SEE (Oldham)

Inspection of SEE (Oldham) Argent House, Shaw Road, Oldham OL1 4AW

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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?

Most pupils arrive at SEE (Oldham) with poor previous experiences of school. Many have missed out on long periods of education. When they join the school, many pupils lack confidence in their learning ability. Over time, dedicated staff change pupils’ attitudes to school for the better.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of, and is ambitious for, every pupil. Pupils form strong and trusting relationships with staff. These relationships are at the heart of the school’s success. Most pupils behave well. Staff deal with any occasional poor behaviour quickly and effectively. There is a consistent focus on helping pupils to feel safe and secure. This helps pupils to be happy at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are encouraged to build their knowledge across a range of subjects. Pupils improve their motivation for learning because of the high-quality support that they receive. Pupils achieve well from their different starting points.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience many enrichment opportunities. These include visits to museums, farms and aquariums. Pupils spoke with excitement about a recent trip to a theme park. These opportunities help pupils to develop academically, socially and emotionally.

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better?

The school has high aspirations for all pupils. It wants pupils to succeed both at the school and in the future. The school balances academic lessons with support for pupils’ personal development effectively. The school ensures that pupils gain a solid grounding in a range of subjects. This prepares them well for their next stage in education.

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better?

The school uses information about pupils’ needs well to design its curriculum, which considers pupils’ needs. The curriculum outlines the knowledge that pupils will learn and the order in which it will be taught. Teachers think carefully about how learning should build over time for each pupil. Teachers skilfully break this learning down into small steps. They set detailed and realistic goals for each pupil.

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better?

Teachers typically use assessment strategies well to check pupils’ learning during lessons. However, the school’s assessment systems to check on how well pupils remember important curriculum knowledge are in the early stages of development in some subjects. This means that gaps in some pupils’ knowledge are not being identified and addressed effectively.

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better?

All pupils in the school have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school makes sure that pupils’ progress is reviewed regularly. It ensures that any additional needs are identified quickly and accurately. Teachers adapt lesson activities well so that pupils can access learning alongside their peers. 18 to 20 June 2024 Some pupils have gaps in their reading knowledge. They struggle to read with confidence. Most of these pupils are supported to improve their reading appropriately. However, this support is not provided as quickly and effectively as it could be. This hampers how well these pupils are able to access learning across the curriculum.

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better?

Staff know the importance of supporting pupils’ social and emotional needs. They do this while maintaining clear boundaries and high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. In lessons, pupils try their best to live up to these expectations. At times, some pupils struggle to manage their behaviour. When this happens, staff calmly and supportively help these pupils regulate their emotions and return to their learning.

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better?

Pupils’ regular attendance is a top priority for the school. A high number of pupils have had very poor rates of attendance in their previous schools. The school identifies the barriers to pupils’ attendance effectively. Staff are tenacious in working with pupils and their families to improve pupils’ attendance. This persistent approach enables most pupils to improve their rates of attendance over time.

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better?

The personal development of pupils is a strength. The school has carefully considered and developed the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education programme. This programme includes relationships and sex education and health education. Staff design these sessions in a way that meets pupils’ needs well. This includes delivering learning on a one-to-one basis when appropriate. A range of visits support pupils’ understanding of the society that they live in. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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better?

The school has implemented a well-considered careers offer. This helps pupils to consider their interests and the options available to them. Furthermore, pupils in key stage 4 receive bespoke careers information, advice and guidance from appropriately trained professionals.

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better?

The proprietor oversees the independent school standards (the standards) effectively. It ensures that the standards are met consistently. The school building is maintained to a high standard and regular health and safety checks are completed by suitably qualified professionals. The school ensures that it is compliant with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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better?

The proprietor carries out robust quality assurance to check the quality of education that pupils receive. It provides effective challenge and support to school leaders to ensure that they fulfil their roles and responsibilities diligently.

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better?

Staff are highly positive about the importance that the school places on their well- being. They value the training and support that the school provides. This helps them to deliver the curriculum well. Staff enjoy working at the school.

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better?

Parents and carers celebrate the positive difference that the school has made to their children’s lives. For instance, their children are able to better regulate their 18 to 20 June 2024 behaviour outside of school. This means that they can take part successfully in family activities, visits and celebrations.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In some subjects, the school’s assessment strategies are at an early stage of development. In these subjects, teachers do not check how well pupils have learned the important curriculum knowledge. This limits how well they support pupils to catch up on missed or forgotten knowledge. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the information that they need to identify and resolve gaps in pupils’ learning.  Some pupils do not get the support that they need to catch up quickly in their reading and phonics knowledge. These pupils do not learn to read as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that pupils receive timely, effective support to learn to read with increasing fluency and confidence.

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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. 18 to 20 June 2024

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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) £46,350 to £59,585

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School details

Email address office@seeoldham.co.uk 18 to 20 June 2024

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Information about this school

 SEE (Oldham) is registered to admit up to 25 pupils.  All pupils who attend the school have an education, health and care plan. Most pupils have social, emotional and mental health needs.  The school uses two unregistered alternative provisions.  The school is located in premises at Argent House, Shaw Road, Oldham, OL1 4AW.  The Department for Education registered the school to open on 1 June 2023. The school opened to pupils on 30 October 2023.

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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 following 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.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, the chair of the proprietor body and a range of staff.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentation. This included information relating to the standards, the school’s curriculum and improvement priorities.  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 considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. The lead inspector spoke to staff to gather their views.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey. Inspectors spoke with

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Information about this inspection

pupils about their learning and experiences at school.  There were no responses to Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors spoke to some parents on the telephone. Some parents also sent letters to the inspection team.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school. 18 to 20 June 2024  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, science, PSHE education and mathematics. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum 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. Inspectors spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector made a tour of the school premises.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Sharples, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Phill Walmsley Ofsted Inspector 18 to 20 June 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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