Cambian Walnut Tree Lodge School

Inspection of Cambian Walnut Tree Lodge School 3 Darkes Lane, Potters Bar EN16 1AG

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Inspection dates: 11 to 13 February 2025

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good 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?

Walnut Tree Lodge School provides a safe space in which pupils can thrive. When a new pupil joins, staff are sensitive to their individual needs. Pupils come from challenging circumstances. Staff support them effectively. Over time, pupils develop strong, trusting relationships with the adults who work with them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s calm indoor spaces, and peaceful rural location help pupils to grow, emotionally and academically. Caring staff celebrate pupils’ achievements. They help pupils to develop a sense of pride in their endeavours. The school is ambitious for pupils, regardless of their starting points. Typically, pupils work hard in lessons, often producing high-quality work. Pupils achieve well. Many obtain appropriate qualifications and move on to further study when they leave.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have significant social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. They often struggle to control their feelings. However, the school’s clear boundaries and routines help pupils to understand the adults’ expectations of their behaviour. Pupils learn to manage their emotions, so that they are increasingly able to be successful learners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A range of enrichment activities extend pupils’ learning beyond the curriculum. For example, pupils learn to garden and cook. They visit the nearby farm shop to buy plants or ingredients. These activities help to build their self-esteem and confidence.

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better?

The school has designed a broad, ambitious curriculum. It caters for the school’s full age range. The curriculum sets out precisely the knowledge and skills pupils will learn, with clearly identified curriculum goals in each subject. Learning builds progressively towards these. This supports pupils to be well prepared for their next steps at each stage.

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better?

All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) relating to SEMH. Some pupils have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The school conducts thorough assessments when pupils arrive to identify their individual needs and any gaps in their knowledge. It uses these assessments, along with EHC plans where appropriate, to personalise the curriculum for each pupil.

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better?

Teachers routinely and accurately assess pupils’ needs during lessons. They use questioning skilfully to check pupils’ understanding and progress. Teachers address any misconceptions or challenge pupils to think more deeply. They explain new learning clearly and use practical activities to help bring learning to life.

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better?

The school prioritises the core areas of reading, writing and mathematics. It recognises that pupils must be secure with the basics in these subjects before they can access more complex learning. Teachers encourage pupils to read regularly. They introduce pupils to high-quality novels and poetry to inspire them to read 11 to 13 February 2025 more. If pupils are in the early stages of learning to read or have gaps in their English and mathematical knowledge, teachers address these effectively in additional daily sessions.

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better?

Classrooms are calm and purposeful. Staff are consistent in their use of the school’s behaviour management approaches. They make effective adaptations to their teaching according to pupils’ needs. Additional staff support some pupils to regulate their emotions. Other pupils have visual or practical resources that help them to learn.

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better?

Pupils often have a history of poor attendance at their previous schools. The school uses a range of strategies to help pupils re-engage with education. However, in some cases these are not as effective as they could be. Sometimes there is not enough urgency or challenge in the school’s response to pupils’ absence. Consequently, some pupils do not attend regularly enough. They miss important social, emotional and academic learning.

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better?

The school prepares pupils well for adulthood. The personal, social, health and economic curriculum teaches pupils about healthy relationships and personal safety. Pupils learn about citizenship and fundamental British values, such as tolerance and the rule of law. Careers guidance, including work experience and visits to colleges and universities, helps to raise pupils’ aspirations for the future. The school puts suitable risk assessments in place for any visits or activities outside the school grounds.

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better?

The school knows and upholds its responsibilities under schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The proprietor body has systems in place to ensure that all the independent school standards (the standards) have been met. School leaders and the proprietor body conduct a range of checks to quality assure the school’s provision. These are not currently as effective as they could be. Sometimes, opportunities to improve provision are missed. Nevertheless, the proprietor body and those responsible for governance know the school well. Leaders at all levels have a clear vision to provide high quality education and improve the life chances of highly vulnerable pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school and proprietor group’s checks on the quality of provision are not as effective as they might be. As a result, occasionally, areas for improvement are missed and some pupils do not learn as well as they could. The proprietor group 11 to 13 February 2025 should ensure that the school is supported and challenged robustly, and that that strong oversight of the quality of provision leads to on-going school improvement.  The school’s actions to reduce pupil absences are not as effective as they could be. Sometimes, there is not enough urgency or challenge in the school’s response to pupils’ absence. As a result, some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This means they miss important learning. The school should strengthen its approach to reducing absence, so that all pupils attend regularly and maximise their learning opportunities, both socially and academically.

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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 to 13 February 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 135990 DfE registration number 822/6014

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School details

Inspection number 10321482 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Email address joyce.kuwaza@cambiangroup.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29 June to 1 July 2021 11 to 13 February 2025

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Information about this school

 The school provides education for pupils who have social, emotional and/or mental health (SEMH) difficulties.  The school does not use 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 the headteacher, subject leaders, the quality improvement lead and the SEMH schools’ lead. The lead inspector met virtually with a representative of the proprietor body.  The lead inspector had a tour of the school site to check that the school meets the standards relating to premises.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, science and personal, social, health and economic education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An adult was present when

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Information about this inspection

inspectors spoke to pupils.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation to check compliance with the standards. These included school policies, the school development plan and the information the school provides to parents and carers.  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.

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Inspection team

Caroline Crozier, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sara Boyce His Majesty’s Inspector 11 to 13 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

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

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