Brambles School

Inspection of Brambles School 29 Ashworth Lane, Mottram, Cheshire SK14 6NT

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 February 2025

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management 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 are happy at this inclusive and nurturing school. They enjoy strong, positive relationships with caring staff. Pupils know that there are trusted adults who they can speak with about any worries they may have. This fosters a sense of safety and belonging.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for what pupils can achieve. Pupils, all of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. They are positive about their school and their learning. Typically, they transition back into mainstream schools, ready for the next stage of their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff make it their priority to know each pupil well. They set high expectations and support them in being successful in their learning. Pupils are ably supported to manage their emotions and make positive choices. This helps them to follow the school’s rules.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s offer for pupils’ personal development is exceptional. It provides a highly personalised offer that reflects pupils’ needs. Pupils benefit from a broad range of experiences outside the classroom. The school prioritises social and emotional development by supporting pupils to develop important skills, such as self-care, self-awareness and forming relationships. As a result of this positive work, pupils develop remarkably well from their differing starting points.

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better?

Pupils who come to this school have often experienced significant barriers to their learning in the past. The school successfully supports pupils to settle in quickly and to attend school regularly. As a result, pupils typically develop positive attitudes to learning and grow in confidence. Staff understand the social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs of pupils. They are supported to use effective strategies that promote pupils’ positive behaviour. This helps pupils to learn to manage their feelings and emotions appropriately.

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better?

The school accurately identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Pupils’ individual education, health and care (EHC) plans are frequently reviewed and updated. The school makes sure that pupils with SEND receive the specialist support they need from a range of professionals.

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better?

Pupils’ personal development is at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils benefit exceptionally well from a range of precisely targeted opportunities in preparation for life in the wider world. For example, pupils spoke enthusiastically about a vast range of educational trips and visits that they benefit from. Additionally, the school teaches pupils how to be responsible through a variety of leadership roles, such as the school council, through litter picking and raising money for charities. Pupils also learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe. 11 and 12 February 2025 The school is ambitious for pupils’ futures and provides ongoing, impartial careers advice and guidance to help them to learn about different careers, training and employment. Pupils also learn the importance of fundamental British values. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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better?

Reading is a high priority across the school. Pupils benefit from well-planned opportunities to develop and practise their reading and writing skills. Staff select texts skilfully to broaden pupils’ ideas, vocabulary and understanding of diversity. Pupils engage well in dedicated reading sessions, where they participate in independent and group reading. In the main, those who are at the earliest stages of learning to read get the help they need to catch up quickly.

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better?

Much of the school’s curriculum has undergone changes in recent years. The resulting curriculum is broad and ambitious for pupils. The school has identified the key knowledge and subject-specific skills that pupils should learn in most subjects.

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better?

In a few remaining subjects, the school is still determining the precise knowledge that pupils should acquire and the order in which this should be taught. This means that, on occasion, staff do not place the right emphasis on the knowledge that pupils need for future learning. This sometimes prevents some pupils from learning as deeply as they could and making connections with what they have learned before.

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better?

Staff regularly check how well pupils are learning. In the main, they use these checks effectively to address pupils’ errors and misconceptions. Typically, pupils achieve well. However, in some subjects, information from these checks is not used as effectively as it could be to consider the next steps in pupils’ learning. This means that, on occasion, the activities that some pupils are asked to complete do not match their needs as well as they might. This hampers some pupils from learning as well as they could.

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better?

The proprietor maintains effective oversight of the work of the school. Together with school leaders, the proprietor accurately identifies the school’s strengths and areas for further improvement. The proprietor carefully monitors the school’s work to ensure that the independent school standards (the standards) are consistently met. It ensures that staff benefit from extensive professional development opportunities and that their workload is prioritised. The school meets all the standards and fulfils the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 11 and 12 February 2025

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In a small number of subjects, the school is determining the precise knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should happen. This means that, sometimes, staff do not emphasise and revisit some important ideas and concepts. The school should make clear to staff the key knowledge that it wants pupils to learn in each area of the school’s curriculum so that pupils can achieve well across all subjects.  In a small number of subjects, assessment information is not used as well as it should be to inform future learning activities. This means that some pupils’ progress is hampered because they are not helped to build successfully on prior learning. The school should ensure that teachers utilise checks on pupils’ learning to carefully design their next steps and to secure pupils’ prior learning before they move on to new concepts.

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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. 11 and 12 February 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 140814 DfE registration number 357/6004

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School details

Inspection number 10342094 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £44,096 - £70,200

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School details

Website halliwellhomes.co.uk/brambles-school

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School details

Email address emma.fletcher@halliwellhomes.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 to 23 September 2021 11 and 12 February 2025

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Information about this school

 Brambles School is an independent school operated and owned by Halliwell Homes Ltd. It opened in April 2014.  The school’s previous standard inspection took place from 21 to 23 September 2021.  The school is located at 29 Ashworth Lane, Mottram, Cheshire SK14 6NT.  The school is registered to admit up to seven pupils.  All pupils who attend this school are in the care of a local authority.  Most pupils who attend the school have an EHC plan. All pupils have SEMH and a range of associated needs.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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 evaluation 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 representatives of the proprietor body, the headteacher and other school leaders.  The lead inspector held telephone conversations with representatives of local authorities which have pupils placed at the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and personal, social, health education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum documentation, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to staff, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other

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Information about this inspection

subjects.  Inspectors met with leaders to discuss SEND, assessment, pupils’ behaviour and provision for pupils’ wider development. 11 and 12 February 2025  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentation, including that relating to the standards, leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement and documents relating to pupils’ attendance.  As part of their checks on the standards, inspectors made a tour of the school premises, accompanied by leaders.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of the school, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and honest culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at lunchtime. Inspectors spoke with some pupils about their experiences of school life. There were no

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Information about this inspection

responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  The inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  The lead inspector spoke with a member of staff from the residential children’s home where the pupils reside.

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Inspection team

Victoria Burnside, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Phill Walmsley Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 February 2025 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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