Sunbury Manor School

Sunbury Manor School Nursery Road, Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey TW16 6LF

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Monitoring inspection report: 17 and 18 March 2026

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

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The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. There is a lack of oversight of some pupils who are not attending school. This includes groups of pupils who are particularly vulnerable. Leaders must act urgently to address weaknesses in the school’s safeguarding arrangements. Trustees should ensure that this work is prioritised and that they have more robust means of checking the effectiveness of safeguarding in the future.

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Leaders have overseen a decline in standards at this school. Although they have identified weaknesses, they lack the capacity required to make the necessary improvements. Working with trustees and external partners, leaders should ensure that they put in place a clear and sustainable plan to raise standards of education and behaviour across the school.

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The school’s systems to manage behaviour are not effective or consistently applied. Pupils frequently ignore the requests of staff to engage in lessons. Some pupils truant from their lessons and disturb other classes. These behaviours frequently disrupt pupils’ learning. Leaders should continue their work to establish clearer expectations of pupils’ conduct. They must ensure that these expectations are upheld consistently and effectively and that staff are supported well to achieve this.

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The use of prejudicial language has become normalised by pupils at the school. When incidents are reported, leaders do not consistently take action to stop this behaviour continuing. This has allowed a culture of racist and homophobic ‘banter’ to develop. The school should ensure that there are high expectations of the way in which pupils treat each other and that these are understood by all. They must make sure that their behaviour policy is applied consistently and that prejudicial language is not tolerated.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive a high- quality education. Teachers and support staff are not consistently knowledgeable about the individual needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders should make sure that the school has Monitoring inspection report: Sunbury Manor School 17 and 18 March 2026

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procedures in place to identify the needs of pupils with SEND as quickly as possible. They should ensure that staff receive the training and guidance required to meet pupils’ needs.

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Leaders and trustees are taking effective action to improve the school but

continued work is needed to remove the special measures designation.

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

considered again during any further monitoring inspection we carry out.

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

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

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

◼ Leadership and governance ◼ Inclusion ◼ Curriculum and teaching ◼ Achievement ◼ Attendance and behaviour

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Leadership and governance

Leaders have secured important improvements since the last monitoring inspection. They act with rigour and purpose. Leaders’ evaluation of the school is accurate and thorough. This allows them to focus sharply on the right priorities. For instance, leaders’ actions have strengthened pupils’ behaviour. Lessons are calm because disruption is less frequent. Staff implement the school’s behaviour policy with greater consistency. This contributes positively to a more settled learning environment. Staff value the personalised support and professional development they receive, which continues to build their expertise. Most staff feel well supported during this period of significant change and appreciate the guidance leaders provide.

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Leadership and governance

Trustees maintain a robust and accurate view of the school’s performance. They challenge and support leaders to improve the quality of education and ensure that actions serve in pupils’ best interests.

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Leadership and governance

Leaders continue to strengthen the quality of education that pupils receive. Leaders recognise that the way staff deliver the curriculum remains too variable. Leaders are developing middle leadership and improving assessment systems. This means leaders, at all levels, understand where gaps in pupils’ knowledge remain. Attendance is rising, but it remains below national figures, including for pupils with SEND. Leaders know that this, coupled with the weaknesses in teaching, means that pupils do not achieve well. This includes for pupils with SEND. Leaders are working resolutely to improve these aspects further, drawing on external support from another multi-academy trust to accelerate improvement. Monitoring inspection report: Sunbury Manor School 17 and 18 March 2026

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Safeguarding

At the previous graded inspection, safeguarding was evaluated as being not effective. However, at the first monitoring inspection, safeguarding was evaluated as being effective, and this remains the case.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that the welfare and safety of pupils remain central to their work. Leaders provide appropriate training so that staff continue to understand their safeguarding responsibilities. As a result, staff, including those new to the school, know that they must share and record all concerns, no matter how small. This helps leaders quickly identify any emerging patterns of concern and take preventative action, often with support from the pastoral team. Leaders also maintain a detailed oversight of pupils’ whereabouts when they are not in school. This aspect of their work remains rigorous. Pupils feel confident that there is always someone they can talk to if they have a problem and that they will receive the help they need.

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Inclusion

Since the last monitoring inspection, leaders have continued their valuable work to improve the provision for pupils with SEND. They have now developed appropriate systems to identify, assess and review pupils’ needs accurately. Where necessary, leaders work with external professionals about the support that individual pupils require. They have begun to strengthen communication with parents and carers. This work is ongoing.

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Inclusion

Teachers receive clear information about the barriers to learning that pupils with SEND face. This information sets out helpful strategies that teachers can use to support pupils with SEND to access the curriculum. However, currently, teachers use this information inconsistently. In the most effective lessons, they make helpful alterations to the curriculum that support these pupils well. Too often, however, the quality of support for pupils with SEND is still too variable. Leaders are providing ongoing professional development to sharpen further staff’s understanding of the school’s adaptive teaching strategies. They recognise that some staff still lack the expertise needed to match the curriculum consistently to pupils’ needs. Leaders are addressing this. However, they know that much more work is required to ensure that teaching is adapted effectively so that pupils with SEND can fully access the curriculum and achieve well.

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Curriculum and teaching

Leaders have an accurate and informed view of the quality of teaching across subjects. They have continued to improve how well the curriculum is taught. Leaders have identified the gaps that staff still have in their expertise. Leaders are providing ongoing professional development and bespoke coaching to address this. Teachers now use the school’s agreed learning approach more consistently than at the time of the previous monitoring inspection. For example, lessons typically begin with ‘do now’ tasks. Pupils value this because it helps them to revisit their prior learning. Most teachers explain new concepts clearly and use subject-specific language appropriately. Despite this, there remains too much variability in how well the curriculum is taught. Where teaching is more effective, the use of questioning is providing staff with a clearer picture of how well pupils are Monitoring inspection report: Sunbury Manor School

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understanding the key knowledge. The school’s approach to checking what pupils know and remember is now embedded. However, there remains a lack of precision and timeliness in how well some staff use this information to identify and address any key gaps or misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge. Where this happens, staff do not adjust their teaching to meet pupils’ needs, including those with SEND. This affects how well pupils access new learning.

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Leaders have established effective procedures to identify key gaps in pupils’ reading skills. They have implemented strategies to support pupils who need help with their reading. While reading was not identified as a priority for improvement at the graded inspection, leaders now rightly recognise the need to strengthen provision for pupils at the earliest stages of learning to read. They have begun to address this but acknowledge that more work is needed.

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Achievement

Pupils’ achievement in GCSE examinations remains low, and results declined further in 2025. Published outcomes are notably below national averages, particularly for disadvantaged pupils. Leaders know that there is still more work to do to ensure that pupils achieve as well as they should. Leaders recognise the negative impact of previous weaknesses. These are how well the curriculum was taught, alongside historically low attendance rates. This has left many pupils with gaps in their knowledge and skills. Attendance is now improving, but the legacy of earlier weaknesses remains evident.

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Achievement

Leaders are working resolutely to improve pupils’ achievement. For example, they are providing targeted support for pupils in Year 11. This is particularly for those who have not secured the foundations in English and mathematics. This is helping these pupils to prepare for their forthcoming GCSEs. More broadly, leaders have put in place several suitable strategies, including the school’s ‘raising achievement’ strategy, to improve pupils’ outcomes. While these actions are appropriate, it is too soon to determine their impact.

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Attendance and behaviour

Leaders have rightly continued their focus on improving pupils’ attendance. Leaders work closely with families to identify and address the main barriers to attendance. This enables leaders to put targeted and specific support in place. They draw on the expertise of other professionals where appropriate. Notably, leaders have improved the rate of attendance for disadvantaged pupils. This is now close to the national average for similar peers. The number of pupils who are very often absent has also reduced markedly. However, while pupils’ attendance, including for pupils with SEND, is improving continually, it remains below the national average. Similarly, regular absenteeism for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND has lessened steadily but remains higher than the national average, despite this improvement.

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Attendance and behaviour

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. They actively model respectful relationships with pupils. Staff’s visible presence around the school contributes to the generally polite and happy atmosphere. Strategies such as the ‘morning line-up’ help pupils begin the day positively and reinforce the importance of consistent behaviour. Pupils Monitoring inspection report: Sunbury Manor School 17 and 18 March 2026

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recognise that expectations have risen and that more rigorous consequences for poor behaviour are now applied with greater consistency. Leaders’ actions are reducing the need for suspensions. However, the need for higher sanctions has not lessened for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Leaders have introduced well-considered strategies to support pupils who struggle to meet the school’s higher behaviour expectations. For example, the ‘Ready to Learn Centre’ provides a bespoke programme to support pupils’ behaviour and readiness to learn. Some of this work is still at an early stage, so its impact is not yet clear.

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Leaders’ actions have significantly improved pupils’ behaviour in lessons. Low-level disruption is much less common than it was at the time of the previous full inspection. As part of the school’s ‘threshold strategy’, teachers meet and greet pupils at the start of each lesson. This helps pupils make a prompt and purposeful start to their learning. However, at times, pupils’ off-task chatter in lessons still goes unaddressed. Where this is the case, pupils are not as focused on learning as they should be. Most pupils behave calmly and respectfully in lessons and as they move around the school. However, some younger pupils still find the behaviour of a small number of older pupils too boisterous during lesson changeover.

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Additional next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance must, in addition to the next steps raised at the school’s last full inspection (this step was agreed at the first monitoring visit and is still a needed focus for leaders):

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Additional next steps

◼ ensure that strategies to improve pupils’ attendance are sustained and effective in all year groups

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About this inspection

The inspectors carried out this monitoring inspection under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005, and it was the third monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded inspection that took place on 30 April and 1 May 2024.

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About this inspection

The school’s previous inspection and the first and second monitoring inspections 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 inspections 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. Monitoring inspection report: Sunbury Manor School 17 and 18 March 2026

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During this inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher, other senior leaders, other staff and the chair of trustees to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection.

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Team inspector

Keith Pailthorpe Ofsted Inspector Monitoring inspection report: Sunbury Manor School 17 and 18 March 2026

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About this school

Type of specialist provision Speech, language and communication needs Monitoring inspection report: Sunbury Manor School 17 and 18 March 2026

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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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