Hambleton/Richmondshire Pupil Referral Service

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 July 2025

This is a time of change at Hambleton/Richmondshire Pupil Referral Service. A number of leaders are new, including the headteacher and the chair of the management committee. There is a shared ambition and increased expectations from leaders, staff, and governors that pupils achieve their best. They are committed to helping pupils prepare to return to mainstream education or to go on to further education, employment, or training. The school recognises there is more work to do to ensure that the curriculum meets pupils' increasingly complex needs. Currently, pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school is a warm and welcoming place. Pupils are happy and safe here and at the targeted mainstream provision (TMP), which a small number of pupils access. Pupils learn in small class sizes. Staff know pupils very well and they receive close guidance and support in lessons. Pupils value this. They enjoy positive relationships with staff. For example, at social times, they enjoy playing football together. Behaviour is beginning to improve. Most pupils behave well and understand the expectations for their conduct. However, at times, some pupils' behaviour disrupts the learning of others. Too many pupils do not attend school often enough. This means that these pupils miss important learning and wider opportunities for personal development.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the school has not precisely identified the knowledge and skills that pupils should learn, or some curriculums, including reading, are new, so are not embedded. This means pupils do not have the depth of knowledge they need or the reading skills required to succeed. The school should ensure the curriculum consistently identifies the core knowledge that pupils should learn and that it is embedded so that staff have the information and expertise they need to support pupils to learn and achieve well, including in reading.
• Adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum are not consistently well matched to the complex needs of the pupils, including those with SEND. Some pupils do not progress through the curriculum as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff develop expertise in a range of adaptive teaching strategies to meet pupils' complex needs and that agreed support for pupils with SEND is implemented consistently.
• The school has not implemented a robust system to closely analyse information about pupils' behaviour and any incidents that occur. This means that leaders do not have a sufficient understanding of emerging issues or identify the most effective strategies to meet pupils' needs. The school should implement processes to analyse behaviour records and ensure staff have the guidance and support they need to meet pupils' individual needs consistently.
• Some pupils do not attend school often enough. These pupils miss out on too much learning. The school should further develop its work, including with parents and carers and wider services, to improve pupils' attendance and engagement in school.
• Some pupils do not have good enough understanding of the fundamental British values, different world faiths and the protected characteristics. This means that pupils are not as well prepared as they could be for life in modern Britain. The school should ensure that teachers provide regular opportunities for pupils to develop an understanding of tolerance and respect for those who are different to them.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)