Stockport School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Stockport School Mile End Lane, Stockport, Cheshire SK2 6BW

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Outcome

Stockport School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils embody the values that this school sets out for them in a clear vision called the Stockport School Way. They are happy and proud to be a part of their supportive school community. Pupils share positive relationships with staff. They know that there is someone that they can talk to if they have a problem or a worry.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the high expectations that staff place on them and they rise to meet these. Pupils study a broad and ambitious curriculum. They are enthusiastic about their learning, and they actively engage in their lessons. They achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Around the school site and in lessons, the atmosphere is calm and purposeful. Pupils learn without disruption. They are polite and considerate towards each other. If pupils need additional help to regulate their emotions or behaviours, then the school provides a wide range of effective support, including access to specialised mental health services. This ensures that pupils’ needs are met well and that they are included in school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from experiences that extend beyond the academic curriculum. For example, they take part in a wide range of trips both locally and abroad. Older pupils take part in reading sessions with their younger peers, providing support and acting as positive role models. These activities develop pupils’ understanding of the wider world and help them to develop a sense of responsibility and independence.

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

Since the previous inspection, the number of pupils on the school’s roll has grown and the range of pupils’ needs has changed significantly. With strong support from the governing body, the school has successfully adapted its overarching curriculum offer to ensure that it 7 and 8 May 2025

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meets the needs and interests of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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At a subject level, curriculums are well designed and clearly set out and order the knowledge that pupils need to learn. Teachers use their expertise to select appropriate learning activities. They regularly break down information clearly for pupils and revisit previous learning. Overall, teachers employ effective assessment strategies to support pupils to fill in any gaps in their knowledge. This helps pupils to build their understanding securely and achieve highly.

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The school has effective systems in place to identify and support pupils with SEND. Staff receive detailed information about pupils’ additional needs. They use this to make appropriate adaptations to their teaching so that pupils with SEND can access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers and achieve well.

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Reading is promoted and prioritised in the school. Across all subjects, staff use effective literacy strategies to support pupils’ vocabulary development and comprehension skills. In addition, the school identifies and supports any pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge. However, for a small number of pupils, the help that they need is not as targeted as it could be. This hampers how quickly these pupils develop confidence and fluency in their reading.

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The COVID-19 pandemic presented many challenges for pupils during their return to routine school life. The school has worked proactively with staff and pupils to uphold high standards of behaviour. Staff consistently use the school’s clear systems effectively to promote and reward positive pupil behaviour. Overall, pupils’ rates of attendance continue to improve. However, some groups of pupils are still absent too often and this affects the continuity of their learning. The school is acutely aware of the barriers facing these pupils and it is providing extensive support to re-engage them in their learning.

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Pupils benefit from an extensive offer of enrichment activities and experiences that the school has designed to support their wider development. For example, they take part in a varied range of extra-curricular clubs such as cheerleading, photography and basketball. Pupils develop their confidence and leadership skills for example, by becoming part of the school council or completing the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme.

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A thoroughly designed and effective programme of careers information, advice and guidance is in place for all pupils, including work experience. This ensures that pupils are well prepared for their next steps in life and that they progress onto positive destinations when they leave school.

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The school supports staff in a thoughtful and sustainable way so that their workload is manageable. Staff are able to focus on developing themselves professionally in their roles for the benefit of pupils. The governing body provides strong support and challenge. This helps the school to continually review and improve the quality of education and opportunities that pupils receive. 7 and 8 May 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s support for a small number of pupils who need extra help with reading is not fully effective. As a result, for these pupils, the gaps in their phonics knowledge are not addressed as well as they could be. This hinders how well they can access the wider curriculum. The school should ensure that its existing support is further refined. This is so that it is focused accurately on addressing the specific gaps in pupils’ phonics knowledge to enable them to develop their reading fluency as quickly as possible.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in December 2019.

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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. 7 and 8 May 2025

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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). 7 and 8 May 2025

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1352

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Peter Maloney (co-chair) Michelle Beecroft (co-chair) Headteacher Ian Irwin

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 December 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses two registered alternative providers for a small number of pupils.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body, including the co- chairs of the governing body.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority. 7 and 8 May 2025

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, middle leaders, staff and pupils.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey. They met with a range of staff throughout the inspection to gather their views.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey. Inspectors met with a range of pupils from different year groups to gather their views about school life. Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Amanda Downing, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Tim Long Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 May 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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