Mill School - Bury

Inspection of Mill School – Bury Wellington Street, Bury, Greater Manchester BL8 2BD

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Inspection dates: 29 April to 1 May 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 Requires improvement

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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 kind and courteous. They benefit from the nurturing environment that the school has created. They know that staff care for them. Pupils are happy and behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils achieve well. They rise to the high aspirations that the school has for their achievement and conduct. The school prioritises the development of pupils’ mental health and well-being. This helps pupils to succeed where they may have found learning difficult in the past.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Activities such as sports, crafts and taking part in school performances help pupils to develop their talents and interests. Pupils enjoy a range of trips such as to museums and taking part in workshops that strengthen their understanding of the subjects that they study. For example, pupils learn about slavery, how to keep themselves safe and about historically important sites during a residential trip to Durham. These opportunities help pupils to develop their confidence and resilience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school prepares pupils well for adulthood. Pupils take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and they enjoy outdoor and adventurous activities. They make a valuable contribution to their community. Pupils raise money for local charities, such as to support assistance dogs for people with autism. These activities help pupils to become independent young people.

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better?

The proprietor and the school have established an environment where everyone is welcome and valued. The proprietor has a strong oversight of the independent school standards (the standards) to ensure that they are met consistently. It ensures that the school meets its statutory responsibilities under schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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better?

The proprietor and governors have a good understanding of the context of the school. They have regular meetings with school leaders and receive plentiful information about the school. They carry out regular checks on the performance of the school. The premises are well maintained. Pupils’ safety and well-being are central to the decisions that leaders make. Policies, including those for relationships and health education, and safeguarding, are available on the school’s website.

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better?

The school provides pupils with an ambitious, well-designed and broad curriculum. In most aspects of the curriculum, it has thought carefully about the important knowledge that pupils should learn. In a small number of subjects, the school has not identified the specific knowledge that pupils should learn. In these subjects, staff are not as clear as they could be about what to teach and when. Pupils are well supported to achieve a range of qualifications, and most pupils are prepared well for each stage of their education. They make a successful transition to further education, apprenticeships or employment with training. 29 April to 1 May 2025 Typically, staff design activities that help pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding securely over time. On occasion, the activities that staff provide do not help pupils to build their depth of knowledge sufficiently well. When this happens, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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better?

Staff use their strong subject knowledge to make regular checks on what pupils know and remember. They address any errors or misunderstandings that pupils may have about their learning promptly. Staff help pupils to make strong links to their previous learning and ensure that pupils are ready to tackle new learning.

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better?

The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately. Staff appreciate the information that the school provides about pupils’ needs and how to meet them. This supports their workload. Staff use this information to provide these pupils with experiences that enable most of them to learn alongside their peers with success.

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better?

The school identifies and addresses the reading needs of pupils with precision. For some pupils, this includes help to close any gaps that they may have in their phonics knowledge. Books are well matched to each pupil’s stage in their reading development. The school provides pupils with the support that they need to become confident and fluent readers. The books that pupils read make a strong contribution to their understanding of the world. This includes learning about other cultures, autism and fundamental British values.

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better?

Most pupils approach their learning with a high level of motivation. They demonstrate respect towards staff and their peers. Staff provide effective support to a small number of pupils that need help to improve their behaviour or attendance. This has led to an increase in the rate of attendance for these pupils.

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better?

The school’s provision to promote personal development prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils value the differences that may exist between people. They know the features of a healthy relationship and how to stay safe online. The school’s impartial careers programme ensures that pupils make informed decisions about their next steps.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In a small number of subjects, the school has not given sufficient thought to the most important knowledge that pupils should learn. This means that staff sometimes lack clarity about the content that they should emphasise when they select learning activities. This hinders pupils in building up their knowledge 29 April to 1 May 2025 securely in these subjects. The school should ensure that it identifies clearly what pupils should learn so that staff can help pupils to build their knowledge sufficiently well.  At times, staff design activities that do not help pupils to develop a secure knowledge of the subjects that they study. This prevents some pupils from achieving as well as they could. The school should ensure that it supports staff to design learning activities that prepare pupils well for each step in their education.

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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. 29 April to 1 May 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 147349 DfE registration number 351/6017

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School details

Inspection number 10378625 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

Proprietor Kedleston Schools (London) Ltd

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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 inspection 14 to 16 May 2024 29 April to 1 May 2025

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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 Schools (London) Ltd, 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 previous standard inspection was in May 2024. Since the previous inspection, a progress monitoring inspection has taken place in November 2024.  The current headteacher took up their 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.

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Information about this school

 The school is registered to admit 70 pupils.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement 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 spoke with the headteacher and other leaders from the proprietor body, including the chief operating officer and the regional director.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: English, science, and design and technology. They discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited some lessons, reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with staff and pupils.  Inspectors reviewed the curriculum plans for a range of other subjects.  Inspectors met with leaders to discuss SEND, the curriculum, assessment, pupils’ behaviour and the provision for pupils’ wider development.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text

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Information about this inspection

comments. Inspectors gathered the views of staff and pupils throughout the inspection. 29 April to 1 May 2025  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.  The lead inspector had a tour of the school premises.  Inspectors viewed a range of documentation, including those related to the standards, that was provided by the school.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences of school life. They observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktime and lunchtime.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.

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Inspection team

Andy Cunningham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Phill Walmsley Ofsted Inspector 29 April to 1 May 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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