Quorn Hall School

Inspection of Quorn Hall School Meynell Road, Loughborough LE12 8BQ

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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?

The school has high aspirations for all pupils to fulfil their personal potential. The ambition of the school’s curriculum encourages pupils to develop resilience, work hard and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the positive and strong relationships they have with staff. Most pupils are positive about attending the school because they know that they are looked after and are kept safe. The school understands pupils’ individual needs well. It is very aware of the difficulties pupils experience. It offers a personalised nurturing approach to help pupils understand themselves.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff consistently implement the school’s behaviour policy with dogged determination. Their calm insistence that pupils engage with education means that very little learning time is lost during the day. Staff support pupils to understand and manage their emotions. They help pupils to adapt to change and interact positively with each other. They also help pupils to understand their own needs and those of others. Pupils are polite, considerate and welcoming to visitors. Almost all pupils see marked improvements in their attendance and behaviour over time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils gain from a range of experiences and activities that provide opportunities for personal development. Pupils particularly appreciate the options available to them to develop their talents and interests during lunchtimes.

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better?

The school has an ambitious vision to ensure that all pupils understand how to become successful learners. It realises this ambition through the four ‘R’s’ that encourage pupils to be ‘respectful, responsible, resilient and reflective’.

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better?

The school has improved in many areas since its last inspection. The curriculum is well structured and offers a wide variety of subjects that pupils enjoy. Pupils learn subjects from the national curriculum at a level that is appropriate for them. Pupils benefit from carefully structured lessons that build their knowledge and skills in the subjects they study. However, on occasions, it is not always made clear exactly what pupils should know and remember. While subject curriculums are ambitious, some of the planned activities do not always lead pupils to secure the intended learning. As a result, some pupils struggle to recall the important knowledge they need.

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better?

Generally, teachers use their good subject knowledge to present information clearly and engage pupils in interesting learning activities. They are skilled in using questioning to identify what pupils have understood from the lesson. However, where it is less clear what pupils should be learning, staff cannot make accurate judgements about how well pupils have learned key knowledge. 3 to 5 June 2025 The school has made reading a high priority. There are several opportunities for pupils to engage in independent and group reading. The school has recently introduced a systematic phonics programme. This means pupils are now better supported with more precise help to improve their reading and comprehension. However, on occasions, this support does not enable pupils to develop their reading skills as quickly as they can.

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better?

The school provides a highly effective, multidisciplinary approach to meeting pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities. This approach centres around a framework that the school uses to assess the severity of mental health problems and pupils’ social functioning. This framework allows a range of staff to meet to discuss individual pupils and plan and coordinate the support they need. This then translates into detailed personal support plans for each pupil. Staff use this information to help pupils work towards the larger outcomes outlined in their education, health and care plans (EHC plan). This carefully coordinated approach supports pupils’ learning and contributes significantly to the progress that they make at the school.

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better?

The school is working closely with parents and carers and pupils to highlight the importance of being at school and to address any barriers to good attendance. There has been a significant investment to provide effective support for families. As a result, those pupils who can attend well.

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better?

High-quality pastoral care and support for pupils’ social, emotional and mental health needs underpin everything the school does. Pupils appreciate the many opportunities they have to talk to a trusted adult. They also value the reassuring and calming presence of Basil, the therapy dog. Pupils engage in interesting visits such as to places of worship, which widen their experiences of different beliefs and cultures. They learn to respect those who are different to them. Many are involved in charitable activities. Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities to learn about options for future study and careers. They are well prepared for their next steps towards adulthood.

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better?

Leaders, including the proprietor, have focused their improvement efforts on areas that will have the most impact, particularly in improving the quality of education. They know the school well. They understand their statutory duties and have a good understanding of the independent school standards (the standards). These standards are met securely and consistently. The premises are well maintained. Thorough checks ensure that all health and safety and fire safety regulations are met. Risk assessments are routinely updated. Policies are up to date and reflect the latest national guidance.

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better?

Staff feel well supported. They appreciate the effort made to reduce their workload and improve their well-being.

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better?

The school meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The policies for relationships and sex education and safeguarding are available on the school’s website. 3 to 5 June 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Sometimes it is not clear what the important knowledge and skills are that pupils are expected to know and remember. Planned activities do not always lead pupils to secure the most important knowledge they need. This makes it difficult for staff to assess if pupils have been successful in achieving the learning outcomes. As a result, some pupils struggle to recall the important knowledge they need. The school should ensure that pupils are routinely aware of the knowledge and skills they are expected to learn and that staff understand how best to support pupils to secure this key knowledge as well as they can.  The school has not made sure that the support pupils receive through the phonics programme enables all pupils to develop their reading skills as quickly as they can. As a result, some pupils are not becoming accurate and fluent readers as soon as they are able. The school needs to ensure that the support pupils receive

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

to help them learn to read enables them to develop these skills well so that they become confident readers as soon as possible.

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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. 3 to 5 June 2025

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School details

Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

School category Independent special school

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £77,533 to £102,736

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 to 5 October 2023 3 to 5 June 2025

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Information about this school

 Quorn Hall School is registered to provide education for up to 85 pupils aged six to 17. There are currently 61 pupils on roll. The school operates from premises on Meynell Road, Quorn, Loughborough, LE12 8BQ.  The school offers specialist provision for pupils who have social, emotional and mental health needs. Some pupils have a diagnosis of autism. All pupils have an EHC plan.  The school’s most recent standard inspection took place from 3 to 5 October 2023. A progress monitoring inspection of the school took place on 5 March 2024.  Cavendish Education Limited became the proprietor of the school on 31 January 2020. The school is one of four schools overseen by Newcome Education. This organisation is a sub-group of Cavendish Education Limited.  The headteacher was appointed to the position in September 2024. There have been many other staff changes since the previous standard inspection.  Pupils travel to the school from several local authorities.

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Information about this school

 The school uses five unregistered alternative provisions.  At the time of the inspection, there were no pupils on roll who are above the compulsory age for education.

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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.

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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.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, other members of the senior leadership team and subject leaders. The lead inspector met with members of the proprietor body, including group directors and the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, art and food. 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 a sample of pupils’ work. 3 to 5 June 2025  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects. The lead inspector attended a multidisciplinary meeting to evaluate the effectiveness of the wraparound mental health support for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors considered a wide variety of school documents, including the school’s policies and risk assessments.  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.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s survey of school staff. Inspectors met with pupils to discuss different aspects of the school’s provision.  Inspectors toured the premises and reviewed the school’s facilities.

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Inspection team

Dave Gilkerson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

George Huthart Ofsted Inspector 3 to 5 June 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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