Hebden Green Community School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. The headteacher and her deputies have set a clear direction for the school and inspired middle leaders and other staff to follow this path with great enthusiasm and impact.

Teaching and support staff combine exceptionally well with school-based therapists to ensure that all pupils receive the utmost care and attention in order for them to reach their full potential. Different groups of pupils, including those who are eligible for pupil premium funding, learn to the best of their ability, matching and sometimes exceeding the progress made by their peers in reading, writing, mathematics, communication and in their physical and social develo...pment. The sixth form is outstanding because leaders ensure that every student has the opportunity to study, experience work-related learning and achieve accreditations that match their different ability levels.

As a result, students grow in self-confidence and develop exceptionally good independent living skills. The behaviour of all pupils in all contexts is outstanding. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exceptional, especially when learning together in the classroom.

Partnerships with parents and with local mainstream schools and businesses are extremely positive and enhance the role of the school in the community, contributing greatly to pupils' learning and independent skills. Senior leaders and the well-informed governing body have ensured that the quality of teaching is checked and analysed exceptionally well to inform staff training needs. There is now even greater evidence of outstanding teaching than in the previous inspection, particularly in the sixth form and in the teaching of literacy.

Middle leaders do not yet include formal lesson observations in their work and so they do not contribute as fully as they might to improving learning. The impressive system for gathering evidence of pupils' achievements could be even better if staff collected a greater amount of visual or other types of evidence to show more precisely what pupils have learned.

Information about this school

The school provides for pupils from four to 19 years of age who have a range of disabilities and special educational needs.

The largest group are those with physical disabilities. Many pupils have additional needs including moderate, severe or complex learning difficulties. All pupils have statements of special educational needs.

The school has a sixth form which provides for students up to the age of 19. The school has residential provision which is separately inspected. About half of all pupils, mostly of secondary age, stay one night per week or partake in extended provision during evening sessions.

The majority of pupils are boys. The proportion of pupils supported by pupil premium funding is higher than the average. This is additional funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and for pupils who are looked after by the local authority.

Most pupils are of White British heritage. There is a small minority of pupils who are looked after by the local authority. The school also admits pupils from the neighbouring local authorities of Cheshire East, Warrington and Trafford.

The school has links with Alder Hey Hospital School to help meet the educational needs of pupils at home recovering from illness or health-related reasons. The school has strong partnerships with other local special schools (Cheshire West and Chester Special School Headteachers (CWASSH), and Cheshire Special Schools Consortium (CSSC) and the Winsford Education Partnership (WEP). The headteacher provides input into and training for the Best Practice Network (BPN), set up to deliver better outcomes for children and young people across the country.