Clifford Holroyde Sen College

Overview

Clifford Holroyde Specialist SEN College has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection. The school is described as a "caring and nurturing" environment where pupils feel safe, valued, and happy, marking a significant turning point for many who have experienced disrupted education. Most pupils achieve well and proceed to further education, training, or employment.

Strengths

• Staff build "trusting relationships" with pupils, helping those with challenging behaviour remain calm and refocus, resulting in positive attitudes to learning.
• The curriculum is ambitious and broad, with subjects designed to enable pupils to "build their knowledge in a logical way."
• Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities and community initiatives that "build their confidence and self-esteem" and prepare them for adulthood.
• The school tailors curriculum pathways and therapeutic approaches to address individual challenges, including trauma and anxiety, through careful initial assessments.
• Governors "hold the school to account effectively" and have a clear understanding of what needs to improve.

Areas to improve

• The school’s strategies for supporting pupils who struggle with reading are "still in the early stages of implementation," leaving some with gaps in reading knowledge.
• Absence rates for some pupils remain "too high," causing them to miss out on vital learning and develop gaps in their knowledge.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.