Red Moor School

Inspection of Red Moor School Red Moor School, Churchtown Farm, Lanlivery, Cornwall PL30 5BT

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel a sense of belonging at this exceptional provision. It is a place of transformation. Pupils have complex needs associated with their social, emotional, communication and interaction difficulties. Many arrive reluctant to engage, attend or learn because they have had disrupted or difficult experiences of education. However, staff use their honed expertise to get to know pupils extremely well. They use this to create innovative ways to help pupils to settle quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Once they settle, pupils thrive within this strong community. Education, welfare and therapy staff follow highly effective approaches to assess, plan and deliver provision. Together they secure a holistic view of pupils’ needs and challenges. Staff promote positive relationships very effectively. This helps pupils to feel valued and safe. Pupils’ behaviour improves dramatically. They reengage with and develop a love of learning. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education, employment or training.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s curriculum has understanding pupils’ trauma and barriers to learning at its heart. Pupils benefit greatly from the tailored provision they receive. Many leaders are experts in their fields. This expertise is well used to ensure the school is continually improved. Regular, focused therapeutic support enhances pupils’ wellbeing considerably.

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better?

The proprietor has ensured that Red Moor School is highly effective. Staff across the teaching, therapy and welfare teams are highly committed to understanding pupils’ barriers to learning. From the moment pupils arrive, skilled staff complete a range of robust assessments to baseline their academic ability, as well as their holistic needs. Staff use this information to design and develop widely understood strategies to help pupils learn the ambitious, broad curriculum. As time passes, pupils’ confidence grows rapidly because they start to experience success. When appropriate, pupils attain appropriate accredited qualifications, vocational learning and GCSEs. Pupils go on to secure education, employment and training.

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better?

The school has developed a highly ambitious, effective curriculum. Faculty experts oversee planning and teaching in their areas of responsibility. This has helped raise the profile of every subject and make the best use of the expertise of staff. Subject planning is carefully sequenced and ambitious. It covers the scope of the national curriculum and more. The school has defined exactly what they want pupils to learn and when in each subject. Teachers rigorously check what pupils learn, quickly closing any gaps in their knowledge.

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better?

Staff deliver the curriculum very proficiently, particularly in meeting the needs of the complex pupils. They are clear about the expectations of what pupils should achieve. Staff recognise the training they receive helps them to continually improve. They benefit from useful input from subject specialists, as well as experts in trauma and 6 to 8 February 2024 therapy. For example, speech and language therapists provide training on alternative communication approaches. Lessons are adapted skilfully to respond to pupils’ needs. As a result, pupils learning is often exceptional.

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better?

The reading curriculum is very effective. Teachers deliver a carefully planned early reading curriculum. They are highly skilled and support pupils to build resilience. A range of strategies promote a love of reading. As a result, pupils rapidly learn to read once they settle into the school routines. Many pupils said how much they now enjoy reading and the range of books that are available to them.

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better?

The school promotes pupils’ personal development at every opportunity. Pupils benefit from a broad, rounded and highly ambitious wider curriculum. In lessons, pupils discuss beliefs and other people’s viewpoints through religious studies and personal, social, health education lessons. Pupils learn about fundamental British values. They benefit from plentiful opportunities to build on their skills and talents during ‘enrichment’ opportunities that take place at the end of every school day. Pupils say this all helps them build character, resilience and opportunities to give back to their local community, as well as further afield.

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better?

Staff wellbeing is promoted exceptionally well. Staff speak positively about working in the school and the impact of how the school supports them personally and professionally. They recognise the strong team ethic enables them to work effectively. Everyone is proud to work at the school.

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better?

The proprietor works highly effectively to ensure that the independent school standards are securely met and t he school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 6 to 8 February 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 148038 DfE registration number 908/6010

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School details

Inspection number 10299260 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) £51,293 to £157,253

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School details

Email address enquiries@redmoorschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 to 17 September 2021 6 to 8 February 2024

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Information about this school

 All pupils at Red Moor School have a special educational need and/or disability and an education, health and care plan. Most pupils have a primary need of SEMH, although the school does cater for other needs including pupils with an autistic spectrum disorder.  The last standard inspection of the school was 15 to 17 September 2021. Since this time, there have been two material change inspections at the school. Both were linked to increasing the number of pupils the school could admit.  The school does not use alternative providers.  The school is registered to admit up to 80 pupils.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school's education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with leaders, including the headteacher, deputy headteacher and others in key senior leadership positions. They met with welfare staff, therapists and a selection of teaching staff.  Inspectors met with the regional director from the proprietor, who is also the chair of the governing body. They also met the chief operating officer from Outcomes First Group who is also the chair of the Proprietary Board.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, personal, social and health education and art. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at a

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Information about this inspection

sample of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at curriculum planning and pupils’ work.  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. 6 to 8 February 2024  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire and free-text responses. They also considered responses to the staff and pupil surveys.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including leaders’ evaluations, the school improvement plan, documents relating to governance, the independent school standards and information about the school’s curriculum.

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Inspection team

Matthew Barnes, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Kelly Olive His Majesty's Inspector 6 to 8 February 2024 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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