The Retreat

Inspection of The Retreat Hobart House, Oakwater Avenue, Cheadle Royal Business Park, Cheadle SK8 3SR

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Inspection dates: 16 to 18 September 2025

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding 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?

Being a pupil at The Retreat means being seen, heard and believed in. Pupils arrive having experienced trauma and fractured educational experiences. Yet, from the moment they step through the door, they are met with warmth, compassion and unwavering belief in their potential. Staff understand pupils’ needs deeply and create a calm, nurturing space where trust can grow.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils, often surpassing what pupils thought possible. Learning is purposeful and personalised, helping each pupil to close gaps and achieve qualifications that reflect their true ability. Progress is not just expected; it is celebrated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is exceptional, built on mutual respect and connection. Pupils feel safe and valued, which fosters pride, focus and a genuine desire to learn. Attendance improves because pupils want to be there.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Beyond the classroom, pupils explore identity and build resilience. This is fostered through enriching experiences, including dressmaking, horse riding, gymnastics and shopping for clothes. These activities help to restore confidence and joy. These remarkable pupils, shaped by adversity, begin to thrive. With the school’s support, they grow not only as learners but as young people ready to face the world with strength, dignity and hope.

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better?

Since the last inspection, leaders have made meaningful improvements. The curriculum is now stronger, more tailored to pupils’ diverse needs and safeguarding is a clear priority. A deep moral purpose drives staff at the school. The school focuses on continuous improvement through honest self-evaluation, staff development and a quiet determination. Pupils spoke confidently to inspectors about staying safe, understanding risks and the importance of gaining qualifications.

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better?

The proprietor body has ensured that all the independent school standards (the standards) are met. They have robust systems in place to ensure these standards are regularly checked and maintained.

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better?

Staff know pupils well and respond to their individual needs. Pupils have faced significant trauma and disrupted education before joining the school. Support includes trauma-informed counselling, flexible routines, sensory spaces, and visual mood boards. Staff work with external professionals to successfully rebuild trust, reduce anxiety and help pupils re-engage with learning in a safe and structured manner.

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better?

The school quickly identifies pupils’ special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These needs often include social, emotional and mental health needs, as 16 to 18 September 2025 well as specific learning differences. The school is adept at personalising the curriculum through regular assessments and individual education plans (IEPs).

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better?

Therapeutic interventions, practical activities and engaging topics ensure learning is accessible and meaningful. Teaching staff adapt the curriculum by incorporating pupils’ interests, such as using a popular television show to teach mathematical concepts or exploring a pupil’s love for bird watching in other lessons. These personalised strategies ensure learning is engaging, relevant and easier to understand. By incorporating pupils’ interests and addressing gaps in prior learning, the school ensures that every pupil receives the support they need to succeed academically and personally.

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better?

The school uses regular checks to identify when pupils need extra help, tailoring support to address specific learning gaps. However, while in some cases pupils are provided with opportunities to respond well to feedback and improve, in others they do not have opportunities to respond to teacher comments or complete follow-up tasks. This limits pupils’ opportunities to correct mistakes and effectively deepen their understanding.

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better?

The school prioritises reading. Daily opportunities and targeted support, including phonics, help pupils improve their reading confidence and fluency. Creative activities, such as word games and card games, make reading fun and accessible.

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better?

The school creates a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe, valued and understood. Staff use positive, carefully considered approaches and strategies to build strong relationships and foster trust. By addressing pupils’ emotional needs and celebrating their progress, the school helps rebuild pupils’ self-belief and confidence.

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better?

Pupils are encouraged to take personal responsibility for their learning, supported by therapeutic interventions and engaging activities that spark interest. This personalised approach enables pupils to overcome barriers, engage positively with their education and develop a genuine desire to learn, often achieving levels of enthusiasm and focus that they have never experienced before.

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better?

The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain by promoting cultural awareness, inclusion and resilience. Activities, including cooking linked to traditions and events such as the coronation of King Charles III, help pupils to engage with the world around them. Activities celebrating cultural heritage, such as Romanian cooking opportunities, develop a sense of cultural identity. Visits to museums, castles, and live events, such as the Chinese New Year, foster an awareness of moral and cultural understanding.

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better?

Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is designed to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. It encompasses essential themes, including fundamental British values, relationships, and broader societal issues. However, the delivery of the curriculum is not always explicit enough. In some lessons, what pupils are meant to learn is unclear and key messages are not reinforced 16 to 18 September 2025 consistently. As a result, pupils struggle to recall important concepts and apply them with confidence. This limits their ability to reflect meaningfully on the content and its relevance to their lives.

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better?

The school’s careers guidance is a standout strength, offering tailored advice and practical experiences that prepare pupils for their next steps in life. Whether transitioning to college, employment, or other settings, the school equips pupils with essential life skills, fostering confidence, resilience, and ambition for their future aspirations.

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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)

 The school has not ensured that pupils have sufficient opportunities to reflect and respond to the checks on their learning and complete follow-up tasks. As a result, some pupils do not develop their knowledge and understanding sufficiently. The school should ensure that pupils are provided with regular and structured opportunities to respond to feedback, enabling them to fully engage with teacher comments and strengthen their learning.  The delivery of the PSHE curriculum and social, moral, spiritual and cultural (SMSC) programme is sometimes variable, and some pupils struggle to recall key themes and lessons accurately. This limits their ability to fully internalise essential concepts and prepare effectively for life in modern Britain. The school should ensure that the PSHE curriculum and SMSC programme are implemented consistently across the school, with regular opportunities for pupils to revisit and

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

reflect on their learning, thereby strengthening their understanding and readiness for life in modern society.

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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. 16 to 18 September 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 144404 DfE registration number 894/6009

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School details

Inspection number 10391779 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Website www.educ8.org.uk/the-retreat-school

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29 November to 1 December 2022 16 to 18 September 2025

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Information about this school

 The Retreat is an independent day school for up to four pupils aged 11 to 18. The school provides education for girls who have been the victims of trauma. The school is situated in a rural location.  The Retreat is an independent school operated and owned by Your Chapter. The school opened in May 2017. The school is part of the Educ8 group, which is the operational name for the education services of Your Chapter Ltd. The address on the front page of this report is the address of the Educ8 group’s head office.  Planned admissions to the school may include pupils who have an education, health and care plan. A range of local authorities place pupils in the school.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school’s last full inspection was in December 2022. The school was judged to be good.

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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.  To evaluate the school’s work in meeting the independent school standards, an inspector completed a site walkaround with the headteacher, a review of complaints for the last year and a detailed review of the information on the school’s website.  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, history and child development. For each

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Information about this inspection

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 samples of pupils’ work. 16 to 18 September 2025  The inspection team talked to pupils to gather their views. In these meetings, staff were present to provide extra support. Inspectors observed informal times to evaluate safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  Inspectors held formal meetings with teaching staff, the chair of the proprietor body and pupils. They also talked informally with parents and carers, pupils and staff to gather general information about school life.  An inspector spoke with a representative of a local authority that commissions places at the school.  An inspector spoke with the commissioned clinical staff who provide counselling and support with social, emotional and mental health.

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Inspection team

Chris Pollitt, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Cathy Young His Majesty’s Inspector 16 to 18 September 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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