Cedar Hall School

Overview

Cedar Hall School is described as a “welcoming and inclusive environment” where pupils are “settled and happy” and behave sensibly. However, the report states that the curriculum “does not support pupils well enough” to realise the school’s ambitions, with inconsistent sequencing and delivery limiting learning in some subjects. Leadership and management are judged as requiring improvement due to inexperienced leaders and insufficient governance oversight.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy school, with staff being “patient and clear in their expectations,” resulting in good behaviour and attitudes.
• Personal development is a strength, with pupils learning practical life skills such as cooking, using transport independently, and preparing for adulthood.
• The phonics programme is effective, with staff successfully checking knowledge to ensure pupils are “secure in what they know” before progressing.
• The school provides a calm site where staff are “skilful in supporting pupils to regulate how they feel.”

Areas to improve

• The curriculum needs better sequencing so pupils can “build secure knowledge over time” and retain important understanding.
• Teachers must improve assessment precision to identify knowledge gaps and provide clear guidance on how pupils can improve their work.
• Leaders require support to develop expertise, and governors must hold leaders to account more effectively for decision-making and compliance.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”