Hylands School

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and pupils feeling safe.
• Leaders have taken robust action on historically low attendance, and some pupils now attend more regularly.
• Clear behaviour expectations and routines create a calm and orderly start to lessons.
• The school is generally calm and settled, and pupils usually treat each other with respect.
• Bullying and unkind behaviour are rare and are addressed promptly by staff.
• Pupils who need extra help managing emotions receive appropriate care and have trusted adults.
• Pastoral support helps many pupils feel well cared for and supports their wellbeing.
• Pupils typically have positive relationships with staff and peers.
• Pupils value the small school and the strong friendships they build.
• Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online and offline risks.
• Age-appropriate relationships, sex and health education is taught.
• The curriculum includes opportunities for pupils to build social skills, cooperate and learn about their community.
• Leaders are considerate of staff workload and wellbeing.
• Staff value the professional learning programme introduced by leaders.
• Alternative provision placements are supported appropriately and checked to meet pupils' needs.
• External support is beginning to strengthen leaders' work, including on attendance.

Areas for Improvement

• The school requires special measures because it is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education.
• Leaders, managers and governors are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement.
• Governance has not fulfilled its role effectively, providing insufficient challenge and support.
• Trustees have not intervened promptly when strategies failed to improve pupil outcomes.
• Leaders' overgenerous evaluation of the school has hindered focus on the most urgent issues.
• Achievement is in urgent improvement; pupils significantly underperform and do worse than similar pupils nationally.
• GCSE attainment remains significantly below national averages, and improvements are not equitable.
• Disadvantaged pupils perform markedly less well than peers, and the gap is widening.
• Many pupils do not obtain the qualifications needed to move on to further education or training.
• Curriculum and teaching are in urgent improvement, and improvement work is at an early stage.
• Many pupils do not benefit from an ambitious curriculum.
• Teachers' subject knowledge and understanding of how to meet pupils' needs are often underdeveloped.
• The school lacks effective systems to identify missed or forgotten learning.
• Teachers do not have a secure understanding of pupils' starting points.
• Pupils' eagerness to learn wanes, and they produce work of a low standard.
• Teaching is not adapted well enough for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND.
• Gaps in pupils' literacy and numeracy are not addressed well enough.
• Inclusion is in urgent improvement, and leaders' inclusive practices are at an early stage.
• Staff lack the expertise needed to meet pupils' SEND needs effectively.
• Leaders do not check carefully enough on the impact of support for the most vulnerable pupils.
• Too many pupils with SEND struggle to access the curriculum and do not make enough progress.
• Leaders do not monitor the impact of pupil premium funding on raising achievement.
• Leaders cannot be sure whether interventions for disadvantaged pupils are helping them catch up.
• Attendance remains too low, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Persistent absence remains above national averages.
• Pupils are not always fully engaged in lessons, particularly when teaching is less effective.
• Personal development and wellbeing need attention, and the impact of this work is variable.
• Not all pupils develop the confidence, resilience and broader awareness they need.
• Participation in enrichment opportunities is too low, especially for disadvantaged pupils.
• Opportunities for leadership, responsibility and wider confidence remain limited.
• Careers education, information, advice and guidance are not yet sufficiently ambitious or well developed.
• Too few pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, develop high aspirations or understand the full range of pathways.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils staying in suitable education, employment or training remains low.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools