Woodcroft School

Woodcroft School

Address: Whitakers Way, Baldwins Hill, Loughton, Essex, IG10 1SQ Unique reference number (URN): 115425

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met. Insufficient evidence: Inspectors were unable to gather sufficient evidence to judge whether safeguarding standards are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders’ work on attendance has clear and sustained impact. Attendance is in line with national figures for special schools. The school's approach to attendance reflects a robust safeguarding culture. Leaders spot concerns about a pupil's attendance early and act with urgency. They work closely with families and external agencies to remove barriers to attendance. This secures rapid improvement for pupils with historically low attendance. A very small number of pupils with complex medical or mental health needs remain persistently absent. Leaders monitor these cases relentlessly and adapt support well.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils manage their behaviour well, both independently and with appropriate staff support. Classrooms provide calm and highly purposeful environments for learning. Leaders expertly design classroom environments to support pupils' sensory needs. This enables pupils to sustain high levels of engagement. Staff know pupils well. They apply the behaviour policy with consistency and skill. Pupils respond positively to this. They show warm and respectful attitudes to adults and visitors. Pupils engage in their work with increasing independence.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Bullying or discriminatory behaviour is extremely rare and dealt with promptly and effectively by the school. Leaders review all behaviour information regularly and use this oversight to improve and strengthen provision. They prioritise the use of therapeutic approaches to help pupils manage their behaviour.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders identify pupils’ needs with precision. When pupils join the school, leaders carry out robust checks on what pupils know and can do. These checks help leaders to gain an understanding of pupils' needs. Leaders remove barriers to pupils' development rapidly. Whether through targeted therapeutic support or changes to provision, leaders and staff meet pupils' needs expertly. Leaders create precise small steps to ensure that pupils achieve outcomes set out within their education, health and care plans. The school reviews these plans frequently, alongside parents and carers and other professionals. Consequently, pupils receive timely, consistent and high-quality support.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders monitor pupils' development closely. Leaders rigorously check that interventions and support remain purposeful and have clear impact. Staff are highly knowledgeable about special educational needs and/or disabilities. They put in place effective strategies to support pupils with skill and expertise. Leaders work closely with families and external professionals. Parents benefit from termly meet and greet sessions, where the school gives them effective training and guidance to support their children's needs.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders know pupils known to social care extremely well. They work purposefully with social workers and the virtual school to align support with pupils’ plans. Leaders also make effective use of pupil premium funding to support those pupils who are disadvantaged.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders provide a highly ambitious personal development programme that is personalised to pupils' individual needs. Leaders ensure that pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. Teachers match learning activities and support to each pupil’s stage of development. Pupils build a secure understanding of healthy relationships and personal boundaries. Teaching about online and offline risks is woven through the curriculum so pupils know how to communicate their needs and identify trusted adults.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The school includes personal, social, health and economic education and relationships and sex education in pupils' individual curriculum plans. This ensures that disadvantaged pupils and those with increased needs access learning that is meaningful and appropriate. Pupils reflect on their views and experiences. They demonstrate respect and understanding of the beliefs and values of others, appropriate to their stage of development. Staff guide pupils precisely to explore right and wrong in accessible ways. Creative cultural experiences help pupils appreciate diversity and the wider world.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The provision for pupils' social development is a notable strength. Staff teach cooperation, turn taking and conflict resolution with precision. Pupils apply these skills consistently well, including through enterprise projects, school leadership roles and community visits. These experiences help pupils to understand fundamental British values and make a positive contribution to the school and wider community.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils have well-informed personalised targets to develop their independence, management of emotions and community participation. Pupils develop practical life skills through travel training, money management and regular community visits. Expert staff provide targeted therapeutic support that promotes pupils’ physical and mental health. Staff recognise any signs of distress in pupils. They help pupils to manage their emotions by supporting them to apply the strategies they have learned.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders monitor the impact of the programme closely and make changes to pupils' provision when needed. Pupils are increasingly independent and self aware. They communicate confidently and engage positively with others.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils generally achieve well from their varied starting points and progress through the curriculum. Staff use consistent, well ‑ trained approaches that develop pupils’ interaction and engagement with others. This ensures that pupils achieve particularly well in this area of development. Leaders check pupils’ wider development regularly. This ensures that pupils make appropriate progress from their individual starting points in developing essential skills. Pupils’ communication is a notable strength. The use of pupils' support plans and therapists in classrooms ensure that pupils use their chosen communication methods with growing independence. In developing pupils' essential skills, the school prepares pupils well for future learning and life. Pupils generally secure a basic early knowledge of mathematics and English. They also gain an appropriate breadth of knowledge as they progress through the curriculum. Pupils

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Achievement Expected standard

are well prepared for their next stage of learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders understand the content and quality of the school's curriculum well. Recent changes to the content of the mathematics and English curriculum help staff to identify early gaps in pupils' development. Most of the time, staff adapt learning thoughtfully for pupils. They skilfully make changes to lessons and activities so that pupils are able to access learning at their own stage of development. However, sometimes staff do not spot gaps in pupils' basic knowledge precisely enough and therefore do not plan the most effective activities to address those gaps.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders adopt an ambitious and broad curriculum that reflects pupils’ various starting points. The individualised curriculum in place provides balance between basic knowledge and critical developmental areas that prepare pupils for their next stage of learning. The curriculum prioritises developing vital skills in communication, independence and the management of feelings and emotions.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. This is most notable in pupils' wider development areas such as communication and interaction. Staff have been trained in early reading. A well-resourced and well-constructed reading scheme is in place to support those pupils who are able to access phonics. Activities to support pupils at the earliest stage of reading are effective.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have created a caring and ambitious school where pupils feel safe and valued. Parents and carers and staff are proud of the school. Parents emphasise the positive difference the school has made to their children's education and wellbeing. Parents value the trusting relationships they have with staff and the regular opportunities to contribute to reviews of their children's provision. Leaders’ commitment to working closely with families strengthens pupils’ experiences and supports their progress.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The proprietor body maintains effective oversight of safeguarding and the independent school standards. This ensures that the standards are met consistently over time. Regular visits and checks ensure that leaders remain focused on pupils’ welfare and the quality of provision. Those responsible for governance use their expertise to appropriately challenge and support leaders. They use their knowledge and expertise of education and special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to hold leaders to account. Leaders at all levels take decisions that place pupils’ needs at the centre of the school’s work.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders know the school well and constantly reflect on where improvements are needed. Most recently, these refinements have occurred in the curriculum. Leaders prioritise the training and development of staff to ensure that pupils receive high-quality support and care. This includes training that builds expertise in SEND. Leaders recognise the importance of the continued development of subject leaders as a means of securing greater consistency in curriculum implementation. Staff value the school's investment in professional learning. Staff also value leaders' consideration of their workload and wellbeing when making changes to the school.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils benefit from effective teaching and support. When pupils join the school, leaders quickly gain an understanding of pupils' specific needs. Staff find out what pupils can do and what they find difficult. Pupils achieve well because staff help to remove the barriers pupils face to their learning and wider development. As a result, pupils learn alongside others with increasing independence. Pupils learn effective strategies to communicate their needs. They use these strategies confidently to share their views. The precise support pupils receive helps them take part in their school and local community. Pupils attend very well. When they find it difficult to attend regularly, the school supports pupils and their families skilfully and sensitively. This enables pupils to make a successful return to learning.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils' sense of belonging develops through the excellent relationships they have with the staff who help them. There is clear mutual trust and respect between staff and pupils. Pupils know that the staff will take care of them. Classrooms provide the optimum environment for learning because they are calm and predictable spaces. Pupils enjoy school. They take part in a range of activities that help them develop vital life and social skills. Pupils learn to take turns, work together and resolve disagreements. Pupils show these skills confidently throughout the school day. Pupils develop a strong sense of themselves through the school’s personal development programme. They build responsibility through activities such as community visits, enterprise projects and leadership roles. These activities help pupils understand their place in wider society.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils thrive because they are understood and able to express themselves. Bullying of any kind is not tolerated and is extremely rare. Pupils know which staff to talk to if they are worried and they trust that concerns will be dealt with quickly. Pupils become increasingly independent, self aware and confident about their future.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that staff identify gaps in pupils' basic knowledge with consistent precision. They should also ensure that staff adapt their teaching effectively to address those gaps. Leaders should continue to provide subject leaders with the professional learning they need to enable them to support staff, as effectively as possible, in achieving greater consistency in the quality of curriculum implementation.

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Independent school standards

Independent school standards are either met or not met for each category.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this standard inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, and checked the school’s compliance with 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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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other school leaders during the inspection.

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About this inspection

Woodcroft School LTD is the proprietor body for Woodcroft School. The chairs of the proprietor body are Daniel and Benjamin Edwards.

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About this inspection

Annual fees currently charged for a day placement: £77,404.93.

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About this inspection

Woodcroft is an independent special school for pupils with moderate and severe learning difficulties, autism and speech, language and communication needs. All pupils have an Education, Health and Care plan. The school's email address is mail@woodcroftschool.net.

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About this inspection

This is the only school in the proprietor group. The school runs from one site: Whitakers Way, Baldwins Hill, Loughton, Essex, IG10 1SQ.

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About this inspection

There is a new headteacher in place since the previous standard inspection in March 2023.

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About this inspection

The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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About this inspection

At the previous inspection carried out in March 2023, the school was graded as good and all independent school standards were met.

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About this inspection

1. Quality of education provided Standards met

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About this inspection

2. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils Standards met

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Team inspector:

Robert James, Ofsted Inspector All standards have been met.

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Team inspector:

3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Standards met

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Team inspector:

4. Suitability of staff, supply staff, and proprietors Standards met

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Team inspector:

5. Premises of and accommodation at schools Standards met

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Team inspector:

6. Provision of information Standards met

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Team inspector:

7. Manner in which complaints are handled Standards met

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Team inspector:

8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools Standards met

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Insufficient evidence

Inspectors were unable to gather reliable enough evidence to grade an evaluation area. This is rare and normally only happens if there are no pupils on roll at the school.

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Insufficient evidence

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Insufficient evidence

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Insufficient evidence

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

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