Woodbury School

Inspection of Woodbury School Hellier Road, Wolverhampton WV10 8ED

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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 start Woodbury School with a range of disrupted experiences and views of education. Over time, they learn that school can be, and is, a positive and safe place for them to be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Through the school’s high expectations for behaviour and learning, pupils learn to ‘be respectful, stay safe and try their best’. Pupils’ individual needs mean that their behaviour can be variable. There are periods of calm and periods of unsettled behaviour. However, the school supports pupils to decrease the amount of unacceptable behaviour and increase their positive behaviour. This helps pupils to learn and to work and play in a social group. This supports pupils to develop, grow in maturity and to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy sharing their learning and thoughts with each other, with their teachers and with visitors. A striking feature of this school is how confident pupils are to engage in conversations and how clearly they share their thoughts and viewpoints. They are extremely well prepared for life beyond school. Parents and carers appreciate the positive difference that the school makes to their child’s education, behaviour and life chances. They rightly note that the school is incredibly supportive. For instance, parents say that their child has come on in ‘leaps and bounds’ and they can ‘now shine with a new lease of life’.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, there have been several changes in leadership. This slowed the work of the school. The proprietor has invested resources, time and energy in addressing this challenge. The buildings are well looked after and provide a safe, calming space for learning, play and relaxation to happen. The leadership of the school has been strengthened. This has made a positive difference and builds on what has gone before.

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better?

The proprietor sets a clear vision for providing bright futures for young peoples’ lives. This vision is alive in all the work of Woodbury School. The infectious ambition, energy and clarity of what the school’s strengths and next steps are, support it to do many things well across school life. There is also an honesty and accuracy around what is not working so well or what needs to improve.

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better?

Staff sing the praises of the difference that leaders make to how they can support the pupils safely and well. There is a common consensus of being ‘a family which feels like a school again, where pupils’ progress matters’. The staff training programme is effective. It ensures staff are equipped to know the pupils well. Staff, alongside the therapeutic team, use this knowledge successfully to identify needs. They use what they know well to safeguard pupils and support their progress in learning and managing their emotions. 18 to 20 March 2025 The school’s curriculum helps pupils to learn to read, write and to calculate numbers. It also provides pupils with useful learning experiences in different subjects. However, sometimes, the school does not help pupils to connect important subject knowledge together. This weakens some of pupils’ subject-specific understanding.

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better?

The school’s recent introduction of phonics and the prioritisation of reading is working. Pupils enjoy using the library and access a range of texts. This is achieved through the staff reading to them, pupils reading for themselves and through audio and visual media. Pupils at the earlier stage of learning to read, no matter their age, receive bespoke help pinpointed to what they need at that moment in time. Pupils gradually master the art of putting sounds together to read words, sentences and paragraphs.

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better?

Pupils apply their English and mathematics skills in food technology lessons. This unique approach to food technology is inspiring. To see primary pupils chopping food safely with sharp knives and the expertise of a master chef is impressive. To taste the food prepared by older pupils gets the taste buds going. Pupils are rightly proud to share this important skill with their family. They learn that they can contribute to the needs of society as they prepare meals for people in the community.

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better?

Staff check carefully where pupils’ starting points are and what gaps in their knowledge need filling. They are skilled at adapting the learning and tapping into pupils’ interests. This supports pupils to engage more actively in their learning. This mostly works. However, due to the specific needs of the pupils, there are times when their behaviour gets in the way of their learning. The school sets clear expectations that work will be completed. The reward system comes into play here. Pupils develop an understanding that by making the right choices, they earn specific rewards that they enjoy.

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better?

The school’s expertise in identifying pupils’ interests is impressive and used to good effect. It provides activities that pupils enjoy. It allows them to gain a wider view of what they like and what they are good or not so good at. This filters seamlessly into a strong offer for helping pupils to consider various careers pathways that might be of interest to them. Conversations around a pupil are peppered with their strengths, their interests, the activities or work experience that they are involved in. All of this happens with a close eye on what is right for the pupil as they move on to their next stage of learning or life.

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better?

The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 18 to 20 March 2025

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In some subjects, the school has not set out clearly enough the specific content that they expect pupils to learn. This leads to pupils not building their learning over time sufficiently well. The school should ensure that all subjects have the key content and defined pathway of learning set out for them clearly from primary, through secondary and into the sixth form.

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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 March 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 145059 DfE registration number 336/6005

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School details

Inspection number 10342130 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Proprietor Horizon Care and Education Group

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £62,498 to £117,920

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School details

Email address enquiries@horizoncare.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 to 12 May 2022 18 to 20 March 2025

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Information about this school

 Woodbury School is an independent special school that caters for pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. All pupils have an education, health and care plan. Pupils are referred to the school by local authorities. Most pupils have a history of interrupted schooling.  The school is part of the Horizon Care and Education Group, which operates specialist education and care settings across the country. This school is based at Hellier Road, Wolverhampton WV10 8ED.  There has been a change of leadership at a senior level since the previous inspection.  Currently, the school uses three registered alternative provisions.  The school has fewer than five pupils in the sixth-form provision. Therefore, a separate judgement is not made.  The school’s last full inspection was in May 2022, when it was judged to be good.

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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

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  As part of their work to check compliance with the independent school standards, inspectors met with the headteacher and the chair of the proprietor body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English including early reading, mathematics and food technology. 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.  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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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors carried out a detailed tour of the site and premises to consider how well the school meets the independent school standards. Inspectors considered documents, policies and plans linked to the health, safety and welfare of pupils, including the fire risk assessment, checks on fire safety equipment and site safety. 18 to 20 March 2025  Inspectors considered pupils’ behaviour throughout the inspection. Inspectors also spoke with leaders to consider how they support pupils’ behaviour.  Inspectors talked with pupils and staff to gather general information about school life. They took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey of staff. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View.  A range of documentation was scrutinised, including school policies, curriculum documents and the school’s website.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Foulkes, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Matt Fletcher His Majesty’s Inspector 18 to 20 March 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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