Eaton Hall Specialist Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who attend Eaton Hall have a fresh opportunity to start again. Pupils have often experienced difficult starts to their education.

Many have spent significant times out of school. Eaton Hall provides a supportive and secure environment. Pupils are safe.

They know that staff will not give up on them. This enables them to thrive both socially and academically.

Pupils benefit from staff who model respectful relationships and manage pupils' behaviour skilfully.

Rules and routines are clear. When needed, pupils receive help and nurture to manage their emotions. As a result, learning is not disrupted, and pupils engage very positively in their activi...ties.

Pupils' daily experiences include many opportunities to build their self-esteem and confidence. Pupils receive a personalised approach because staff know them well. Each pupil has a tailored programme of well-considered therapeutic support.

This is highly effective in developing pupils' resilience in learning. It helps them to achieve well.

Pupils know that leaders want them to be the best they can be.

All pupils attend lunchtime clubs and activities. These promote pupils' interests and talents very effectively. For example, pupils' use of the woodland area quickly builds their skills to work together during practical activities.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils start at Eaton Hall with significant gaps in their education. Leaders have carefully considered what pupils need to learn to help re-engage them into learning. Leaders' subject plans are ambitious and identify what pupils need to learn.

In a few subjects, plans are not as precise as they need to be. The information identifies what pupils do rather than what they learn. It does not break down learning into small enough steps.

This means that where pupils' gaps are greater, it takes longer for pupils to secure their understanding. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. In most subjects, staff explain new learning well.

They revisit important knowledge so that pupils remember this overtime.

Leaders make effective use of pupils' education health and care (EHC) plans to build a bespoke provision for each pupil. Support for pupils' social and emotional development is woven through leaders' curriculum plans.

Pupils make very strong progress in their learning behaviours and interactions with others. From low starting points, pupils become ready to learn. Skilled staff and well-structured therapy programmes make highly effective contributions to this work.

Learning to read is important at this school. Some pupils who are at an early stage of reading receive phonics teaching. All staff who teach phonics apply a consistent approach.

Pupils use their phonics to tackle unfamiliar words to become more confident in their reading. Texts are carefully selected to expose pupils to a range of reading content. Some pupils are reluctant to read.

Adults are persistent in their encouragement to share texts with pupils and promote a love of reading.

Staff show high levels of patience with every pupil. They model their high expectations.

For example, during lunchtimes adults eat alongside pupils and demonstrate the art of polite conversation and good manners. Consequences and rewards are applied consistently. Over time, pupils' behaviour improves significantly so that they enjoy learning and spending time with each other and staff.

The curriculum provides rich experiences which promote pupils' personal development exceptionally well. Weekly enhancement activities are planned carefully. They help equip pupils with the important life skills.

Pupils experience everyday routines. For example, pupils use public transport to visit the local area. Pupils learn about sensitive topics and how to keep themselves safe online.

Residential camps provide pupils with greater confidence and independence. Pupils take part in a well-designed careers education programme. There are opportunities to gain vocational and life-skill qualifications.

These help to equip pupils effectively for their life beyond school.

The trust provides governance for the school. They have a sound knowledge of the school's work.

They use this to challenge and hold school leaders to account.

Staff are proud to work at Eaton Hall. They appreciate working as a team and are well supported whether at the school or in the residency.

The overall experiences and progress of pupils in the residential provision are good.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils at Eaton Hall are particularly vulnerable.

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is an important priority for all staff. Regular sharing of information and training are used effectively. This ensures that staff understand any concerns about pupils' safety and welfare.

Leaders have established effective systems for recording and monitoring the safeguarding of pupils. These are used well by staff. This ensures leaders identify any actions quickly that are needed to keep pupils safe.

Leaders work tenaciously with external partners to address concerns in a timely manner.

Leaders' checks on the suitability of adults working at the school are thorough.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, the curriculum does not outline the precise steps that pupils need to learn to securely build their knowledge over time.

This means that pupils do not achieve exceptionally well. Leaders need to strengthen the curriculum in all subjects so that plans include the specific knowledge that pupils need to learn. Additionally, this will help teachers to identify and then address pupils' knowledge gaps so that all pupils learn successfully.