Montacute School

Overview

Montacute School continues to be a good school, providing a broad and ambitious curriculum tailored to pupils with complex communication needs. Leaders have created a well-planned environment where staff treat pupils with care, fostering mutually respectful relationships and a strong sense of community.

Strengths

• Staff believe in the school’s values, ensuring pupils "feel heard and listened to," with the school parliament giving pupils a "strong voice in its leadership."
• The curriculum is "broad, ambitious and takes account of pupils’ special educational needs," successfully preparing pupils for their next steps through practical activities and outdoor learning.
• Pupils behave well, feel safe, and enjoy attending; bullying is rare and, when it occurs, is "dealt with swiftly and effectively by staff."
• There is a strong focus on reading, with the library at the centre of the school and phonics delivered throughout, helping many pupils become "competent readers."
• Governors have a "clear vision for its future" and challenge leaders effectively, while staff benefit from well-organised professional development.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should ensure that "curriculum implementation is of a consistently high quality," as some activities are not well matched to lesson aims, preventing pupils from deepening their learning as well as they could.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with well-developed systems, valued staff training, and effective collaboration with outside agencies to ensure pupils receive timely help.