Lakeside School

Overview

Lakeside School continues to be an outstanding school, providing a nurturing environment where pupils thrive through individual care and high expectations. The report highlights that every day is special for pupils, who enjoy warm relationships with staff and achieve well through high-quality guidance. Leaders maintain high aspirations, promoting independence and ensuring pupils are well prepared for their next steps beyond leaving the school.

Strengths

• A "very well-thought-out curriculum" is closely matched to each pupil’s needs, with individual targets threading through every learning activity.
• Staff are highly effective in helping pupils manage their behaviour and anxiety, ensuring they remain focused on learning in a safe environment.
• Pupils make significant progress in communication, with many finding a "voice" through techniques such as pictures, symbols, and eye-gazing strategies.
• The school successfully builds life skills and independence through community visits, such as shopping in cafes, and careers education tied to pupils’ interests.
• Leaders have created a "cohesive and supportive staff team" where staff feel valued and supported in their well-being.

Areas to improve

The report identifies no significant areas for improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with a strong culture deeply embedded in all aspects of the school’s work and thorough pre-employment checks maintained.