Oswaldtwistle School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 19 November 2024

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from the attention and nurture the school provides. Often, pupils' lives are transformed when they join this school, with adults doing their best to put pupils back on track with their education. Staff get to know pupils very well. Pupils appreciate the way that the school encourages them to be themselves. They feel listened to. In many ways, the school is very successful. Pupils settle into school well. The school's expectations for behaviour are high. Pupils receive support to enable them to understand the school's rules and routines. They respond well to them. Typically, the school is a calm environment. Pupils move around the school building sensibly. When pupils need further support or guidance, they receive it from well-trained staff. The school is resolute in increasing pupils' ambitions for themselves. The comprehensive careers programme supports pupils to understand what their next step is beyond the school. A wealth of speakers and careers visits broaden pupils' knowledge of the options available to them. A carefully chosen range of activities, trips and visitors provide pupils with opportunities to build confidence, to find new coping strategies and to learn about risk. This includes pupils going on an overnight residential trip.

What the school should improve

• From time to time, pupils are not given opportunities to review their work. This includes their writing in English. This means that they do not have opportunities to spot some of the errors that they have made, which affects the quality of their written work. The school should ensure that pupils have time to review their work to allow them to address any recurring errors.
• At times, staff do not use the most effective strategies in the classroom to support some pupils, including pupils with SEND. This makes it more difficult for pupils to learn the required content. The school should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to select the most effective strategies to support pupils with their learning.

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