Littledown School

Overview

This ungraded inspection found that aspects of the school’s work “may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection,” prompting a future graded inspection. While staff build “trusting, warm relationships” and pupils feel safe, inconsistencies in teaching and curriculum implementation mean pupils “do not achieve well enough.”

Strengths

• Staff possess a “strong knowledge of pupils’ special educational needs” and help them develop “greater confidence, self-worth and readiness to learn.”
• Reading is a priority, with a “well-considered phonics programme” helping pupils read with “increasing fluency.”
• The “broad curriculum offer,” including forest visits and residential trips, makes a “strong contribution to pupils’ social development.”
• The school is “very mindful of staff well-being,” providing extra support such as counselling to avoid “unnecessary additional burdens.”

Areas to improve

• The approach to de-escalating behaviour is “not embedded or fully effective,” leading to a high number of physical interventions.
• Curriculum implementation is inconsistent; teaching does not consistently account for previous learning, and activities are not always designed well enough around pupil needs.
• There is insufficient focus on foundational writing skills, specifically “handwriting and securing basic sentence construction.”
• Governance responsibilities between the trust board and local governing body are unclear, with oversight that is “not sufficiently robust.”

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”