Oak Haven School

Oak Haven School

Address: Sutherland Road, Heywood, Lancashire, OL10 3PY Unique reference number (URN): 105861

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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.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Attendance is improving, and persistent absence is reducing. Leaders check pupils' attendance every day and review patterns carefully so that they can act quickly when concerns arise. They understand that some pupils face significant challenges in attending regularly. This means that leaders work closely with families as well as external services such as social care, health and transport teams to remove these barriers. Leaders maintain regular communication with parent and carers. They provide practical, personalised support that families value. This approach helps pupils, including those who have experienced long periods out of education, to return successfully and build positive routines. As a result, pupils feel more confident about attending school and being ready to learn.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

The school provides a calm and respectful environment where overall pupils behave well. Leaders and staff have invested time with pupils in creating a close knit community they feel a part of. This helps pupils feel safe. Clear and consistent routines help pupils understand what is expected and settle quickly into learning. Typically, pupils show positive attitudes in lessons and enjoy participating in activities across the school day. Lunchtimes offer another purposeful opportunity for pupils to come together as a community. Staff respond quickly and sensitively to any concerns, including rare instances of bullying. Pupils trust adults to treat them fairly and to guide them in making good choices. Relationships across the school are warm and respectful.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders know pupils well. They identify any additional needs quickly and put appropriate support in place without delay. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or who have involvement with social care, receive effective support. Staff work closely with families and external professionals to meet each child's needs. The school creates a caring and inclusive environment. Staff provide effective pastoral support and adapt learning and routines so pupils can take part fully. Pupils often enjoy activities that promote wellbeing. This helps them to feel settled and ready to learn.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders use funding carefully for disadvantaged pupils. Targeted programmes, including reading support, help pupils make positive progress from their starting points. Staff check progress regularly and adjust learning to match pupils' needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders plan learning to match each pupil's starting point. They provide personalised strategies that usually support behaviour and learning. Alternative provision is used effectively and is well-matched to pupils' needs. This typically helps them re-engage with education. Pupils feel valued and included in school life and often become more willing to attend both school and their alternative provision.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders continue to improve consistency across the school. Some approaches are not always used in the same way by staff. Leaders are strengthening training and reviewing impact so that pupils consistently achieve well.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors demonstrate secure knowledge and a shared commitment to improving outcomes for pupils. Leaders continue to refine how the curriculum is delivered. They recognise that practice varies between subjects and classes. They have introduced evidence-informed training to help staff strengthen teaching in the classroom.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders use additional funding for disadvantaged pupils carefully and purposefully. They invest in developing staff expertise so that disadvantaged pupils receive appropriate and timely support. Leaders work closely with local authorities who place pupils at the school. Together, they manage the school's development in a planned way, responding to the needs of the local community.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors have ensured that the headteacher is supported by an expanded leadership team. This results in a widened capacity so all leaders can respond effectively to the wide range of needs of pupils with SEND and address any area of improvement needed. However, some of these leaders with wider responsibilities do not check their areas closely enough. As a result, this impedes their ability to precisely identify and address inconsistencies quickly. This also limits how well they can support the headteacher and governors to improve and address the inconsistencies that remain across the school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

As a relatively new governing body, governors provide effective support and challenge. They meet their statutory duties well. Staff appreciate the attention leaders give to workload and wellbeing. All members of the school community feel valued and feel invested in its future development. Every decision they take place pupils interests and needs at the centre.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders provide a well-organised programme that supports pupils' personal development step by step. Staff build pupils' knowledge over time. Pupils learn about their community and understand how to live well in modern Britain. They show respect for others and understand right from wrong. Pupils think carefully about their own experiences and use these to guide their choices. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations. Staff teach online safety clearly. It includes important topics such as water safety because of local safeguarding risks. Pupils know who they can talk to if they have a concern. They trust adults to listen and support them. Leaders and staff offer pupils effective pastoral support. Staff provide regular opportunities for pupils to talk and share concerns. They actively seek out support when they need it.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school teaches pupils pupils about positive relationships. Pupils learn about kindness, respect and personal boundaries. Staff promote inclusion strongly. For example, pupils take part in British Sign Language (BSL) lessons to support a pupils who is deaf and improve communication. Pupils enjoy a wide range of enrichment opportunities. For example, Friday Wellbeing sessions extend pupils experiences. Activities include hair and beauty, bow and arrows, circus skills and construction. These sessions help pupils discover new interests and build confidence.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils take on leadership roles, including through the school council. They learn about democracy during visits to Rochdale Town Hall. Pupils also learn to support their local

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Needs attention

community. They organise and run fundraising events. This helps them develop teamwork and communication skills while feeling part of their community.

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Needs attention

Careers education prepares pupils well for adulthood. Pupils visit local colleges and attend apprenticeship exhibitions. They learn effectively about different career pathways and meet employers. This helps them make informed decisions about their future.

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Achievement Needs attention

Some pupils are not supported to achieve as well as they should. While appropriate skills and knowledge are developed by most pupils, this is not a typical experience for a significant minority of pupils across the school. At times, progress is not consistently built on over time. Some pupils fall behind in their learning because some of their knowledge gaps are not adequately addressed. In particular, these weaknesses in progress and knowledge are seen in writing. Pupils' use of grammar, spelling and handwriting is not secure enough. At times, pupils written communciation does not always convey meaning clearly. This limits pupils' ability to communicate effectively and share their understanding.

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Achievement Needs attention

A range of qualifications are achieved by older pupils, including suitable outcomes in English and mathematics, which supports many moving onto further education. However, gaps in learning remain evident for some pupils.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have a clear and strategic understanding of the curriculum and teaching. This has helped the school make progress since the previous inspection. For example, leaders have designed a curriculum that encompasses a wide range of subjects. There is a clear focus on building strong foundations in communciation, language, numeracy and literacy.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have identified current weaknesses in teaching. They are providing training to improve staff expertise. Despite this, teaching remains inconsistent across the curriculum. Teachers sometimes do not help pupils build knowledge and skills over time. In some lessons, teachers design tasks that do not give pupils enough chance to practise important skills or show what they know. This limits how well pupils deepen their learning. It also makes it harder for teachers to spot gaps in knowledge and address them quickly. Furthermore, there are inconsistencies in how teachers give feedback to pupils. At times, feedback is not clear or purposeful. As a result, pupils do not understand what they need to do to improve their work. Despite this variation in teaching, teachers know pupils well and understand their learning needs. It means that on the whole, teachers can use some adaptations to support pupils to access the curriculum on offer.

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

Pupils receive a warm welcome each day in a calm, well-organised environment. Clear routines help them settle quickly and feel ready to learn. Staff understand each pupil's individual needs, including their social, emotional and mental health needs. They provide thoughtful support from the moment pupils arrive. Many pupils join the school after periods of disengagement from education. Staff rebuild pupils' confidence successfully so that they feel safe, valued and ready to engage. As a result, pupils attend school more often. This has been a significant success for the school since they opened as a new provision in September 2025. Parents and carers speak highly of the difference the school has made to their children's wellbeing and their renewed positive attitude to their education.

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

Secure, trusting relationships between pupils and staff underpin the school's success. Together, they embody the school's values of 'empower, heal and thrive' in daily interactions. Staff support pupils sensitively, helping them to increasingly manage their emotions and develop positive attitudes to learning. Behaviour is typically calm and purposeful across the school. Pupils treat each other with kindness and respect. Staff respond promptly to any concerns, this includes any instances of bullying. Over time, pupils feel included in school life, develop a sense of community and take pride in their achievements.

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

The school provides a broad, meaningful curriculum that links learning well to pupils real-life experiences. Teachers typically adapt learning carefully to meet each pupil's needs. Pupils receive effective support to share their ideas, make choices, develop independence and begin to recognise that they can achieve well. Some pupils achieve formal qualifications such as GCSEs, while others gain awards that reflect their personal progress. In either instance, pupils are typically prepared well for their next steps.

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

Pupils benefit from various community visits and outdoor learning that build confidence and independence. They also learn important life skills, such as how to travel to different local places or using the 'life skills room' to practice daily tasks like cooking or managing a flat independently.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that teachers choose tasks that deliver the intended curriculum and gives pupils the opportunity to practice and apply their knowledge. Leaders should ensure that teachers consistently provide useful feedback and give pupils opportunities to correct and improve their work. Leaders should ensure that teachers address and improve weaknesses in pupil's writing skills. This includes ensuring that their work is grammatically correct with accurate spelling and/or handwriting. Governors and leaders should ensure that other leaders within the school improve their oversight of their areas of responsibility so they have a firm understanding of what is working well and where further improvements are required.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 16 June 2026

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Holly Simpson.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 HMI.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteachers during the inspection. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also spoke with a range of alternative providers which the school use.

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About this inspection

The school meets the requirement of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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About this inspection

All pupils who attend the school have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The school caters for pupils with a primary need of social, emotional and mental health (SEMH). Some of the pupils have additional needs in other areas.

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About this inspection

The school currently uses 8 alternative provisions that are unregistered.

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About this inspection

The school has undergone a significant change since the previous inspection. The school has now defederated from the pupil referral unit (PRU) it was previously engaged with. This resulted in the current school being opened September 2025. Around the time of defederation, the interim headteacher became the permanent headteacher. Some of the staff have joined the school since it became a sole specialist SEMH school.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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What does this mean?

The type of Special Educational Needs provision provided at the school (if applicable).

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Destinations after 16

Percentage of pupils staying in education or employment for at least 2 terms after the end of secondary school (key stage 4).

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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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. 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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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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

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