The Registry

Inspection of The Registry 2 Cemetery Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 2DL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school was opened with a clear mission to support pupils who have had a disrupted experience of education. Since the first pupils started in November 2024, they are succeeding in this mission. Pupils benefit from immediate opportunities to talk about the support they need as soon as they start at the school. As this support is consistent and adjusted as necessary, pupils are now having more positive experiences of school. Regular communication with parents means they are well informed and an integral part of the improving educational experiences for their children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high ambitions for pupils’ achievement. The carefully constructed curriculum is enabling pupils to achieve well. The curriculum has a clear focus on high-quality qualifications to support pupils to access positive destinations when they leave. Pupils appreciate that the school regularly discusses potential and ambitious destinations with them. This helps them to have a clear idea of their future plans, and how their qualifications will help them to succeed when they leave.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the school’s expectations for their behaviour. They know they will be supported to make good choices and learn to treat others with consideration. They understand too how important it is to focus in lessons, which they typically do.

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better?

The school’s curriculum has been designed around the key subjects and qualifications that pupils need. There is breadth in the curriculum, and it includes courses in art and physical education, which lead to qualifications. The school makes effective use of a nearby leisure centre for practical physical education lessons to support the learning.

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better?

The curriculum clearly sets out the key knowledge that pupils need to learn. Thanks to regular training and reviews, teachers generally check that pupils understand the key knowledge they need to be successful. Overall, this helps pupils to learn the curriculum well. However, sometimes the tasks that teachers select do not help some pupils to learn the curriculum as well as they could. This is because, on occasions, the tasks do not take sufficient account of the gaps that pupils have in their knowledge. This can slow the learning for some pupils.

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better?

The school clearly identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) as soon as they start. It sets clear targets for them, which are regularly reviewed both with the pupils and their parents. It also ensures that teachers have the information that they need about these pupils to support their learning effectively. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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better?

Reading is a high priority across the school. The school has selected a range of different texts, which add variety to pupils’ reading experiences. Pupils have regular 1 to 3 July 2025 reading lessons and can read with appropriate fluency. However, there is variability in how well teachers present new vocabulary or discuss the content of texts.

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better?

The school’s behaviour expectations are made clear. These are commonly understood by the staff. Pupils’ progress against these expectations is tracked in detail. This means that trends can be spotted. Appropriate action is then taken to support those pupils who might need further assistance to meet the school’s expectations. As a result, pupils learn to conduct themselves as the school expects.

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better?

The school understands that many pupils did not attend their previous schools as often as they should have. They support pupils to attend more regularly and liaise with parents and external agencies as necessary. This means that pupils’ attendance starts to improve.

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better?

The school has a clear focus on pupils’ personal development. Thanks to a clearly mapped programme with extensive reviews, pupils can articulate their key learning. For example, they understand other faiths and cultures and appreciate the diversity of their school and the wider community. Through events such as the ‘day of service’, pupils learn to contribute to the wider community. Pupils have extensive experience of the world of work through regular careers information, visits and interviews. This means pupils are well prepared for when they leave the school, whether that is in the next stage of education or employment.

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better?

Leaders are experienced and knowledgeable. They are ambitious for the development of their provision. Staff are trained appropriately for their roles and their workload and well-being are supported well. The proprietors are ambitious for the school and have a clear vision for its development. They work effectively with the staff to refine and develop provision, ensuring statutory obligations are met. The school regularly engages with parents. Parents are positive about the experiences their children get.

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better?

Leaders ensure that the school meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. There is a suitable accessibility plan is in place.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 On occasions, staff do not select or design learning activities that take sufficient account of pupils’ gaps in their learning. As a result, some pupils do not build knowledge as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers provide effective activities that close gaps in pupils’ knowledge to enable them to remember more over time. 1 to 3 July 2025  There is variability in the approaches that staff use to develop pupils’ vocabulary or explore texts. This means that some pupils do not engage with books or texts as well as they could. The school should ensure that the agreed approach to reading and the development of pupils’ vocabulary is consistently applied by all staff.

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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. 1 to 3 July 2025

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School details

Proprietors Shelley Jamieson and Neil Jamieson

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £25,000 to £42,000

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School details

Email address office@phoenixlearning.co.uk 1 to 3 July 2025

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Information about this school

 The Registry was registered with the DfE in May 2024. The school then opened to pupils in November 2024. This was the school’s first standard inspection.  The school is based in an old registry office in Stoke – The Registry, 2 Cemetery Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 2DL.  Staff are new to the school. Some also work at another setting under the same proprietors.  The school caters for pupils who have had a disrupted education, mainly owing to behavioural and social difficulties. Five pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The pupils are placed at the school from a variety of local schools and one local authority.  All pupils are educated full time in the school building. Pupils have practical physical education lessons at a nearby local venue.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school does not have a governing body.

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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

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

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the school’s first independent school standard inspection.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record, considered 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.  During the inspection, inspectors completed deep dives in the following subjects: English, including reading, mathematics, physical education and art. In these subjects, they visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and talked with pupils and staff about how these subjects were taught. Inspectors also looked at other

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Information about this inspection

1 to 3 July 2025 subjects in less detail to check how they were planned and taught. An inspector observed a practical physical education lesson in a local sports hall.  Inspectors observed informal times to evaluate safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  During the inspection, the inspectors had formal meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject teachers, the chair of the governing body and pupils. They also talked informally with parents, carers, pupils and staff to gather general information about school life.  The inspectors also spoke with the proprietors.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. An inspector held telephone calls with parents and carers to gather their views about the quality of provision for their child, and communication between the school and home.

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Inspection team

Andrew Madden, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Eve Morris His Majesty’s Inspector 1 to 3 July 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

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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