Old Farm School Review 2026: Small, specialist all-through provision with a strong reintegration focus

Old Farm School is a small, independent specialist setting that works with pupils whose education has often been interrupted, and whose needs require far more than a standard timetable. The school operates across two sites and is registered for ages 5 to 19, with capacity for 70 pupils.

A clear organising idea runs through the school’s published approach: learning is positioned as a route back into stability and future participation, not simply examination success. The curriculum is presented as personalised and designed to rebuild confidence, strengthen routines, and develop practical readiness for adulthood alongside qualifications.

The September 2025 Ofsted inspection rated the school Good overall, with Outstanding for Behaviour and Attitudes.

This is a school designed around re-engagement. Many pupils arrive with a history of negative experiences in education and a pattern of low attendance or fragmented participation. The school’s own explanation is direct: rebuilding trust and relationships sits at the centre of the work, because without that, academic learning does not stick.

Leadership is also unusually transparent for a small setting. Steve Graham is named as headteacher across the school website and staff listings, and the school positions itself as a joined-up team that includes families and external agencies supporting pupils.

Pastoral structure is described through an “Inclusion Triangle”, a three-tier model that ranges from small-group curriculum access through to a Positive Re-engagement Programme for pupils who are not ready for the in-house offer. The practical implication is that pupils can move between different levels of structure and support without being treated as a permanent category. For families, that can matter because reintegration rarely happens in a straight line.

Because this is an independent specialist school with very small cohorts, published exam measures need careful interpretation. The roll is small (53 at the time of the September 2025 inspection) and the sixth form had fewer than five students on roll at that point.

On the available GCSE measures, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 8.8. The published England average is 45.9. EBacc measures are also low with an EBacc average point score of 0.26 and 0% achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc measure.

In FindMySchool’s GCSE outcomes ranking (based on official data), the school is ranked 4102nd in England and 3rd locally for the Saltburn-by-the-Sea area, which places it below England average overall within the ranked set.

For most families considering this type of provision, the more meaningful question is usually how reliably pupils re-engage, and what qualifications and next steps become achievable from their starting points. The school’s published impact narrative highlights GCSE entries across English, maths and science for the 2022 cohort, with a broader mix including art, photography and catering referenced for 2023. It also frames success as a combination of qualifications, character development and sustained attendance.

Parents comparing several local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view these outcomes alongside nearby schools, while keeping in mind that mainstream comparators may not be like-for-like for a specialist setting.

Old Farm School describes its curriculum as an “Empowering Curriculum” built around personalisation and readiness for life beyond school, with stated values that include being ready, respectful and safe.

The curriculum documentation is unusually specific about why the design choices exist. It links many pupils’ needs to anxiety, adverse experiences, and barriers to concentration, then sets out a plan that combines academic learning with explicit work on emotional regulation, communication and independence.

There are also clear signals of how teaching is intended to look in practice. The curriculum policy references PACE strategies as part of maintaining a calm, learning-focused environment, and it notes the use of established teaching and learning research, including Rosenshine’s Principles, The Learning Forest (Tom Sherrington), and Building Learning Power (Guy Claxton).

In terms of qualifications, the documentation sets out a mixed model. At Key Stage 4 it lists GCSE English, maths and science alongside options including photography and vocational pathways such as hospitality and catering, leadership in sport, and child development. Post-16 options referenced include A-level maths and applied or vocational courses, alongside work placement and life skills.

For an all-through specialist school, there are three “next steps” to think about: return to sustained learning (often the first milestone), progression after Key Stage 4, and progression after post-16 study for those who stay to 18 or 19.

The school’s published material places heavy emphasis on preparation for adulthood and employability, including extended work experience and college taster opportunities.

It also states that leavers from 2022 progressed to local mainstream colleges post-16, which is a useful indicator of reintegration success for a cohort that has often struggled with conventional settings.

For families focused on future pathways, it is worth asking how work placement is organised, what Level 1 and Level 2 options are available for pupils who need a stepping-stone route, and how the school supports transitions into local colleges or training. The curriculum policy explicitly references work experience, college tasters and extended placements as part of delivery, which suggests this is intended as a core feature rather than an add-on.

Admissions here do not work like a typical independent day school. The admissions policy states that all pupils will have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) as part of the admission criteria, and it describes a referral process followed by assessment and induction.

The practical pathway set out by the school is structured and staged. It includes an initial visit for the pupil and parents or carers to meet key staff and see the setting, then a two-week period of assessments after entry to establish levels and support needs, and the creation of key documents such as a pupil profile and safety plan.

There are no published, fixed annual deadlines for “2026 entry” in the way families might expect for mainstream admissions. In practice, referrals for specialist placements are typically driven by local authority processes and the timing of EHCP reviews, so families should plan around SEND team timelines rather than a single national closing date.

If you are assessing feasibility based on travel and routine, the FindMySchool Map Search remains useful for understanding journey time and day-to-day manageability, even where admissions are not distance-based.

Pastoral work is not presented as separate from learning; it is part of the learning design. The Inclusion Triangle model explicitly links behaviour, engagement and attendance monitoring with the support offer, and the curriculum rationale frames behaviour as communication, especially where anxiety is high.

The school also describes access to specialist services, including educational psychologists, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy, threaded through support at the relevant tier.

Safeguarding is treated as a core operational strength. The Ofsted report notes that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Enrichment here is closely tied to re-engagement and real-world learning. The school’s impact page gives concrete examples of pupil projects that blend creativity, community connection and practical outcomes. These include producing artistic impression boards for the Skiningrove community, hosting a tea party for a local Rotary Club, and coordinating fundraising events to support a community defibrillator.

There is also a strong outdoor and place-based thread. Pupils are described as taking part in a live archaeological dig that uncovered Neolithic artefacts locally, creating geocaches in local public spaces, and building a Viking shield supported by oral and digital presentations about Viking history.

Trips and cultural visits are presented as a planned feature rather than an occasional reward. The school lists museums (including Leeds Royal Armouries, the Natural History Museum, the Jorvik Centre and the Life Centre) and galleries (including Tate and Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art), along with local area visits such as Whitby and the North York Moors National Park.

Two named elements stand out as recurring programme features. First, Duke of Edinburgh is described in the curriculum plan as part of both Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 pathways, and the impact narrative frames it as available to all students. Second, the school describes a residential programme with named experiences including A Night at the School, The Commondale Campout, Swallows and Amazons at Ullswater, and a London City Break.

Fees for specialist independent schools can work differently from mainstream independent day schools, because placements are often commissioned through local authorities as part of an EHCP package. The most recent published Ofsted inspection (September 2025) lists annual day fees in the range £37,355 to £50,815.

The difference between the low and high figure usually reflects differing levels of staffing and support required. Families considering this provision via an EHCP should clarify what is included in the commissioned place (for example, therapy input, transport arrangements and any additional activities) as part of the placement discussion.

The school does not publish bursary or scholarship information in the materials reviewed.

Old Farm School operates across two sites, which can matter for transport planning and day structure. The main site is at Old Farm School and the second site is at Rigwood House.

Precise start and finish times are not clearly published in the sources reviewed, and wraparound care is not presented as a typical feature for this type of specialist setting. Families should ask directly about the timetable for their child’s proposed programme, especially where transport is arranged through local authority systems.

• This is a specialist placement route. Admission is not a straightforward application process; the policy states that all pupils require an EHCP as part of the admission criteria, and placements typically depend on local authority decision-making and timelines.

• Comparing results needs context. GCSE headline metrics and rankings can look weak against mainstream comparators, but the school’s mission is built around re-engagement and personalised pathways for pupils with complex needs. Families should explore what progress looks like from their child’s starting point.

• Two sites can be a benefit or a complication. For some pupils, a smaller, more targeted environment can help; for others, movement between sites and transport logistics may add stress. Clarify the likely site and programme early.

• The curriculum includes demanding personal development work. Programmes that explicitly teach regulation, behaviour as communication, and life readiness can be transformative, but they rely on consistency between home, school and agencies. Families should be ready for close partnership working.

Old Farm School is best understood as a reintegration-focused specialist setting: small, structured, and built around restoring access to learning for pupils whose needs and experiences have made mainstream education difficult. Ofsted’s latest judgements support a picture of effective leadership and a strong culture around behaviour.

Best suited to families and professionals seeking a commissioned specialist placement for a pupil with an EHCP, where the priority is sustained re-engagement, careful personal development, and a pathway to qualifications, college or training that fits the pupil’s profile.