Brook Green Centre for Learning

Overview

Brook Green Centre for Learning is a special school for pupils aged 11 to 16 with cognition and learning needs. The inspection found that pupils are "successful learners" who are "well prepared for the world beyond school" and benefit from "high expectations" for their social, emotional, and academic achievement.

Strengths

• Pupils develop "exceptionally well" in personal development, becoming "informed citizens" through a "coherently structured" careers programme and rich cultural experiences.
• Staff foster "very strong, trusting relationships" with pupils, who are described as "well mannered, respectful and kind" in a "calm, orderly learning environment".
• The curriculum is "ambitious and challenging," enabling pupils to build on prior knowledge effectively, particularly in subjects like mathematics and science.
• The school prioritises literacy, using "adaptive teaching strategies" and early reading programmes to help pupils with gaps in schooling "learn to read well".
• Governance is "strong," with governors who effectively "challenge and support the school," while staff are "overwhelmingly proud" to work there.

Areas to improve

• Assessment data on reading and writing is not used with precision in some subjects, meaning teaching adaptations are not always routine and some pupils "struggle to access learning successfully".
• Pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding do not attend school regularly enough, limiting their access to learning compared to peers.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."