Elizabeth House School

Elizabeth House School is an independent school in Middleton, Manchester, for pupils living at Elizabeth House Children's Home and part of Hexagon Care Services. At this inspection, safeguarding standards were met, and attendance and behaviour and personal development and wellbeing were judged at expected standard. Pupils are safe and happy, typically attend well, behave well, and benefit from a well-considered personal development programme, including strong careers advice. All pupils are disadvantaged and most have experienced disrupted education before joining, and leaders are praised for helping them settle and work with families and professionals. However, the school is not performing as well as it should in several core areas. Achievement, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, and leadership and governance were all judged as needing attention. The independent school standards for quality of education and for leadership and management are not met. Pupils, especially those with SEND, do not consistently make the progress they should, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics, and are not always well prepared for the next stage of education, training or employment. Teaching quality and curriculum implementation vary, teachers' subject knowledge and understanding of SEND are underdeveloped, and leaders do not yet have an accurate view of how well pupils learn. The report recognises important strengths in safeguarding, behaviour, attendance and personal development, and notes effective work with parents, carers and external specialists. The next steps focus on improving SEND identification and support, building pupils' knowledge and fluency in reading, writing and mathematics, strengthening teachers' subject knowledge, checking prior knowledge before new learning, and tightening systems so that the independent school standards are consistently met.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met and there is an open, positive safeguarding culture.
• Pupils are safe and happy, and staff know them well.
• Leaders work effectively with parents and carers to ensure regular attendance.
• Pupils typically behave well and respond positively to clear routines.
• Staff manage pupils' emotional difficulties calmly, sensitively and with care.
• Pupils usually get along well, and bullying is rare and dealt with thoroughly.
• The personal development and wellbeing programme is well considered and tailored to pupils' challenges.
• Pupils develop confidence, resilience and a sense of making a positive contribution.
• Pupils gain a secure understanding of fundamental British values and respect for differences.
• Careers advice is impartial and high quality, with practical workshops and pathways.
• Pupils are generally well prepared for independent living when they are older.
• Leaders build positive relationships with parents, carers, the local community and external professionals.
• Leaders successfully help pupils settle into school and focus on learning, adapting support when circumstances change.
• The school has an effective phonics programme for pupils at the early stages of reading.
• The proprietor ensures the school environment is safe and inviting and understands its statutory duties.
• Leaders support staff wellbeing.
• The school has an inclusive ethos, and pupils feel welcome.
• Leaders provide a broad and ambitious curriculum.
• Pupils access local training and activities, including climbing, woodwork, pottery and charity work.
• Leaders make decisions in pupils' best interests and are effective advocates for them.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils do not consistently make the progress they should from their differing starting points.
• Pupils do not build sufficient stamina and fluency in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The standard of written work varies across subjects, and some pupils cannot produce clearly legible handwriting.
• Some pupils are not ready for the GCSEs or English and mathematics qualifications they are entered for.
• Pupils are not as well prepared as they could be for the next stages of education, training or employment, especially post-16.
• Achievement in subjects beyond English and mathematics is variable, particularly for pupils with SEND.
• Leaders do not have an accurate view of how effectively pupils learn across the curriculum.
• Curriculum delivery varies because teachers do not have the subject knowledge they need.
• The curriculum does not define equally well what pupils should learn, or the order of learning, across subjects.
• Teachers do not check what pupils already know carefully enough before introducing new information.
• Teachers have an underdeveloped understanding of SEND and are unclear how best to support pupils with SEND.
• There is no support similar to the phonics programme for pupils who struggle to produce clear, legible writing.
• The accessibility plan is only partially successful in making the curriculum accessible.
• Leaders do not consider pupils' SEND information well enough, and teachers cannot accurately identify SEND.
• Teachers are not supported to adapt classroom practices to meet pupils' differing needs, so some pupils struggle to access the curriculum.
• The proprietor's processes for ensuring all pupils achieve highly are not developed as well as they could be.
• Leaders do not provide enough support for teachers to teach well, and curriculum information is inconsistent, increasing workload.
• Leaders do not ensure teachers develop their subject knowledge and classroom practice sufficiently, especially for SEND.
• The independent school standards for quality of education and leadership and management are not met.
• Leaders need to strengthen systems and procedures so that the independent school standards are consistently met and maintained.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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What is Elizabeth House School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Elizabeth House School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Elizabeth House School last inspected by Ofsted?

Elizabeth House School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Elizabeth House School have?

Elizabeth House School has 5 pupils on roll.

What age range does Elizabeth House School cover?

Elizabeth House School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

Where is Elizabeth House School?

Elizabeth House School is at Wentworth Close, Middleton, Manchester, M24 4BD.