Hartmore School

Inspection of Hartmore School Gloucester Road, Hartpury, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL19 3BG

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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 Good

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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?

Pupils who attend Hartmore School ‘arrive with a past and leave with a future’. The school provides a calm and nurturing environment where pupils thrive. The warm relationships between staff and pupils sit at the heart of the school’s success. Many pupils arrive from multiple unsuccessful placements elsewhere. Pupils receive the care and support they need to help them overcome the challenges they face and to begin to re-engage in their learning. Pupils develop a strong sense of community and feel safe. They gain confidence and self-esteem, which helps them to experience success and achieve well. Pupils attend school regularly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They demonstrate high levels of respect and kindness. Pupils are polite and well-mannered. They accept each other’s differences. Pupils show support when their peers are facing a challenging time which helps them to reduce their anxious behaviours.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of the extra responsibilities the school offers, such as being class representatives. These responsibilities develop pupils’ social and leadership skills well. Parents and carers are extremely positive about the work of the school. Comments include praise for the school as going above and beyond to meet pupils’ needs and where pupils are ‘genuinely listened to and nurtured’.

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better?

The school provides a diverse and rich curriculum for pupils. Staff carefully consider the information in pupils’ education, health and care (EHC) plans to ensure that the provision is in place to meet pupils’ individual learning and their social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. The school carefully considers the interests of pupils as an avenue to re-ignite their interest in education and begin to develop a love of learning. For example, the school provides bespoke packages such as horse riding and gardening. As a result, pupils’ attendance improves significantly.

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better?

The number of pupils who attend the school has increased significantly since the last standard inspection. The school has expanded and is now based across three sites. Since this expansion, the school recognise that subject leaders have not had sufficient opportunity to monitor the areas they lead across the three provisions. Also, leadership oversight has not been sufficiently robust. Nonetheless, the quality of education and care pupils receive has not waivered during this time.

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better?

There is a strong focus on the core subjects of English, mathematics and science. Oracy and reading are a priority. The school work hard to ensure pupils develop a confidence in speaking. This enables pupils to articulate their ideas and views in a meaningful way. Pupils who arrive with significant gaps in their reading knowledge and skills receive the support and practice they need to help them catch up speedily. Books accurately match pupils’ phonics knowledge. Pupils achieve success in a range of qualifications, including in English and mathematics. 8 to 10 July 2025 Therapeutic provision intertwines seamlessly with pupils’ daily provision. This has positive impact on pupils’ behaviour, which is good in lessons and during social times.

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better?

The school goes to great lengths to provide wider learning opportunities such as the gardening club. These provide opportunities to demonstrate learning in other contexts beyond the classroom. For example, developing literacy skills when writing seed labels and instructions for others to follow. Pupils experience a wide range of activities beyond the school, which include climbing, skiing and paddle boarding. Such experiences build pupils’ independence, resilience and leadership skills.

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better?

The school does not put a ceiling on pupils’ aspirations. Staff provide pupils with careers advice to help them take the next steps into education or training. The school goes to great lengths to ensure that pupils move onto college or employment with success.

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better?

Those responsible for governance understand their roles and responsibilities. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about working with the pupils. They welcome the camaraderie that permeates across the staff teams. The proprietor ensures that the school meets the independent school standards in full. The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school has grown significantly since the time of the last standard inspection. However, leadership oversight has not been sufficiently robust in identifying the strengths and areas for improvement. The school needs to ensure that quality assurance processes are securely in place in order to have a clear view of its work.  The school has not given subject leaders sufficient opportunity to monitor the areas they lead across the three provisions. This means leaders are not sure how well the curriculum is being implemented for all pupils. The school needs to ensure that leaders are able to check the quality of provision to assure themselves pupils achieve as well as they can. 8 to 10 July 2025

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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. 8 to 10 July 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 115809 DfE registration number 916/6072

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School details

Inspection number 10391710 Type of school Other Independent Special School

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £50,505 - £81,705

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School details

Email address schooloffice@hartmoreschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 to 13 October 2022 8 to 10 July 2025

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Information about this school

 Hartmore School is a specialist, independent day-provision for children aged 7 to 18 years.  The majority of pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in the category of SEMH.  All pupils who attend the school either have an EHC plan or are in the process of acquiring one. Pupils are placed at the school by their representative local authorities. Most pupils are placed at the school by Gloucestershire local authority.  The school is located over three sites: the main site Hartmore School, Gloucester Road Hartpury, GL19 3BG, 218 Stroud Road, Gloucester, GL1 5LV and Hartmore Genesis exclusively for girls, Barbers Bridge, Rudford, Gloucester GL2 8DX.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  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

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 second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and wider staff.  Inspectors met with the chair of the proprietary board and the chief education officer.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE). For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors listened to some pupils from across the school read. 8 to 10 July 2025

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors sampled the wider curriculum including pupils’ work in science, history and geography.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered key documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, the school development plan and minutes of board meetings.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school sites. An inspector met with school leaders to discuss and review how they respond to behaviour incidents and pupils’ attendance.  Inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey and the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ comments.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Stuart Clarkson His Majesty's Inspector 8 to 10 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

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