Great Howarth School

Inspection of Great Howarth School Great Howarth Road, Rochdale, Lancashire OL12 9HJ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision 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 feel safe and happy at Great Howarth School. Many pupils come to this school following a considerable period of time struggling to engage with education. Here, pupils build strong relationships with staff. Pupils appreciate how their individual needs are at the centre of the school’s decisions. Parents and carers speak highly of the positive difference that the school has made to their child’s well-being.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils, including students in the sixth form. Skilled staff ensure that pupils receive support to regulate their feelings when needed. This helps them to be able to settle to their work. Most pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They move around school sensibly and show respect for adults and one another. The school’s clear routines help pupils to manage their behaviour effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities to enrich their learning. They visit places of worship and museums to help them to understand the wider world. Pupils enjoy artistic, musical and dramatic experiences which help to develop their talents and interests. Pupils are proud when they are elected to represent their class on the school council.

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better?

The school has established an effective curriculum. Pupils study a broad and balanced range of subjects. The curriculum identifies the knowledge that pupils will learn and the order in which they will learn it. However, this knowledge is less clear in a small number of subjects. In these subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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better?

The school has successfully engaged pupils with the joy of reading. Pupils benefit from a range of high-quality books. Pupils take part in daily reading sessions. They talk enthusiastically about their reading. Teachers use their expert knowledge to design interesting lessons that support pupils’ learning well. For example, pupils are supported to use art to help them to learn Shakespeare plays. Staff are well trained to deliver the reading programme. Most pupils improve their reading knowledge over time.

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better?

The majority of pupils have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The school uses pupils’ EHC plans well to ensure that the curriculum meets pupils’ individual needs. In addition, the school engages regularly with a range of specialists to identify and support pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well.

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better?

During lessons, staff check pupils’ understanding and address misconceptions quickly and effectively. Most pupils work in small groups or receive individual support from skilled adults. This helps them to progress well through the curriculum. 8 to 10 May 2024 The school has established a strong focus on improving pupils’ behaviour. Pupils strive to earn rewards throughout the school day. They form strong, trusting relationships with caring staff. The school offers thoughtful and effective transitions into school. This helps to ensure that pupils succeed. Over time, the school has a marked impact on improving pupils’ behaviour and conduct.

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better?

The school prioritises pupils’ personal development. Pupils benefit from a well- designed personal, social and health education curriculum. The school provides effective relationships and health education that is age-appropriate for all pupils. Staff understand and accommodate individual pupils’ vulnerabilities. Pupils learn about keeping safe, including when online. They learn how to look after their own well-being. There is a high priority on teaching pupils life skills, such as cooking and how to shop independently.

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better?

Pupils receive useful support to help them to understand their options for the future. The proprietor has recently introduced a new careers education, information, advice and guidance programme. However, this programme is not well established. Some pupils do not receive sufficient useful advice in relation to their next steps in education, employment or training.

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better?

The proprietor has ensured that the independent school standards (‘the standards’) are consistently and securely met. Well-established systems provide quality assurance information to leaders and to the proprietor. However, the checks that the school completes on how well the curriculum is delivered are variable. As a result, the school does not have sufficient information to help identify when improvements to the curriculum are required.

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better?

The school has ensured that it provides pupils and staff with a safe working environment. For example, the school has established suitable risk assessments for a range of activities. Classrooms are bright, clean and well resourced. Policies are made available to parents on the school’s website or on request.

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better?

The school has ensured that it complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not identify the knowledge that pupils will learn in sufficient detail. As a result, some pupils’ learning is variable in these subjects. The school should ensure that the curriculum clearly identifies the knowledge that pupils will learn.  The school’s checks on how well the curriculum is delivered in some subjects are not specific enough. This prevents the school from making further improvements 8 to 10 May 2024 to the curriculum in these subjects, if necessary. The school should ensure that the checks that they make identify where the curriculum is working well and where improvements are required.  At times, pupils do not receive enough information about their next steps in education, employment or training. This means that some pupils are less able to make informed choices about their next steps. The school should ensure that pupils receive appropriate careers education, information, advice and guidance.

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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. 8 to 10 May 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 135753 DfE registration number 354/6035

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School details

Inspection number 10331644 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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form

Proprietor Horizon Care and Education Group Ltd

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form

Annual fees (day pupils) £64,506 to £100,000

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form

Email address gavin.hosford@horizoncare.co.uk

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form

Dates of previous inspection 30 November to 2 December 2021 8 to 10 May 2024

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Information about this school

 There have been considerable staff and leadership changes at the school since the last inspection. The current headteacher has been in post since November 2023.  The school provides long-term placements for pupils who are disengaged from education, have been permanently excluded or are at risk of exclusion. Many pupils have SEND and social, emotional and mental health needs. Most pupils have an EHC plan.  The school is based at Great Howarth Road, Rochdale, Lancashire OL12 9HJ.  The school uses two unregistered alternative provisions.  The school received its previous standard inspection on 30 November to 2 December 2021.

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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 the ongoing impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other staff during the inspection.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the proprietor body.  Inspectors held meetings with other leaders, including those responsible for SEND, pupils’ behaviour and attendance, and staff training.  The lead inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The lead inspector held a telephone conversation with the leader of an alternative provision used by the school.  Inspectors checked the school site for compliance with the standards. As part of these checks, the lead inspector toured the school premises, accompanied by a school leader.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English including early reading, science and

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Information about this inspection

art and design. For each deep dive, they held discussions about the curriculum, 8 to 10 May 2024 visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector observed some pupils reading to a trusted adult.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects. They looked at curriculum documentation, considered samples of pupils’ work and spoke with some pupils about these subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 to pupils about their experience of the school and their views on behaviour and bullying. They also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and

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Information about this inspection

at break times.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation. This included documentation and information relating to the standards and the school’s improvement plans.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. Inspectors also considered the responses to the online staff survey.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. Inspectors also spoke to some parents during the inspection. There were no responses to the online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Sarah Barraclough, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Cocker Ofsted Inspector 8 to 10 May 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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