Mayfield House School

Mayfield House School is an independent special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, all of whom have EHC plans. This was its first monitoring inspection after a July 2025 standard inspection, and the school still does not meet all of the independent school standards checked. Leadership and management remain a key weakness: the proprietor and leaders have not ensured consistent compliance, and some unmet standards relating to pupil safety place pupils at unacceptable risk. The school has made real progress in several practical areas. Careers guidance now meets pupils’ needs; safeguarding policy and staff training are in place; use of restrictive physical intervention is better managed and recorded; health and safety, fire safety, first aid, admissions and attendance registers, recruitment checks and the single central record now meet requirements; the medical room is suitable; premises are maintained safely; and key policies are made available to parents. These are important improvements. However, major concerns remain. The curriculum is still not fit for purpose, teaching does not use EHC plans well enough, and assessment does not reliably show what pupils know and remember. SMSC provision remains underdeveloped, behaviour management is inconsistent, safeguarding record-keeping and follow-up are weak, and risk assessments do not sufficiently account for pupils’ needs. As a result, pupils are not consistently kept safe or supported to achieve as well as they should.

Strengths

• Careers information and guidance now meet pupils’ needs and prepare them well for life beyond school.
• An appropriate safeguarding policy is in place, with a programme of safeguarding training for staff.
• Staff understanding and recording of restrictive physical intervention have improved, and parents are notified promptly.
• Health and safety policy is implemented appropriately, and fire safety and first-aid requirements are now met.
• Admissions and attendance registers are appropriate and compliant.
• Required safeguarding pre-employment checks, including for contractors, are now completed and the single central record is maintained in line with statutory guidance.
• A suitable medical room is available for pupils’ medical and therapy needs and short-term care.
• Premises and accommodation are now maintained safely, with regular checks in place.
• Key policies and information are made available to parents, and all key policies were available to inspectors.

Areas for Improvement

• The proprietor and leaders still lack the skills, knowledge and rigour to ensure the independent school standards are met consistently.
• Compliance checks by the proprietor lack rigour, and the proprietor does not seek relevant assurances about ongoing compliance.
• The curriculum remains unfit for purpose, with important knowledge unclear and plans not covering the full age range or pupils’ needs.
• Curriculum plans for relationships and sex education are not fully appropriate for the school’s age range and pupil needs.
• Teaching does not use information from pupils’ EHC plans effectively to match tasks to their needs.
• Assessment is based on what pupils have been taught rather than what they know and remember, so it does not help identify progress well.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural education remains underdeveloped and offers limited opportunities to develop talents and interests.
• Safeguarding record-keeping is disorganised, lacks important detail and has too few follow-up actions, leaving vulnerable pupils at increased risk.
• Behaviour management is inconsistent, poor behaviour is too often left unchallenged, and pupils do not develop positive attitudes to learning.
• Risk assessments do not sufficiently account for pupils’ needs and vulnerabilities and are not routinely updated.
• Some pupils are placed at unacceptable risk because some standards relating to safety remain unmet.
• Pupils’ behaviour does not improve enough over time, so they are not well prepared for their next stage.

In 2025–26, 0.0% of pupils at Mayfield House 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 Chorley · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Mayfield House School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Mayfield House School is Inadequate, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Mayfield House School last inspected by Ofsted?

Mayfield House School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Mayfield House School have?

Mayfield House School has 23 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mayfield House School cover?

Mayfield House School for pupils aged 6 to 16.

Where is Mayfield House School?

Mayfield House School is at 1 Mayfield Road, Chorley, Lancashire, PR6 0DG.