The Eaglewood School in Culver Road, New Milton praised in latest Ofsted inspection

A NEW Milton school has been praised for its high ambitions for pupils after a visit from Ofsted.

The Eaglewood School in Culver Road supports 90 pupils aged between seven to 16.

Inspectors who visited in February noted pupils were well supported and ambition was high in terms of both their academic and emotional development. It praised staff for supporting pupils with their emotional regulation in a “calm and gentle” manner.

The school show ‘Eaglewood’s Got Talent’ encapsulates the strength of the school’s commitment to pupils’ personal development, added inspectors, while the curriculum is “broad and interesting”. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported “extremely well” with their emotional well-being and development, the report adds.

Pupils also benefit from an “impressive” personal development programme, which includes planning their next steps through robust careers and outdoor education programmes, in a “highly personalised and bespoke” manner.

Parents and carers praised the inclusive and welcoming nature of the school, with inspectors noting many described the positive transformation this has had on their child’s attitude towards school. One parent was said to sum up the view of many when they said: “My child now smiles, laughs and feels finally that they belong somewhere.”

But inspectors also noted pupils’ academic learning needs and next steps are not always precisely identified, which means that pupils do not always receive the focused support that they need. To improve, inspectors suggested the school ensure that information about pupils’ academic next steps is clearly identified and used to shape appropriate support and interventions.

Headteacher Mark Gilbert said: “We were particularly pleased to see how inspectors said that children wanted to come to school despite many having experienced disrupted education in the past.

“At school we encourage students to show empathy and support each other, and this was recognised – as was the shared sense of joy about individual achievements.”

He added: “We will continue to do the best for the children at Eaglewood, something which is made easier by having such a talented and dedicated staff, and working within a supportive trust.

“There are things we can improve and I’m sure parents know that we are all working hard to give their children the best schooling possible.”

This was Eaglewood’s first ungraded inspection since being rated ‘good’ in 2019.