Humberston Park School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Humberston Park School St Thomas Close, Humberston, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire DN36 4HS

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Outcome

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

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Richard Gargon. This school is the only school in a single-academy trust, which means the board of trustees also has responsibility for running the school. This board is chaired by Eve Richardson-Smith.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at Humberston Park. They are supported by a highly skilled staff team who care deeply for them. Staff have an astute understanding of the individual needs of pupils. Their health, care, developmental and physical needs are considered carefully through everything the school does.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Health professionals provide skilled advice to staff, so pupils can access learning and communicate in ways that are meaningful to them. Pupils’ medical needs are sensitively supported.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is excellent. Most pupils attend well. Staff help pupils to understand and manage their emotions. Pupils build positive relationships with staff. The environment is thoughtfully designed and reflects the school’s inclusive ethos. Pupils benefit from accessible indoor and outdoor spaces that help them to calm and develop their independence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to care for themselves and develop life skills that equip them well for life beyond school. They enjoy a variety of enrichment opportunities, including cooking, swimming and enterprise activities. They are proud of their recent participation in a successful national, world-record-breaking attempt. 1 and 2 July 2025

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

The school’s curriculum is designed coherently across the three learner journeys of ‘experience for life’, ‘skills for life’ and ‘learning for life’. The school identifies pupils’ individual special educational needs and/or disabilities with precision. It ensures that pupils access the learner journey that best meets their needs. The curriculum is flexible. Pupils move between learner journeys as their needs change, and they build on their knowledge and skills.

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

Pupils’ individual ‘My Day’ outcomes are designed to be achievable. Staff ensure that the support provided continues to meet each pupil’s needs. The school makes sure that pupils’ learning goals are aligned with their education, health and care plans (EHC plan).

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

The curriculum is sequenced well. It is broken down into very small steps so that all pupils regularly experience success. This is a particular strength in mathematics, where the use of resources is very effective in helping pupils learn and remember essential aspects of mathematical knowledge. Staff check carefully what pupils know and can do before moving pupils on to more complex tasks.

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

The school has a sharp focus on communication and language development across the curriculum. From the early years, children learn how to use a range of communication strategies. Visual communication aids are used well by staff and pupils. Some pupils use electronic communication devices with increasing independence. Pupils of all ages learn to communicate their needs and feelings effectively.

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

Many pupils are at the very early stages of learning to read. Staff read to pupils regularly. Pupils develop a love of reading. They particularly enjoy the daily story time sessions. The school has a well-equipped library. Pupils relish opportunities to explore reading through structured sensory play. When ready, pupils learn to read using phonics. Staff teach this with precision. They adapt the phonics programme to support pupils who are nonverbal with reading when necessary.

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

The school’s provision for physical development is a strength. Pupils benefit from regular physiotherapy, including the use of the hydrotherapy pool. Staff receive specialist training and coaching from a team of physiotherapists, enabling them to support pupils well.

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

Attendance is improving, and most pupils attend school regularly. The school provides appropriate support to families when pupils are too ill to attend school. The school’s work to reduce absence is having a positive impact. Staff work closely with parents and carers and external professionals to improve attendance.

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

Behaviour is well managed because staff know pupils exceptionally well. They are experts in noticing subtle changes to pupils’ behaviour. Pupils respond well to the calm, caring approach of staff. Incidents of poor behaviour are rare. The school has recently introduced new ways to monitor behaviour. However, this information is not used consistently to identify patterns and inform precise support. 1 and 2 July 2025

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Pupils are taught how to stay safe, including online. Sixth-form students learn how to use smartphone apps safely. Pupils are taught about healthy relationships. Staff adapt resources to help pupils to understand more complex issues such as consent. Pupils learn functional life skills, including how to plan menus, shop in a local supermarket and prepare meals. They have access to a range of opportunities in the local community that help them prepare for adulthood. Pupils make items and sell them in a local community café.

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The school liaises with parents and professionals to prepare pupils for life beyond school. Pupils’ next steps are carefully considered at the earliest opportunity. They receive suitable careers advice. Students in the sixth form have opportunities for work experience in the school. Leaders are working with local employers to strengthen this offer further.

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Leaders are passionate about the school and the community it serves. They are ambitious about what can be achieved and have clear strategies in place. Trustees have a comprehensive understanding of the school’s strengths and improvement work. Staff speak highly of the support that they receive from leaders. They value the high-quality training they receive to support them in their role. Staff are proud to work at Humberston Park.

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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 recent changes to how staff monitor and reflect on pupils’ behaviour are still being embedded. As a result, not all behaviour incidents are captured or analysed effectively. The school should ensure that its approach to monitoring behaviour is implemented consistently and used to inform precise support.

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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 outstanding 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 1 and 2 July 2025

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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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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in June 2015.

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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.

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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). 1 and 2 July 2025

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School details

School category Academy special converter

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form

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is the only school in the Humberston Park Special School single-academy trust.  The school caters for pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties; severe learning difficulties; physical disabilities; autism; speech, language and communication difficulties; multi-sensory impairment; visual impairment; and hearing impairment.  All pupils have an EHC plan.  The school does not use any alternative provision. ◼ There are currently no nursery-age children on the school’s roll.  The school provides a summer school for 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 1 and 2 July 2025

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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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the wider leadership team, the school business manager, the designated safeguarding lead, leaders with oversight of behaviour and attendance and lead therapists.  The lead inspector met remotely with the chair of trustees.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning, listened to some pupils reading to a familiar adult, looked at samples of pupils’ work and considered a range of documentation.  Inspectors observed pupils during breaktime and lunchtime and at the start and end of

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Information about this inspection

the school day.  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’ interest first.  The lead inspector reviewed records and spoke to staff in relation to behaviour, bullying and attendance.  Inspectors met with some teaching and support staff.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and Ofsted’s surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Nikki Heron, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Richard Wakefield His Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 July 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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