Kings Mill School

Overview

Kings Mill School continues to be a good school, characterised by a "strong community ethos" that creates a "positive and nurturing place to learn." The curriculum is "carefully tailored to pupils’ individual needs," with education, health and care plans sitting at the heart of each pupil’s pathway. Leaders are ambitious, focusing on developing communication skills and preparing pupils for adulthood through a broad curriculum and diverse enrichment activities.

Strengths

• Staff know pupils well, fostering "warm, caring relationships" where pupils feel valued and safe within a calm environment.
• The school meets the needs of pupils with complex, profound and physical difficulties well, using "meticulous procedures" to ensure effective support.
• Provision for wider personal development is a strength, offering a "remarkable" range of enrichment opportunities including sports, music and residential experiences.
• Reading is a high priority, with staff teaching phonics well and ensuring the "joy of reading permeates topics of learning."
• Attendance is regular, with leaders analysing absence data with precision and following up promptly to ensure pupil safety.

Areas to improve

• Subject leadership is inconsistent across the school, meaning strengths and areas for development are not identified precisely; staff must be trained to check progress regularly.
• The range of accredited courses is not wide enough, preventing some pupils from achieving the qualifications they are capable of attaining.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.