Our School

We are extremely proud of the achievement of our school community, in being awarded four ‘Exceptional’ judgements in the same inspection, and with all other judgements being ‘Strong standard’.

Ofsted no longer issues single-word overall judgements of schools but instead grades individual judgement areas. For our school, these judgement areas are:

Safeguarding – standards met*
Achievement – strong standard
Attendance and behaviour – exceptional
Curriculum and teaching – strong standard
Inclusion – exceptional
Personal development and wellbeing – exceptional
Post 16 provision (Sixth Form) – exceptional
Leadership and governance – strong standard

*Safeguarding is judged differently from all of the other judgement areas. For Safeguarding, Ofsted offers only two possible grades: either ‘Standards met’ or ‘Standards not met’.

The full report can be viewed here:

You are also welcome to read Me Hetherington’s letter to parents:

More House transforms pupils’ lives and makes a significant contribution to pupils' positive attendance, behaviour and personal development.

Many pupils arrive having faced disrupted education or significant barriers elsewhere, yet they quickly flourish in an environment where they are welcomed warmly and understood deeply.

Sixth‑form students thrive, achieving highly and progressing to university and other ambitious destinations.

Teaching is of high quality. Teachers use specialist approaches that help pupils build secure, detailed knowledge across a wide range of subjects. A comprehensive programme of therapeutic support helps pupils develop confidence, independence and self‑belief.

Pupils are deeply committed to their education because the school sets a culture of high ambition and unwavering belief in every child.

Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes are exceptional. From their first day, they see older pupils modelling respect, kindness and maturity. This positive example spreads through the school.

Ofsted Social Care inspection – February 2026 - OUTSTANDING

In February 2026 we were visited by Ofsted’s Social Care department to inspect our boarding provision, health & safety, safeguarding, staffing and facilities across the whole school. In terms of the single word judgements, still used by Ofsted’s Social Care teams, the inspection report confirms that More House School continues to justify the highest possible grading, in each element of the inspection: ‘Outstanding’.

The full report can be accessed here:

Here are a few highlights

The structured, inclusive environment ensures that every student thrives safely and confidently.

Parents highlight staff commitment, describing care as ‘second to none’ and noting the positive impact the boarding provision has on students’ development and their wellbeing.

The actions of the school contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences for children and young people.

The residential special school provides highly effective services that consistently exceed the standards of good.

Previous Ofsted reports

Ofsted Social Care inspection – December 2024 – OUTSTANDING

In December 2024, we were visited by representatives from Ofsted’s Social Care department to inspect our boarding provision, health & safety, safeguarding, staffing and facilities across the whole school. More House School was judged to justify the highest possible grading, in each element of the inspection: ‘Outstanding’.

Boarding and Welfare Inspection – November 2023 – OUTSTANDING

In November 2023, a full Boarding and Welfare inspection again judged More House as ‘Outstanding‘ in all aspects.

Ofsted Dual Inspection – March 2023 – OUTSTANDING

In March 2023, More House School was awarded ‘Outstanding‘ in all aspects following a full dual inspection of the school and residential provision.

To find out more about our previous inspections and reports, click below:

CReSTeD - October 2024

Approved by the Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic Pupils (CReSTeD)

On 10th October 2024, CReSTeD visited More House as part of their process for regular inspections of schools for pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD). There is a robust set of criteria against which CReSTeD assesses whether a school meets the needs of its pupils with SpLD. More House School was judged to have met the criteria in all areas, to deliver innovative and exemplary practice.

The simple, yet effective approach of putting the pupil at the centre of everything the school does is evident wherever you look at More House.

More House School works hard to support the needs of the pupils in attendance, and this means not standing still and constantly evolving and developing what is on offer at the school.

It is a special place which has really thought about what works for their pupils and consistently works to meet the needs of the boys in their care. More House pupils are far more than their learning difficulties and the ‘Beyond the Label’ approach is testament to the hard work the staff do to instil self-belief, ambition and a strong work ethic in the pupils.

When considering how More House supports their needs, not only did [pupils] appreciate the performing arts and sporting opportunities but also that the classes are smaller, and they are not taken out of lesson in order to receive support.

More House has worked hard to align their curriculum approach to what works for learners with additional needs. This has resulted in less focus on specific learning difficulties or SEND but this purposeful and evidence-based approach is resulting in greater engagement from the pupils and better outcomes.

All members of staff have a deep understanding of what works for children with specific learning difficulties. Teaching and support staff work in unison to address both academic needs as well as specific individual needs.