SEE (Oldham)

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 18 June 2024

Most pupils arrive at SEE (Oldham) with poor previous experiences of school. Many have missed out on long periods of education. When they join the school, many pupils lack confidence in their learning ability. Over time, dedicated staff change pupils' attitudes to school for the better. The school has high expectations of, and is ambitious for, every pupil. Pupils form strong and trusting relationships with staff. These relationships are at the heart of the school's success. Most pupils behave well. Staff deal with any occasional poor behaviour quickly and effectively. There is a consistent focus on helping pupils to feel safe and secure. This helps pupils to be happy at school. Pupils are encouraged to build their knowledge across a range of subjects. Pupils improve their motivation for learning because of the high-quality support that they receive. Pupils achieve well from their different starting points. Pupils experience many enrichment opportunities. These include visits to museums, farms and aquariums. Pupils spoke with excitement about a recent trip to a theme park. These opportunities help pupils to develop academically, socially and emotionally.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the school's assessment strategies are at an early stage of development. In these subjects, teachers do not check how well pupils have learned the important curriculum knowledge. This limits how well they support pupils to catch up on missed or forgotten knowledge. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the information that they need to identify and resolve gaps in pupils' learning.
• Some pupils do not get the support that they need to catch up quickly in their reading and phonics knowledge. These pupils do not learn to read as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that pupils receive timely, effective support to learn to read with increasing fluency and confidence.

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