Forwards Centre

Inspection of Forwards Centre Stephens Street, Breightmet, Bolton, Lancashire BL2 5DX

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good

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The headteacher of this school is Christopher Fielding. This school is part of The Bolton Impact Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Paul Hodgkinson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Keith Davies. 3 and 4 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love their school. They feel safe, secure and welcome there. Most pupils have found education difficult in the past. Some have disengaged from it altogether. Once they join this school, they rediscover their love of learning. Pupils thrive and blossom through the excellent care and education that they receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has the highest expectations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils rise successfully to this challenge. They listen carefully in lessons and work hard. They relish opportunities to answer teachers’ questions. Pupils persevere when learning is challenging and revel in their own success. Most pupils have education, health and care plans. Regardless of their needs, pupils typically achieve extremely well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour improves dramatically once they join the school. There are clear rules and routines that pupils try to follow each day. For instance, pupils know that they must walk quietly into the hall at assembly time. Pupils show immense pride when they achieve one of the school’s coveted badges for conduct.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The programme for pupils’ wider development is simply exceptional. Every care is taken to identify and foster pupils’ talents and interests. Pupils have opportunities to represent their school, for example, in sports competitions. They learn to value difference and diversity, and to contribute to their community.

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

The school has created an ambitious and exciting curriculum across a broad range of subjects. Meticulous care has been taken to ensure that this curriculum takes account of pupils’ individual special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The time that pupils spend at this alternative provision school varies from a few months to years. They arrive at different stages of their primary education. Regardless of when they join or leave, this strong curriculum successfully rekindles pupils’ thirst for learning. They begin to believe that they can achieve, and they do.

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

The curriculum contains the knowledge that the school most wants pupils to learn in each subject. Pupils learn this key knowledge in a logical order. This means that pupils build new learning on what they already know with great success. Staff are adept at making sure that pupils understand new knowledge before moving on to the next concept. Any misconceptions are identified and addressed successfully. Pupils can remember and explain what they have learned because their knowledge is secure.

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

The school checks the curriculum is having the intended impact over time. When necessary, the school makes further refinements to teaching so that pupils continue to receive education of the highest quality.

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

Any additional needs that pupils have are identified quickly once pupils are admitted. Staff successfully adapt their delivery of the curriculum to ensure that pupils learn rapidly, 3 and 4 June 2025

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including pupils with SEND. The school communicates successfully with a range of professionals to ensure that pupils receive any additional support that they need. Parents and carers are fully and usefully involved in this process.

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Reading has been prioritised. Many pupils arrive at the school with weaknesses in their reading and phonics knowledge. This is because their earlier education has been disrupted. The school ensures that pupils receive prompt help to remedy these weaknesses. Pupils’ confidence grows as a result, and they rediscover their enjoyment of reading. The school provides pupils with a wide range of exciting books to read. These texts broaden pupils’ vocabulary and their understanding of language. From often struggling to read, pupils achieve well and are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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Pupils enjoy coming to school. Their attendance typically improves significantly once they are admitted. They develop positive attitudes to learning and to school life. This contributes to a climate in which pupils learn successfully.

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Pupils’ personal development is at the heart of the school’s work. This is underpinned by ambitious principles and aims, known as the ‘Forwards Centre Five’. Through these principles, pupils learn to aspire for their futures as well as taking account of the needs of others. Pupils challenge themselves through experiences related to sport and music. They learn to connect their experiences in school to wider fundamental British values, such as the rule of law and democracy. These experiences prepare pupils well for life beyond school.

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Trustees and governors have an accurate and perceptive view of the school’s many strengths, and of its ambitions for further development. This helps them to hold school leaders to account for their work effectively. Staff are highly appreciative of leaders’ concern for their workload and well-being. Parents value the school’s regular and informative communication about their child’s development.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 3 and 4 June 2025

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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). 3 and 4 June 2025

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School details

School category Academy alternative provision converter

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 February 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school provides short-term provision for pupils aged 5 to 11 who are not in school due to permanent exclusion or for social, emotional and mental health reasons. Some pupils are dual rolled with a mainstream school.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 3 and 4 June 2025

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 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other school leaders.  The lead inspector met with trustees and with governors. She spoke on the telephone with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. 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. The lead inspector also listened to some pupils reading to a familiar adult.

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 Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  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

Mavis Smith, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sheldon Logue Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 June 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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