Silverdale School

Silverdale School Langdale Gardens, Howdon, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear, NE28 0HG

p.1

inspection report:

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

p.1

inspection report:

Safeguarding procedures and the checks made on third-party providers are not rigorous enough. In addition, some members of staff have not received appropriate safeguarding training. This leads to inconsistent approaches to safeguarding pupils. Some pupils do not trust that the school will take their concerns seriously. The school must improve safeguarding procedures swiftly, making sure that all staff follow safeguarding procedures consistently and appropriately.

p.1

inspection report:

Some pupils’ rates of attendance are very poor. The school does not have effective systems in place to manage pupils’ attendance. Staff do not know which pupils are in school or not. This creates additional safeguarding risks. The school must take immediate action to improve the systems to manage pupils’ attendance and check their welfare when they are absent. Leaders should ensure that pupils attend school regularly.

p.1

inspection report:

The governing body does not fulfil its statutory responsibilities. Governors have not ensured an effective culture of safeguarding. They have not held the school to account for an increase in pupil absence, an increase in suspensions and a decline in the quality of education that pupils receive. Governors must take swift action to carry out their statutory duties and responsibilities.

p.1

inspection report:

The curriculum is not ambitious enough and does not meet the needs of pupils. Pupils experience a disconnected series of lessons which lack structure. Pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school must review the content and sequence of learning in the curriculum, so that pupils progress through the curriculum purposefully and achieve well.

p.1

inspection report:

Some pupils do not experience a high-quality personal development programme. Lessons such as PHSE, careers and outdoor education are regularly cancelled. Additionally, the RE curriculum is narrowed. This has a negative impact on pupils’ preparation for adulthood. Monitoring Inspection report: Silverdale School, 30 June 2026 2 The school must ensure that all pupils are supported to develop the knowledge and skills they need for life in modern Britain.

p.1

inspection report:

Poor behaviour is commonplace. It is not consistently well managed. This means that too many pupils are regularly subject to suspension, missing out on more of their education. The school must take swift action to review how behaviour is managed and ensure that pupils receive the support they need to positively engage with their education.

p.2

inspection report:

There is a lack of capacity in leadership at all levels. The school does not have a strategic approach to school improvement. This impacts on the school’s oversight of safeguarding and the quality of education that pupils receive. Governors must work with key stakeholders to strengthen leadership capacity.

p.2

Leaders and governors are taking effective action to improve the school, but

continued work is needed to remove the special measures designation.

p.2

The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

considered again during any further monitoring inspection we carry out.

p.2

The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

During the monitoring inspection, the inspector focused on the following evaluation areas:  Leadership and governance  Safeguarding  Attendance and behaviour  Curriculum and teaching

p.2

Leadership and governance

Silverdale School has experienced leadership turbulence over the last year. This has prevented the school from making as much progress as it could have. However, the interim executive board (IEB) has secured the recent appointment of executive leaders who have joined the school from River Tees Multi-academy Trust (RTMAT) and from another school within the local authority, to lead the school. They are beginning to initiate improvements.

p.2

Leadership and governance

Staff appreciate the strategic direction that leaders have recently set. Leaders have drawn on expertise from RTMAT and other professionals, including those with specialist knowledge of autism, safeguarding and behaviour management, to quickly develop a comprehensive understanding of the school’s priorities and to begin to support staff with training in areas of the school’s detailed development plan that need addressing most urgently.

p.2

Leadership and governance

Leaders have recently introduced a new behaviour policy and have begun to provide staff with training on it. Early signs of the impact of this are positive. For example, staff are beginning to develop their skills in de-escalation techniques. Leaders have restructured the start of the school day to introduce a period of registration. This provides structure and an Monitoring Inspection report: Silverdale School, 30 June 2026 3 increasing sense of purpose to the start of the day. It means that leaders now quickly and accurately establish who is absent, so they can take appropriate steps.

p.2

Leadership and governance

Members of the IEB are highly skilled and knowledgeable. This is benefiting the school greatly. They have worked with leaders to ensure the information they are given about the school is now accurate. This means they can now provide appropriate challenge. They have ensured greater leadership capacity in the school by securing executive leadership, appointing four senior leaders who will take up their posts in September and they work closely with the local authority. The IEB has worked at pace to improve procedures relating to staffing and finances and to increase the rigour and oversight of the safeguarding culture in school.

p.3

Leadership and governance

After a period of uncertainty, some staff are concerned about the long-term plan for improvement. For some, this is impacting their wellbeing. The school is progressing towards becoming a member of RTMAT. Leaders recognise the importance of high-quality communication and are committed to providing support for staff throughout this transition period.

p.3

Leadership and governance

Many parents and carers who responded to the inspection survey express their support for the school. They value the care that staff often provide. However, some express concerns that the expectations that staff have are variable, and others are frustrated by a lack of communication, including about their child’s academic progress.

p.3

Leadership and governance

Leaders, including the IEB, recognise the need to gain momentum, to build on recent improvements. School leaders, the IEB, the local authority and leaders from RTMAT all recognise the need to now work at pace and without delay to ensure the school improves quickly.

p.3

Safeguarding

At the previous graded inspection in April 2025, safeguarding was evaluated as being not effective.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders continue to take effective action to address the weaknesses in safeguarding that were identified in the recent graded inspection. Pupils typically feel safe in school. They have a trusted adult they can talk to if they have concerns. Leaders work effectively with a range of professionals to support pupils’ safety and welfare. Leaders prioritise staff training although there remains some slight variation in the level of understanding that some staff have of some of the risks that pupils face.

p.3

Safeguarding

Leaders, including the IEB, have taken steps to improve the safeguarding culture in school. For example, they have sought the expertise of other professionals to visit the school regularly, to provide objectives assurances of the safeguarding culture. Leaders are quick to respond to the feedback they receive. Leaders have recently improved the communication around the school’s complex site so that staff can respond swiftly when concerns arise. Leaders have recently taken action to improve the quality of risk assessments, for example, when school trips take place. Monitoring Inspection report: Silverdale School, 30 June 2026 4

p.3

Attendance and behaviour

Leaders have taken recent action to improve behaviour. For example, they have introduced a new behaviour policy that focuses on positive relationships and a secure understanding of pupils’ needs. Staff training has begun to increase staff expertise in the ways to manage behaviour more skilfully. For example, staff are beginning to increase their use of de- escalation techniques. While this work is in its early stages, there are some positive signs of impact. Leaders have also reviewed their policy for sanctions, to ensure they are appropriate and meet pupils’ needs. Following a sharp rise in suspensions in the autumn term, more recent data indicates the beginning of a decline.

p.4

Attendance and behaviour

Despite this positive start to improvement, some staff continue to have low expectations of pupils’ behaviour and conduct. Some staff do not manage behaviour incidents as effectively as they could. Until recently, staff have not had access to pupils’ educational and health care plans (EHCPs). As a result, they have not appropriately detailed knowledge of pupils’ needs and how best to support them. Leaders have begun to address this. For example, staff now devise ‘regulation plans’ that are closely aligned to pupils’ EHCPs and identify the potential barriers that pupils may face. By including pupils’ views in this work, staff are also developing their understanding of the ways to help pupils manage their emotions. While this work is recent and there are some inconsistencies, it is beginning to sharpen the focus in school on meeting pupils’ needs. Leaders know that work is needed to ensure that staff

p.4

Attendance and behaviour

report and record behaviour incidents accurately, so that they have a clear picture of behavioural patterns and issues across the school.

p.4

Attendance and behaviour

Leaders have recently made changes to how the school operates to improve routines and order around the school. For example, the impact of transition when moving between lessons and classrooms have been minimised. Improved communication around the site means that staff can respond swiftly when necessary. However, too many pupils in the secondary phase of the school spend too much time out of lessons. Pupils’ use of derogatory language remains commonplace. By contrast, in the primary phase, pupils are friendly and welcoming. For example, they often initiate handshakes to visitors and are keen to talk about their day.

p.4

Attendance and behaviour

Until recently, a lack of leadership capacity has hindered the progress to improve pupils’ attendance. Leaders’ analysis of patterns of absence is still not rigorous enough. Strategic and targeted support for pupils who are regularly absent is lacking. Pupils’ attendance is declining and rates of persistent and severe absence are high and increasing.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching

Due to a lack of leadership capacity until recently, improvements to the curriculum and teaching have been limited. Despite leaders’ recent actions to ensure that pupils in the primary phase follow a curriculum that is more carefully designed, leaders know that the curriculum is not yet meeting pupils’ needs. Overall, it lacks ambition, depth and clear design. The curriculum does not support pupils to secure their foundational knowledge in reading, writing, mathematics and communication sufficiently. While a phonics programme is in place, it is delivered inconsistently. Monitoring Inspection report: Silverdale School, 30 June 2026 5 The expectations that staff have of pupils in lessons are often too low. Staff have not received the necessary training they need to be able to tailor their teaching and the curriculum to meet pupils’ needs successfully. The checks on pupils’ learning do not identify or address the gaps and misconceptions that pupils have. As a result, gaps in knowledge,

p.4

Curriculum and teaching

including in basic skills in reading, writing, communication and mathematics remain.

p.5

Curriculum and teaching

Leaders are beginning to ensure that staff receive appropriate training. For example, with support from external professionals, staff in the primary phase are beginning to increase their expertise in teaching pupils with autism. This has led to appropriate adaptations to the classroom environment to support pupils’ learning. Until recently, staff have not had access to pupils’ EHCPs, which means the curriculum and teaching have not been sufficiently adapted to meet their needs. Leaders have recently taken steps to address this. They have also re-organised classes appropriately to improve pupils’ experiences of learning.

p.5

Curriculum and teaching

Leaders have clear plans to ensure a more appropriate curriculum is introduced from September. The IEB has created leadership capacity to ensure that staff are supported in the delivery of the new curriculum.

p.5

Additional next steps

Leaders and the IEB should continue to work to address the priorities for improvement identified in the last graded inspection report.

p.5

About this inspection

The inspector 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 in April 2025.

p.5

About this inspection

The school's previous inspection and the first 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.

p.5

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.

p.5

About this inspection

Since the last monitoring inspection, a new executive headteacher and interim executive advisor have been appointed.

p.5

About this inspection

During this inspection, meetings were held with the executive headteacher, executive advisor and other senior leaders, other staff, members of the IEB and a representative from Monitoring Inspection report: Silverdale School, 30 June 2026 6 the local authority to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection.

p.5

applicable)

Autistic Spectrum Disorder Behaviour, Emotional and Social Difficulty Monitoring Inspection report: Silverdale School, 30 June 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.

p.6

applicable)

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

applicable)

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 .

p.7

applicable)

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

applicable)

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

p.7