New Horizons School (Part of the Sabden Multi Academy Trust)

Overview

New Horizons School provides a supportive environment where pupils with social, emotional and mental health difficulties feel "accepted and understood." The inspection found that the school’s positive ethos and tailored support have transformed behaviour, with pupils attending more frequently and engaging well in a restructured curriculum.

Strengths

• Pupils feel "safe and well cared for," with strong relationships between staff and pupils and older pupils showing "genuine kindness" to younger peers.
• The ‘core’ curriculum in English and mathematics is "well embedded," with a "successful emphasis on extending pupils’ vocabulary" and strong reading culture.
• The ‘enrich’ curriculum nurtures interests and prepares pupils for adulthood through "systematic checks of the knowledge and skills" needed and diverse workplace experiences.
• Staff are "adept at anticipating when a pupil is struggling," leading to a dramatic fall in physical interventions and a transformed behaviour culture.
• Leaders proactively manage staff workload and well-being, recognising staff’s "vital role in the school’s improvement journey."

Areas to improve

• The ‘explore’ curriculum topics do not always "precisely identify the knowledge and skills that pupils should learn," causing pupils to struggle with recalling knowledge.
• A significant proportion of pupils still miss too much learning time, requiring the school to persist with determination in improving attendance.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."