Whitehall Academy

Whitehall Academy

Address: 21 Whitehall Street, Rochdale, OL12 0LN Unique reference number (URN): 151391

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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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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders have created a climate in which pupils feel settled enough to re-engage with learning. As a result, pupils make positive progress from their starting points and achieve well across the curriculum. Their learning is closely aligned to their education, health and care plan targets and personalised curriculum goals. Leaders check these targets carefully to understand pupils’ progress and where further adaptations are needed. Over time, this steady progress ensure pupils are increasingly well prepared for their next steps.

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Achievement Expected standard

For pupils who have not yet secured early knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics, targeted interventions are in place and are informed by pupils' identified needs. However, the impact of this support is not always sustained in classroom learning. Occasionally, some pupils do not develop the skills to apply or build on what they have learned when engaging with the wider curriculum.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils typically develop effective approaches to their learning, including becoming increasingly independent and self-motivated. They learn to express their needs and communicate their choices effectively. As a result, they form friendships, participate well in lessons and make a positive contribution to wider school life.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Many pupils’ attendance quickly improves once they join the school. Leaders understand the barriers that some pupils have faced previously in attending school regularly. Leaders are creative in their approach to ensure that any barriers are swiftly removed. For example, pupils and their families value the ‘soft landings’ to support pupils’ transition into school from home in the morning. This work is highly successful for all groups of pupils, including those with additional vulnerabilities. The school’s overall attendance compares positively to similar schools nationally.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils know that staff believe in them. Relationships between staff and pupils are founded on promoting a strong sense of belonging and valuing pupils as individuals. Staff model and expect positive behaviour so pupils increasingly respond with constructive attitudes to learning and good manners. Routines provide a safe and predictable environment. Pupils engage well with the school's reward systems, including opportunities such as sharing a hot chocolate with the headteacher or spending time playing football. They also know that skilled staff are ready to support them if they feel unsettled or anxious and would deal with any incident of bullying quickly if it occurred.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. Across the different pathways, learning is carefully sequenced to help pupils make secure steps of progress towards their education, health and care plan objectives. Leaders have mapped out the building blocks of knowledge that pupils should learn. Staff explain new ideas and concepts by breaking them down into simple parts and checking that pupils understand. This helps pupils to make links and build on what they already know. Typically, staff use assessment information well to plan next steps and address gaps in pupils' understanding.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders routinely check the quality of teaching and use this information to support staff development. They have designed a professional learning programme to help staff develop their pedagogical knowledge that is responsive to the various additional needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This ensures that teachers are skilled to adjust their teaching nimbly to support children with SEND.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Pupils learn the basic knowledge they need in mathematics, reading and writing. However, sometimes there are missed opportunities for staff to reinforce and address gaps in pupils’ phonics knowledge and handwriting, particularly in pupils’ letter formation. While the curriculum is typically well delivered, on occasion, learning moves on without pupils securing these important basic skills.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Inclusion at Whitehall Academy is effective because leaders identify and understand pupils’ needs and barriers to learning as soon as pupils join the school. By drawing on information from parents, carers and professionals, leaders ensure that learning plans are personalised to reflect pupils’ specific needs. Pupils known to social care, including looked-after children, are supported well. Leaders work closely with multi-agency partners to ensure that pupils’ needs are met.

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Inclusion Expected standard

There are thoughtful learning environments to suit each learning pathway. For example, sensory rooms provide calm, safe spaces for pupils to develop their understanding of how to regulate their own emotions. Well-designed outdoor spaces support pupils’ developing social interactions and stepping outside their comfort zone in a safe way. Staff adapt routines, provide sensory tools, and use a range of communication strategies to promote pupils’ independence. They draw on the information in pupils’ education, health and care plans to design tailored strategies and engaging activities to support pupils’ learning and communication needs. This means that learning builds from pupils’ starting points and is shaped by what they need to make progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff receive appropriate training which helps them to adapt their teaching and care, including for disadvantaged pupils, effectively. Leaders monitor the impact of the school's work regularly. They review and adapt strategies systematically, so that barriers to learning are addressed effectively.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders, including the proprietor, know their pupils and context well. This helps them to adapt improvement plans and take action responsively to act in the best interests of pupils. As the school continues to grow, the proprietor maintains strategic oversight to ensure that improvement work is appropriately focused and informed by regular and accurate monitoring. As a result, the right policies, procedures and resources are in place to keep pupils safe and to help them learn. The proprietor has an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. It holds leaders to account effectively for the quality of education that pupils receive. The proprietor intends to set up a governing body to provide additional support and challenge to leaders.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have established an open and collaborative working culture, where staff and leaders regularly work together to ensure that pupils’ interests are always at the forefront of decisions. Leaders have developed a comprehensive professional learning plan, which is responsive to staff needs and is aligned with priorities for development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate leaders’ efforts to look after their wellbeing and workload. They value the time that leaders set aside to come together as a staff body to reflect daily on the progress and any emerging needs of each pupil. This supports staff to plan effectively and adjust their approach as required. Parents and carers praise the way the school makes a significant and positive difference to their children's lives.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The proprietor ensures that the school meets all the independent school standards consistently and securely. It ensures that all statutory requirements are met.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils’ personal development and the pastoral support that they receive are at the heart of the school’s work. Pupils all have access to a set of coherently planned experiences that enhance their learning, develop their character and promote self-esteem. They enjoy regular outdoor learning, practicing life-skills, including cooking and taking care of the school’s chickens. These experiences develop pupils’ self-belief in varying situations and strengthen their interpersonal skills.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Through the curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education, and regular ‘drop-down’ days, teachers help pupils learn about key topics that prepare them for life in modern Britain. Pupils value learning about the emergency services, the dangers of gangs, budgeting and finance. They also celebrate different faiths, cultures and perspectives through events such as Chinese New Year and visits to local museums. Lessons help pupils understand how to stay physically and mentally healthy, stay safe online, grow in independence and develop tolerance and mutual respect. Teachers use real-life experiences to strengthen pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values. For example, pupils recently elected a student council which helped them to learn about democracy and decision-making.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils take part in a range of local charity and community activities, including helping to create a community garden. Leaders monitor participation in extra-curricular opportunities to ensure all pupils access experiences that broaden their horizons. They make suitable adjustments so pupils with additional needs can join in alongside their peers. Pupils told inspectors that the trips and wide variety of enrichment activities are the aspects of school they enjoy most.

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

This is a school where pupils feel comfortable to be themselves. Despite the significant challenges that pupils have faced in their lives before joining the school, they quickly settle when they get here. This helps them to feel valued and safe. Pupils build warm and trusting relationships with staff. Soon after arriving at the school, pupils attend school more often that they did at their previous setting.

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

All pupils have an education, health and care plan. Expectations for their academic and social achievements are high, no matter what curriculum pathway they follow. From their first day at school, pupils benefit from a thoughtfully adapted curriculum tailored to their individual needs. This is because skilled staff have a precise understanding of each pupil’s individual barriers to learning and wellbeing, and know how to reduce them effectively. Pupils thrive personally and achieve well from their various starting points.

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

Staff treat pupils with empathy and kindness. They know each pupil extremely well. Staff understand the different ways pupils express their needs. This contributes significantly to pupils’ growing self-confidence and to their sense of belonging. Effective classroom and social time routines mean that pupils know exactly what to expect and when. Staff swiftly respond to pupils’ individual needs if they struggle with any emotional difficulties. Consequently, pupils’ behaviour is typically calm in lessons and at other times during the day and any bullying would be a rarity.

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

The school nurtures pupils’ personal development well. Pupils relish the opportunities on offer to them. These help to develop and broaden their understanding of the world around them. For example, pupils enjoy regular visits to the local park and trips to the swimming pool. They benefit from activities such as ‘simply cycling’ where pupils learn to ride adapted bikes, improving their co-ordination and teamwork skills.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that the newly introduced phonics programme is implemented consistently and effectively for pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read. Leaders should make certain that pupils secure the necessary accuracy and fluency in handwriting in readiness for their future learning.

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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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Independent school standards

Independent school standards are either met or not met for each category. This was the school’s first standard inspection. The school was registered by the Department for Education (DfE) on 5 March 2025.

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Independent school standards

The school is located at one site at 21 Whitehall Street, Rochdale OL12 0LN.

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Independent school standards

The school provides full-time education for up to 28 pupils, aged between 5 and 11 years. The school caters for pupils in key stages 1 and 2. The school has no children in the Reception Year.

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Independent school standards

The school caters for pupils with communication and interaction needs, including autism. Some pupils have social, emotional and mental health difficulties. All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities and have an education, health and care plan. Places are commissioned by the local authority.

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Independent school standards

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other senior leaders, including the special educational needs coordinator and the designated safeguarding lead, during the inspection. An inspector also spoke with the chair of the proprietor body.

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Independent school standards

The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Independent school standards

The name of the proprietor is Whitehall Academy Ltd. The chair of the proprietor body is Shehzad Chaudhri.

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Independent school standards

The fees currently charged are £75,000 to £105,000.

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Independent school standards

The school's email address is: info@thewhitehallacademy.co.uk

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Independent school standards

1. Quality of education provided Standards met

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Independent school standards

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

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Facts and figures used on inspection

3. Welfare, health and safety of pupils Standards met

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Facts and figures used on inspection

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

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Facts and figures used on inspection

5. Premises of and accommodation at schools Standards met

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Facts and figures used on inspection

6. Provision of information Standards met

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Facts and figures used on inspection

7. Manner in which complaints are handled Standards met

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Facts and figures used on inspection

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

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Facts and figures used on inspection

All standards have been met. 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

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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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