Clare Mount Specialist Sports College

Overview

Clare Mount Specialist Sports College is described as a place that fosters a “truly remarkable haven of calm and learning,” where pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities “flourish socially and academically.” The report highlights that leaders and staff work relentlessly to enable success, creating an environment where pupils are “safe, feel understood and valued.” The school’s impact is characterised as “transformative,” with a curriculum and support systems tailored skilfully to individual aspirations.

Strengths

• Achievement is rated “Exceptional,” with pupils making “substantial progress” and disadvantaged pupils achieving better than their national counterparts.
• Inclusion is “woven into the fabric of the school’s work,” with staff expertly adapting teaching and using innovative practices to remove barriers to learning.
• Leadership and governance are “Exceptional,” featuring “high-quality oversight” and an “outward facing culture of shared professional learning.”
• Personal development is “impressive,” offering a “wide and rich range of experiences” such as rock climbing and volunteering that build resilience and self-belief.
• Behaviour is “exemplary” and bullying is “extremely rare,” supported by a culture of mutual respect and effective pastoral care.

Areas to improve

• Leaders and governors should “continue to refine and embed their identified priorities for improvement” to drive a “transformational impact for all pupils.”

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing an “open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility” and concerns are actively identified and managed.