Arnfield Independent School
Arnfield Independent School, Po Box 446, Glossop, SK14 9EYOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Arnfield Independent School is a special school in Glossop for ages 11 to 17. It is one of the 449 schools in Derbyshire. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in March 2024.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 5 March 2024, report published 18 April 2024
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 5 March 2024
Pupils benefit enormously from their time at Arnfield Independent School. There are warm and respectful relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils enjoy learning in a welcoming environment. They say that this is a safe school. They are well cared for. The school ensures that the curriculum is motivating. Staff want pupils to enjoy learning and to re-engage with education. Pupils receive bespoke care, which means that pupils, including those who have been out of school for some time, soon settle and are ready to learn. The school's determination for pupils to succeed results in many pupils gaining qualifications and essential life skills. Staff have high expectations of every pupil and pupils respond to this. Pupils' personal development is at the heart of everything that the school does. It is woven into all aspects of the curriculum and wider provision. All staff are committed to providing pupils with high-quality educational experiences that also develop pupils' self-esteem, confidence and resilience. Pupils thrive as a result. Pupils' learning is not limited to the classroom. For example, pupils spoke about enjoying experiences such as the Three Peaks Challenge, camping, fishing, a visit to a crown court, visiting museums, rock climbing, working on the new allotment and many more.
What the school should improve
- In some subjects, teachers do not deliver the curriculum effectively enough to ensure that pupils' learning builds securely on what they already know. This prevents some pupils from learning as well as they should in these subjects. The school should ensure that the planned curriculum is delivered consistently well across all subjects.
- Teachers do not always check pupils' prior learning and identify gaps and misconceptions in pupils' knowledge. The school must make sure that assessment identifies pupils' next steps in learning and that teachers use this to inform their teaching so that pupils learn as well as they should in all subjects..
Pupil numbers and mix
14 pupils on roll, with places for 20
Schools near Arnfield Independent School
| School | Distance | Ofsted |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas Ashton School | 0.7 miles | Ofsted: Inadequate |
| Oakdale School | 1 mile | Ofsted judgements: Requires improvement to good |
| Cromwell High School | 1 mile | Ofsted: Outstanding |
| Peak Forest | 2 miles | Ofsted: Requires improvement |
| Stansfield House | 2 miles | No Ofsted inspection |
School details
- School type
- Other independent special school
- Sector
- Independent
- Age range
- 11 to 17
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Anthony O'Rourke
- Phone
- 01457860200
- Address
- Arnfield Independent School, Po Box 446, Glossop, SK14 9EY
- Local authority
- Derbyshire
- URN
- 135187
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.