inspection is: the school meets the

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independent school standards relevant to the material change. The

material change has already been implemented.

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Inspection team

Jane Dennis, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kevin Sexton Ofsted Inspector 26 to 28 September 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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