Progress Schools Wigan, Wigan Central

What it's like to be a pupil at Progress Schools Wigan

When pupils join this school, they typically do not appreciate or value education. Most have had negative or disrupted experiences of school previously. In addition, pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff prioritise identifying and reducing the barriers that have prevented pupils from engaging in education in the past. Pupils learn to trust staff, which helps them to feel confident, settled and safe in school. Over time, most pupils increase their rates of attendance and engage in all that the school offers. However, pupils' experience of the curriculum and teaching is not consistently positive. In some subjects, leaders do not ensure that pupils have the opportunity to learn all that the curriculum intends. In addition, weaknesses in the quality of teaching hinder how well pupils learn and achieve. Each day, staff welcome pupils into the building with the offer of a cup of tea and a catch up. Staff take this opportunity to understand how pupils are feeling so that any additional support can be put into place swiftly if needed. Positive relationships between staff and pupils are evident through their interactions. Pupils are respectful, well mannered and attentive. In the main, pupils settle readily to their learning during lessons. They come to value and, at times, enjoy their education. Pupils typically get along well with each other. They do not worry about bullying, which rarely happens. Pupils appreciate that any concerns or worries that they might have are usually spotted and resolved quickly by staff. Pupils benefit from opportunities to engage with the local community. For example, each week pupils contribute to a community event that supports elderly people. Pupils are encouraged to make tea, join in with activities, such as dancing and singing, and engage in conversation with people from the local area. This helps to develop pupils' confidence and improve their social skills.

What Ofsted says the school should do next

• Leaders should ensure that staff deliver the curriculum as intended in each subject, so that pupils have the opportunity to learn all that they should.
• Leaders should ensure that staff have the subject-specific expertise that they need to teach each subject well.
• Leaders should ensure that staff use assessment information to inform their teaching, so that learning activities are appropriately matched to pupils' starting points.
• Leaders should widen the school's enrichment offer so that pupils benefit from a broader range of high-quality experiences that build their confidence, character and cultural awareness.
• The proprietor should ensure that leaders have the support and expertise that they need to drive improvements in the quality of teaching, so that pupils benefit from high-quality teaching across all subjects and all the independent school standards are met.

Progress Schools Wigan excels at helping vulnerable pupils feel safe and re-engage with education through strong staff-pupil relationships and personalised support. The school prepares pupils well for life after school with excellent careers guidance and support into further education or employment. Staff work hard to identify and remove barriers to learning, resulting in improved attendance and behaviour for most pupils.

Safeguarding standards are met - the school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding with all legal requirements met, making pupils safer and helping them feel safe.

Boxing, sports, community events supporting elderly people

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