Manchester Secondary PRU

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 4 June 2024

Pupils value the opportunity to attend this school, which offers them another chance to access their education. Many pupils have had considerable disruption to their prior education. When they arrive at the school, they are listened to, respected and valued by staff. This helps most pupils to feel comfortable, happy and safe. The school has raised its expectations for pupils' academic success. It is determined to ensure that pupils participate fully in what the school has to offer. Most pupils learn well. Thoughtfully designed learning pathways help them to gain the qualifications that they need to move on to further education or training. Most pupils behave well and understand the school's expectations for their conduct. However, this is variable across the different sites. Some pupils' behaviour disrupts the learning of others. In addition, too many pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This means that these pupils miss important learning opportunities. Pupils receive a broad range of activities that go beyond the academic curriculum. For example, they enjoy working with visitors such as a DJ and learn how to rock climb. Pupils participate in the wider community, including by displaying their artwork in a local gallery.

What the school should improve

• The curriculum is not delivered consistently well across the different sites. This means that pupils' knowledge is uneven and some pupils' knowledge is not secure. The school should ensure that staff across the different sites are suitably equipped to deliver the curriculum effectively.
• The school has not checked the impact of the curriculum on pupils' achievement sufficiently well. This means that the school does not have sufficient oversight of how effective the delivery of the curriculum is across the different sites. This sometimes leads to gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should monitor, and improve when required, the impact of the curriculum on pupils' learning more effectively.
• Too many pupils have high levels of persistent absence. Some pupils' punctuality is poor. As a result, these pupils miss out on essential learning and wider opportunities that the school provides. The school should ensure that pupils attend school regularly and on time.
• Some staff do not ensure that pupils behave consistently well. As a result, some pupils demonstrate poor behaviour which disrupts other pupils' learning. The school should ensure that staff have consistently high expectations of pupils' behaviour and implement the school's behaviour policy effectively.
• Some pupils in key stage 3 do not receive enough information about possible next steps in their education or future career paths. This means that these pupils do not have the knowledge that they need to make informed choices. The school should ensure that pupils receive appropriate careers education, information, advice and guidance.

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