Kirkham Pear Tree School

Overview

Kirkham Pear Tree School continues to be an outstanding school, providing an "exciting and ambitious curriculum" that fosters independence and confidence. Pupils are described as happy and settled, benefiting from high staff expectations and personalised support tailored to their specific special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• The curriculum is highly ambitious, with education, health and care (EHC) plan targets embedded to ensure individual needs are met, allowing pupils to "achieve exceptionally well."
• Teachers are "experts in their field" who use innovative strategies and careful assessment to reshape teaching, ensuring pupils build skills seamlessly over time.
• Communication and language development is "highly personalised," using resources like sign language and visual images to help non-verbal pupils express their needs and wishes.
• Staff are "intuitive to the needs of each pupil," proactively providing sensory breaks and support to maintain calm, respectful environments with "very little low-level disruption."
• All pupils have equal opportunities to flourish through inclusive activities, including drama productions, residential trips, and vocational learning that prepares them for "paid work, training, or further education."

Areas to improve

• The report identifies no significant areas for improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, supported by a "strong culture of safeguarding" and targeted training that gives staff in-depth knowledge of the particular risks pupils with SEND may face.