Hailey Hall School

Overview

Hailey Hall School is a special academy for boys with social, emotional and mental health needs. The inspection found that the school has successfully addressed previous areas for improvement, with pupils now achieving well from their starting points and securing post-16 places. Leaders provide effective oversight, and staff are well-trained to support pupils in re-engaging with education.

Strengths

• Staff effectively fill gaps in missed learning, particularly in English and mathematics, while advancing skills in subjects like art and music.
• Targeted interventions have significantly improved reading fluency, with pupils now reading aloud and sharing opinions on texts.
• A broad range of qualification routes ensures most pupils access suitable post-16 pathways in college, training, or work.
• Pupils benefit from strong mental well-being support, enabling them to manage emotions independently and show respect.
• The personal development programme helps pupils form mature views on relationships, discrimination, and democracy.

Areas to improve

• The school needs a clearer whole-school approach to tackle attendance and disengagement, as current strategies are not yet having a sustained impact for all pupils.
• In some subjects, work is not ambitious enough; the school should provide tasks that deepen and stretch pupils’ understanding when they are emotionally ready to learn more.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.