Newbury Manor School

Newbury Manor School is an independent specialist school for pupils with autism, all of whom have an education, health and care plan. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school has many strengths: personal development and wellbeing are strong, inclusion is secure, pupils feel safe and happy, and careers education is a notable strength. Staff know pupils well, provide high-quality pastoral support, and offer a wide range of enrichment and life-skills opportunities. Attendance generally improves, behaviour is typically calm, and pupils on the informal and semi-formal curriculum pathways make appropriate progress.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
• Personal development and wellbeing are strong, with rigorous preparation for pupils' futures.
• Careers education is a notable strength, highly individualised and leading to successful destinations.
• Pupils feel safe, happy and that they belong; relationships between staff and pupils are warm and caring.
• High-quality pastoral support builds pupils' confidence and self-worth.
• A wide range of enrichment activities such as art, sport and music develops pupils' talents and interests.
• The personal, social and health education programme is expertly planned, including independent living and safety.
• Inclusion is secure; staff know pupils extremely well and respond swiftly to their needs.
• The informal and semi-formal curriculum pathways are well designed, and pupils on them generally achieve well.
• Foundational skills in reading, writing and mathematics are prioritised, with phonics taught effectively.
• Most pupils attend well, and leaders act swiftly to address barriers to attendance.
• Bullying and unkind behaviour are never tolerated, and incidents of poor behaviour have decreased.
• Staff feel supported, are proud to work at the school and benefit from recent professional development.
• Leaders have an accurate understanding of strengths and areas for development and show capacity to improve.
• Post-16 students benefit from strong personal development, individualised careers provision and extra-curricular activities.
• Many parents speak highly of the support their children receive.

Areas for Improvement

• The formal curriculum pathway is not ambitious, well designed or well sequenced.
• Pupils on the formal curriculum pathway do not build on their knowledge and understanding effectively.
• Pupils on the formal curriculum pathway do not achieve well enough or are not well prepared for their next steps.
• Teaching is not consistently effective across all curriculum pathways.
• Teachers sometimes underestimate what pupils already know and can do, so activities do not deepen learning.
• The post-16 formal curriculum pathway lacks ambition and does not prepare students sufficiently for their destinations.
• Leadership instability since the previous inspection has had a negative impact on the quality of provision.
• The proprietor has not ensured the school consistently meets all independent school standards.
• The school does not meet some standards in part 1 of the independent school standards relating to quality of education.
• Because part 1 standards are not met, the school does not meet the leadership and management standard in part 8.
• Curriculum pathways are not flexible enough for a small minority of pupils when their needs change.
• Some parents have been unhappy about recent disruption to pupils' education.
• Leaders are only at the beginning of addressing weaknesses in the formal curriculum pathway and teaching.

In 2025–26, 0.0% of pupils at Newbury Manor School were on SEN support (nationally 18.4%) and 100.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 7.9%).

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded independent school schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Frome · Somerset local authority: places and applications

What is Newbury Manor School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Newbury Manor School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Newbury Manor School last inspected by Ofsted?

Newbury Manor School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Newbury Manor School have?

Newbury Manor School has 62 pupils on roll.

What age range does Newbury Manor School cover?

Newbury Manor School for pupils aged 6 to 19.

Where is Newbury Manor School?

Newbury Manor School is at Newbury Manor, Newbury, Near Mells, Frome, Somerset, BA11 3RG.