OFSTED Report

The school has had successful inspections in 2004 and 2007.
In 2004 the school was judged as ‘very effective’.
In 2007 it was described as ‘exceptionally effective’.

Out of the 27 areas OFSTED give a rating for—25 were rated [1] ‘exceptionally high’. The others were [2] good and [4] exceptionally low. The low mark was for standards and simply acknowledges that our pupils, because of their disability, do not do as well as the general population. This is (in my view) a pointless piece of information as the rest of the report printed below shows our pupils are doing exceptionally well.

Main points of the 2007 report

• Children in the Foundation Stage get off to an extremely good start
• In year 1-6 achievement is also exceptionally good in reading and in speaking and listening
• Teaching and learning is outstanding
• Personal development is outstanding
• The curriculum is exceptionally good
• Their [pupil] behaviour is excellent
• Care, guidance and support is outstanding
• Assessment and monitoring of their progress and personal development is exceptionally thorough
• Leadership and management are outstanding
• The school provides excellent value for money
• Governance is extremely good
• The Foundation Stage is outstanding. It is exceptionally well led and managed
• Girls and boys of all ethnic groups, irrespective of their learning difficulties and/or disabilities, achieve extremely well
• Learners’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is excellent
• As a result of exceptional teaching, learners thrive, develop independent learning skills, and achieve much more than expected
• Expertise in meeting the needs of learners with autistic spectrum disorders is very high
• [Curriculum] provision for learners with severe learning difficulties or more complex learning needs, including autistic spectrum disorders, is of the highest quality
• The clarity of health care plans is exceptional
• The monitoring of the academic and personal development of learners is exceptionally thorough
• Self-evaluation is rigorous and extremely effective
• Commitment to inclusion is excellent
• Parents rate the school very highly
• Governance is rigorous
• Resources are used very efficiently and effectively
• Planning for improvement is very good.

What can we do better?

OFSTED said : ...in writing, which presents particular difficulties for most pupils, achievement is good rather than outstanding.
OFSTED have asked us to : Improve standards in writing to levels similar to those achieved in reading and speaking and listening.

For a copy of the full report (2007) click here.

The 2004 report is available also click here.