Rowan Education

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 February 2025

Many pupils arrive at Rowan with negative experiences from their previous education. Some pupils have previously spent prolonged periods out of school. Staff are mindful of this. They have a sensitive understanding of the barriers that pupils have faced. They take time to understand pupils and consider their specific needs. As a result, pupils develop warm and supportive relationships with staff. Pupils are valued. This helps them to feel happy and safe. The school develops pupils' personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education well. Pupils value the enriching activities that widen their experience and build character. The school's aspiration to develop pupils' academic understanding is less well embedded. In some subjects, they do not learn as well as they should. Pupils generally conduct themselves well due to the calm environment established by leaders. The behaviour policy is applied consistently and fairly. In most cases, pupils meet the school's expectations. When pupils struggle to manage their behaviour, the school provides support to help them to quickly return to more positive conduct. Pupils enjoy being involved in making decisions about aspects of school life. For example, at the beginning of the school year, they help to devise classroom rules. Pupils are keen to take up positions of responsibility, for example by leading end of the day assemblies.

What the school should improve

• The implementation of the curriculum is less effective in some areas than in others. On occasions, learning activities do not enable pupils to learn well enough. Some tasks are often too easy. This has a negative impact on pupils' achievement and motivation to learn. The school should ensure that their well- sequenced and ambitious curriculum is implemented well for all pupils.
• The school does not identify weaknesses in the quality of teaching well enough. This means that weaknesses persist and pupils' progression through parts of the curriculum is hampered. The school should check the implementation of the curriculum more thoroughly and address any weaknesses so that pupils learn well across all areas.

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