Mill School - Bury

School progress monitoring inspection report

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Mill School - Bury Wellington Street, Bury, Greater Manchester BL8 2BD

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Main inspection findings

Part 3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Paragraphs 7 to 7(b), 32(1), 32(1)(c)  The proprietor has ensured that there is a suitable safeguarding policy in place and that it is published on the school website. The policy has regard to the appropriate statutory guidance.  There are secure procedures in place for staff to report any concerns that they might have about a pupil’s welfare. The school communicates effectively with other agencies and professionals, such as the local authority, to ensure that pupils are safe.  The school ensures that all staff receive regular safeguarding training. This helps staff to recognise when pupils may be at risk of harm.  All new staff receive an appropriate induction programme, safeguarding training and regular updates on areas such as radicalisation and extremism and online safety.  The independent school standards (the standards) in these parts continue to be met.

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Main inspection findings

Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Paragraphs 34(1), 34(1)(a) and 34(1)(b)  At the school’s standard inspection in May 2024, the standards in this part were unmet. The proprietor had not ensured that the standards were consistently and securely met. This is because the school had experienced some rapid changes in leadership. In addition, some new and temporary staff were not as familiar as they should be with the proprietor’s systems.  The action plan that the school submitted to the Department for Education (DfE) in July 2024 was evaluated by Ofsted and subsequently accepted by the DfE in July 2024.  At this progress monitoring inspection, evidence showed that the proprietor and the school have an accurate view of the school’s performance. They have worked together with urgency and diligence to address the standards that were not met at the time of the previous standard inspection. In addition, under the strong leadership of the

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Main inspection findings

headteacher, the school has worked swiftly to address the objectives that the school set out in its action plan.  The proprietor has reviewed and refreshed its systems and procedures. It has established clear lines of accountability between itself and the school. As a result, the proprietor now has a stronger oversight of the extent to which the school consistently meets the standards.  The proprietor has appointed a substantive headteacher. Furthermore, the proprietor and the headteacher have strengthened the leadership team at the school which has provided increased capacity to secure the improvements that were needed.  The school has established a high-quality programme of training for leaders at all levels. This has strengthened the quality of leadership and has helped to secure rapid improvements in the quality of education that were identified as next steps for the school at the previous standard inspection, for example in the design and

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Main inspection findings

implementation of the curriculum at key stage 2 and the school’s assessment strategies.  New and temporary staff benefit from a comprehensive programme of training. This ensures that they are well versed in the policies, procedures and systems at the school. This includes for safeguarding matters.  The previously unmet standards in this part are now met.

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Main inspection findings

Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010  The school has an appropriate accessibility plan in place.  This standard continues to be met.

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Compliance with regulatory requirements

The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements that were checked during this inspection. This included the standards and requirements that the school was judged to not comply with at the previous inspection. Not all of the standards and associated requirements were checked during this inspection.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

◼ 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school-

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

– 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which 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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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Proprietor Kedleston (Olsen House Holdings) Limited

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School details

Website www.kedlestongroup.com/our-schools- homes/day-schools/mill-school-bury/home Email address millschool@kedlestongroup.com

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School details

Date of previous standard inspection 14 to 16 May 2024

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Information about this school

 All pupils at this school have an education, health and care plan. The school caters for pupils with autism. In addition, some pupils have social, emotional and mental health needs.  The school operates from premises at Wellington House, Wellington Street, Bury, Greater Manchester, BL8 2BD.  The proprietor is Kedleston (Olsen House Holdings) Limited, more commonly known as the Kedleston Group. This group operates a large number of schools and care homes across the North West and West Midlands.  The current headteacher took up post in September 2024.  The school is registered with the DfE to admit pupils up to the age of 17. At the time of this inspection, there were no pupils in the sixth form.  The school makes use of two unregistered alternative provisions for a small proportion of pupils.  The school is registered to admit 70 pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out at the request of the registration authority for independent schools. The purpose of the inspection was to monitor the progress the school has made in meeting the independent school standards and other requirements that it was judged to not comply with at its previous inspection.  The last standard inspection took place in May 2024. At this inspection, the school was judged to not comply with the standards.  The DfE required the school to prepare an action plan. This plan was statutory. Ofsted evaluated this action plan in July 2024. The DfE accepted this action plan in July 2024.  This was the school’s first progress monitoring inspection since its standard inspection in May 2024.  This progress monitoring inspection was conducted without notice.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher and other leaders. He also spoke with the chief operating officer and the regional director.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector spoke with leaders about the curriculum and assessment.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including that related to the standards and the curriculum.  The inspection also considered the school’s safeguarding arrangements, including the single central record of pre-employment checks and whether the school’s safeguarding policy is available to parents and carers. These requirements of the standards are met.  The inspector made a tour of the school. This included visits to lessons.  The inspector spoke with pupils about their experiences of school life. He observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at lunchtime.  The inspector spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.

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Inspection team

Andy Cunningham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Parent View You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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Inspection team

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.gov.uk/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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

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

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