Newfield School

Overview

Newfield School is described as a “welcoming school where pupils are known and celebrated as individuals.” The report highlights that relationships between pupils and staff are “caring and strong,” helping pupils to feel “happy and safe.” Since the previous inspection, governance has been “significantly strengthened,” and the school now provides a “highly personalised” curriculum that supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively.

Strengths

• Pupils “enjoy their learning” which is designed to “stimulate their interests, develop their independence and prepare them well for adulthood.”
• Staff use “effective use of sensory and therapeutic approaches” to help pupils regulate their behaviour, resulting in “calm” lessons.
• The curriculum is “sequenced seamlessly from the early years to sixth form” and tailored to individual needs.
• Staff are “skilful” in teaching phonics, helping pupils become “confident and fluent readers.”
• Pupils benefit from “well-considered enrichment opportunities” such as residential trips and community visits that broaden their understanding of the world.

Areas to improve

• In some subjects, including the sixth form, staff do not always choose the “most effective pedagogical activities,” which can hinder pupils’ understanding of new concepts.
• In the early years, the school has not “considered carefully enough how it uses its indoor and outdoor spaces,” leading to variable opportunities for play and exploration.

Safeguarding

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