Forest Park School

Overview

Forest Park School is described as a ‘happy, nurturing environment’ where leaders maintain high expectations and pupils feel they ‘belong here’. The report highlights that pupils’ ‘personal development is top class’, with staff expertly preparing them for life in modern Britain through a well-constructed, personalised curriculum.

Strengths

• Staff and leaders create ‘trusting and caring’ relationships, ensuring pupils are ‘safe and feel safe’ with bullying dealt with ‘straightaway’.
• Pupils develop independence and communication skills effectively, using resources like ‘visual aids, symbols and alternative communication tools’ and learning Makaton.
• The curriculum is ‘well constructed’ in most subjects, with ‘reading runs seamlessly through the curriculum’ and staff using ‘expert training’ to support learning.
• Pupils are ‘polite, courteous and welcoming’, managing their own behaviour increasingly well and describing lessons as ‘fun and epic’.
• Leaders and governors are ‘united in their vision’, providing ‘challenge and support in equal measure’ to ensure pupils fulfil their potential.

Areas to improve

• In some foundation subjects, the curriculum does not clearly set out the order of teaching, meaning ‘pupils do not achieve as well as they could’.
• A small proportion of pupils do not attend school regularly, causing them to ‘miss out on important learning and experiences’.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are ‘effective’, with a ‘strong culture of safeguarding on both sites’, well-trained staff, and ‘robust processes for reporting concerns’.