Bury special school told to improve by Ofsted inspectors

Cambian Chesham House School on Thrush Drive provides social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) education for pupils aged 10 to 18.  

Ofsted inspectors visited the independent school from October 8 to 10 and rated it in the category of “requires improvement”.

The report found that the school had failed to “ensure that teachers had the expertise to design activities that support pupils to learn the curriculum well”.

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It also added that staff “do not routinely check what pupils know and can remember to identify gaps and misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge”.

Inspectors found that at times, the school “does not help some pupils overcome their barriers to attending school” which left some pupils with “longstanding absences that impact how well they learn.”

They noted that “behaviour management strategies which are used by some staff are not effective, meaning that some pupils do not engage with their learning well”.

The school is part of the Cambian Group, which is one of the largest providers of specialist education and behavioural health services for children in the UK, and is registered under Cambian Childcare Limited.

It caters for up to 20 pupils who have SEMH needs and the majority of pupils who attend have an education, health and care plan in place.

The Ofsted report concluded that all four areas inspected, which included the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, required improvement.

It did, however, praise the school for giving pupils a “second chance” at their education, for the care given by some staff members and the out-of-school activities provided.

Inspectors said: “Some pupils value the opportunity that this school provides them with to have a second chance at their education.

“They appreciate the care that is given by some staff. This helps them to feel a sense of belonging.

“For some pupils, the school’s behaviour management systems have been transformational in helping them to improve their conduct.

“Some pupils increasingly develop a positive attitude to learning and begin to enjoy school.

“The school provides pupils with a strong personal, social, health and economic education curriculum.

“Pupils learn about risks such as smoking and vaping and how to keep physically healthy.

It also praised the school’s “strong” careers programme, finding that it is tailored to pupil’s needs and helps to “raise their aspirations about their future, motivating them to succeed in their next stage of education, employment and/or training.”

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During the 2021 inspection, personal development at the school was rated as “outstanding” while the other three areas were deemed “good”, giving them an overall rating of “good”.

A Cambian Chesham House School spokesperson said: “We have appointed a new head teacher, who will work to address the concerns noted by Ofsted, and return the school to a standard we would expect.

“We are pleased that safeguarding is noted as very strong at the school.”