Landgate School, Bryn

Inspection of Landgate School, Bryn Landgate Lane, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Bryn, Wigan, Greater Manchester WN4 0EP

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Sixth-form provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 14 and 15 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a joyful place where pupils and students in the sixth form flourish. A passion for pupils’ success underpins everything the school does. Staff inspire pupils to become curious and independent beyond the classroom. Pupils are happy and kept safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school puts no ceiling on pupils’ academic or social achievements. The curriculum is designed to help pupils thrive. From their first day at school, pupils receive highly individualised and specialist support. Every aspect of pupils’ needs is considered and meticulously planned for. Pupils achieve highly from their various starting points.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff treat pupils with warmth and kindness. They know each pupil extremely well. Staff understand the different ways pupils communicate their needs. This contributes significantly to pupils’ growing self-confidence and to their sense of belonging. Across the school, pupils behave exceptionally well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with the tools and firm foundations for their next step in life. For example, its actions to involve pupils in the local community are tangible. This includes the school sharing its communication tools with local supermarkets and a garden centre. This helps sixth-form students to socially interact with retail staff when learning to shop independently and supports the school’s families when shopping at the weekend.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The quality of education at Landgate School is excellent. The school has designed a broad, rich and ambitious curriculum. This is meticulously tailored around each pupil and incorporates their education, health and care (EHC) plan outcomes. For each subject, the school has identified thoughtful cultural capital opportunities that are linked directly to pupils’ learning. Pupils benefit from a vast array of educational visits and experiences that bring their learning to life.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Across subjects, staff design purposeful activities underpinned by their deep understanding of pupils’ precise communication or sensory needs. Staff deftly adapt learning in the moment. They reshape learning flexibly in response to pupils’ handling of new concepts and ideas. Where pupils are nonverbal or have limited speech, they are supported to express what they need through signs and symbols. Staff regularly spot any misconceptions as they arise, and they address these before moving pupils on to new learning. Staff use a range of strategies to check on pupils’ learning. This means that learning pinpoints the precise gaps in pupils’ knowledge and is matched to their individual needs.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff have superb knowledge about the learning difficulties faced by pupils in the school. Effective strategies are in place to identify any additional special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) that pupils may have. Staff work collaboratively to review each pupil’s ‘learner profile’ to ensure that the needs of all pupils are met securely in the classroom. 14 and 15 January 2025

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The school is a reading and language-rich environment. Staff exploit every opportunity to give pupils reading experiences. This may involve sensory stories, accessing ‘the lodge’ library and participating in role-play activities. Children in the early years relish the range of stories, songs and rhymes.

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Across the key stages, pupils follow a structured phonics approach. This helps pupils to read at a level that is appropriate for them. Staff give pupils lots of opportunities to practise the sounds that different letters make. For example, in the early years, children achieve this through mark making with paint and sand. In the sixth form, students continue to learn phonics. Over time, they build their vocabulary well. This helps them in working towards recognised entry-level accreditations.

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Learning environments are typically harmonious and purposeful. On the rare occasion that a pupil is unsettled, staff help them skilfully and effectively. Most pupils attend school very well. They want to be there. The school takes sensitive action to ensure that pupils with medical needs attend school as often as they can.

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The personal development offer for pupils is exceptional. It is a golden thread through all that the school does. Pupils learn about topics such as how to keep themselves healthy and positive relationships. They all have access to a rich set of coherently planned experiences that enhance their learning, develop their character and promote managed risk-taking. For example, pupils delight in regular visits to the school’s woodland provision, where they learn how to build dens and use tools. Furthermore, this provision facilitates sixth-form students’ work towards The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum is sensitively crafted around what pupils and sixth-form students need to prepare them well for adulthood.

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The school provides purposeful careers advice and support to all pupils. Careers events provide pupils with meaningful encounters with local employers. Comprehensive independent living and employability curriculums ensure that pupils and sixth-form students are well prepared for adulthood.

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The school builds positive working relationships with parents and carers. Parents and carers highly appreciate the level of care and attention their children receive. One parent, typical of many, said, ‘This school has quite simply changed our family’s life. The support and guidance are second to none.’

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The school, together with governors, evaluates accurately the quality of provision for pupils. Its precise oversight ensures continual school improvement and consistently high standards of education. Staff are extremely proud to work at this school. They feel listened to and that they make a valuable contribution to what the school offers.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 and 15 January 2025

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How can I feed back my views?

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.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 14 and 15 January 2025

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Appropriate authority The governing body

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Headteacher Sue Allen (Executive Headteacher) David Walker (Head of School) Website www.landgateschool.co.uk

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Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 June 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is federated with Oakfield High School in The Aspire Federation.  All pupils who attend the school or college have SEND and an EHC plan. The school caters for pupils with autism spectrum disorder and associated communication difficulties.  The school operates on two sites. At the time of the inspection, sixth-form students were based at the Leigh Sports Village site.  Since the previous inspection, there have been several changes to the leadership arrangements. A new headteacher and a new chair of governors have been appointed.  The school does not use any alternative provision. 14 and 15 January 2025

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior school leaders, subject leaders and members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body. An inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and PSHE. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects, looked at samples of pupils’ work and visited a sample of lessons.  An inspector met with the leaders for SEND and reviewed samples of documentation

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Information about this inspection

relating to pupils with SEND.  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 reviewed a range of documents, including policies and analyses of pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors spoke to some pupils and staff about the school. They also observed pupils’ behaviour during lunchtimes and breaktimes.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff. There were no responses to the pupil survey to consider.  Inspectors also considered the views of parents expressed through Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Kate Bowker, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Carole Austin Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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