Manor School

Manor School Mountbatten Way, Raunds, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, NN9 6PA

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report:

At the most recent graded inspection in July 2024, the following areas were identified as needing to improve:

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report:

 The school’s delivery of the intended curriculum is of poor quality. It does not support pupils to gain knowledge and skills securely. This is reflected in pupils’ work and their performance in external examinations at key stages 4 and 5. The school needs to ensure that pupils benefit from a well-planned and well implemented curriculum and that they gain the knowledge and qualifications to be successful in their next stages of education and future careers.

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 Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not benefit from a high-quality education because expectations for these pupils are too low. Staff do not receive accurate information, or have the expertise, to effectively adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. Therefore, these pupils are not reaching their potential. The school needs to ensure that expectations are raised, and that staff adapt teaching approaches so that pupils with SEND benefit from the curriculum and achieve well.

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 The school does not have systems in place to identify gaps in pupils’ reading knowledge. As a result, pupils who need more help with reading, including those with SEND, do not receive the support they need to access the curriculum. The school should ensure that it has an accurate understanding of pupils’ reading needs. It should ensure that all pupils can access reading material across the curriculum through appropriate adaptations.

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 The school has not made appropriate and robust checks on the alternative provision used to support the needs of a small number of pupils. Routines are not in place to measure the impact of the provision or monitor the attendance of these pupils. As a result, these pupils do not benefit from a high-quality education. The school needs to ensure that secure systems are in place to ensure any alternative provision used meets the needs of pupils. It should ensure pupils attend well and benefit from an appropriate curriculum. Monitoring Inspection report: Manor School, 17 to18 March 2026 2  The school has introduced new systems to improve attendance, behaviour and the number of pupil suspensions. Although these new systems are starting to have some positive impact, they are still in their infancy. This results in these pupils missing too much of their learning. Pupils with SEND and those that are disadvantaged are disproportionately represented in these figures. The school must

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report:

fully implement its systems to improve behaviour and reduce the rates of poor attendance and suspensions so that all pupils benefit from the school’s curriculum.

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continued work is needed to remove the requires significant improvement

During the monitoring inspection, inspectors focused on the following evaluation areas:

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continued work is needed to remove the requires significant improvement

 Leadership and governance  Safeguarding  Inclusion  Achievement  Attendance and behaviour  Curriculum and teaching

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Leadership and governance

Since the full inspection in July 2024, leaders have made improvements towards all the areas for improvement identified. Leaders and staff have a shared commitment to make the necessary changes for the better. They are proud of their accomplishments so far. They also know that there is a lot yet to do. They value the support of the trust and from leaders of another multi-academy trust.

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Leadership and governance

Utilising this support, leaders have redesigned many school policies and procedures to address the areas of weakness. They have also provided a substantial amount of training for staff to improve their practices.

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Leadership and governance

Leaders’ focus on developing consistent common teaching strategies is starting to make a positive difference in many lessons. Teachers are starting to develop more effective ways of supporting pupils with SEND. This is aided by leaders’ much improved approach to informing staff about how best to support pupils with SEND. As a result, pupils’ outcomes are starting to improve. However, there is more work to do so that new teaching practices become fully embedded across the school and pupils achieve more.

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Leadership and governance

Attendance and behaviour have improved. Pupils are now more likely to behave well and attend regularly. However, the support leaders have in place to support pupils who struggle to maintain consistently positive behaviour is only partially successful.

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Safeguarding

At the previous full inspection, safeguarding was evaluated as being effective. Monitoring Inspection report: Manor School, 17 to18 March 2026 3

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Inclusion

At the previous monitoring inspection, inspectors found that leaders had introduced guidance and training for staff to improve their expertise with adapting learning activities to meet the needs of pupils with SEND where appropriate. Since then, leaders have refined their system of informing staff about pupils’ needs and how best to support these pupils. Leaders’ improvements mean that staff now have the precise information they need to understand pupils’ specific needs and the necessary support teachers should provide. Leaders also have in place a well-considered plan for ongoing staff training.

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Inclusion

Leaders have introduced external scrutiny to ensure that their use of alternative provision and part-time timetables are appropriate. Leaders ensure that pupils who attend alternative provision are safe and have high-quality learning experiences. Leaders also ensure that pupils on part-time timetables are safe. However, some of these pupils remain on part-time timetables for too long. Leaders have benefitted from the support from another multi-academy trust to improve the quality of checks leaders have regarding part- time timetables. Leaders aim to reduce further the number of pupils on part-time timetables and the duration of these arrangements.

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Achievement

Since the last full inspection, pupils’ achievement in national tests has improved. In some subjects, outcomes are close to national averages. However, in too many subjects, outcomes are below national averages.

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Achievement

Pupils’ work in books shows varied success across the curriculum. Too often, the quality of pupils’ books does not reach leaders’ high expectations. Similarly, pupils’ responses in lessons demonstrate underdeveloped understanding of the curriculum. Furthermore, pupils’ communication skills are also less well developed than they should be. This includes the reading skills of pupils at an early stage of reading.

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Achievement

While leaders are taking appropriate action to improve achievement for pupils with SEND, these pupils do not achieve well from their starting points.

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Attendance and behaviour

At the previous monitoring inspection, inspectors found that pupils’ behaviour had improved. It remains the case that most pupils behave well in lessons and at social times. However, there remains a significant minority of pupils who do not maintain consistently positive behaviour. Although suspensions for these pupils have decreased, they remain at a high level. In addition, pupils continue to be frequently withdrawn from lessons to attend the ‘re-set’ room. As a result, these pupils miss important learning. The provision offered to those removed from lessons does not adequately support their progress, and many fall behind in their learning.

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Attendance and behaviour

At the last monitoring inspection, inspectors noted that pupils’ attendance remained problematic. Since then, leaders’ introduction of new measures to improve attendance have been somewhat successful. Currently, pupils’ attendance is improving, though less so Monitoring Inspection report: Manor School, 17 to18 March 2026 4 for disadvantaged pupils. However, too many pupils arrive late to lessons, resulting in missed learning and, on occasion, disruption when they enter the classroom.

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Curriculum and teaching

At the previous monitoring inspection, inspectors found that leaders put in place an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum. Since then, leaders’ evaluation of the quality of the curriculum has enabled them to understand what is working well and what needs developing. In response, leaders have put measures in place to continue to improve the curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching

The quality and impact of the curriculum and teaching remains uneven across the school. However, leaders’ ongoing training is supporting teachers to make the necessary improvements. Teachers have benefitted from routine feedback about the impact of their teaching. They also have regular opportunities to work in teams to reflect on how they can develop their teaching to lift pupils’ outcomes.

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Curriculum and teaching

As at the previous inspection, teachers still do not consistently realise when pupils forget or misunderstand key concepts. As a result, pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they could.

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Curriculum and teaching

Leaders’ small group sessions for pupils at an early stage of reading help them gain fluency and confidence in reading. Teachers are developing their use of what they know about pupils’ reading knowledge when planning learning activities. However, teachers do not yet support these pupils well enough in lessons.

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Curriculum and teaching

Teachers are increasingly embedding leaders’ approach to developing pupils’ vocabulary. Teachers consistently follow leaders’ clear approach during tutorial sessions. However, the teaching of vocabulary across the wider curriculum remains underdeveloped.

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Curriculum and teaching

Although teachers are developing their expertise, they do not consistently adapt learning activities well enough. As a result, some pupils are not sufficiently supported to overcome barriers to learning or to access the curriculum as effectively as they could.

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Additional next steps

Leaders and trustees should continue to address the priorities for improvement identified from its previous full inspection.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this monitoring inspection under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005, and it was the second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require significant improvement following the graded inspection that took place in July 2024. Monitoring Inspection report: Manor School, 17 to18 March 2026 5 The school’s previous inspection and the first monitoring inspection were carried out under the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) at that time. The renewed EIF took effect from 10 November 2025. The areas for improvement identified at the school’s graded inspection and subsequent monitoring inspection have been cross-referenced to the relevant evaluation areas in the inspection toolkit for consideration on this monitoring inspection.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this monitoring inspection was not to determine grades for any of the evaluation areas set out in the school inspection toolkit. The purpose was to identify and report on the school’s progress in addressing priorities for improvement since the school’s previous inspection.

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About this inspection

Since the first monitoring inspection, the school continues to wait for the brokering process into a new multi-academy trust to be completed. This has meant that some improvement plans have been delayed. In March 2026, the current multi-academy trust introduced an interim executive board. Trustees expect this board to provide greater scrutiny of the progress made towards the achievement of the necessary improvements. This board has not yet started their work.

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About this inspection

During this inspection, meetings were held with the principal and other senior leaders, the interim chief executive officer of the trust, trustees, teachers and support staff to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection.

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Chair of the trust

Paul Stone Monitoring Inspection report: Manor School, 17 to18 March 2026 6 Monitoring Inspection report: Manor School, 17 to18 March 2026 7 and inspects 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 looked- after-children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Chair of the trust

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Chair of the trust

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Chair of the trust

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Chair of the trust

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