North Herts Education Support Centre

Inspection of North Herts Education Support Centre Briar Patch Lane, Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire SG6 3LY

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

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since May 2014. The school received ungraded inspections under section 8 of the Act in February 2018 and July 2023. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 1 and 2 July 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school significantly transforms the lives of its pupils. It resets and restarts their school career and post-16 prospects. Staff are highly skilled at bringing out the best in each pupil. Pupils arrive having been excluded from school, with poor attendance and disaffected with education. However, they soon thrive and re-engage positively with learning. This change is remarkable. Pupils achieve exceptionally well from their starting points.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils either return successfully to mainstream school or stay to complete key stage 4. Older pupils achieve several GCSEs and a range of vocational qualifications in subjects such as food technology, construction, hair and beauty and sport. Pupils have weekly work experience. Post-16, pupils secure college placements or employment and leave proud of their achievements.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the excellent care and kindness they receive from staff. Pupils are also clear on how they are expected to behave. Pupils quickly forge positive and highly respectful relationships with staff and each other. Mentors support pupils independently to manage their emotions and develop resilience. Learning is not disrupted.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils participate in experiences they would otherwise not have the chance to do, for example golf, boxing, visiting local businesses, meeting their MP and trips to London and the beach.

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

The school is unwavering in its determination for each pupil to do well. The curriculum is ambitious. It is carefully crafted to build knowledge over time. Staff expertly adapt the curriculum to match the stage at which each pupil joins the school. Pupils benefit greatly from the strong subject knowledge of their teachers, so they learn the curriculum as intended. This is consistent across all subjects. All pupils follow a GCSE curriculum pathway in English, mathematics and science. The school has also increased the ambition of its vocational qualifications. This provides high-quality post-16 options for pupils.

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

Staff check pupils’ knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics as soon as they start and then continue to do so over their time here. Therefore, the work set is constantly well matched to pupils’ abilities. Pupils recall what they have learned well. The school accurately identifies and fills gaps in pupils’ knowledge quickly across the curriculum. Pupils rapidly catch up in reading by following a systematic reading intervention programme. Previously reluctant readers now read every day. Reading is promoted across all curriculum areas. As a result, more pupils take English Literature GCSE as they have caught up sufficiently well in their reading ability.

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

The school is expert in supporting pupils who have social, emotional and mental health needs. Staff identify and address accurately and quickly any additional needs. Pupils with an education, health and care plan also achieve well. 1 and 2 July 2025

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The school is highly effective in getting pupils to attend school more regularly and sustain participation in learning. This is reflected in the quality of pupils’ work. Pupils find the learning interesting, and so it sustains their focus. The school also offers a very individualised approach to ensure pupils attend school full time. They work tirelessly with pupils and their families to overcome barriers to coming to school.

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Pupils respect and follow the behaviour policy, which staff apply consistently and fairly. Pupils benefit from learning strategies to manage their emotions calmly and safely. Suspensions have reduced. Pupils rarely display the behaviours they showed when they first joined the school. Pupils do not worry about unkind behaviour. They know adults sort this if it occurs. They learn self-control and are well-prepared socially to return to mainstream school or navigate college or work.

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The school’s carefully considered personal development programme improves pupils’ resilience and self-confidence. Pupils have individual mentoring sessions to develop perseverance and teamwork. They regain aspiration for their futures through a very effective work experience and careers programme. Pupils understand the risks of drugs, knife crime and gang affiliation to keep themselves safe. The school uses a range of experts to deliver these messages, including the police.

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School leaders and governors have overseen rapid improvements to the school in a short period. Governors perform the role of ‘critical friend’ very well and maintain effective strategic oversight of the school. Staff are highly positive about how well the school supports their well-being and are very proud to work here.

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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. 1 and 2 July 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). 1 and 2 July 2025

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1 single-registered and 32 dual-registered

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 July 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 North Herts Education Support Centre is a school for pupils in key stage 3 and key stage 4 who have been permanently excluded from school or who are at risk of permanent exclusion. Almost all pupils are dual-registered at this school and a mainstream school.  The school is registered for primary and secondary pupils. However, it currently only provides places for secondary-age pupils. This has been the case for several years.  The school is part of a federation with another pupil referral unit, Stevenage Education Support Centre. They share the same governing body. The headteacher is the executive headteacher of both schools. The North Herts Education Support Centre is also run by a head of school.  All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities related to their social, emotional and mental health needs.  The school operates on two sites. Key stage 3 pupils attend the school’s Briar Patch

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Information about this school

Lane site. Pupils in key stage 4 are based at 29 Bancroft, Hitchin, Hertfordshire SG5 1LA. 1 and 2 July 2025

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 Pupils in key stage 3 complete fixed-term temporary placements at the school. Pupils in key stage 4 usually complete the whole of key stage 4 at this school from their point of arrival.  The school provides outreach work for several local primary and secondary schools.  The school accesses alternative provision to support some work experience and vocational courses.  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

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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, head of school, assistant headteachers, school business manager, the special educational needs co-ordinator, subject leaders, teachers and support staff.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, science and personal, social, health and economic education. For each deep dive, the inspectors spoke to leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with teachers and support staff.  The lead inspector met with three members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body.  The inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school improvement

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Information about this inspection

plan, governor minutes and visit reports, as well as school reports to the governing body.  The lead inspector spoke with the school’s effectiveness advisor, commissioned from the local authority by the governing body.  The inspectors also spoke to a selection of commissioning schools and those that use the school for outreach work.  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 1 and 2 July 2025

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the responses gathered through Ofsted Parent View. The inspectors also spoke to a selection of parents by telephone. Inspectors considered the responses to the staff and pupil surveys. In addition, the inspectors spoke to pupils from across the school during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Sara Boyce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Wayne Jarvis Ofsted 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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