The Stable School in Christchurch graded ‘requires improvement’ by Ofsted but leadership praised for ‘positive changes’
A SPECIAL needs school in Christchurch has been graded as ‘requires improvement’ as management were praised for making “positive changes”.
The Stable School, based at Dudmoor Farm Road in Christchurch, was judged by Ofsted inspectors to require improvement in all assessment areas after a two-day inspection in November.
However, its new leadership team were praised for introducing “positive changes” and “raising pupils’ expectations”, making the school a calmer and more settled place than it was.
The Stable School currently caters for 60 pupils aged between six and 16 with a range of special educational needs. These include social, emotional and mental health needs and autism spectrum disorders, with the £42,000-a-year fees cover by four local authorities.
Melrose Education took over ownership of the school in April last year, losing its head teacher and several other staff at the end of the summer term. Describing the period as “an unsettling time” the report said senior staff now had a “clear sense of direction” and were “on course to bring about sustained improvement”.
Interim principal John Shanahan joined the school in September around eight weeks before inspectors visited, with the report noting: “Incidents of poor behaviour have decreased markedly. This makes the school calmer and more settled than in the past.”
Acknowledging that many pupils arrived at the school with a history of poor attendance, inspectors found a minority were still not attending school enough. The report said: “The school should take further action to work with families and external agencies to increase the attendance of pupils who frequently miss school.”
Inspectors also found that some staff did not have the knowledge and expertise to deliver the curriculum, and sometimes expectations for pupil achievements were not high enough.
Maths and English teaching at Key Stage 4 was found to be effective but in other subjects and teaching phases, provisions were inconsistent. A culture of reading had not been developed, with a lack of focus on helping pupils develop positive reading habits.
Inspectors also asked leaders to extend opportunities for pupils to contribute to their school and the wider community. “The school should provide meaningful experiences for pupils to broaden their horizons and help them to become responsible and active members of society,” recommended the report.
A number of parents also felt that they had not been kept well informed about recent changes, and expressed anxiety about a number of issues. “The school, including the proprietor, should take action to improve communication with parents who have concerns, so they have greater confidence in the improvements they are making,” said inspectors.
Interim principal John Shanahan said: “We are delighted that inspectors recognised the role that Melrose and new leaders have had introducing positive changes, raised expectations of pupils’ academic learning and how they should behave.”
“The inspectors also highlighted that at the Stable School all staff focus on what is best for every pupil and we make it a priority to understand pupils’ complex needs.”