Good Ofsted Outcome for Northampton Hospital and Outreach Education

Following an inspection of Northamptonshire’s Hospital and Outreach Education on the 13th and 14th September 2023 the school has been judged as good with two areas recognised as outstanding:

• Overall effectiveness Good

• The quality of education Good

• Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding

• Personal development Outstanding

• Leadership and management Good

Hospital and Outreach Education (HOE) is an alternative provision academy and part of the Skylark Partnership Trust. HOE works with children who have medical and mental health conditions which significantly impact on their ability to engage with education. Most of the students at HOE were not attending school for some time before starting at the provision and have large gaps in learning due to their medical needs.

The school staff teach in Northampton General Hospital, Kettering General Hospital in addition to The Sett and The Burrows, two Child and Adolescent Mental Health units in Northampton. They also work with children who are not in hospital but who are too unwell to attend their usual school. These are taught in The Delapre Learning Centre in Northampton, in the homes of children and in a classroom at Stanwick Lakes.

The Ofsted report found the school was good overall with outstanding areas in ‘personal development’ and ‘behaviour and attitudes’.

Headteacher, James Shryane, commented “Our pupils face many challenges dealing with their medical conditions and we work tirelessly to help them to re-engage with their learning. I was delighted the inspectors saw how the School’s values underpin all we do. Staff are very proud that the fantastic work of the school has been recognised by Ofsted.”

In July the school achieved the Enhanced Quality Mark as a Values-based school.

The report noted that ‘The school’s values of hope, resilience, trust, compassion, cooperation, respect and honesty underpin all the work at Hospital and Outreach Education. Depending on their medical needs, pupils may be at the school for short or long periods of time.

Hospital and Outreach Education were named as ‘School of the Year’ in the Northamptonshire Education Awards in 2021 and are winners of national awards for their pioneering use of AV1 telepresence robots which help pupils stay connected to their schools while they are receiving medical treatment.

The report says:

“When pupils are in school, they enjoy being there and are keen to learn. Pupils know that the staff really care. One pupil said: ‘I am no longer invisible; I can be me.’ The school takes care to understand each pupil’s personality, interests, talents and future goals’.”

The report also noted the school had high expectations for pupils and that behaviour was exemplary.

The quality of education was noted to be good with an ambitious well sequenced curriculum in place for pupils. The curriculum was focussed on pupils’ emotional well-being as well as academic subjects.

Inspectors noted that most pupils attending the school had not previously attended education regularly. Since being at HOE they were now attending almost all of the time.

Inspectors recommended two improvements. They asked leaders to refine the way targets are recorded for learners with special educational needs and the extension of phonics teaching to older students.

Sarah Hutt, the Chair of the Local Academy Board said “As a governing body we are so proud of everything the school staff achieve on behalf of the students and families they support. For Ofsted to recognise the school’s values and ability to support well-being as outstanding is a testimony to their hard work and dedication.”

Jim Bowyer, CEO of The Skylark Partnership Trust, said “Our purpose is to help children succeed when they face adversity, the report recognises how our staff's dedication and hard work transforms children and families lives. Hospital education is a small, often overlooked part of the education system. We are proud of our staff and the vital work that HOE is doing for children in Northamptonshire.”

Karen Frazer the Chair of Trustees for The Skylark Partnership, said “We are really proud of that Ofsted has rated NHOE as a Good school. This reflects the dedication of James and his team to provide excellent teaching and ensure that every child can achieve his or her potential and has hope for the future.”